Doing well, amid frustration

Did chest, shoulders, triceps & abs today. I don't know why but MAN were my arms burning! Wow!

Also, a low carb day. Did well with that. I don't expect anything less from myself though. For some odd reason, it's not even close to as hard as cycling carbs has been in the past. It doesn't bother me because I know it's just something I need to do.

I feel like this process is going so slow. It's only been a week and a half but STILL. That's how impatient I am. Ugh. I guess losing a quarter inch off each thigh last week was a step in the right direction. I don't expect to lose it over night.

I've stepped up my activity level quite a bit since December AND I'm eating a stellar diet, I would have thought that I could have ignited a super fat burning furnace by now. [patience, girl, patience]

It's frustrating for me to say I want to lose fat because normally when I say that, people think I have an illness. Believe me when I say that I do NOT think I am fat. The fact is, I'm very lean. 13% bodyfat (according to my caliper). But, there is a specific area that I'm trying to whittle away and since there is no way to "spot train" or reduce fat in any particular area, I need to go about it the same way an overweight person trying to shed pounds would.

Trust me, I don't actually want to lose weight. I want to lose FAT. However little it may be. I just want to shave maybe another inch or so off my thighs, whatever it takes. I don't have a clue how much fat in weight that would be but it can't be more than 3-5 pounds. Whatever it takes to acquire that lean toned look.

You know, cellulite (Lord do I hate that word) is just subcutaneous fat under the skin. And the only way to get rid of it is to get rid of the fat. I've read so much on this subject and everyone seems to have a different answer. Some say, there is nothing you can do. Exercise won't touch it, once you have it you are doomed forever. Well, I choose not to believe that.

One reason I don't believe it is because Tom Venuto says otherwise. And he is the author of a great book called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. This is what he says about the subject:

"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!"

Then again, Joey Atlas (another popular fitness guru), says that you can rid yourself of cellulite in just weeks by following a 3 times/week routine of slow muscle toning movements specifically targeting the muscle lying underneath the fat. Apparently it's the fat sinking (which gives the appearance of dimples) due to untoned muscle that is the cause of cellulite. And he claims:

"See, you're not a bodybuilder or 'fitness competitor' - you simply want to get rid of your cellulite... so your answer isn't "in the gym" - it's in a careful combination of bodyweight movements that smooth and tighten the surface of your skin by PROPERLY toning and firming the muscles DIRECTLY behind the dimpled, bumpy areas of your body..."

and he goes on to say:

"So Why Can't the Typical 'Gym Routines' Get Rid of Cellulite?

It's simple... Weights and machines disperse the 'resistance' stimulus (or force) throughout the major muscles, tendons, ligaments and the joints of a certain area or body region being worked...

At best - this approach will result in some strengthening and maybe some added muscle bulk in the large muscles...

But this traditional methodology completely misses the mark when it comes to the focused and intentional reduction of cellulite in the lower body of a woman..."

So there you go. See why I don't know what to believe? Maybe my best best is to try both. I had purchased a Joey Atlas DVD called Legs, Butt, Hip and Thigh Makeover about 4 or so years ago. I never stuck with it past a couple weeks though. I guess it couldn't hurt to add that to my fitness regimen.

Sigh...