The powers of massage... anyone else noticed it making a difference?

So, I have sooooo much fat to lose, I'm a little frightened of all the loose skin I could end up with. I've been fascinated by endermology ads, and have done web searches on the effects of massage on cellulite and the skin in general, and have started adding massaging this blubber of mine at various points during the day to my daily routine.

It's funny. The more I push and pull and rub the fat and methodically knead deeply (I've given myself a couple of light bruises, but nothing too bad), the more I start to feel a lumpyish, connected texture under the skin and the whole area feels a lot looser when I'm done - not tighter. But then the next day it looks firmer and there are areas where I wasn't losing any inches that now ARE. (I rub, counting in my head "1 [2, 3, 4], 2 [2, 3, 4], 3 [2, 3, 4]... on up to 100 on any given area.) Also really concentrating the backbrush over my fattest areas in the tub. Heard testimonials on this, and I'm not going to overlook anything that might help.

I've dropped a bunch of sizes and so far, my skin is more toned than it was when I started, not less so. Am I just fooling myself that this is more than just coincidence? Anybody else had good results with massage reducing cellulite, stubborn fatty areas, and/or loose skin?

I'm wondering this too so BUMP!

I think what you may be doing is increasing the blood circulation in the area... and that can improve anything. Depending on how overweight you are that may make a huge difference... If you are moderately overweight to obese your circulation is probably compromised; so massage can probably do wonders for you.

Here's my thing: I was 210-215ish. I slowllllyyyyy lost it (more like lost it in segments; going down 20 lbs at a time, maintaining it for a year or so; losing again etc). Was a tight size 18, now a size 4 women (5 jeans) at 135lbs.

I worried about loose skin too. Stretch marks and cellulite run in my genes. I was hypothetically screwed. I found a few tips to be most helpful for cellulite and stretch marks:

• Reduced caffeine intake (this is very hard for me; 2c per day minimum!)
• Moderate water intake (not too much of a problem for me...)
• No ultra hot showers (UGH! Killer... I love to be warm!!!)
• No bathes (another killer; but I deal with it)
• Massage the areas affected to increase circulation (I found the easiest way to do this is to apply lotions at night or after showering... it's a great way to get your skin softened and it reminds me to massage myself a little)
• Weight lifting is important to tone and reduce fat deposits (I lift and I lift heavy... you gain a little at first but if you stick with it, the fat melts off)
• Tanning can reduce the appearance (I tan 1x per week plus I use light self tanners.... bc stretch marks just don't tan the same way... but it def helps minimize appearance)
• Clean diets help reduce cellulite and also improve skin quality
• HIIT training for more muscle building with cardio training. (HIIT is when you do hard-core cardio exercizes but only for a very short burst at a time... it's intense but you work your way up to it)
• Wet sauna's improve the look of your skin and can help with water weight reduction (but it can also bring out the "bumps" in cellulite bc of the water weight recduction so just do it in moderation!)
• Strivectin (expense bottle found at Macy's). It works... oh man does it work. But it is expense (about $150 per bottle; bottle lasts about a month; you need at least 2 months of daily treatment to see some really good results). My aunt had stretch marks on her belly very bad from her first daughter. 16 years later she found strivectin used it during her pregnancy with her son and badda-boom, not only did it prevent stretch marks from occuring; it took away her old ones by the time her son was born! Crazy good... but mad expensive.

Hope this helps a little... unfortunately there isn't much to do about cellulite other than lipo... you can reduce it to the point of it being almost non-existant but it takes a lot of time and effort... I have had to bring my body fat % to about 18% and I still have some cellulite left (minimal but it's there), so just remember it takes hella time but with dedication you will get there!!

G'luck

-Mel

My mother is a massage therapist here in St. Louis and she has told me many stories about certain clients who have seen a result in their weight loss and better skin because of the frequent massages :-)