So Like How Many Pounds Is Too Many after CoolSculpting®?

Nonsurgical body contouring — it’s ideal for those of us with a little stubborn fat who aren’t up for actual liposuction. Treatments like CoolSculpting® allow you to tweak your figure on your lunch break, no downtime needed, and at a budget-friendly price.

But while it might not be the top question on your mind when you get your treatment, you should take a minute to ask: How much weight can you gain after CoolSculpting?

As it ends up, there isn’t one perfect answer.

No, You Aren’t Planning to Gain Weight

I mean, unless you are; I don’t know your life. But it is pretty safe to say that most people getting body contouring procedures are hoping to maintain or slim their figure, not expand it.

CoolSculpting works by cooling the fat cells until they crystalize, destroying the cells. Then, over a period of several weeks or months, your system flushes these damaged fat cells out of your body. Once gone, these fat cells do not return.

That sounds pretty great. Also, it kind of sounds like gaining weight won’t matter. I mean, the fat cells are gone for good, right?

Your Fat Cells Are Hard Workers

While it would be nice if fat cells were lazy, they aren’t. When some of your fat cells are removed, it will slim the targeted area. But your remaining fat cells are more than happy to redistribute the “load” those now-dead cells had been shouldering. If you maintain your weight, or stay within a range of, say, 5 to 10 pounds of your current weight, this isn’t really an issue. But if you switch to a calorie surplus, the remaining fat cells will happily increase their size to hold it.

This means that the targeted area can increase in size as the remaining fat cells there grow and expand, undoing the results you worked so hard for.

But, Isn’t Some Weight Gain Inevitable?

Removing fat cells doesn’t stop you from gaining weight. In fact, the remaining cells can easily swell with a calorie surplus.

As we get older, our metabolism does slow down, and this typically results in some degree of weight gain. This does mean that your body had a natural inclination to pack on pounds as the years go by. But this doesn’t mean that CoolSculpting weight gain is inevitable.

Even as you age, diet and exercise matter. Getting CoolSculpting and other body contouring procedures is not a license to stop working out and eat what you wish. You still must do your part.

If you start to notice the number on the scale is creeping upward despite your best efforts, it could be time to work with a nutritionist to determine how to decrease your caloric intake safely while still getting all the healthy things you need to stay active and strong.

Of course, you should keep in mind that CoolSculpting is a procedure you can get more than once. Should you discover that diet and exercise changes aren’t helping, you will have the option for more treatments to contour your figure.