Here is Great research on benefits of krill oil omega-3 for fat loss

Here is Great research on benefits of krill oil omega-3


Check out the research my partners at Prograde have done on this great supplement.

Astaxanthin for Endurance & Fat Loss

By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD, CSCS
Have you ever wondered why krill oil was brightly colored red instead of yellow like other marine omega-3 lipids? Well, this red shade is not only pretty to look at, but it can help you burn more fat and increase your athletic endurance; added benefits we’re all looking for.

This pigment responsible for giving krill oil it’s unique color is a special red carotenoid called astaxanthin. If that isn’t just a mouthful enough to say, it’s also has been demonstrated to have a laundry list of pharmacological effects including as an anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory agent. But, what we’re going to focus on here is fat loss and endurance.

Sources of Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a colorful antioxidant that occurs naturally in a few different foods – mainly of marine sources. It’s the primary reason some fish and seafood are colored red; the pink flesh of salmon is a perfect example. However, you have to be careful: many farmed fish are given a synthetic version of astaxanthin in their diet, or their flesh is dyed with it before being sold in the market because astaxanthin is lacking in farmed fish feed. In the wild, salmon and other fish get astaxanthin naturally from the microalgae they eat. In fact, microalgae is the greatest naturally-occurring source of astaxanthin; shrimp, krill and salmon are red from eating it.


Another place to get astaxanthin in human diets is from bright yellow egg yolks, but again, this usually comes from synthetic form of astaxanthin fed to chickens; organic chickens are fed natural compounds containing astaxanthin, so that’s your best bet. Most red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are colored due to other natural carotenoids, like beta-carotene. The best way for humans to get astaxanthin naturally is to eat a diet of wild salmon, trout, seafood, and organic chicken eggs, and take supplements rich in astaxanthin, like krill oil.

Fat Loss, Endurance and You

A group of Japanese researchers recently demonstrated that mice given astaxanthin in several different doses along with a high fat diet had significantly lower body weight and body fat levels compared to mice fed a high fat diet of the same calorie level. Astaxanthin also reduced liver weight, liver triglyceride content, and blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. What this means is that when added to a high-fat, high-calorie diet, astaxanthin prevented mice from becoming overweight with a fatty liver and high blood fat levels. The way astaxanthin did this was not by reducing the digestion of absorption of dietary fat, but instead by increasing the usage of fat as an energy source. This was supported by a decrease in the respiratory exchange ratio (RER), which indicates that fat was used for fuel, instead of carbohydrates.


Mice can run on treadmills too!

In another Japanese study, mice were given astaxanthin along with a daily exercise routine (and if you’ve never seen mice run on a treadmill, you’re really missing out). They were divided into four groups: sedentary, sedentary plus with astaxanthin, running exercise, and exercise plus astaxanthin. After four weeks the animals in the exercise groups were placed on a treadmill to test a range of physical parameters. Similar to the study above, astaxanthin increased fat usage during exercise and accelerated the normal decrease in body fat that occurs with regular exercise. It did this by increasing the movement of fats into the mitochondria for energy production via enhanced carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity (a transport protein for fat located on the cell membrane). What this means is that astaxanthin supplementation spared muscle glycogen (a normal fuel source for exercise) and used fat stores instead.

Finally, mice given astaxanthin in doses of either 1.2, 6, or 30 mg/kg body weight for 5 weeks along with regular swimming exercise were shown to have a significant increase in exercise time to exhaustion (meaning they swam longer) than mice given a placebo. Blood lactate levels (a marker of exercise fatigue) were lower in the animals given astaxanthin, while blood non-esterified fatty acid and glucose levels were higher (indicating that astaxanthin spared blood energy sources). Overall, astaxanthin improved swimming endurance when given for only a short period of time.


What Dose is Needed for Humans?

Many people criticize animal research as being irrelevant to humans, but that’s not entirely correct. True, we’re a different species, but our enzymes, muscle function and metabolisms are scarily similar. Plus, there’s only so many humans you can poke holes in before someone starts to get suspicious. But I digress…

The doses used in these animal studies can be converted to human doses. All of the studies above used the same astaxanthin doses. At the lowest level of 1.2 mg/kg for mice, this translates to a dose of 0.1 grams (100 mg) for humans. At the minimum, humans can still take a dose of 0.012 grams (12 mg) of astaxanthin from all dietary sources and see results over no astaxanthin at all because research with humans have shown this dose to be effective for reducing blood triglyceride levels and increasing healthy blood HDL cholesterol levels. Further, doses have been suggested to accumulate over time, since it is fat-soluble, so lower doses would act as higher doses with longer durations of supplementation.

Astounding Astaxanthin

Overall, astaxanthin holds promise as a fat-burning, exercise-enhancing, health-improving dietary nutrient. By eating a diet rich in red-colored seafood like salmon and shrimp and supplementing with natural sources of astaxanthin from oils of krill and microalgae, you can increase the tools to keep your body lean, fit, and free of disease. And, in this age of chronic diseases and foods full of high-calorie anti-nutrients, we need all the tools we can get.



Go to www.stafit.getprograde.com to purchase yours today!











Resources:

Ikeuchi M, Koyama T, Takahashi J, Yazawa K. Effects of astaxanthin in obese mice fed a high-fat diet. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2007 Apr;71(4):893-9. Epub 2007 Apr 7.
Aoi W, Naito Y, Takanami Y, Ishii T, Kawai Y, Akagiri S, Kato Y, Osawa T, Yoshikawa T. Astaxanthin improves muscle lipid metabolism in exercise via inhibitory effect of oxidative CPT I modification. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Feb 22;366(4):892-7. Epub 2007 Dec 17.
Ikeuchi M, Koyama T, Takahashi J, Yazawa K. Effects of astaxanthin supplementation on exercise-induced fatigue in mice. Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Oct;29(10):2106-10.
Yoshida H, Yanai H, Ito K, Tomono Y, Koikeda T, Tsukahara H, Tada N. Administration of natural astaxanthin increases serum HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin in subjects with mild hyperlipidemia. Atherosclerosis. 2010 Apr;209(2):520-3. Epub 2009 Oct 14.
Fassett RG, Coombes JS. Astaxanthin, oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Future Cardiol. 2009 Jul;5(4):333-42.

Uncover A Healthier Mind,Body, and Spirit in 12 Weeks

Uncover the New You In 90Days

Beginning the journey….

Starting this journey, we must set some baselines of where you are and where you would like this journey to take you. A vision of how you want to see yourself, how you want to feel, and want you want to change.
The truth is we all know what to do. We need to move our bodies more, we know we need to drink more water, we know we should eat more fruits and vegetables, we need more sleep, we know, we know, we know…Yet three to four weeks after we start that diet or join the gym, something triggers us to begin to self-sabotaging- and within a few more weeks, we’re back to our old patterns. We feel defeated, frustrated, and soon self-punishing begins.

Why is it that only a small percentage of people can stick to a healthy lifestyle? What is that ever-elusive secret to success? And how do we keep it up for a lifetime?
After working with many clients over the years, I’ve discovered that although we must nourish ourselves with the right balance of healthy foods and exercise to look and feel fantastic, until we transform ourselves from within, diets and exercise are futile. We may lose weight, but our problems will just manifest themselves in another way. Therefore, your focus can’t be just about your body. For the most part weight loss and significant weight gain aren’t about weight: they are about something going on much deeper. The body is merely just a messenger, sending us warning signs when we’re disconnected- and weight gain is just one of them. A heart attack is an extreme warning that things aren’t working properly but small yet significant signs will tell you when something in your life is out of balance, if you will listen...

Your Body

Your body is your vehicle for being. In others words, it’s like the ship that sails on this “ocean” we call life. Your body allows your soul- or captain of your ship- to float and flow in this physical world.
A healthy body- or an unsinkable ship- is the most important thing you’ve got, yet sadly, it’s not until we face a serious health scare that we realize it. Frantically, we then try to undo the damage we’ve haphazardly and unnecessarily done to ourselves!

Christopher Reeves-superman- remarked in one of his last interviews that so many able bodied people live more paralyzed lives than he. How frustrating it must be to those who are faced with life-threatening health condition or those living undernourished country to watch so many of us totally disrespect our bodies!
The fact remains that your body is your temple and must be treated with love, honor, and respect. Thinkof building your temple from the bottom up, like a pyramid. If the foundation isn’t strong, you can’t build a stable structure. The bricks and mortar are made from the nutrients you put into it, while exercise reinforces the integrity of the structure. You need to make sure that; your body thus getting the correct balance of foods, in the right combo. and amounts.

Our brain, for example, is composed of 50% Essential Fatty Acids (EPA’s). When given the right nutrients and plenty of oxygen (from exercising), your brain’s “circuits” work effectively: Hormones are excreted in the correct amounts. Serotonin (your feel good hormones) is released and then absorbed into your receptor sites. We feel stable, balanced, and content. Yet, if we don’t eat foods high enough in these EFA’s daily, our brain begins to short circuit and soon we feel depressed, foggy, and lethargic. We then blame it on life, when in reality “our computer” has become bogged down and is desperate to be “defragmented”.

Our bodies need to have a perfect formula for optimal health-weight gain, irritable bowels, skin breakouts, heartburn, allergies, and headaches are just a few signals that we’re of balance. And heart disease, diabetes, and cancer- which are all on the rise in North America-are extreme warning signs that the body isn’t being nourished properly.

You’re Mind-

Your mind is merely the navigational tool for your spirit (your captain), who’s sailing the ship. Your mind was never intended to direct your life, yet for most of us that’s exactly what governs our choices and behaviors (and as we all know, our mind can be our greatest ally or our worst enemy. For most it is the later!
On this journey, you will come to understand and get better control over your thoughts. You’ll learn to silence that negative voice inside our head so that you can start to hear the whispers of your spirit again. You’ll learn how to identify self-defeating patterns raise your emotional baseline, and alter your self-limiting core beliefs.

Core beliefs are different from logical beliefs. After all how often do you logically know the right answer or give great advice to others, but can’t follow it yourself?

Core beliefs are your deepest, trusts views about yourself and life. They’re the number one indicator of your success, since your choices will always support your core beliefs not your logical beliefs.
For example, if you believe that exercising is hard, it will be... and even if you began to enjoy an exercise program, you’d end up quitting it...If You believe you will never lose weight, you won’t...not permanently! As silly as it sounds, your mind would rather be right than happy. You might not consciously realize it, but when you don’t truly believe that you’ll succeed, you’re defeated before you start. When many of us begin to see success happening, we sabotage it because it doesn’t line up with what our brain believes will inevitably happen. In other words, we ruin it before we can fail.
It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy: one that most people aren’t even aware they’re making! Perhaps you too truly believe that you’re like that helpless ship, being tossed around in the stormy seas and have no control over your destiny. You must know that it’s not true. Granted you can’t change the size of the ocean waves or the way the wind blows, but you can change the way you set your sails.
So what are your core beliefs? What do you believe about yourself? What do you believe about life?

Do you believe that you’re a beautiful, fit, strong, sexy, intelligent, spiritual, grounded, successful, kind, loving, insightful, inspired, and worthy woman or man?

If you want to know what your core beliefs are, all you have to do is look at the circumstances of your life today. It’s that simple. Simply look at what is showing up for you and that will tell you exactly what you believe.

Your core beliefs developed from the time you were little based on what you heard and saw from your parents, siblings, extended family, and teachers. They are primarily driven, however, from the messages you learned about being a woman from your mother or being a man from your father. You either rebelled or embraced their role, and you created a whole slew of beliefs based on your experiences(which is why they are never true)- they’re only perceptions of truth) You learned about men from watching your dad. You learned about money, intimacy, relationships, parenting, and even how to handle stressful situations or deal with confrontations from seeing what your parents did.
So, if your present circumstances aren’t what you want (this is why wanting isn’t enough), then it is time to do the work of shining light on your core beliefs and then rewriting your life script. Until you are honest with yourself, without judgment, or shame, you will continue to set yourself up to get exactly what you believe you’re worthy of.

Recognizing your “emotional baseline” is also a critical component to changing your self-defeating patterns.

Patterns that develop in our early years as we lean certain behaviors from our parents. Unknowingly, most of us re-create the same emotional atmosphere in which we grew up. We always regress to our learned behaviors during a crisis, and it is at these times that one can best judge a person.

Unsuccessful people lose focus, allowing negative emotions to take over, convincing themselves they didn’t really want it in the first place. They often don’t even realize that they’re self-sabotaging. I see this all the time with clients.

In addition, our body is designed to regulate all our systems with a certain zone. This is called homeostasis. And although we often think of this from a physiological perspective- for example- the way our body tries to maintain a constant blood sugar level- it also seeks to maintain an emotional homeostasis. If you grew up in an angry home with your emotions’ marinating” in anger, your body’s emotional baseline would be that of anger. In other words, over time your body would become addicted or comfortable with anger and dysfunction and as an adult your system would want to re-create that same emotional atmosphere even though your logical mind knows it’s not healthy.
Your past will predict your future unless you can change your self-limiting core beliefs and shift your emotional baseline to a higher, happier level.

Your soul or spirit-

Your soul is the mastermind of your life. It is inspired, joyous, accepting, passionate, courageous, and willing. It believes in you. It believes in life. It knows that what is will always find a way and that fighting what is is futile. It believes in your dreams, and it never gives up on you. Your soul is your gut instinct- your intuition. It is the gentle nudge you fell when something resonates as truth.
Your soul will be with you long after your boat has sunk and your navigational tools have rusted away. It is the true essence of who you are. It was created in love, sees the endless possibilities for your life, and always guides you with perfect precision. It is you’re most trusted and worthy advisor. All you have to do is allow it...

Sadly, few of us do. Instead we get in the way. We stop listening. We stop allowing. And soon we begin to believe all the negative messages we’ve heard over our lifetime. We let our mind take over. We become afraid, and that fear immobilizes us, so we try to numb it...run from it...escape it...Addictions. Eating disorders, bad habits, and depression begin to manifest.

We feel inadequate. We feel unsure. We stop trusting. What’s more, we’re not sure that we can trust ourselves. We’re not sure that we will make the best choices for our own lives- for our own bodies, health, joy, passion, and needs-let alone anyone else’s.

The truth is that we’re taught to override our own instincts from the time we’re little. We are taught to disregard our own innate wisdom, especially when it comes to anyone in authority: Teachers, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, even Corporate America and tell us what to do, how we should look and feel, and what to change about ourselves so that we’ll be happier. We listen without questioning, almost like sheep. Then one day, maybe 20,30,40,50 years later, we wake up, look in mirror, and barely recognize that person staring back. How did we lose ourselves? Why is our body failing us? Where did those dreams for our lives go? And who will save us??

Nuture yourself with life instead of food .

These 12 weeks are about finding the secrets within what is right for you and creating harmony of living, loving, moving, eating, giving and receiving that is unique to you.

It takes time and effort to travel deep. You must face your fears, discover your truths and learn to listen to your body. No matter what pace you’ll make substantial progress, only to be thrown a curveball that might temporarily set you back...Let the setbacks empower you instead of cripple you to move forward with resolution, and persistence... this will require patience, focus, and effort. It is the small and often seemingly insignificant daily decisions that will have the most impact on your future…So don’t think letting things slide is okay…it does add up..

Too many people say they want to achieve success, but don’t stay focused long enough to accomplish it.

They are great on the good days, but they give in on the hard days.

Yet if you were to spend a week with most successful person you know, you’d discover that it’s not that they necessarily work harder than average person:

• It’s that they’re consistently focused on their objective.
• Each day they do small significant things that will bring them success...
• Their focus and daily choices determine where their lives are headed.
• They don’t hope everything will work out-they stay focused until it does.
• They always have a plan B.

We all know that plan is the diet we’re supposed to follow and are when everything is running smoothly in our lives. Plan A is exercising every day, eating perfectly, loving our lives, and having willpower. But what happens when Plan A fails...You need a Plan B...

Challenge is a part of all success, but it’s up to you to develop staying power and accountability for your reactions when challenged. Since you’re probably overwhelmed with life, the last thing you needed is a confusing, belittling program that leaves you feeling even worse about yourself when it fails.
Decide what you want. Form a plan of action. And stay focused until you achieve it...

Each week I will focus on different topic for self journey...

Get started with your journal today!

Exercising in the A.M.

Exercising in the A.M.
How getting up early gives you the advantage.

When the sun begins peaking over the horizon, you shouldn't be burying your head underneath a pillow, praying it will get dark and turn into night again. Instead, you should take advantage of the early hours to get in an hour of exercise. Why? Because the benefits far outweigh your desire to sleep in a bit.

Benefit #1: You'll Lose Weight
Exercising during any time of the day is proven to help you obtain and maintain a healthy weight. However, recent research hints that exercising in the morning gives your weight-loss goal an extra push. How's it do this? By improving your life a few ways all at once.

The first change is that working out during the first few hours of the day helps you sleep better, whereas working out in the evening can actually make it more difficult to sleep at night. Since healthy sleep habits assist your weight-loss goals, it only makes sense to want better sleep. Working out in the morning also helps your metabolism to get high early on in the day and stay there throughout your day. In addition, exercising early puts you in a healthy mindset from the moment you wake up, helping you make better decisions later in the day.

Benefit #2: You'll Stick with It
Another reason morning workouts benefit you is the ease with which you can stick with them. Whereas it can be difficult to find time during your busy day to squeeze in exercise, making exercise the first thing you do during the day ensures you get in some calorie-burning time no matter what the rest of the day may bring.

Think you may not have the strength to stick with an early morning exercise regimen? Remember that in addition to sleeping better, early exercising gives you increased energy and gets the blood pumping throughout your body. This helps you fire on all cylinders, whether you have a big meeting coming up or have to pull a double shift at the warehouse.

Benefit #3: You'll Get a Raise
As if an energy boost in the morning and increased metabolism weren't reason enough for working out in the morning, this early-morning fix-all may be just what your career needs. If you're skeptical, think about your attitude at work. Have you been down in the dumps? Too tired to go the extra mile?

Working out first thing in the morning may give you the boost you need to get past these issues. Once your boss recognizes your improved can-do attitude, your sudden willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty, and the infectious smile you carry everywhere you go, you may find yourself on the fast track to promotion. And to think-all of this just because you woke up a few minutes early for some running, weight lifting, bike riding, swimming, or calisthenics!

Creative Morning Routines
Getting your exercise every day is no easy task. Getting it in before the rest of your family is awake can be even more difficult-especially if you've not a morning person.

To make sure you get your fill of morning exercises, keep these tips in mind.

•Leave the car at home. Once you've eaten a healthy breakfast, hop on your bicycle or grab your running shoes and get to work the old-fashioned way by your own power. Just be sure to keep an extra change of clothes on hand so you don't have to wear your sweaty outfit all day.
•Do something fun. Everyone has different interests. To make sure you get up every morning and get in some exercise, make your routine fun. Whether you prefer kayaking, bike riding, or push-ups, implement this into your early morning routine and you'll have fun as you improve your health.
•Come to early morning boot camp. Wish there was a class at 6 a.m. ? We got it! Find some likeminded folks and work to become a teacher of the class. As a teacher, missing class isn't possible, so you'll be sure to get your routine in first thing in the morning, even when you'd rather stay in bed.

4 Great Tips To Prevent Overeating At Any Meal

4 Great Tips To Prevent Overeating At Any Meal


These tips were from my partners at Prograde that I thought were interesting and wanted to pass it on to you...

we talk a lot about eating the proper nutrients

Eating more protein…

Eating much less processed carbs…
Staying away from sugar…

And all those things are important. But these 4 tips are really, really simple and very, very powerful.


Eating fewer calories is going to go a long way in helping you keep the fat off.

I especially love tip #4. Thanks again, Stefanie from the Prograde community!

Stefanie’s tips to avoid overeating:


1) drink a full glass of water before your meal
2) serve yourself on a side plate instead of dinner plate to control portions
3) wait 20 minutes before getting seconds.
4) use a blue colored plate (blue decreases appetite, red and yellow increase it)

Go to www.stafitgetprograde.com for great supplements and products!

Spinach & Egg White Wrap

This wrap is delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's ready in a flash, tastes amazing, and is filled with lean protein, veggies and whole sprouted grains. Try it today, but don't be surprised if you get hooked!
Servings: 2

Here's what you need:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup tomato, finely chopped
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup egg whites
dash of salt and pepper
2 sprouted grain tortillas
2 Tablespoons pesto (purchase it pre-made, or combine 1/2 cup walnuts, 2 cups basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice in a food processor and blend until it becomes a paste.)

Directions Spread a tablespoon of pesto over each tortilla and set aside.
In medium sized skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until golden. Add the tomato and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it is soft and wilted. Remove the veggies from skillet, set aside in a bowl.
Pour the egg whites into the skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook until the egg is no longer runny.
Arrange half of the egg whites in a line down the center of each tortilla. Top with half of the veggies and then fold the ends up and wrap like a burrito.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 288 calories, 10g fat, 28g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 21g protein.

Are You Powerless to Holiday Pounds?

The season of deck-your-waist-with-extra-pounds is officially here.

So what are you going to do about it?

Will you join the masses who faithfully gain 5 pounds between November and January?

Or will you do something different this year?

It is entirely possible to avoid the dreaded holiday chub by following this simple strategy:

All About Power
To begin, it's important that you approach your goal from a place of I can rather than I can't.

Most diet and weight loss plans begin by outlining everything that you can't eat. You can't enjoy the buffet at your office holiday party. You can't taste the fudge that your aunt Frances made. You can't partake in the seasonal coffee drinks. You can't, you can't, you can't.

It shouldn't be surprising when the diet only last a few days before your inner rebel breaks out and defies all the rules by mowing through an entire plate of Christmas cookies in one sitting.

When you begin from a place of can't, you forfeit all of the power.

On the other hand, when you approach your goal from a place of I can, the power swings back into your favor. Use these 3 steps to re-gain your power:

Focus on positive action.
Rather than obsess over what you can't eat this holiday season, I want you to take the positive action of exercising into your own hands. Every time that you complete a workout feel the surge of empowerment that comes with the accomplishment.


Schedule positive action.
The next step is to concretely schedule your workout sessions. I advise that you exercise even more during the holiday season than normal, since you will be taking in more calories. If you normally exercise 3 times each week for 30 minutes, then plan to exercise 5 times each week for 45 minutes.


Reward yourself for positive action.
At the end of each week take the time to reward yourself for successfully completing each scheduled workout. Don't use food as a reward, since you'll be taking in extra calories as it is. A massage, a new outfit, a leisurely hour spent at a coffee shop, or even a well deserved nap are all great ways to reward yourself.
What You Believe
The people who won't gain any weight this holiday season already know it. How? They've decided not to gain weight, and they believe it.

Do you believe that you won't gain weight this year? Or are your past failures keeping you less than confident?

Let's create a strong belief that you won't be powerless to holiday pounds.

In his book, Awaken the Giant Within, Anthony Robbins explains 4 steps needed to create a belief:

Step One: Identify the basic belief. I won't gain weight this holiday season.

Step Two: Reinforce your belief by adding new and more powerful references. This means focusing on the reasons that you don't want to gain the weight. Get out a sheet of paper and list all of the cons to you gaining an extra 5 or 10 pounds over the holidays. Spend a lot of time on this step. Reiterate to yourself over and over why you don't want to gain the weight.

Step Three: Find a triggering event, or create one of your own. Disturb yourself. Try on your bathing suit, or better yet go out and try on bathing suits in dressing rooms with that awful lighting. Try on your skinny jeans. Try on last year's cocktail dress. Try on that outfit at the back of your closet that you still can't fit into.

Step Four: Take action. Get started on your exercise program – right now. Taking action is the most important step, and the most rewarding.

Call or email me right now, I'll help you get started on an exercise program and guide you step-by-step all the way to success. Who knows? I may even get you to your New Year's Resolution before January even starts.

Give yourself the power to overcome holiday pounds – get started

Do You Want to Get Rid of Cellulite?

The Best Way To Beat Cellulite

I wanted to past this article on to my readers to help explain what cellulite is and how to minimize it!


By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD




Cottage cheese Orange Peel Rice Pudding


Even though this sounds like it, I’m not talking about food here. These are just some of the names given to an undesirable skin condition known as cellulite that plagues the backsides and tummies of women all over the world.





Sure, some men are affected by it, but for the most part, women’s biggest fear about wearing a bikini in the summer is the dimply appearance of her butt and thighs or mid-section. And, women don’t even have to be considered “chubby” or “fat” to have cellulite in the most awkward of places. Even our beloved, so-called perfectly thin actresses have cellulite that they work incredibly hard to hide.

But why is it that women are mostly stricken with mattress-like backsides and how do we prevent it or minimize its appearance?

What is cellulite?

Cellulite consists of several alterations in your skins normal structure, coupled with circulation issues (fatty areas of cellulite tend to have low blood flow and are cold to the touch), and changes with the fat cells themselves.

If you have cellulite, there isn’t much you can do to abolish it, but you can definitely reduce it’s appearance.

Even Babies Have Cellulite

My first realization about cellulite came when I noticed my 7-month old daughter had a cottage cheese-like appearance to her cute little butt cheeks when they were slightly squished.

At first I was upset – why does she have cellulite? How is this possible? But then I realized my own battles with cellulite were partially out of my control. Females, by virtue of our hormonal environment and body structure are stricken with cellulite from the very beginning.

Normal, healthy, fatty tissue development (growth of new fat cells, not fat cell size) begins in the womb and continues until a child is 18 months old. It then picks up again during puberty. In today’s society, with all the junk food and excessive calories, some children are in a constant state of fat cell growth and potentially new fat cells.

Fatty tissue near the skin consists of two layers separated by a facial layer. The more external layer is called the areolar layer, which is formed by globular and large fat cells (adipocytes) arranged vertically; here the blood vessels feeding the fat cells are numerous and fragile. The deeper layer is called the lamellar layer and the cells are fusiform, smaller and arranged horizontally; the vessels here are larger. The second layer increases in thickness when a person gains weight, mainly due to the increase in fat cell volume which presses against the outer, areolar layer, making it more pronounced.




In women, the outer areolar layer is thicker and the skin covering it is usually thinner which is the case right from birth (and explains my daughters dimply butt cheeks). As a woman ages and gains more body fat from an increase in the inner lamellar layer, it makes the fat cells in the areolar layer more visible.

Female hormones can be evil

When women start to hit puberty, the battle with thigh cellulite commences. The femoral region of a woman (the back of the upper thigh) is very responsive to her very unique hormonal profile.

Estrogen increases the response of thigh fat cells to anti-lipolytic alpha receptors (preventing fat breakdown and loss) and stimulates an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL) that stimulates fat growth. This can occur in the gluteal region and abdomen as well, but is usually localized to the back of the legs.

Prolactin (the breast-feeding hormone) is another hormone that makes cellulite more visible because it increases water retention in the fatty tissue, which makes each cell look larger and more lumpy.

So, most women are going to have some issues with cellulite, just because they are women.

Insulin make cellulite more visible

One of the greatest influences on cellulite appearance is the blood glucose-regulating hormone insulin. Whenever you eat carbohydrate, your body releases insulin to manage the influx of glucose (from carbs) into your bloodstream. In an ideal world, your muscle cells recognize this insulin and invite the glucose into muscle cells to be used for energy or stored for later use (as glycogen).

However, in the case of most sedentary people, insulin sends the carbs to fat cells to be turned into fatty acids and stored as triglycerides (called lipogenesis). This makes fat cells in the lamellar layer bigger, causing fat cells in the areolar layer to be squished out and more visible.




Unless a person is a constant exerciser or exercises incredibly hard every day, high carb diets will cause your body to produce more fat. Insulin also stops your body from using fat as fuel and can cause your body to store more water, pushing cellulite out for the world to see.

Change your lifestyle, smooth out cellulite

Of all the things under our control with respect to cellulite, there are two major things we can change to minimize its appearance. With cellulite, you either have it, or you don’t (lucky girl!), but if you have it, you can make it look less pronounced despite never really being able to get rid of it.

First and foremost – get off your butt! Consistent physical activity (no, not armchair football) decreases your body’s insulin levels naturally and makes your muscle cells more receptive to burning up carbs and fats for energy.

Daily exercise also increases muscle mass, which helps decrease body fat. It increases circulation in your lower extremities, providing more blood to thigh fat cells and enabling them to be used as a energy source. Finally, it improves rigidity of your tendons and muscles, making fatty areas seem smaller and less pronounced.

You’ve got to think: all that sitting on your behind, day in and day out, does not do much for improving blood flow to your thighs or making your butt look any smaller. So, get up and move as much as you can -- every day. Even consider investing in a stand-up desk, so your butt can get a break.




Second - eliminate simple carbs, sodium, alcohol and manufactured fats from your diet.

You now know carbs are the major promoters of insulin, but not all carbs are bad and timing is important. High-fiber carbs from non-starchy vegetables (like greens and colorful veggies) produce the lease amount of insulin and some starchy veggies (like sweet potato, squash and peas) produce a bit more insulin, but their high fiber content is important. Fiber helps keep your body regular (along with adequate water intake) which improves blood flow in your lower limbs.

Simple carbs, like those used in Prograde Workout, and even fruit carbs are used best by your body after exercise, and sometimes before. At this time, your muscles are primed to use that insulin for repair and re-growth instead of for fat storage.

High sodium, processed foods, like those microwave lunches, have to be packed with sodium to prevent spoilage. This sodium causes water retention and makes cellulite look worse than it is. On the same note, watch out for sodium in canned foods (soups, fish) and focus on fresh, non-processed items as often as possible. Sauces, like soy sauce and teriyaki are also a no-no as they can be both high in sodium and simple carbs.







Alcohol is also an issue – this chemical acts just like insulin, causing your body to store fat and create fat and preventing it from using it for energy. Light beer is not going to help you cause at all. Just limit or stay away from alcohol all the time and your fat cells will be smaller and you’ll be happier.

Manufactured fats, such as those found in most boxed and packaged foods are incredibly problematic. First, the poor quality of these fats, which can be trans fats or just excessive polyunsaturated fats, loved to be stored by the body. They also increase inflammation, which leads to water retention and decreased fat breakdown. Finally, they’re often associated with high simple carb foods (cake anyone?)







The best diet to reduce the appearance of cellulite is one that contains high quality, whole-food proteins that are not laced with preservatives, sodium, and sugar (foods like organic beef and chicken, organic eggs and purified whey proteins), plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits to provide fiber, antioxidants and potassium to balance sodium, and plentiful whole food fats, especially those high in unsaturated fats like avocados, egg yolks, fish, fish oil and krill oils, and olives and olive oil.

Don’t believe the hype- just do what Mother Nature told you to do

Everyday you’re going to be bombarded with some product, or some new fancy diet that proclaims to be the terminator of all cellulite, but don’t buy into those claims.

Fighting the dimply look of cellulite isn’t really that hard – you just need to eat real food, food that Mother Nature gave us, and exercise or move your body every day.

Or, pick the right parents and ask for thick skin. But, Iif it was that easy, the world wouldn’t be so interesting.




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References

Cellulite: a review. Rossi AB and Vergnanini AL. JEADV (2000) 14: 251-262