A stack of stubborn fat

They know your name at the gym, you’ve starved yourself, you’ve also tried all those food supplements that promise a model figure, and yet your love handles, big hips or sagging underarms are still happily jiggling away.

Reduce%20belly%20fat

If it makes you feel any better, know that you’re not the only one having this issue. Almost everyone has a problem area where they seem to deposit fat.

For men, it tends to accumulate around the midsection. Women tend to have stubborn body fat on their thighs, abs, hips and underarms.

WHEN DOES FAT BECOME STUBBORN?

It’s difficult to get rid of the fat that has turned into cellulite. And what’s the difference between the two? Sometimes fat accumulation pushes against the connective tissue beneath your skin, creating a lumpy texture which we then refer to as cellulite. This cellulite or fat pockets under the layers of skin do not disappear, even if normal fat decreases with weight loss. Other than poor nutrition and weight gain, factors that contribute to cellulite are genetics, damaged connective tissues, poor circulation and hormonal factors. The only good news is, unlike an excess of normal fat, cellulite does not cause major health issues.

HOW BEST TO GET RID OF IT?

While a good diet and exercise will not eliminate cellulite, it can reduce its appearance. Clean up your diet to lose stubborn fat. Instead of three large meals, six small meals can keep you satiated and get your metabolism charged throughout the day. If you snack on foods like cakes, chips, sodas and fruit juices, eliminate them or at least reduce your intake. To burn fat fast, you should consume a diet rich in lean protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and complex carbohydrates.

Train more intensely with cardio exercises and muscle toning weights. After you have tried both diet and exercises and succeeded in losing weight but not the stubborn fat, then you can use technologies to assist and speed up the process. They often work better than diet and exercise when it comes to getting rid of stubborn, localised fat.

WHICH PROCEDURES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

For non-invasive temporary procedures we use cellulite machines to firm you up, tighten and smooth the skin. There are a few cellulite machines available using ultrasound technology, radio frequency technology or the latest and most popular machine called the Vella 2. Vella 2 became popular very quickly because it combines four energies to give the most effective treatment. While performing suction and drainage the machine uses low level laser to stimulate blood circulation and target the fat while simultaneously using radio frequency to tighten the tissue. Vella 2 needs to be done three times taking roughly over half-an-hour a session.

More painful, medical treatments are Carboxytherapy (CO2 injection) or mesolipolysis. The two treatments are similar and involve fat loss injections in which we insert certain chemicals into the fat area in order to stimulate blood flow so that there’s skin elasticity improvement, localised fat reduction and collagen production stimulation. The results of these are temporary.

ARE THERE ANY PERMANENT OPTIONS?

If you’re looking for dramatic and immediate results, liposuction is usually your best option. Currently, the latest technology for liposuction is Body Tite, which removes stubborn fat and tightens the skin simultaneously. Instead of using laser liposuction or ultrasound VASER which just sucks out the fat cells, Body Tite or Radio-Frequency Assisted LipoTightening uses RF technology to go under the skin, burn and melt the fat, before removing it. Radio frequency also has a very heavy coagulation effect so you don’t have as much bruising as laser. Its ability to pre-melt the fat makes the removal process less traumatic, greatly reducing post-procedural pain, swelling or discomfort. But the “wow” factor is its ability to perform liposuction and tighten your skin at the same time.

Unlike all existing Laser liposuction and ultrasound VASER technologies, Body Tite is designed to tighten even the top layer of the skin often with soft tissue contraction of up to 40%, which means you wouldn’t need another tightening machine to complement your liposuction procedure.

WHAT RESULTS CAN BE EXPECTED?

The treatment takes only a couple hours with minimal postoperative discomfort and bruising. Usually after the procedure, you may just experience tenderness and soreness in the area which goes away in a while. Results can be seen immediately, although the best results show after two to three months. The cellulite goes permanently, until you gain the fat back with your lifestyle.

HOW CAN I PREVENT FURTHER FAT?

Stay away from crash diets or diets that make you lose fat and gain it again. The more your weight fluctuates, the more stubborn fat you may gain.

Eat and avoid the foods I recommended earlier. Drink lots of clean, pure water and avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Make sure you follow a steady exercise routine.