Hey hey,

Im sure this issue has been discussed before, i dont think im super unique. But i couldnt find a thread about it. I started excersise and weight loss through calorie counting about 3 weeks ago and have already lost 11lbs. It wasnt untill the last 2lbs that I noticed a real difference. My boobs are smaller, and i dont have the second-row-boob anymore just below my armpit. I can also see the muscle under my skin in my neck and arms.

So, the upper body is starting to look real nice, and given that im a pear, that is to be expected. But my lower body is just horrid looking. My legs are all at once looking like one big cellulite planet. From calves to bum. And my stretchmarkt are super obvious. I have bruises all over the place, and i know im super clumsy and get that a lot but this looks abnormal. The weird shapes/fat/lines under my skin/cellulite just freaks me out.

Anybody any clue whats going on, and any (low budget) tips on how to treat my skin and legs?

Also just tell me if im being silly overreacting somewhat. Lol

sounds like you just need to do some toning in your lower body. Are you working out regularly?

Yes, i work out 4 to 5 days a week, cardio and weights. Leg lifts, cross trainer, stepsthingy and so on. And i ride my bike to work 3 days a week for an hour.

My legs never looked like this before untill just a few days ago. Will see what kind of toning things I could do... But my muscle is still buried under a lot of fat on the legs, have atleast 15lbs to loose there.

You know, I noticed my legs (thighs only) looking worse since I lost too... wonder why that is. And wonder if it's mostly in my head. But I dont think it is.

You've lost a lot of weight very quickly. Some of it is surely water weight. Are you drinking enough water? I've read that if you're a little dehydrated, cellulite can appear worse.

The other thing to look out for with rapid weight loss, of course, is muscle loss. Personally, I aim to lose no more than 1% of my body weight per week (or at least I did before I reached my last 10 pounds here--now I'd be happy if I reached .1% ); I've read that this is the safest rule for the upper limit of much body fat you can lose in a week without losing muscle/lean body mass. May not be true for everyone, and in the beginning there is some amount of water weight involved, making you able to safely lose more than this. But if it were me, I'd up my calories a little and make sure my protein levels are high enough. Strength training is also key, but I believe I remember from your other posts that you're doing this.

One other hypothesis, by the way: if your legs are sore right now from strength training, your muscles could actually be swollen up with water while they're repairing themselves. Maybe this could give the fat over them a lumpier appearance?

sumire - I drink only water, and lots of it! But, yesterday not so much. And it was horrid last night but looked much better this morning after lots of water and sleep. So maybe I was overreacting somewhat. I sometimes do that. lol. And i'm pretty sure I've not lost any muscle, because I had none to begin with and now I do have muscles. The gym is easier every week because I'm getting in better shape. But - the water might have been IT.

I know it's gone sorta fast - but it's also like.. going on it's own. My calorie intake varies between 1250 and 1500 (try to stay near the 1250s mostly though) and I don't feel hungry. I eat a lot of proteine and not so much carbs. Only fruitcarbs and nutcarbs.

Will see how this develops, I'm expecting less rapid weight loss to kick in any time soon now.

I've mentioned this in another thread, but I've been having some issue with my legs too after a 30+ weight loss fairly quickly (less than three months). I assume though because I have quite a bit to lose (around another 30, I think). However my hips, thighs and rear are where I've been losing the weight first (went from pretty pronounced pear to hourglass) and I assume it's because I go spinning quite a bit. It's just strange. My legs have started to look FANTASTIC and toned—except for my inner thighs. It doesn't look like cellulite though, and I'm not sure if it's loose skin or not either.

My mother has absolutely no cellulite on her legs and she's lost a lot more weight than I have and still has a bit more to lose. She spins ALL THE TIME (and I really mean that!) so I really wonder if that's what made her legs look so great.

I hear Palmer's Cocoa Body Cream is good for stretch marks, and I'm pretty sure they've expanded their range to body butters too.

It's also possible that you have lost some fat in your legs and your skin just hasn't had time to shrink to the new level. I think a lot of what people call "cellulite" is just loose skin. With your weight loss goals, if the problem is loose skin, it will probably catch up sooner or later.

I don't know what could be causing your bruises though. If you can't account for them, you might want to see a doctor to make sure that there isn't a deficiency or some other medical cause.

Are you doing lunges? I have several friends who swear by those for reducing the appearance of cellulite.

Squats too! Your legs will be rock solid if you do squats and lunges everyday! I am sure your skin is just slow catching up to the loss, and it will even out with time.

I'm just throwing this out there but, I read once that cellulite looks worse initially after you start exercising and building muscle and this is because the muscle is growing and pushing the cellulite closer to the surface which makes it much more visible. The more you exercise and build those muscles, with the addition of weight loss, the less and less you'll see the cellulite. It seems like sontaikle reached this point recently. I would just keep doing exactly what you are doing and be patient because I'm sure it will go away especially if you are toning. Good luck!

Tone up as best you can--I'm pretty sure you won't see a satisfactory loss of the cellulite 'look' (even though you'll be losing fat overall and your shape will improve) until you get down near your goal weight. I'm 5'2" and am between 120 and 122 right now and I'm still cellulite city. Even when I hit 115 I will probably have it all over my legs and bum...right across the small of my back I have awful cellulite since I started losing weight and pockets of fat have disappeared.

Anything that improves circulation to your legs will improve the look of cellulite overall...that and a tan! (from a bottle, don't fry yourself!)

Just remember cellulite is GENETIC, that might be why why one poster said above that her mother has no cellulite but she does (at the same weight)! Something like 90% of the female population is predisposed to cellulite in varying degrees of severity.

From what I've been told the only way to get 'rid' of cellulite is to achieve a very low body fat percentage so that the fat simply isn't there to shape your skin that way, and that requires a lifestyle that your everyday woman (especially a busy mom) would be miserable trying to maintain.

Stretch marks never go away, they just fade with time. They're scars! I still have 10-year old stretchmarks, but they're silvery white on my skin. I put a little foundation over them and voila!

mimi86: Cellulite sisters unite! I had tons of cellulite on my legs when I was a skinny teen. I had it when I weighed 168 and was over 40% body fat. I have it now at roughly 23% body fat and 127 pounds. (As far as the cellulite goes, there is almost no difference between the pics of me at 28-29% and those at 23%.) I will probably still have it even if I get to 18% body fat like I want to. My mother has tons of cellulite, and my legs look just like hers.

I've done five gazillion squats and lunges in the last year. I can now do spiffy stuff like four minute wall squats. My leg muscles are firm and strong. But the fat over them is cellulite-y, and unless I make a significant reduction in the fat (which may not be possible, even with body fat in the high teens, since that's where I store my fat), it ain't going away. What can you do? I'm just learning to love my big strong ripply legs.

Which is just to chime in with mimi86 and say, if you have cellulite, it's not necessarily because you've done something wrong or not worked hard enough. You may just be destined to have it. And that's ok.

you could try a cellulite treatment. there are various brands that sell them. go ask at the cosmetic section of your local drugstore/department store, they'll be able to counsel you (i used to work at one ) . it's basically a cream that you rub on your legs/tighs everyday for about a month. and laugh all you want, but they work. a good one should be around 45$ though (the cheaper brands will give you cheaper results... or no results...) i used one from Vichy a few years ago (dunno i you have that brand in the States, it's french) and it worked quite well. it didn't REMOVE the cellulite completely, obviously, but SERIOUSLY reduced it.

i mean of course, continue to do what you're doing, but i'm sure it would help. also i was told by a dietician that the best time to use those kinds of firming products, is when you are actually losing weight because it'll help you tighten the looser skin.

good luck!