cellulite...anything I can do?

So I've lost about 15 pounds and although I'm not quite at my goal, I do feel really good about myself. However, I've noticed a ghastly amount of cellulite in my butt and especially the back of my upper thighs. I'm only 20 years old! It seems almost worse now then it was when I started CC. Is there anything I can do to get rid of it?

Are you exercising along with your diet?

Those who diet only tend to have that problem due to lack of exercise while reducing caloric intake. Start walking and adding some type of cardio in your regimen if you haven't already... 

I know that there are a lot of cremes on the market too, I don't know how they work though.. Good luck!!! 

Oh yeah.... and drinks lots of water. It helps too!!!

I'm in the same boat. And exercise and drinking plenty of water doesn't help either, as I found out. The same goes for firming creams and lotions, they're a joke. It's all in the genetics, and as far as I know there's no cure for it... sadly :(

What kind of exercise are you doing? I wonder if you build muscle in those areas if it would firm up and be less noticeable..

@vicereine: Dunno if that question was directed at me, but since the person who started this topic didn't mention exercise I assume it is.

I can only describe what I was doing about a year ago. August 2006 I weight about 131lbs, as I do now. I joined a gym and busted my behind there daily 4 - 5 days a week for about one and a half hours. It included about 30 - 45 minutes cardio and the rest was strength training / weights. I actually focused on my behind. Besides that I walked for about one hour average daily. Well, I dropped to 107lbs in December 2006, was still a bit on the 'soft side', but one thing I noticed was the cellulite getting actually worse as I lost weight and body fat (went from 26% to 20% if I remember correctly). The bumps were much more visible than before. I guess fat 'fills' the space, and the less fat - the more bumps you get. I don't know if it might have something to do with my body shape, it tends to deposit fat around my hips and thighs.

Cellulite is more of a skin condtion vs muscle/ fat issue.  My boss who is rail thin has cellulite worse than me and I'm 20 lbs overweight we both workout and she's even had liposuction.

I think massaging the skin helps mine.  Lots of water and supposedly staying away from caffiene. 

Oh, I'm definitely exercising. I go to the gym about 4-5 times a week and do some type of cardio for around 30 minutes (I'm doing the couch-to-5k program on the treadmill, for example...other days I will do the elliptical or something else), and then I do some weight training (although I admit it's not very hardcore....I only use the machines and I'm never sore the next day, I'm pretty sure that's not good). In the past 2 months I've gone from about 158ish to 143ish and I'm 5'9". Like I said, I'm becoming more and more happy with my body, it's just this disgusting cellulite that's bothering me as well as the amount of fat I have in these areas with the cellulite as well. It's sad to hear it's all in genetics, but the strange thing is that like I said I think my cellulite has actually worsened over the past few weeks.

My cellulite got worse as I lost weight and then got dramatically better as I lost more. I also started to take the stairs instead of the elevator up 8 flights to my job and I drink 2-3L water a day since May. Do you have anymore weight to lose or are you at your goal?

No, I want to lose about 8-10 more pounds. I know I don't drink nearly enough water, like only a couple of cups per day, is that a huge factor for cellulite? Hopefully as I lose those last few pounds the cellulite will go away!

Has anybody tried endermologie?

OOH, PICK ME!! (raising my hand)

Here's what I have learned about cellulite: Fat sits on top of your muscles, so it generally takes the shape of the muscles. If the muscles are out of shape, they tend to get a bit lumpy-causing cellulite to appear. When you work the muscles using a decent amout of resistance (weight training) the muscles will become much smoother and more dense, causing the fat to also that that same shape. I personally have watched my body prove this fact, as I used to be a cellulite queen before I joined a gym, and now I have no cellulite at all. Skip the creams and lipo-suction; weight training is your key to beating cellulite.

I based my guess upon looking at fitness competitors and the like, their skin is tight and no sign of cellulite.. but on the other hand their body fat % is lower than average so normal people probably won't have as good of results but I think strength training would definitely help.

It also depends on your body fat, you can still have a high percentage and be losing weight.

I asked my doctor about a month ago, and libertina's answer is almost verbatim what she told me.  The muscles are the key to the skin looking pretty.

Bottom line - there is no non-surgical cure for cellulite. 

Like any other fat or fat cells, cellulite responds to calorie-restriction and is burned off by calorie-deficit, but it is the stored fat that goes away - the fat cell is still present and can refill if calorie excess resumes.

Many surgical treatments for cellulite remove the fat cells. There is no non-surgical cure.  The herb Gota Kola seems to help relieve the appearance of cellulite: so does a good quality Aloe Vera cream. But no product offers a complete cure.

Things you can do to lessen the appearance are:  cleansing your system and getting active. If you are overweight reduce your weight gradually. If you smoke, quit. Avoid unnecessary medications. Reduce your intake of coffee, alcohol, high-fat foods and highly processed foods. Eat plenty of fiber. Drink plenty of water and eat regular daily helpings of fresh fruit. Exercise regularly and vigorously. Try rubbing a good quality aloe vera cream into the cellulite-affected areas.  Oddly, fresh coffee grounds are also said to have an effect. 

Most of all ... Avoid all expensive 'cures'.   They don't work.

Libertina is right on the money!

I am much older than most of you (48) and though I have a relatively healthy lifestyle, cellulite clung to the back of my legs like old tape on paper. I couldn't get it off. I ran, biked, swam......nothing.

I wondered if the myth was true that I could really get rid of my cellulite through exercise.  Or if this was a rumor spread by fit people who never even had any cellulite in the first place! Lucky for us.....not so fit..... it is true!! Even at 48!! But It comes with a vigorous weight training routine and a low fat (ldl-bad fat) diet.  BUT IT IS TRUE.....YOU CAN DO IT!!  I DID IT!  And it was GOOD! MY LEGS WERE KILLER! 

Sadly, for me I am an all or nothing type of exerciser/healthy eater.  Last year I fell off the wagon, stopped exercising and gained 30 pounds........guess what.  Dangermousse is right.  Those @*# little fat cells were lieing in wait and have now filled up again.  Hello Cellulite.

Time for me to get back in the gym. But just knowing that we can get rid of cellulite if we're willing to make the sacrifice, motivates me.