How Much Weight Can You Lose with CoolSculpting? (Extensive Outline)

If you’ve not yet heard of Coolsculpting before, it’s a rapidly growing trend that allows for fat cells to be removed from the body, like liposuction but a lot less invasive. This FDA-approved non-surgical procedure uses cryolipolysis to target and supposedly remove extra fat cells from beneath the skin by rapidly cooling to reduce the appearance of cellulite. As cool as it sounds, can Coolsculpting help you lose weight?

Coolsculpting targets and removes extra fat cells, but it does not typically result in weight loss. Our body has a set number of fat cells that increase or decrease in size depending on diet and lifestyle. Depending on the area, Coolsculpting can lead to a 20-25% fat cell reduction, and you can lose anywhere from ½ inch to 3 inches.

Is there really a way to remove extra fat cells and make you look more toned without even hitting the gym? It sure sounds like it. Let’s take a deeper look into Coolsculpting and some of the common questions people have about this relatively new, yet wildly popular, procedure.

How Cryolipolysis Works

Cryolipolysis, also referred to as “fat freezing” is the process of using cold temperature to reduce fat deposits in various areas of the body.

This process was created after discovering that fat cells were most susceptible to damage from freezing temperature than other cells.

When a fat cell is damaged from freezing, inflammation from the injured area triggers an immune response, which then removes the fat cell from the body.

Does Coolsculpting Work on Belly Fat?  

Many studies have shown Coolsculpting to be proven effective, with common treatment areas including thighs, lower back, belly, and sides. It has also been used to help treat visible cellulite on the legs, buttocks, and arms and can even be used on the sensitive area underneath our chin [1].

Depending on the area you are treating, Coolsculpting typically takes about an hour per section. Larger sections may need more treatments than small sections to see results. Because belly fat tends to be more stubborn to remove, despite diet and exercise, Coolsculpting has become most popular for treating this area, along with the thighs and buttocks. In fact, Coolsculpting was originally designed to help reduce belly fat and remains one of the most commonly treated areas.

How Much Belly Fat Can Coolsculpting Remove?

According to the Coolsculpting website, you can expect a 20-25% fat cell reduction in one session, depending on the area. For larger areas, such as the belly, thighs, and buttocks, where more fat tends to be concentrated, Coolsculpting claims to be able to remove anywhere from 20-80% of the fat from that area.

Be mindful that, although Coolsculpting is considered non-invasive and non-surgical, it is not without its side effects. Some reported side effects from Coolsculpting include short-term bruising or skin sensitivity and tenderness that typically resolves within a of couple weeks. In order to get the best results with Coolsculpting, you will likely need to complete multiple treatments. 

How Many Sizes Can You Go Down with Coolsculpting?

Depending on the area that you treat with Coolsculpting, you can lose anywhere from ½ inch to up to 3 inches. Larger treated areas, such as the belly, thighs, and buttocks, where more fat tends to collect will show greater results.

This number of inches can add up to a drop in about 1 pant size for those who do Coolsculpting around their waist and thigh area.

Keep in mind that results vary from person to person and no number of inches lost can be guaranteed with this procedure. As with any cosmetic procedure, results are not 100% guaranteed and it may work better for some and not so great for others.

How Can I Speed Up My Coolsculpting Results?

Coolsculpting provides a great opportunity to get ahead on your health and fitness journey or fine-tune along the way. The best way to speed up your Coolsculpting results is to exercise regularly and consume a healthy, balanced diet. Although Coolsculpting has been proven to provide some pretty awesome results, it can only target specific areas for fat loss and will not help you to shed weight overall.

Coolsculpting should not be used in replacement of a diet and exercise regimen. Although it can help to remove fat cells from a targeted area, that does not mean that the cells leftover cannot increase again with weight gain.

You can also expect to get greater results with your Coolsculpting if you have already prioritized a healthy diet and exercise routine as you can better target problem areas and see more significant results.

How Many Pounds of Fat Can Coolsculpting Remove?

Although it is not designed for weight loss, Coolsculpting can remove anywhere from 5-10 pounds of fat from your trouble areas, depending on the area of course. Therefore, it is highly encouraged that you utilize Coolsculpting along with a healthy diet and exercise routine. When losing weight naturally, you may not realize where your problem areas are until after the weight is gone.

Coolsculpting works best to help remove troublesome fat from problem areas that weight loss and exercise have not been successful targeting. Because of this, Coolsculpting works best on those who have already made progress or met their weight loss goals versus those who are just starting out or who don’t plan to make any diet or lifestyle changes to get the weight off.

Does Coolsculpting Work?

Although the results advertised appear promising and research does support this new procedure as being relatively effective, results will vary from person to person and cannot be guaranteed. According to a 2016 study, Coolsculpting was found to be 77% effective, while an older study in 2014 found it to be 86% effective [2, 3].

Although it’s not 100% effective, most cosmetic procedures are not. While its studied effectiveness does rank high, it’s important to note that there is high variability between participants and their relative fat loss. Everyone may also have a varying degree of what is considered effective and may not find the procedure to be as helpful as they had hoped.

Is It Easier to Lose Weight After Coolsculpting?

Although it can be tempting, Coolsculpting does not allow for easier weight loss. In fact, it is not recommended to do Coolsculpting before attempting to lose weight. Although CoolSculpting does remove fat cells for good, it cannot help the other fat cells left behind from shrinking or expanding with normal weight loss and weight gain. You are more likely to see significant and long-lasting results if you choose to do Coolsculpting after getting into a healthy routine with your diet and exercise.

As much as we continuously look for ways to lose weight and get our ideal body without having to diet or exercise, the truth is there are no quick cures. Losing weight takes hard work and dedication but Coolsculpting can help to emphasize all the hard work you have done. In other words, it should be used to supplement your routine but not to help avoid putting in the work.

Is It Better to Lose Weight Before Coolsculpting?

It’s best to begin working on weight loss before incorporating in Coolsculpting so you can better target troublesome areas that weight loss didn’t catch. Keep in mind, it can take months to see the results of Coolsculpting, but those results will be easier to see if you already know where your problem areas are.

Not only that, Coolsculpting works better on those that have had successful weight loss and the results are more impressive and natural-looking. Many also don’t realize that even though Coolsculpting helps to remove fat, that does not mean you will no longer have to worry about gaining weight in that area. Although it removes some of that fat for good, the fat cells left behind still can expand if you don’t want your diet and lifestyle.

Does Fat Come Back After Coolsculpting?

Despite Coolsculpting’s magical touch, fat can come back. Because of this, it’s important to consider diet and lifestyle changes along with Coolsculpting to see greater, long-lasting results. Many Coolsculpting websites highly encourage regular exercise, specifically strength training exercises as this can help to minimize the likelihood of additional fat gain following a procedure.

A combination of strength training and aerobic exercises will produce the best results for your physique as well as your overall health. With these exercises you can increase your muscle mass which allows for a decrease in fat mass, again helping you to get the most out of your Coolsculpting results.

What Are the Negative Effects of Coolsculpting?

Coolsculpting is considered minimally invasive, which means it often comes with minimal pain or side effects. Some commonly reported side effects of Coolsculpting include bruising and redness of the treated area, stinging of the skin, tenderness, aching, and/or tingling.

In rare cases, Coolsculpting can result in a condition known as paradoxical hyperplasia, which results in an increase in the volume of fat cells following the procedure and often warrants surgical intervention. Although it is a risk for anyone planning to undergo this procedure, studies have concluded that there is only about a 1% risk for developing paradoxical hyperplasia. Although the risk is low, it should still be considered before moving forward with the procedure because of the serious nature of the condition [4].

Coolsculpting Success Story

If you’re still feeling unsure about Coolsculpting, look at some of the success stories many have experienced trying out this new, innovative approach to fat loss.

Tanner from Spring, Texas admits he worked hard on his diet and lifestyle to get off the weight he gained from his sedentary job over the past year but was still faced with stubborn abdominal fat. After only 60 days, he noticed some pretty impressive results from doing Coolsculpting.

Check out Tanner’s story here.

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