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I have cellulite, do you? And my problem with it is a bigger problem than the cellulite itself.

 

This isn't really a request for advice, it's just a discussion and a hope for optimistic encouragement.

 

I have cellulite on my upper thighs and bum, in the back and a little in the front of my thighs. I hate it so much. I am embarrassed to wear shorts or a bathing suit.

 

And I have tried for years to make it go away. It is frustrating. I am of a low weight, and always have been of a healthy low weight. Technically I have been underweight at times, according to some overly simplified scales. But as an adult I always had it, ever since I was in my early 20s. I've never been overweight. It doesn't matter. My thighs have gotten larger with muscle or weight gain, and have shrunken back down again when I changed my workouts and diet. The cellulite was always there. I was a vegetarian for a decade. For a long time I ate almost no bread or potatoes. I've taken collagen supplements, antioxidants, I tried coffee exfoliation scrubs, all the stuff. I was on and off hormonal birth control since I was 20. It didn't matter. I don't smoke, I almost never drink. For a long time I didn't drink at all. I've been a runner, I've been a cardio machine gym-goer, a walker, I've taken ballet for years, I did thrice weekly HIIT for years. I drink a lot of water, eat lots of vegetables and healthy food, very little salt, very little carbs, practically no dairy. I weight train and do ballet and calisthenics, take 60 flights of stairs a day, 10000 steps a day. I dry brush. I massage, I moisturize. It does not matter. The cellulite was always there, through all of these different and differently healthy lifestyle changes. Basically, according to all the advice columns, I shouldn't have it. But I do, and I always did, as an adult.

 

And something else. When I was a teenager I was so self-conscious about having pale skin that I was ashamed to show my body for that reason, back when I was a 100lb teen with no lumps on my legs at all. And then I got the cellulite and I was ashamed of that, too.

 

Imagine if I were berating some other woman for her thighs and telling her that she should be ashamed of them. Ashamed?! How horrible that would be to treat another woman that way. So why am I treating myself this way?

 

I am healthy. I am fit and able to do all these fun and active things! I don't have problems with my health. I don't experience pain. I should be so grateful. I should love my capable, pain-free legs! But moreover, I shouldn't care about these superficial things. This is shallow. This is a shallow, pointless obsession and I want to be over it.

 

I pray for the strength of character to look past the superficial, in myself and in others, so that I value other people and value my life.

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The only real effective technique is good lighting and good angles.

 

It might have been a teensy tiny bit less noticeable when I was off hormonal birth control. But it was such a small difference. I'm sure that in a side-by-side photo, you wouldn't even be able to see any difference. And I need the hormonal BC to prevent pregnancy.

 

Sometimes it looks better right after a workout, just minutes after a strenuous workout, when my legs are a little swollen. But that might be a difference in the blood vessels in my skin, it's temporary, it's not a change in the underlying structure.

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Something else about the fitness-advice community that frustrates me. If you look up exercises to target and "tone and slim" your thighs, and you look up exercises to add weight and size to your thighs, you will often see the very same exercises. If you can't spot reduce, then why do people promote thigh-targeted exercises to women who are "pear-shaped" and want to slim down their thighs?

 

The only way to slim down your thighs is by dieting and losing weight overall. But at my lowest weight, my cellulite was just as bad. Gaining muscle requires eating more calories. If I workout my thighs, they do get bigger. If I diet, it's so hard to maintain that muscle, because I don't have the energy to workout as strenuously. But I know this;If I'm going to have even 1% of bodyfat, it's going to be on my thighs and bum. And I cannot live my daily life just for my thighs and bum to look good. What kind of life is that? What would that even get for me? I'm not a model. It won't get me love or friends. Even if I lost the cellulite, I'd still have really pale skin and kind of short legs and I'm just a normal person with a normal life. Even if I had the best legs I could have, which would take a lot of work every day, forever, what would I even get out of that, other than the legs themselves? And I know myself, I would just start to feel self-conscious and ashamed of something else. This is why this is the problem and not my legs.

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Girl I feel you... I have always had cellulite, even in my 20's. No matter how fit and active I am, or how clean my diet, or what creams I use, that cellulite doesn't budge.

 

The thing with cellulite is that it actually has very little to do with the fat itself and more to do with the connective tissue allowing the fat to poke through. As we age, the connective tissue gets weaker and allows cellulite to be more visible. There are things we can do to make it less visible but it won't ever completely disappear.

 

The thing that has probably been most effective for me, was to stop all of the long cardio sessions and focus on building muscle with high intensity workouts, strength training and significantly increasing the protein in my diet. The muscle helps strengthen the connective tissue so the cellulite is less visible. I am 48 years old and except for the dimples on my butt you can barely see it. When I was super skinny in my 20's, the cellulite was actually more visible than it is now that I am more muscular.

 

Otherwise, I know there are cosmetic procedures you can get that are supposed to help, I have always been somewhat reluctant to get those as some people have not had good experiences, and they are very expensive.

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You sounds like me!!! Cellulite is a total bugger! I feel like I have hail damage from my tush on down!

 

I, too, am very active and have a very healthy diet. And that makes it all the more frustrating. What I have found to help it any form of deep, deep tissue massage. Whether a foam roller, a dry body brush, or a cellulite scrubber thingy in the shower, massaging that tissue so that it breaks up the connective tissue will help fat to appear flatter. It works. It won't take it all away, but it certainly works. I will warn you, though, it is not comfortable. If it doesn't slightly hurt, it isn't going to work. I bruised for a while, but then got used to it.

 

The other option is cellulite tape. That is right--it is literally tape. You are basically pulling your skin tight and taping it up. It is a very immediate, very temporary fix, and can be slightly embarrassing if the tape comes off! But, it's an option!

 

All in all, I've started to be more accepting of it. I hate it, but it's there. Such is life.

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I’m sorry you’re unhappy with your body! I think I had some cellulite in my 30s when I was about five pounds more than I am now which is about 4 pounds more than I’ve been for about the last 5 years. I’m like you. Never been overweight , petite and slim and I do all the cardio since 1982 regularly and every day for the last 8 years or so (before that 4-5 times a week go longer time periods - longer than 30 -35 minutes I mean. So I hope you come to more acceptance !

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Cellulite is more about genetics than your weight or amount of fat you have. You can be underweight and still have cellulite, you can be overweight and not have it.

 

The good news for you is that most women have it and it's normal. If you want to feel better, look up Camila Cabello and what she had to say about that. Maybe it will inspire you to love your body better. Here is a link to the story, but you can look up more https://www.insider.com/camila-cabello-shuts-down-her-body-shamers-cellulite-is-normal-2019-8. Many celebrities are speaking out about that.

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Are you serious? You're hanging around the wrong crowd, honey. Some men find it very attractive and I have no problem with mine. Love it actually and totally own it, curves and everything. I've been from size 0 to 6 at various points of my life. I'm at a comfortable 6 and had cellulite since I was a 0 as a teenager. Take it easy and don't get too hung up on that sort of thing. It's hot. That type of shaming is for a different planet.

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I am going to the beach soon on a trip with lots of people. I started feeling anxious about this and then it occurred to me how big a waste it would be to let this ruin a chance to connect with other people and really appreciate time with them.

 

I tend to oscillate from not caring at all, to letting it ruin my day. And that is just so SO profoundly silly. I would like to simply not care so much about it, and to focus my energy on more important thoughts. I know that I have allowed superficial values to hinder my relationships with people. I judge myself and others too harshly. I want to be accepting, to look at people and really SEE them with empathy, as being complex people. And I would like to see myself that way, too. I think for many women it begins with body image and forgiving your flaws. I don;t know. I want to be a more positive and substantial person; not just about body image but in terms of values.

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And I have tried for years to make it go away. It is frustrating. I am of a low weight, and always have been of a healthy low weight. Technically I have been underweight at times, according to some overly simplified scales. But as an adult I always had it, ever since I was in my early 20s. I've never been overweight. It doesn't matter. My thighs have gotten larger with muscle or weight gain, and have shrunken back down again when I changed my workouts and diet. The cellulite was always there.

 

It's the same for my mom and my sister. I'm adopted and I've never carried a lot of cellulite.

 

The three of us have fluctuated in weight over the years, but we are relatively thin. So, I'm pretty sure it's hereditary.

 

I hope you find a way to embrace your body in its perfection. As you said, you are healthy and pain-free. You have friends. You're a decent person, right?

 

Try to stop beating yourself up.

 

I have memories from when I was five of my mom telling me how much she hated her legs and butt. That's sad.

 

She carried around a lot of insecurity about her appearance. What a heavy, useless burden.

 

And the crazy thing is, she was quite a beautiful woman.

 

I would like to simply not care so much about it, and to focus my energy on more important thoughts.

 

That's a useful technique, actually. You can start by simply noticing the negative thought and NOT JUDGING IT. Just notice it. Then shift your attention to something more enjoyable.

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I am going to the beach soon on a trip with lots of people. I started feeling anxious about this and then it occurred to me how big a waste it would be to let this ruin a chance to connect with other people and really appreciate time with them.

 

I tend to oscillate from not caring at all, to letting it ruin my day. And that is just so SO profoundly silly. I would like to simply not care so much about it, and to focus my energy on more important thoughts. I know that I have allowed superficial values to hinder my relationships with people. I judge myself and others too harshly. I want to be accepting, to look at people and really SEE them with empathy, as being complex people. And I would like to see myself that way, too. I think for many women it begins with body image and forgiving your flaws. I don;t know. I want to be a more positive and substantial person; not just about body image but in terms of values.

 

You’re treating the symptom ( cellulite ) and ignoring the disease ( anxiety ) fix the disease and the symptoms go away. See a Dr. or if you’re able a counselor.

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Are you doing anything about your anxiety?

 

That seems to be the common theme of your posts...

 

I'm trying to change my mindset and I will try to start rituals like praying and meditating. I also think, there's a certain amount of intentionally looking to the positive people around me as examples. I can choose who to focus on.

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I am going to the beach soon on a trip with lots of people. I started feeling anxious about this and then it occurred to me how big a waste it would be to let this ruin a chance to connect with other people and really appreciate time with them.

 

I tend to oscillate from not caring at all, to letting it ruin my day. And that is just so SO profoundly silly. I would like to simply not care so much about it, and to focus my energy on more important thoughts. I know that I have allowed superficial values to hinder my relationships with people. I judge myself and others too harshly. I want to be accepting, to look at people and really SEE them with empathy, as being complex people. And I would like to see myself that way, too. I think for many women it begins with body image and forgiving your flaws. I don;t know. I want to be a more positive and substantial person; not just about body image but in terms of values.

 

What people are attracted to more than anything under the sun isn't your physical appearance but your charisma. Let your hair down and allow yourself to have fun, be you, be who cares kind of an attitude and you'll find that the world will bask in your sunshine and want more of it.

 

On another note, physical attraction has little to do with looks and everything to do with genetics, pheromones to be exact. The invisible stuff our bodies are spreading around and various noses picking up. You aren't conscious of it. It's really base animal instinct level stuff and as much as we want to tell ourselves that we control attraction, we actually do not. If you can wrap your mind around that, you might find that liberating in the sense that the right match for you will be irresistibly drawn to you no matter what.

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Are you serious? You're hanging around the wrong crowd, honey. Some men find it very attractive and I have no problem with mine. Love it actually and totally own it, curves and everything. I've been from size 0 to 6 at various points of my life. I'm at a comfortable 6 and had cellulite since I was a 0 as a teenager. Take it easy and don't get too hung up on that sort of thing. It's hot. That type of shaming is for a different planet.

 

I just can't see it as attractive! At least, not on myself. I have salami skin, kind of see-through. Self-tanner helps but man that stuff is smelly and rubs off on sheets and clothes. And again, that's just a band-aid for insecurity. I'm here, I'm pale, I'm bumpy. Love it or leave it.

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What people are attracted to more than anything under the sun isn't your physical appearance but your charisma. Let your hair down and allow yourself to have fun, be you, be who cares kind of an attitude and you'll find that the world will bask in your sunshine and want more of it.

 

On another note, physical attraction has little to do with looks and everything to do with genetics, pheromones to be exact. The invisible stuff our bodies are spreading around and various noses picking up. You aren't conscious of it. It's really base animal instinct level stuff and as much as we want to tell ourselves that we control attraction, we actually do not. If you can wrap your mind around that, you might find that liberating in the sense that the right match for you will be irresistibly drawn to you no matter what.

 

I agree. And here's the thing. I'm married to a wonderful guy who thinks I am beautiful. He loves my body and my skin. This is all just my own nonsense in my own head. No one is making me feel like this except myself. That's why I'm going to stop caring. There, I'm saying that I am going to stop caring. No more saying I want to or will try to, it's a plan. I will stop caring.

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I used to be bothered. That's was because I saw unrealistic ideals in photoshopped images. We are plastered everywhere by images that are unreal. When my husband first told me cellulite was hot, I looked at him like he turned into a baked potato. I started to take a very good look at the images that we see on a daily basis in magazines, movies, in malls, plastered on floor to ceiling posters and my eyes started seeing images that were unrealistic and alien to me. I looked at myself in the mirror differently and began to interpret differences in the way I used to think regarding my skin, body type, hair type and markings. I realized I'd been institutionalized and indoctrinated by what society deemed ok or correct and for the first time in my life I felt it surge up in my blood, a very deep sense of betrayal and anger, towards all the companies that ever have taught women to believe one type of image or one type of look is perfect. I asked myself questions about my role models growing up from my mother to every woman I'd known who had betrayed me or any young girl into thinking that we were not good enough. Yes, there was a lot of anger. But it wasn't directed towards myself. Eventually it ran out.

 

I came to realize at the end of the day that I have never changed. Only my outlook and my perspective has changed over time, large enough (thankfully) to encompass different thoughts and a new opinion of myself. That turned from caring (caring about my image) to demanding (demanding that I live my way, no make up, cellulite and all). I think the answer is not in caring anymore but in caring so deeply that you are able to make sense of that self-rejection, anger, acceptance and finally supreme and utter self-love that nothing or anyone can take away from you.

 

My advice is not to not care. It's to care deeply and live deeply. Love yourself deeply and really see yourself for what you are, totally and completely.

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I have a friend who is tall and thin, except she had cellulite on the backs of her thighs that she hated. She was told that even liposuction wouldn't get rid of it, as lipo can make it bumpy looking, which is entirely what she wanted to get rid of. She ended up having the backs of her thighs slit horizontally just under each butt cheek, and the doctor extracted out as much fat as he could. She has no cellulite anymore, but she has two distinct thigh-width horizontal scars just at the tops of her thighs, which she probably doesn't even realize are entirely noticeable in swimsuits. She should have just lived with the cellulite.

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I have a friend who is tall and thin, except she had cellulite on the backs of her thighs that she hated. She was told that even liposuction wouldn't get rid of it, as lipo can make it bumpy looking, which is entirely what she wanted to get rid of. She ended up having the backs of her thighs slit horizontally just under each butt cheek, and the doctor extracted out as much fat as he could. She has no cellulite anymore, but she has two distinct thigh-width horizontal scars just at the tops of her thighs, which she probably doesn't even realize are entirely noticeable in swimsuits. She should have just lived with the cellulite.

 

Yikes!!!!!!!!

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Ive had it since i was 14. I ws never overweight although my weigh did fluctuate as a teen. I just dont have the worlds best skin. I have it behind my knees, thighs, bum, boobs.

Thats life. Now im older, you know what i learned. No one actually cares. They will love you up regardless, they won't even notice it.

Im almost 40 and i have lots of zits still...lucky huh! The person who notices it the most...me!

Who needs superficial friends?? Guess what...they will get old one day and have imperfections. What then!??

Forget them, love yourself. No one is perfect.

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