It goes away when you lose BODY FAT, not just weight. Women in general are so fixated on just losing the pounds that they don't pay attention to their body fat percentage. Some women that are stick skinny with high body fats will still have cellulite. To do this, you have to burn fat without losing muscle. To burn fat without losing muscle requires hard work. The three main things you must do:
DIET! (balanced meals 40/40/20 ratio of protein carbs and fat. This is just a general concept however some people have different requirements).

Weight lifting is ALSO a must. Weight lifting does not mean going into the women's section of the free weights and lifting the 2 lb pink dumbbells. Weight lifting is known to increase metabolism as well as burn fat throughout the day for a longer time period than cardio. Lifting heavy is crucial (8-10 reps). No, you will not look like Arnold as us women do not have the testosterone to develop those sizes of muscles. If you're afraid to look like the bodybuilding women, do realize that they work VERY hard to get to where they're at (assuming w/o the use of steroids). Those women eat well above their maintence calories per day with all healthy foods. This helps them build muscle since they want to gain mass. If you eat below your maintenance calories, you do not have to worry about gaining mass since we cannot gain msucle and lose fat at the same time.

Third is of course cardio. It is the least important as it will not increase your metabolism throughout the day as weight lifting will. Diet is the most important...as the saying goes, you are what you eat. If you put junk into your body, your body is junk.

I am really over the whole fad diet phase. If someone wrote a book and said you can lose weight if you slap your forehead twenty times a day and walk sideways, people will buy it. Fad diet books are one of the top sellers.

If you relaly want to read a good book for dieting, I'd recommend reading Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. It is an E-book and has taught me everything I need to know about how to lose fat and maintain muscle.

Really great information. Do you know what the formula is for figuring out your maintenace calories? My hubby and I have been walking 3 miles every evening. It takes us about 50 minutes to do it. It really makes us feel better with more energy, but I wonder what body parts I'm improving. I really need to slim down in my butt and thigh area.

Go to this link: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Those numbers will help you figure out your basal metabolic rate...the amount of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. You will then multiply that number with a number from this chart according to your activity level: To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

You subtract about 300-500 calories for weight loss. You really don't want to undereat. Speaking from experience, consuming too little calories causes your body to go into starvation mode and it slows the calorie burning down because your body senses that you're deprived of nutrients. It then adapts to such a low number of calories and if you ever go back to eating a large amount of calories a day, you will end up gaining more weight than u started with. This has happened to me before and I really discourage undereating.

ANd Reesie, Good job to you and your hubby for taking the initiative and starting to exercise! It's a good start however if you're wanting to burn fat you should definitely change your routine around every now and then to keep your body guessing. I'd definitely suggest coming up with a weight lifting routine and cardio schedule. Also, keep in mind that there is no such thing as spot reduction. If you lose fat on your thighs and butt it will come off from all over. Good luck to you both :)...it's definitely doable.

Very good information but I was living proof that this isn't true in all cases. It depends largely on genetics. I could easily be a body builder. When I'm not careful with the size of my weights I bulk up instead of tone. I had muscles bigger than my husband's! Thus, I have to do more repetitions with smaller weights so I don't look like a body builder.

I do agree muscle is a large factor in getting rid of cellulite.

You are just full of great information. I'm going to figure out my BMR tonight. We have a total gym that I need to start using again. Last year I lost about 6 inches all over from using it and I don't think I really worked all that hard. It's just making that commitment and sticking with it. (French fries are my weakness) :( Thanks again!

I do agree with you on the genetics part. Quick question though...when you lift with the heavy weights, are you doing this w/ a combination of a healthy diet, calorie watching, and cardio? I ask because at one point, I was lifting weights without paying much attention to how many calories I was consuming in a day and my cardio was very limited. The results of this? I started to bulk up. It felt like I was getting more muscle and getting bigger but it was just muscle growing with my layer of fat growing on top of it. I really can't tell your body type though and you know yourself best. I bet the bodybuilding women really wish they had muscle growing abilities ;)

I can totally empathize. I am a sucker for anything that ISN't healthy! The first few weeks are the hardest. You can do it! Easier said than done, but really you can :)

I HAVE THE SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEMS!! ok you say you want to get rid of cellulite correct i have the easiest and cheapest solution out there and it really works SERIOUSLY!! do you want to know what it is? It only costs about $35.00:eek: and it will cure it!:D Put on a pair of jeans and you will never see it lol sorry guys i had to lol:D
to see the answer highlight inbetween the 2 smiley's

Interesting, I was always told that if you don't have it in your genetics it can't be done (bodybuilding). My husband would love to bulk up but it's just not in his genetic makeup (no matter how many calories he takes in or how heavy the weights are). Yes, I was watching what I ate. I'd say my main meals where about 400 calories each with little snacks of fruit/veggies etc. in between. I ate at least 6 little meals a day. I was fine if I did cardio and light weights but the minute I started picking up heavier weights I started to look manly. I have since fallen of the wagon of losing weight (long story) but I am soon going to get back on, LOL.

Trust me it can be done however it is much more difficult for some people. If your husband is the type of guy who can eat whatever the heck he wants and still stay skinny his body type is most likely an ectomorph. Ectomorphs have the most difficulty gaining weight but again, it can be done. If he really wants to bulk up, I'd suggest he checks out www.bodybuilding.com and go into their supersite. They have great articles and forums with LOADS of information (that's where I get most of my information from). You should also check out the forum yourself! There is a "female bodybuilding" section but don't let the name fool you. Many women there are just women like you and I trying to get in better shape. 6 meals a day is great however, in my opinion I think 6 small meals that are 200-250 calories would be ideal. Your body only needs a certain number of calories per meal.