Cellulite Vs. "Regular" Body Fat

Many people are under the impression that cellulite is somehow completely different than regular fat and that it requires some type of special or extreme intervention to get rid of it. The truth is, cellulite is simply regular body fat that has taken on a lumpy, dimpled, or "orange peel" appearance due to the presence of connective tissue strands (septae) within the fat deposits.

Because cellulite is physiologically the same as all other body fat, the good news is that, YES, the BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE program will get rid of cellulite the same way it will remove all other body fat - through nutrition and exercise! Creams and lotions you rub on your skin do not and cannot remove cellulite (body fat).

Aminophylline "Cellulite" Removal Cream

A frequently quoted study was published in the Journal of Obesity several years ago that showed a decrease in limb circumference from using a "cellulite cream" that contained aminophylline. The ironic part is that the researchers only measured circumference – they didn’t even measure body fat!

The logical conclusion to be made from these results is that aminophylline may draw water out from the fat cell or from underneath your skin, causing you to lose inches and even temporarily smooth out the “bumpy” appearance of cellulite. However, there is no proof whatsoever that they remove the fat.

What About Yohimbine For Getting Rid of Cellulite?

Another ingredient often touted as a cellulite burner is Yohimbe, which comes from the bark of an African tree. There is a lot of talk about lower body fat (and cellulite) having fewer beta 1 receptors and more alpha 2 receptors. Fat is lost first and fastest at the cells with lots of beta 2 receptors while cells with lots of alpha 2 receptors block lipase in the fat cell and accelerate the formation of triglycerides in the cell.

So - the theory goes - all you need is an alpha 2 antagonist to rid yourself of cellulite and stubborn lower body fat. As an alpha 2 antagonist Yohimbe was advertised as just such a pill. However, fat cells don’t have very good circulation, and the oral yohimbe produced numerous side effects, so the pills didn’t pan out as originally thought.

This led to the development of yohimbe creams, which sound very good in theory, but have a number of problems. First is the fact that Yohimbine, the active alkaloid in yohimbe, is a prescription drug. If you’re buying yohimbe from a health food store, there’s no way of knowing how much of the active alkaloid yohimbine is in the product. Many consumers are confused between yohimbe (the plant) and yohimbine HCL (the drug).

In The New Nutrition," Dr. Michael Colgan commented

"You cannot remove a molecule of fat under the skin with creams or lotions applied on top of the skin, unless they contain a drug that penetrates the dermis to reach the fat underneath. All skin penetrating drugs of any efficacy are controlled prescription substances. So they cannot be used in over the counter cosmetics.”

Daniel Gastelu, ISSA Director of Nutritional Sciences says,

“The use of yohimbine for weight loss is inconclusive, and in this author's opinion not to be recommended due to the potential side effects. Keep in mind, too, that just because investigators have conducted research using the drug yohimbine, does not mean that such studies should automatically be used to endorse the self-prescribed use of this drug.”

Do "Transdermal" Creams Work At All?

Assuming that you know that you’re now into the realm of drug use, you have to have a transdermal delivery system that actually gets the drug into your system.

It’s well known that patches can deliver drugs through the skin (as an alternative to injections or pills), including scopolamine for motion sickness, nicotine for smoking cessation, and estrogen for Hormone replacement therapy. So far, there’s little proof that yohimbine can be adequately delivered through the skin into the fat cells, and research on yohimbe and yohimbine for weight loss is mixed and inconclusive overall.

Finally, let’s assume you did successfully deliver your alpha 2 antagonist drug through the skin, what does this accomplish? Advertisements often make claims about these products “dissolving,” “melting” or “burning” the fat off. But are these claims really true? The fact is, blocking alpha 2 receptors is not the same thing as "burning" the fat, it would more accurately be described as allowing the fat to be released from "stubborn" fat cells. It still has to be mobilized into the circulation and then burned in the cells requiring the energy. That means, through the usual pathways of diet and exercise.

In other words - you STILL need a calorie deficit for this stuff to do you any good, even if it does work as claimed. If you think you can just rub anything on your skin and have your body fat disappear, while doing nothing else (diet and exercise), you are just fooling yourself and lining the pockets of scam artists.

So, you have to be suspicious of companies claiming that their cream “burns,” dissolves,” or “melts away” fat on contact, especially if they add “without diets or exercise.” The human body simply doesn’t work that way. Fat loss IS a complex process involving hormones and many other factors, but a calorie deficit is a required condition for fat loss to occur.

The Natural Approach To Body Fat and Cellulite Reduction

There ARE prescription drugs that can aid muscle growth and fat loss, but drugs are not without side effects and no drugs are long term solutions to fat loss because they only treat effects, not causes. In the long term, there’s no quick fix and no escaping the fact that you have to change your lifestyle.

For long term, healthy fat loss, the drug-free, all-natural lifestyle approach is superior, and the BURN THE FAT program is just such an approach.

If you’re looking for a short cut like weight loss drugs, or you're hoping that rubbing some type of cream on your body will somehow "dissolve" or "melt" away cellulite, without any effort on your part, then my programs wouldn't be right for you.

However, if you're willing to take action now and use the natural fat loss strategies, which you'll learn about in the e-book, you'll be astonished with how quickly the fat disappears – all of it - including cellulite and the most stubborn fat deposits. It's going to take some dedication and effort, but you’ll be ecstatic about the results.

Click here to visit the home page and learn more about Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat!