Squishy, cottage cheesy, jiggly fat riddled all over my thighs!

#1

I could call myself a low carb/keto veteran but this takes the biscuit and really haven’t experienced this before since.

I have successfully been doing the ketogenic and low carb diet for 4 + years, but over the past year I gained 2 stone (carb creep/craving), due to study stress.

Got back on the keto diet pronto (as you do). Initiially I lost a stone, but now my weight loss has slowed, but I’m ok with that as long as I’m shrinking.

The problem is all this weird looking, cottage cheese, jiggly fat all over my thighs is becoming out of control, and some of it looks more deformed on one thigh to the other.
It is really sci fi and strange.

My legs before keto (and even when I was doing it religiously all those years ago) were firm, I rarely ever have issues with dimply, squishy fat and I’m hoping it will bugger off soon. It has hung around for a good 2 months now and getting a bit sick of the sight of it.
My eating hasn’t changed, accept I eat less because of course, lack of hunger.

I have added more heavy weights to my exercise routine which I do 2-3 times a week, in an effort to minimise. Noticing very slight improvement but not massive, and quite emabrraseed to wear shorts even though I’m losing, and it’s summer - I have festivals to attend!. Ah, its quite frustrating.

What is this weird looking fat about?? It looks like it has been displaced, and it’s concerning.

Guys, what to do, andy tips? Is it hormonal (I’m a woman)? Do I need more salt, less salt? More water? I’m drinking about 2 litres a day, even though not as thirsty…

Not as thirsty 4 months in
(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #2

I read that sitting for long periods of time and inactivity can cause the appearance of cellulite to increase. Is it possible that the studying for the past year had you sitting a bunch and this could have contributed?

I don’t know if the sitting thing is true but I’m interested in knowing if it was more noticeable after more sitting/desk work. Hopefully activity and even more walking/being on your feet for long stretches will smooth things out.

#3

Hi,

Thanks for getting back. I was exercising during study, though yes, there was quite a bit of sitting involved. You could be onto something…Just keeping on with the exercise and hoping for some changes to take place soon. Cheers!

('Jackie P') #4

I also have some areas that look worse than when they were plumped out with fat! My stomach and inner thighs mainly. It seems to be more apparent the more I exercise, Im guessing as my muscles firm it gets pulled about and distorted! Lovely!
I have started dry body brushing, it’s early days but I think there is a definite improvement. KCKO!

#5

Yeah. I’ve heard of this chunky cottage cheese fat. Iirc, it’s fat that is poorly vascularized, and therefore more difficult to lose. I have it too. My arm flab is like two bags of rice pudding.

#6

It might be encouraging to know that the squishy phase is part of the fat reduction process, as fat cells swap out fat for water before swooshing. And, if you’re weight-lifting, a certain amount of post-lifting swelling happens in the legs while the large muscles build up. More recovery in between training sessions may help (as in only training 1 or 2 times a week, and having some times where you break for 7-10 days, which can actually enhance muscle development according to Dr. McGuff/Body By Science).

Though I’m not having the chunky cottage cheese thing, I’m having major squishiness in various areas as they shrink layer by layer, including my thighs which have both lost 1.5 inches and seem to be glacially and squishily preparing for another swoosh.

Also, enhancing circulation may help a lot. Removing all processed and ultra processed foods for starters as they interfere with nutrient absorbtion - and good saturated fats carry nutrients deep into the body. Supplementing with the superfood Ginger (in capsule form, up to 3.5 g a day has been proven to be safe for both adults and children) is FAB for bodily blood & water circulation through various tissues, fibrin clearing, enzymatic recovery, and a bunch of other stuff (it’s a superfood).

And if you have to sit in a chair frequently, change your sitting postures a lot. Personally, I have an extra large office chair and sit cross-legged in it much of the time, with a neutral pelvis and using my back muscles to support me. That can only be done for awhile though before the tendency to sit back happens, which is when I usually get up for a short break. I also have a small foot stool I use when sitting western style, to bring my knees up a bit and relieve any strain on my connective tissue. I also love to sit cross-legged on the floor in my home office - with my laptop on a larger footstool. Getting up and down from the floor with proper core/transverse/pelvic engagement is an excellent biomechanical exercise worth doing many times a day if possible.

#7

I don’t mean to hijack the thread, but please elaborate. I sleep on the floor, and have considered swapping out my desk and deskchair for a floor desk and floor chair.

#8

Well, being that you sleep on the floor, you’ve probably got some good movement skills already - and are probably primed for a floor desk. It can also be good to go in-between the floor and a regular desk, to add more movement, etc.

Key for my own floor desk setup is a good wool rug (on a rug pad), or a thick big meditation cushion to sit on - if your floors are hard wood or tile or concrete, you’ll need to create an extra padded seating area by using a folded dense blanket or two, or a yoga mat folded in half. You want the base to be generous sized, and thickly cushioned - for those inevitable times when you spend longer periods working at the floor desk and sinking in to the cushions, and for when you plonk down hard sometimes due to half-falling, the cushioning helps a lot!

Physical therapists/biomechanists like Julie Tupler RN (author of Together Tummy) and Katy Bowman PT (author of Dynamic Aging) emphasize the important fact that every time we get up and down from a chair or the floor (a bigger lift), we’re lifting a lot of our body weight - which is a fantastic strength bearing exercise if we do it right - by engaging/squeezing the core muscles (the low belly/pelvic up to the belly button area) this provides an active muscular corset of sorts.

(Otherwise, what happens is that the connective tissue (the linea alba and another linea, can’t remember the name of it atm) takes the weight, and gets strained and stretched out, which negatively impacts the entire bodily fascia and tummy tone).

Non-western societies throughout the world (esp the non-elites) still do tons of floor sitting/rising. And all young children naturally move from their core belly muscle contractions (like other mammals), until being forced to sit in chairs, etc.

It’s ideal to be barefoot while doing the floor rising as much as possible, as the feet are very sensitive for balance (once you know the movements well enough, socks won’t be slippery).

Kids and some well-practiced adults somehow go straight from cross-legged to rising by unfolding the feet and moving into a squat then effortlessly rising. That’s very advanced for most westerners though, as few of us go in and out of deep squats in an agile way!

I just unfold one leg and put the foot down then use the floor to support my opposite hand/arm, then squeeze my core which helps me lift my backside a bit, get both feet touching the ground, then springing up and planting my feet and walking in place a little until I feel stable enough to walk. But an even more modified version is to break it down into a couple of movement - unlock one leg and then get the back leg on one knee, then squeeze and rise using both hands for support.

Lolol, I elaborated :joy:

#9

Hi, wow been meaning to start dry brushing, how long did it take before you saw an improvement? Like you, mine are on the inner thighs mostly, not so much the outer. Lower abdomen a little jiggly, but not a big issue. Dry brushing here we come! x

('Jackie P') #10

Haha! Only 8 days, but my skin and circulation is better! Here’s hoping!

#11

This is promising, thanks again!

(Marianne) #12

Interesting and, yes, encouraging. I don’t think I’ve experienced a “swoosh.”

#13

Well, take heart, swooshes are on the way once you’re well established in being 100% fat-adapted and the body has dealt with all other higher, life-threatening priorities. Seems the swooshes reduce specific areas and do it layer by layer… bit by bit lol.

In case you haven’t yet seen this, beloved Nurse Cindy explains it well, plus she’s just an all-around inspiration, having recomposed so much over just 3 years.

#14

Oh awesome! Heard about her, thanks!

(Marianne) #15

I did see the water balloon one. I will have to check out the other two - thanks!