Skee,

I haven't, but I did see more muscle which I never seen while on low fat. By eating more protein you increase muscle mass while burnoing fat. Low fat you mainly lose muscle from what I notice & maybe a little fat.

HoneyBunch, you are doing really well so far, congratulations I lost from about 270 to 200 when I was in my early 20s, before I had a baby, and my skin stayed pretty tight. This time around, not so much I wish I had kept the weight off back then but it's too late for regrets.

I keep reading that none of those stretch mark or cellulite creams work..... I am way over my quota for stretch marks! I've tried the Avon version of the cellulite cream, I did notice one inch difference after a month, but I was also working out, so who's to say?

Skee, on SBD we do low/non fat and I still have cellulite - I read that it's heredity that determines how much you have. Just like you can see skinny girls with lumpy thighs pockmocked with cellulite.....

Stretch mark creams can only prevent new ones from forming once their there you can't reverse them. You can only make them less noticiable by tanning perferably artifical tanning. Cellulite creams will work until you sweat it off or shower or swim. It's the working out that caused the inch loss no cream can make you loss inches, if that were true it would be rare to see over weight women.

Cellulite & stretch marks will show up more on certian skin texture. If your skin is more thin textured it shows up easier. Men naturally have thicker texture too their skin plus less fat cells over the muscle tissue so you don't see much on them. And the thickness is hereditery so if your mom has it then you'll have a good chance of getting it as well.

So basically it's a lost cause then? Damn those snake oil vendors!

I've been trying to get my dermatologist to create the vaccination for stretch marks. I say the man who develops the cream/potion/magic wand that eliminates old and new stretch marks will rule the world! Well, that and dark circles under eyes.

And most eye creams are a rip off too. They just hydrated & that's about it. Some don't do a good job of it either.

I love my eye cream! But its $$$$. That's why we have to push derms to create products that actually WORK. The technology won't become available until I'm too old to enjoy it

I found one that I like too but it took awhile. Mines expensive too. The best thing to do is keep it hydrated & wear sunscreen & try not to touch that area much.

In regards to cellulite creams, etc. I found this article from Paula Begoun's website. She's known as the Cosmetics Cop and she is basically a David Horowitz of beauty products.

Covered in Cellulite Creams
While the current crop of products claiming to reduce or eliminate cellulite is rapidly increasing, research regarding their efficacy remains at a bare minimum. Overall, the research states loud and clear these products don't work but sadly, the lure of these potions is hard to fend off. None of us wants cellulite, and combating it is an uphill battle not necessarily affected by weight loss. In fact, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, cellulite is the body’s natural way of storing fat in adult women. You may be shocked to learn that most women who are not extremely malnourished have some amount of cellulite. For some women, especially very thin women, cellulite may only be visible by pinching skin, while for the vast majority of women, some amount of cellulite is always visible.

Cellulite is assumed to be caused by the accumulation of fat cells that protrude or are interlaced with possibly weakened layers of skin. Many companies selling anti-cellulite products have referred to this as "imprisoned fat," which is actually a decent analogy. What is definitely true is that women are far more prone to cellulite than men, most likely because they have more subcutaneous fat cells in their hips and thighs (Source: Journal of Applied Physiology, April 2002, pages 1611–1618).

There is a lengthy list of products claiming they can be rubbed on the skin and then some how free your fat and improve skin tone to eliminate or reduce the appearance of cellulite. Despite the popularity of these lotions and potions, two questions remain unresolved: (1) the lack of any formulary cohesiveness between products, and (2) any support that these products work (Source: Skin Research and Technology, May 2002, pages 118-124). The European Journal of Dermatology (December 2000, pages 596–603) reviewed 32 cellulite products containing between 4 and 31 ingredients that had few similarities. "Forty-four different botanicals and 39 different emollients were used in the 32 products. Caffeine, present in 14 products, was the most common additive, apparently representing an 'active' ingredient. In other respects the compositions of the products were similar to those of skin creams." Cosmetics companies are throwing in random plants without any proof they can help, and yet the suggestive claims are there to entice consumers to try yet another miracle anti-cellulite potion.

Aminophylline, a prescription bronchodilator (opens lung passageways), gained notoriety as an ingredient in cellulite creams as a result of a study published in Obesity Research (November 1995, Supplemental pages 561S–568S). However, the validity of this now dated research was called into question because one of the authors was marketing an aminophylline cream being sold at the time, and thus was not what you would call an objective investigator. Also, the number of participants in the study was small and most were also dieting and exercising at the same time they were applying the aminophylline cream (Source: Annals of Pharmacotherapy, March 1996, pages 292–293).

Doubt about aminophylline's value was also revealed by a study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (September 1999, pages 1110–1114), which described a double-blind study that compared the effectiveness of three different treatments for cellulite on three different groups of women. One investigated the twice-daily application of aminophylline cream compared with a placebo; another the twice-weekly treatment using endermologie (a machine rolled over the surface of skin claiming to get rid of cellulite) on one leg and nothing on the other; and a third used endermologie on both sides along with the same cream regimen as the first group. "No statistical difference existed in measurements between legs for any of the treatment groups.... [Even] The best subjective assessment, by the patients themselves, revealed that only 3 of 35 aminophylline-treated legs and 10 of 35 [e]ndermologie-treated legs [felt] their cellulite appearance improved." So, aminophylline appears not to be the answer for cellulite, though it still shows up in some cellulite creams.

Caffeine is used as an ingredient in cellulite creams because of its distant relationship to aminophylline. Aminophylline is a modified form of theophylline, and both are bronchodilators (Source: Yale New Haven Health Library, Alternative/Complimentary Medicine, www.yalenewhavenhealth.org); caffeine contains theophylline (Source: Progress in Neurobiology, December 2002, pages 377–392). There is no research to prove or disprove that theophylline can affect cellulite. Only its association with aminophylline and subsequently its relation to caffeine makes it a good, natural-sounding candidate for a cellulite cream. There are two studies showing caffeine to have benefit for cellulite, but one was conducted by Johnson & Johnson, which owns RoC and Neutrogena, both companies that sell cellulite creams that contain caffeine, and the other was conducted by cosmetic ingredient manufacturers that sell anti-cellulite compounds (Source: Journal of Cosmetic Science, July-August 2002, pages 209–218). There is no other independent research showing that caffeine provides any benefit for treating cellulite, nor research pointing to how much caffeine is needed to produce results. Besides, if caffeine were the answer, wouldn’t consuming tea and coffee (without cream and sugar, of course) daily have an internal effect on cellulite? Couldn’t you just rub coffee on your legs or make a coffee ground scrub and get results? Wouldn't Starbucks have a whole new marketing angle to entice customers?

Other cellulite creams have gone about trying to improve skin texture on the thigh by using ingredients like retinol or AHAs (Source: American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, November-December 2000m pages 369-374). Theoretically, these come the closest to having the potential for improving the appearance of cellulite. If cellulite is a problem with the structure of skin, applying ingredients that help improve skin structure should make a difference. A small amount of research shows that to be the case, though the number of participants in these studies was also extremely small (Source: American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, November-December 2000, pages 369–374). What is important to point out is that if retinol or AHAs can help, you don't need something labeled "cellulite cream" to give them a try.

In the end, it makes the most sense to not obsess over cellulite (I know, easier said than done!) and instead concentrate on getting enough daily exercise and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet that emphasizes whole rather than processed foods. Searching for a quick fix when it comes to weight issues doesn’t work.


Read Paula's review of Anti-Cellulite Fashion Hosiery and Anti-Cellulite Sneakers

Read Paula's updated investigation of Endermologie

Paula Begoun
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/a...EFER=SKIN&ID=55

The best thing I could think of is covering it up with a fake tan makes it a little less noticable.

That didn't work for me, tried it last summer Pointless. They can do research to find out that rats die if you paint yellow marker on them, then why can't they "cure" cellulite?!??

My theory is that they really don't want to find a cure for it because it would put to many people out of business. I often wonder how companies get away with selling BS products.

Well thanks for the responses lol... I guess this means I just need to do more weight bearing exercise... ...

Thanks!

That's exactly why we don't have a "cure" for most modern problems. Big business, specifically pharmaceutical companies make ALOT of money off of us and our constant stream of illnesses.

Unfortunately there is no current solution and most likely won't be anytime soon. Diet and exercise is our only hope!

i'm sure they've found a cure for cancer but would lose all the money donated for research if they made what they know public knowledge..

JMO