10 ways to prevent body protein breakdown, loose skin and cellulite - Part 2
Continued from: 10 ways to prevent body protein breakdown, loose skin and cellulite - Part 1
3. Avoid excessive calorie intake
And it doesn't end here either. As adipocytes (fat cells) expand, they physically break down the connective tissue matrix around them in order to accommodate the extra calories that you stuff them with. Remember, what you call firmness depends on this connective tissue (made of protein), and allowing your fat cells to expand and break this tissue down means more skin laxity.
4. Use non-hormonal contraception
Being on the pill, therefore having excessive estrogen in your system helps expand your fat cells and leads to further skin laxity.
5. Avoid smoking
Cigarette smoke, contains free radicals and inflammatory substances which indirectly deteriorate connective tissue and blood vessels. Smoking doesn't just cause cancer and heart disease but skin ageing and poor circulation on your thighs as well.
6. Keep off hydrogenated fats (trans fatty acids)
Nasty trans-fats, fried oils and other dietary and environmental toxins disturb cellular function, cause inflammation and free radical damage and therefore have a negative effect on connective tissue, including your skin and your blood vessels. This is why fried food and hydrogenated fats are leading causes of heart disease. Trans fats are contains in frying oils, margarines and margarine-rich foods such as pasties, croissant, muffins etc.
7. Avoid sugar and sugary foods
Sugar is the number one cause of cellulite today, not only because of the excess calories it provides, it's addictive nature and the fluctuations in insulin levels and insulin resistance that it causes. Sugar and overcooked starches also cause connective tissue degradation and ageing through a process called glycation.
8. Avoid nutrient deficiency
Lack of connective tissue-specific nutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, aminoacids) caused by nutrient-poor, calorie rich diets cause connective tissue deterioration on the skin (leading to skin looseness) and on the blood vessels (leading to poor circulation and water retention), further worsening the appearance and health of your legs and buttocks.
9. Avoid wearing tight clothes
Wearing tight clothes restricts your circulation and lymphatic drainage and makes it difficult to remove excess water and waste products from the tissues, leading to inflammation and water retention. Fat would also have a tendency to "hang around" in the tissues and not be removed, even if you were on a fat loss diet, thereby making the diet less efficient for your cellulite.
Graduated compression garments are an exception to this rule because they actually boost circulation and lymphatic drainage due to the pressure gradient between the extremities and the torso, but in any case they should not be worn for more than 8 hours a day.
10. And most importantly, avoid crash dieting and yoyo dieting at all costs
Follow a crash diet and you will certainly lose protein from your skin, which will then be replaced by fat when you regain your weight, thereby replacing firmness with flab. Do this yo-yo dieting for several years and surprise yourself with how loose your skin has become.
The contribution of cellulite creams and skin firmign treatments
This is a pretty exhaustive list of things you can do yourself to avoid losing your skin firmness and keeping cellulite at bay. In addition to these measures you can also consider receiving regular cellulite-specific massages and using a good anti-cellulite/skin firming cream. A comprehensive, highly concentrated cream should contain ingredients that boost skin firmness and help reduce fat, whilst a vigorous anti-cellulite massage would stimulate the activity of fibroblasts (collagen cells) and restrict the activity of adipocytes. The combination of the cream, treatment and the above 10 measures would thereby help boost skin firmness and keep cellulite at bay.













