Nivea GoodBye Cellulite Challenge - I'm Going to Do It

Last summer I bought a bottle of Nivea's Goodbye Cellulite, but just used it now and then so can't really say if it had an real effects or not. However, being as I'm now a blogger on the topic of cellulite, and today is the start of Nivea's official Goodbye Cellulite Challenge for 2009, AND a lot of people are curious about this product, I'm going to do it! It also helps that I ran out of my regular moisturizer today. :-) I already have opinions about this cellulite lotion, but I'm going to keep an open mind. Stay tuned for regular updates.

And if YOU are taking the Goodbye Cellulite Challenge, tell me what you think!

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You Don't Have to Spend Money to Reduce Cellulite

Recently I wrote about the benefits of caffeine applied to the skin (see A Cellulite Lotion Ingredient that Actually Works).

The good news is that for pennies you can give yourself a spa-like cellulite-wrap at home, with that same effective active ingredient. The main drawback to doing it yourself is that it's messier and a bit more time consuming than using a store-bought cellulite lotion.

Still want to give it a try?

Here's how to do it:

You'll need:
- ¼ cup of warm used coffee grounds (must be caffeinated! Obviously, decaf won't work!)
- tablespoon of olive oil
- roll of plastic wrap

As I wrote above this can get messy since you're using loose coffee grounds, so there are some extra instructions to take care of that.

1. Mix about a quarter-cup of used coffee grounds with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. (You can microwave them for about 20 seconds to warm them up)

2. Lay a few sheets of newspaper on the floor (the bathroom would probably be the best place to do this!).

3. While standing on the newspaper, apply the coffee grounds "paste" to your cellulite-afflicted areas. Don’t worry if a lot of the coffee grounds fall to the floor; enough will hold to your skin to do the trick.

4. Wrap the area in plastic wrap and let it remain on for several minutes. If you have time, for maximum results leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove the plastic wrap and any remaining coffee mixture. Shower as usual.

*According to most of what I've read about this treatment, you get the best results when you repeat it twice a week.

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Lose Cellulite in Four Weeks?

I feel it's my duty as a Cellulite Blogger--somehow that sounds less glamorous than Celebrity Blogger-- to let you know that this Monday, March 16th, is the start of Nivea's Goodbye Cellulite, Hello Bikini Challenge. Tyra Banks pretty much went insane over these Nivea products on her show last year. This is one product that has a LOT of hype.

It's a 4-pronged attack-- focused on:

• diet: cutting down on chips and cookies, for starters
• fitness: mostly simple exercises with dumbbells
• cellulite: applying the Nivea gel cream 2x's a day, patches 2-3 times a week, and optionally taking the new Nivea Goodbye Cellulite supplement. The supplements come packaged together with the gel cream.
  
• style: which swimsuits are "in" this season, choosing the right sunglasses for your face, pedicures, and of course getting a (fake) tan. Their resident dermatologist says, "Tan cellulite looks better than pale cellulite." We needed an M.D. to tell us that?
  

How much would it cost to take the challenge?

Nivea's Goodbye Cellulite Body Gel Cream ($12.99 x's 2) = $25.98
OR
Nivea's Goodbye Cellulite Gel Cream+Smoothing Supplement ($18.99 x's 2) = $37.98
+
Nivea's Goodbye Cellulite Patches( $13.49 x's 2) = $26.98

Total: $52.96 to $64.96 (depending on whether or not you take the supplement)

The numbers above are a minimum if you follow their program as instructed. You may need to buy more than two bottles of the gel-cream if you are applying it two times a day as instructed. The patches come in boxes of 6 and you are supposed to use them 2-3 times a week. The capsules you can take 1 to 3 times per day, and they come in packs of 30.

You can sign up on their website for the details of their plan, laid out week by week, and to get support from other people taking the challenge.



Does this stuff work? It's active ingredient, in both the gel-cream, patches, and the supplement, is fat- burner L-carnitine.
L-carnitine is found naturally in avocados, dairy products, red meats and tempeh (thats a fermented soybean product). L-carnitine helps your body use fat as an energy source and is commonly taken in supplement form as a diet aid. I wasn't able to find information about the effectiveness of L-carnitine when applied to the skin for the treatment of cellulite, though it has been patented for topical use.

Have you tried Nivea Goodbye Cellulite? What do you think of it?

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Review: The Cellulite Solution

Welcome to the new Cellulite Diaries blog! One of the features I have planned for this blog is regular original book reviews, to help women in search of useful information to sort the junk from the pearls.

I'm going to start with a review of a well-known book on the topic of losing cellulite:The Cellulite Solution: A Doctor's Program for Losing Lumps, Bumps, Dimples, and Stretch Marks by Howard Murad, M.D.

According to Dr. Murad, "Blast cellulite with this powerful, effective three-step program featuring the youth-building cellulite diet. With some modifications to your nutritional habits and lifestyle, you can experience the first scientifically proven method of smoothing cellulite."

Let's take a closer look.

The Cellulite Solution: A Walkthrough

Chapter 1: The Anatomy of Cellulite and Stretch Marks: Causes and Effects
This is Dr. Murad's answer to the age old question "What exactly IS cellulite?"
The first few pages are actually rather frightening for a cellulite-sufferer. Dr. Murad claims that cellulite is fat that is trapped in the dermal layer and is not available to be burned as energy the same way that "normal" fat is available to be burned off with diet and exercise. Because of this, "the dermal fat that causes cellulite is here to stay." But the good news is that by following the steps found in The Cellulite Solution, you'll never have to notice it.

This chapter has plenty of charts, including a diagram of the skin as seen under a microscope, charts listing the pros and cons of exercise, the differences between cellulite and normal fat, and a "cellulite time line" (apparantly the first record of its mention is in 1920's France.) There is a detailed explanation of the causes of cellulite, and then there is what is probably the most interesting concept in this chapter, the Four Stages of Cellulite.

Stage 1: The very beginning of cellulite, when it is still not visible from the outside
Stage 2: Minimal orange peel texture visible when pinched
Stage 3: Significant orange peel texture visible by pinching
Stage 4: Cellulite is always visible

According to The Cellulite Solution, the earlier you begin treatment, the better. However even if you are already in Stage 4, it's not too late to repair the damage.
This chapter closes with some information on stretch marks.

Chapter 2: The Water Principle: The Source of all Vitality
The pathway to all aging and disease is water loss, or so begins this chapter. As we age, our cells break down and become unable to hold as much water as they did when we were young. This leads to loss of firmness, wrinkling, dryness, and of course, cellulite. The Cellulite Solutiondoesn't just tell you to drink more water, though. It has a program aimed at repairing your body's cells so that they are able to hold on to more water thus improving your skin's appearance, and even repairing connective tissue which plays a key role in the appearance of cellulite.

Chapter 3: Repairing Damage
Here we learn about the various nutrients and supplements that you should add to your diet to repair your body and improve your cells' water retention. This include various minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, B vitamins, antioxidants, glucosamine, and lecithin. (Yes, I know it sounds complicated. It's all explained in the book).

Chapter 4: Preventing Cellulite
Here the focus is on preventing free-radical damage-- the damage that occurs in your body from exposure to the sun, pollution, stress, and other sources. You can fight against this with the use of antioxidants such as vitamin C, and anti-inflammatories like aloe vera. There is also a section on exfoliation through methods such as dry skin brushing, and the use of moisturizers and which moisturizing ingredients are most effective in the prevention and treatment of cellulite.

Chapter 5: The Youth Building Cellulite Solution Diet
"You'd probably think that you'd never hear anyone say this, but you can smooth out your cellulite by eating!" This chapter discusses repairing and preventing cellulite by eating "cellulite busting" foods. The author basically goes back to the list of minerals and vitamins from chapter 3 and provides detailed information about which foods contain each "cellulite buster" and how much you should try to eat or take in supplement form. This chapter lists tons of vitamins, amino acids and trace minerals, to me it starts to feel a bit overwhelming. But just when I'm about to reach burn-out phase, there is a Seven Day Sample Meal Plan. This to me helps simplify things because it gives concrete ideas on how to get the needed nutrients. There are also pages of recipes included which are pretty tasty.

Chapter 6: The Cellulite Solution Program: Eight Weeks to Smoother Skin
Don't we all love plans like this? There is a quiz to assess your cellulite situation, and then the plan is layed out week by week. It's pretty involved-- it includes eating more of the right foods, taking supplements, exfoliating (skin brushing especially), applying creams, exercising, and even doing things for your spirit like socializing or spa treatments. Week1 is the preparation stage, and I think you really need that full week to prepare because there is a lot of information to get a handle on, not to mention groceries, moisturizers, and supplements to buy if you want to follow the program strictly by the book.

Chapter 7: Inclusive Health
Nice thoughts here, but to me it's a throwaway chapter (luckily, it's short). It's all about the mind-skin connection, and about how eating the right foods and exercise isn't enough to be truly healthy, you also need to be happy. I think it's an excellent point, but to me it was overkill in a book about cellulite. I agree that our state of mind can have an impact on our appearance. But I am skeptical that many women are going to take up meditation as part of this program. Or am I wrong?

Chapter 8: Cellulite Minimizers: Ingredients That Can Really Make a Difference
I think there is some really good information here that alone makes it worth the price of the book. The author has evaluated a wide array of cellulite treatment ingredients to determine their ability to treat the condition of cellulite. There are thirty-one pages of valuable information, arranged alphabetically like an encyclopedia. All kinds of treatments are discussed and evaluated here, from cellulite reducing apparel, to liposuction, to supplements. It's very thorough and informative.

Buy or Don’t Buy?

This book can be complicated and seem a bit overwhelming with all of the recommendations. And I believe Dr. Murad has been criticized for selling what some believe to be overpriced packets of supplements at his website. So then why do I recommend buying this book?

First, you can find these supplements inexpensively at your local drugstore or at GNC. You don't need to order anything from Dr. Murad's website. And by following the recommendations in the book, you can pick and choose which ones will be most useful to your particular situation. Also, many of the nutrients can be gotten through the food you eat, without supplementation.

Second, there is a huge amount of useful information here. You will learn so much about cellulite and all of the various treatments. This book is a great way to truly be informed. To me the Cellulite Solutions are sound and ungimmicky.

Third, if you implement all of the strategies, you will see a real improvement in your skintone and you are bound to lose cellulite. If you implement only SOME of the strategies, I believe that you will still see an improvement in your skintone and cellulite. To me that makes the purchase price of this book more than worth it.

If you see it similarly, The Cellulite Solution: A Doctor's Program for Losing Lumps, Bumps, Dimples, and Stretch Marks gets a strong “buy” recommendation from me.

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