Q: What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever read about fitness?

A: I”ve read many strange and unusual recommendations, and they become even more so at this time of year.

Summer is coming, and with it, all kinds of advice on how to “slim down” and get “bathing suit” ready. Prepare yourself for all the glamour magazines and supermarket rags to feature their version of super weight loss programs.

Keep in mind some of the exercises that are recommended in some of the magazines are actually pretty good, but discerning this information takes a trained eye.

The silliest summer advice I have ever read came from a July issue of Mademoiselle. It read like a “Cathy” comic strip — “How to Fake a Great Beach Body” This article offered tips on how to successfully camouflage body fat while lying in the sand or casually “hanging out” at the beach.

Instead of exercising for slimming and toning, the article advocated that self-tanning creams could actually make cellulite disappear.

Wearing bright lipstick and big hats were purported to make you appear thinner.

Additionally, taking small steps (placing one foot in front of the other) while walking will successfully hide your thighs.

The article also recommends wearing high heels for the “leggier” look, but they won’t take you very far in the sand.

But, then, neither will most of their suggestions.

Q: What are the risks associated with liposuction, and does it work?

A: Thousands of women undergo the procedure of having fat cells removed and it works.

A skilled surgeon who maneuvers a tube called a cannula between layers of the patient’s connective tissue performs liposuction.

This dislodges fat cells that are then sucked out by a vacuum.

The goal of liposuction is to remove enough fat to get rid of the unwanted bulge, while leaving behind a uniform layer of fat cells that will offer smooth skin.

However, this isn’t always the case and some irregularities may exist once the area has healed. This is where skin elasticity comes into play.

Younger skin has a better chance of contracting to support the new contours. People older than 50 are not as likely to achieve their desired results.

What many people don’t realize is that the number of fat cells in an adult’s body remains fairly constant.

When weight is gained, the fat cells merely expand, and when it is lost, they shrink.

When the cells are removed from the body during liposuction, they are gone for good. It may sound like an ideal way to lose weight, but it really isn’t.

If diet is not appropriately modified and weight is gained following a liposuction procedure, it won’t return to the areas where the fat cells have been removed.

It will, however, happily settle in another area of the body where fat cells exist.

Exercise and sound eating habits remain the best way in which to reshape the body; far less costly and painful than liposuction.

They also provide a multitude of health benefits. Liposuction on the other hand, provides none.