How to Reduce Cellulite With Diet and Strength Training

Nikkiey: If you can do those better, then that's why I can say and guarantee that you will see cellulite reduce.

What's up, you guys? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome to today's episode, episode number 44, where we're going to talk about freaking cellulite, y'all.

Okay. I was just traveling. I feel like I've been traveling for the last month. It's been the last two weeks, conferences here and there, and I dropped a Q&A on my story while I was on the plane on my recent travels. And I got a decent amount of questions. Here we are. I'm looking at my phone right now. About cellulite. Cellulite: will it ever go away? Talk about all things cellulite. How can I get rid of my cellulite? Y'all, if I had a dollar for every time I was asked how to get rid of cellulite, I'd be rich. Anyway, I probably have like $200.

But seriously, let's talk about cellulite, you guys. I don't know where this podcast is going to go. It's almost like a little rant about cellulite. But we're going to bring it to the pod today so that I can help you guys understand cellulite. How many times will I say cellulite in this podcast? Anyway.

So first of all, let's just talk about what cellulite is. It's that dimply, lumpy appearance in your skin. Women call it so many different terms. It's like cottage cheese, or like an orange peel texture, right? And most women, since it majority affects women, feel it around their thighs, their buttocks, their hips the majority of the time, but it can also be in other areas of your body as well.

So why people get cellulite is because fat deposits push through the connective tissue beneath the skin, which creates a bumpy appearance on the surface of your skin. And the reason why women get cellulite is mainly due to genetics, hormone changes, but also diet and lifestyle, and your age, obviously.

But let's talk about diet and lifestyle first. And then I want to get into talking about just loving your body at every stage of your life, because I feel like when this happens to women's bodies as they age, they start to hone in on that one specific area of their body and forget about all of the other areas of their body that are absolutely freaking amazing and stunning.

Actually, let's just dive into that first while we're here on it. Love your body at every single stage of your life. When you were 20 years old, it sure as hell is going to be different from when you're 50 years old. But no matter what, don't beat yourself up. Don't create this narrative in your head that you are now this way because you have a little bit of cellulite on your body.

You guys, if I was to get up and look right now, I'm standing up and I know for sure, somewhere in the back of my leg, I have it too, and I'm 33 years old. But I don't nitpick that area of my body, because there are other areas of my body that I absolutely freaking love. So just fall in love with your imperfections, because we are imperfect human beings. We are not perfect.

And then I think too, stop comparing yourself to all of the things that you probably see on the internet, because that can play a daunting role in your fitness journey. If you're always scrolling on the internet and you're seeing these people get these types of results, you forget that maybe they're not showing the imperfections of their body, because that's what social media is so freaking good at. It's so good at only showing the positives, only showing the amazing poses and the amazing lighting and all this stuff. And you forget that these women probably aren't sharing the imperfections and flaws that are on their bodies as well.

So remember that. Love yourself at every stage of your journey. Don't compare yourself to other people, and know that you're just an imperfect human being and there are going to be imperfect flaws in you, and just freaking love that, guys. Love that.

But going back to diet and lifestyle. Cellulite is influenced by the various factors I already talked about, two of them being your diet and your lifestyle. And this is the thing: when people see cellulite, they think about a very easy solution, like getting surgical procedures done, or having laser therapy, or getting these magical poof-be-gone lotions or topical creams that make that stuff go away. While some of that stuff may work, the one way you can reduce the appearance of cellulite on your body is something you can easily be in control of.

Now, will it take a little bit longer to do it through diet and exercise changes? 110%. The other things I mentioned, surgical procedures, lasers, creams, all that jazz, are like sticking your body into a microwave, and poof, in 30 seconds or a minute, your cellulite is gone. You expect a short-term result from those other things, and they will produce a short-term result. But if you want to do it with longevity, being realistic, with sustainability in your life, change your diet and your lifestyle.

Hey, I just want to drop a huge appreciation to you guys listening to the show. It means a lot. I hope you guys are enjoying it, and there's so much more to come. If you are enjoying it, hit the subscribe button. I'd appreciate that tons, and it would also help this podcast reach others who need to hear these messages too. Thanks so much, guys. Let's get back to the show.

I'm not going to throw out some type of number, because it's up to you to do the work. But I can guarantee that if you at least make some changes in your diet, getting rid of processed foods, eating enough food to fuel your body to focus on building more muscle, and changing your lifestyle, exercising to build more muscle, if you do that kind of stuff, different from what you're doing right now, you will notice the cellulite go away. I'm not going to throw a number out right now, because you have to do the work. But I guarantee you, if you stop eating the way that you're eating right now, or if you actually put forth your effort inside of the gym, get involved in strength training, go out for more walks, and change your lifestyle to a more healthy, all-encompassing lifestyle, you'll see it.

And I say that because people are like, oh, I do those things and I still have it. Like I said at the beginning of the podcast, you're probably still going to have it no matter what as you age throughout life. That's something I just want you to accept, acknowledge and be okay with. But you can reduce it a little bit by doing the things I'm saying.

And you're like, oh, but I'm doing those things. Well, are you doing them the best you possibly can? Because there are some women that I teach and that we help inside of WarriorBabe, and they say that they're doing the diet, or they're eating the way we want them to be eating, learning how to eat, implementing these habits. But then I go back and I'm like, are you actually doing that? And the majority of the time they're very honest, like, no, I could do better.

So if that's you, and you're like, I'm doing these things, well, you could do better, right? Better and more are two great freaking words that you can implement into your everyday vocabulary. Like, okay, Nikkiey's talking about this stuff. Am I doing the diet better? Can I do the diet better? I even fucking hate that word. I hate the word diet. But can I choose to eat things that are more in alignment with my goals? Can I do that better? Absolutely, you can. Can I exercise and get more involved with strength training, because I'm not really doing that as much right now? Can you be better at that? Absolutely.

And you guys, marrying those two things together with changing your lifestyle so it's more healthy, you're more committed, you're doing the things on a daily basis, you're getting into the gym, you're eating right. If you can do those better, then that's why I can say and guarantee that you will see cellulite reduce. Will it absolutely go away? Dude, I can't say that 110%. But I can say that it will reduce if you do the things that I am saying here with you right now.

Okay. So I said at the beginning I had no idea where this podcast was going to take me, but I just went on that rant for like nine minutes straight about cellulite. And this will be a podcast that I forever use when people ask me about cellulite, because these are all the truths.

And when you want to dive a little bit more into tactics, like, okay, Nikkiey says to eat better and get involved in strength training. Look, I am a big, big advocate for macros. I don't look at macros as a diet. I look at it as a skill set that will serve you for the rest of your life. So if you're like, okay, well, I'm eating healthy, what does that mean, right?

Then I would challenge you to say, okay, I'm going to see how much I'm actually eating. Am I eating enough protein? Because protein is going to be the king in this aspect of proper nutrition, and then strength training, in helping this thing go away or reducing it. Macros will make you more aware of the foods that you are eating. So you take what you're eating right now and you put it into a tracking application, MyFitnessPal or something like that. And after seven days, you look at your week, and it's an eye-opening experience, you guys. It's like, dang, I'm only eating 1,100 calories a day, and the majority of that is fat and carbs. Well, right there's your answer.

So it's like, okay, now let me try and figure out at least a ballpark of where my macros should be. At least have your protein at your body weight, so eating your body weight in grams per day. If you weigh 150 pounds, you should have 150 grams of protein per day, and then let carbs and fats help you hit your overall calorie intake, say 1,800, 1,900, 2,000 calories per day. And that's just one way.

And then try to get better at understanding how to fit those into your everyday routine, the protein, fats and carbs, and you will become more aware of food. That's why I love macros so much. It's not a diet in my world. It's something that will serve you for the rest of your life, because you're learning portion sizes. You're learning what's on your plate. You understand that potatoes are carbs, avocados are fats and chicken is protein. You can do that with every single food out there. I can easily look at a food and say, this is its makeup. So you learn to do that.

If you're somebody who's like, I could be better, this is how you could be better. And when you get better, the cellulite will reduce. I can promise you that, but you have to promise me that you're going to implement these things I'm saying on this podcast. Because if you continue to do all that you're doing right now, and you get off this podcast today and keep doing the same thing, then you're going to be back in my question box asking me, will it ever go away, Nikkiey? Well, are you doing anything different, Ashley? I don't even know what this person's name is, but all right. And instead you'll be like, damn, I implemented the things that she said.

Okay. So that's the first thing, diet. The second thing is strength training. And when I say strength training, I don't mean the majority of your workouts being metcons and HIIT cardio. I literally mean picking up the damn dumbbells, getting underneath the damn barbell and challenging yourself with some weight, creating a stimulus, a resistance, that your muscles have never felt before. You do this paired with diet, and I can promise you your skin is going to feel so good. It's going to get tighter. Now, will the cellulite ever go away? Like I said, no, but it will reduce by doing these two things.

And on strength training, let me say a little more tactically: get in the gym and do strength training at least four times a week. That gives you three other days. If you want to go for a run, go for a run. If you want to go for a walk, go for a walk. If you want to do other things, like you love CrossFit, do CrossFit. But at least get into strength training.

And then the last one was lifestyle. So really, truly embodying and committing to these two things. I know we're talking about cellulite right now, and I feel like I'm talking about something life-changing, because a proper diet, eating right, strength training and embodying this lifestyle can reduce so many more things than just cellulite. But I feel like cellulite needs to be like, here, bam, shot and done, because I get asked this question so often.

So to wrap up this podcast: one, if you want to take the shortcut, go and do surgical procedures, laser therapy, massage, yada yada yada, topical creams. That will for sure help get rid of it. But if you want to get obsessed with delayed gratification, and when you get obsessed with delayed gratification, you implement the things I share with you: diet, exercise and changing your lifestyle. Not only will cellulite start to be reduced on your body, but there are so many other impacts those three things will have on your life outside of just cellulite. So really hone in on those three things.

And then also, accept your body at every stage of your journey. Love your body when you're 20, love your body when you're 30, love your body when you're 40, and love your body when you're 50. Because if you focus solely on the imperfections of your body, you're going to be so disheartened with your body, and you're never going to be happy with it. And I want you to be happy. Because no matter what, you are such a beautiful human being, and you have such a strong body. We've been given and blessed with this body to take us through this journey of life. So don't let one little area of your body become a false narrative in your brain about who you are and what you look like.

And then remember, if you're comparing yourself to other people with these beautiful bodies that you see online: first of all, you have a beautiful body. I need you to know that and accept that. And secondly, know that these people may not be sharing those areas of their bodies. I wish more people did. There are a few out there who do, and man, I love those guys. But know that if you're comparing yourself with people who don't share it, they have it too. They're just not sharing those imperfections.

Okay, so that wraps it up. That was my rant for the day: cellulite and understanding it. First, what it is and what creates it in your body. And then these few things mentally, and how you can go about at least reducing it. And I promise you, like I said, if you put in the things I shared with you, you will reduce it. Will it be gone forever? Who knows. But you have to be the one who implements these things I shared with you today.

All right, guys, I hope you enjoyed that podcast. I hope you have a different view on cellulite, or at least understand a little bit more about it and maybe all the things that go on mentally in your head. I appreciate you guys, and I'll see you in the next podcast.

Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask you to do is leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.