You feel like there is nothing left in your life to sacrifice. You’ve stopped drinking liquid calories. You hit the gym instead of playing video games with your partner. No matter how hard you try, you can’t sculpt your ideal contours. At Allure Enhancement Center in Lafayette, LA, we proudly offer a number of body contouring solutions, including CoolSculpting. Today, we’re looking at the longevity of fat removal results and what you should avoid after treatment.
Will Body Contouring Get Rid of Fat Permanently?
Yes, body contouring will cause your body to get rid of fat permanently. It doesn’t matter whether you’re freezing fat cells to death with CoolSculpting, destroying the walls of the fat cells with Kybella injections, or implementing a different fat removal technique. The bottom line is the same. Your body stops producing fat cells by the time you are 25 years old, and your body will eventually secrete all of the fat cells destroyed during your fat removal treatment.
However, you should keep in mind that each fat removal treatment is limited in its ability to remove fat cells. Depending on several factors, including the areas targeted for treatment and the technique used, a fat reduction treatment may only remove 20 to 80% of the localized fat cells. The fat cells that are not destroyed during treatment can still store fat in the future under certain circumstances.
How Can I Maintain My Ideal Results?
You can maintain your ideal results by recording and evaluating your weight weekly or monthly. If you think you see a trend of your weight increasing, or your weight increases by 5% in a month, take a closer look at your diet. You are probably getting calories that you may not be aware of, like cream and sugar in your coffee, a cocktail after work, or a couple of donuts from the break room.
You may find it helpful to keep a log of every calorie you consume for a while if you’re not sure why you’re gaining weight. The bottom line is that to keep your ideal contours, you need to recognize that you are gaining weight. Then, you need to take steps to reduce your weight again before things get too out of hand.
What Should You Avoid After Body Sculpting Treatments?
Excessive Caffeine Consumption
One of the most important things to avoid after a fat removal treatment is excessive caffeine consumption. Caffeine, when consumed in large quantities, is a diuretic. Diuretics dehydrate you and elevate your blood pressure. However, it is important that you avoid dehydration and hypertension in the days following your treatment.
If you’re relatively healthy, you can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day safely. On the other hand, if your blood pressure is already pretty high, you should limit your caffeine consumption to 100 mg from all sources. Make sure you read the labels on the foods, beverages, and medications you consume carefully. You may be surprised to discover how much caffeine is in the foods, drinks, and medications you consume regularly.
Dehydration
To reiterate, it is also important to avoid dehydration in the days following your appointment. There’s no universal amount to drink for optimal hydration. Even the same individual will have different hydration needs from day to day based on how active they are and what they eat. What we can say, though, is that you should drink enough water, coffee, and tea that your urine is pale consistently.
If you opt for tea, we strongly recommend picking black tea over green tea due to the incredible caffeine content of green tea. Remember, you need to limit your total daily caffeine consumption to 100 to 400 mg, depending on its effects on your body. If you’re having trouble drinking enough hydrating fluids, try to snack on some fruits or veggies. Fruits and veggies are usually high in water and will help you stay hydrated.
Sunburn
Also, it is very important that you avoid sunburn for a few days following your fat removal treatment. Regardless of where you had your fat reduction treatment, you should make sure you apply sunscreen to that area regularly. Not even tinted windows can protect you from sunburn; it is possible to get a sunburn through your clothes if you spend too much time in the sun without sunscreen.
Malnutrition
You should also avoid malnutrition in the weeks following your fat reduction session. Essentially, your immune system excretes the destroyed adipose tissue from your body when you urinate and exhale. However, your body’s waste removal system needs plenty of energy and micronutrients to function efficiently. Make sure you are fueling your body with nutritious fruits, veggies, and lean proteins.
Excessive Sitting
The more sedentary you are after your treatment, the longer it will take you to see your final results. Therefore, you should do your best to remain fairly active until your body has finished flushing out the adipose tissue destroyed during the treatment. It is an excellent idea to aim for 2.5 to five hours of moderate exercise per week for the first several weeks following your treatment.
If you can’t make the time to exercise that much, do your best to get 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous exercise per week. Just keep in mind that cardio is king when it comes to seeing your final results as quickly as possible. Strength training is great for a lot of things, including bone density maintenance and muscle toning. However, it is not nearly as effective as cardio if your goal is to flush out fat quickly.
A Word of Warning
Remember, it is important to keep your blood pressure normal in the days following your treatment. It is a good idea to take a few days off from vigorous exercise after your fat removal session. Also, if you’re not feeling very motivated to work out, make a point to do some light calisthenics during commercial breaks while watching TV or cutscenes while playing video games. Additionally, you should try to get up and walk around for a bit every hour.
The stronger your circulatory system is, the sooner you will be able to see your final results. Sitting for more than an hour at a time is not ideal for your circulatory system. Finally, keep in mind that you don’t have to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes in a row. You can go on short walks throughout the day and still benefit your circulatory system.
Alcohol Consumption
Avoiding alcohol consumption for a few days after your treatment is highly advisable. When consumed in excessive quantities, alcohol constricts your blood vessels, increasing blood pressure. However, you should understand that it is not advisable to drink alcohol in moderation, either.
Alcohol is a toxin, and your body recognizes and treats it as such. Your body will stop processing any food you may have in your GI tract and get to work eliminating the alcohol immediately. Unfortunately, in its haste to flush the alcohol out of your system, your body will also flush out an excessive amount of water and important nutrients. Do your best to go a few days without drinking any alcohol after your treatment is complete.
Tobacco Consumption
Tobacco is similar to alcohol in that it constricts your blood vessels. The primary difference is that the effect on your blood pressure occurs regardless of how much you consume. In other words, you may need to have two or three drinks in order for alcohol to increase your blood pressure significantly.
However, as soon as you start to consume nicotine, your blood vessels start to tighten. The bottom line is that you need to go three days without nicotine once your treatment is complete. It is extremely important that your blood pressure doesn’t get too high.
Learn More About Achieving Your Ideal Contours Today
You can’t help where your genes dictate you will store fat. However, you don’t have to live with stubborn pockets of fat. With body contouring, you can efficiently, effectively, and permanently eliminate stubborn pockets of fat, so you can achieve your desired contours once and for all. One of the best things about this type of treatment is that there is no downtime and very little recovery.
Nevertheless, you will need to avoid a few things after your treatment, like sunburn, dehydration, malnutrition, and excessive caffeine consumption. If you think a non-invasive fat removal treatment is right for you, contact us today at Allure Enhancement Center in Lafayette, LA to schedule your initial body contouring evaluation.