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Is it possible to target your face only when losing weight? How do you do it? If you have typed questions like these into any online search engine, the chances are that you’re not entirely happy with what your mirror shows every morning.
But, don’t worry, you’re not alone. You may be surprised to find out that questions related to how to lose fat on your face are one of the most searched on Google. But I’m sure that doesn’t make you feel better, so let’s get to it.
I’ve realized anytime I gain weight, my cheeks always tend to receive an extra load, creating what I dread the most – puffy cheeks. And I do not need those, not at this age.
Although there is no direct way to target weight loss on one part of your body (including your face), some experts reveal that the face is usually the first part of the body to lose fat. Reassuring.
This means regular exercise and a healthy diet are the best way to get rid of baby cheeks. But I’m sure you already knew that. So, are there other ways? Let’s find out how to lose weight in your face.
#1 Stay hydrated
Contrary to what many people may think, water plays an essential role in any weight loss process. Your chubby cheeks could be because your body is retaining too much fluid. It sounds ironic but read on.
When you fail to drink enough water, your body naturally stores excess water. This extra fluid goes to different parts of your body, including your face – and, voila! Chubby cheeks!
Also, because water is 100% free of calories, it can help you burn more fat than you think. Plus, drinking loads of water before your meals is vital when you need to suppress your appetite. Beyond that, drinking loads of water will also help you maintain healthy and glowing skin while helping you shift the extra pounds.
What you should do:
- First, replace all your unhealthy sugary beverages with water to help you cut back on the unhealthy calories.
- Next, make sure you drink about eight glasses of water every day if you’re a woman and about ten glasses if you’re a man.
- Also, make sure you track your water intake every day.
#2 Engage in cardio exercise
As we mentioned earlier, weight loss, in general, tends to start from the face, and cardio exercise offers the most effective facial fat loss option. So, put on your running shoes and hit the outdoors or opt for your treadmill.
Depending on your age and fitness level, you can perform cardio or aerobic exercises at a low, moderate, or high intensity. According to some experts, engaging in intensive cardio exercises three to four times a week will help you burn more fat.
Pro tip: When you engage in 2 to 5 hours of moderate to intense cardio workouts every week, you will see significant changes on your face – and of course, your entire body.
If a gym membership is not your thing, you can opt for rock climbing, dancing, swimming, biking, and roller skating as alternatives.
But as often as you can, try hitting the gym, especially if you need a trainer to work with.
What you should do:
- First, set at least four days out of the week aside for your workouts and select which time of the day best suits you, depending on your schedule.
- Next, combine different kinds of aerobic exercises with little resistance workouts. Depending on your fitness level, you can choose to go for a brisk walk, run, perform some jumping-jacks and burpees, or combine everything.
- For the best effect, workout at least 300 minutes every week.
But if you are short on time, opt for high-intensity cardio at regular intervals. That will help burn more calories than even a regular gym exercise of the same duration. For example, try biking at high-speed for a minute, slow down for 3 minutes, and alternate the process for about 15 minutes.
#3 Practice facial exercises
You can use facial exercises to combat the effects of aging and improve your facial appearance. According to some experts, adding facial exercises to your daily routine can help tone the muscles on your face, improve their strength, and slim down your face.
The actual research to confirm this is limited; some studies have found that you help improve your muscle thickness when you perform muscle exercises, which in turn boosts your facial rejuvenation.
Pro tip: You can also practice the jaw release exercise by sitting straight or standing and moving your jaw like your chewing vigorously on something – only keep your lips closed the entire time. As you hum, breathe in and out as deeply as you can. Next, press your tongue to the bottom of your teeth and open your mouth widely. Hold that position for a few seconds, making sure that you breathe in and out.
What you should do:
There are different kinds of facial exercises you can try. But here are the most popular ones you can try.
- First, hold a broad smile and simultaneously clench your teeth. Do this a couple of times in the day and hold it for 10 seconds each time.
- Secondly, you can also try puckering your lips while alternating on both sides.
- The third option involves puffing out your cheeks to draw in some air. Next, push the air from one cheek to the other as many times as you can.
You can perform these facial muscle exercises two times each day for at least eight weeks.
#4 Try professional massage
If you feel facial exercises are not enough, you can also try getting a professional massage. Like the rest of our bodies, the face can accumulate lymphatic fluids under the skin, leading to a puffy appearance. A manual face massage can help you eliminate that excess fluid, especially beneath the jawline, where most of the lymph is located.
However, although a professional massage can give you a more sculpted and thinner face, you also need to do your part by taking good care of yourself. That will make the massage effect last.
#5 Cut back on booze
If you need another reason to lose the booze, this is it. Alcohol contains inflammatory properties, and when you mix it with carbonation and sugary ingredients, it can cause fluid retention, gas, bloating, and inflammation.
Unfortunately, all these can manifest in a swollen face and make it difficult to face your mirror. But that’s not all; alcohol also contains calories, which will add up quickly the more of it you consume.
We already mentioned how the body retains water when you’re hydrated. Regular intake of alcohol causes dehydration, which means your body will try to retain some fluid. And this can lead to puffiness, especially on your face.
What you should do:
- Instead of simply trying not to take alcohol, why not take an extra step – get rid of all the alcohol at home if you’re going to have a problem staying away from it. Instead, replace them with healthy drinks and water.
- Reducing your alcohol intake isn’t only essential for achieving the chiseled face you want, but it will also help save you some cash.
#6 Get fit from the inside out
Nutrition is as important as exercise. So, once you end each cardio session, you should complement your efforts with a balanced diet. Cut down on your refined carb consumption. That means staying away from foods or snacks like pasta, crackers, cookies, processed meat, and the usual culprits of increased fat storage and unhealthy weight gain.
Veggies, fruits, whale grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts are great examples of high-fiber foods that can promote weight loss by boosting fat burning. To sum it up, lower calorie intake means greater weight loss and vice versa. And don’t forget to smile more throughout the day.
Pro tip: To help speed up the process, you should add daily doses of anti-inflammatory foods. Options like beets, lemon, coconut, turmeric, and ginger are great additions to any diet due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
What you should do:
- Take the time to create a meal schedule to make it less tempting to opt for unhealthy, already made meals.
- Processed foods can make up about 70% of sodium intake in an average diet. When preparing your meals, limit your sodium content, as too much of it can also lead to fluid retention – and we’ve gone through this several times already.
- Consume more foods containing fiber as they move slowly through the digestive tract, keeping you satisfied for longer periods. Ideally, it is healthy to consume about 38 grams of fiber every day.
- When you prepare your meals, you have greater control over what goes into them and how much.
#7 Get your beauty sleep
As cliche as the term “beauty sleep” sounds, it does help prevent weight gain on the face. According to some experts, if you deprive your body of enough sleep, you are more likely to puff up your face. While you sleep, the body takes the opportunity to repair itself, which helps keep your endocrine system healthy.
The endocrine system influences almost every cell and organ in your body and keeps them properly functioning. When you deprive yourself of sufficient sleep, you don’t give your body enough time to do the necessary repair works behind-the-scene. Add that to the fact that your body processes slow down as you get older, and you wouldn’t be happy with how your face will turn out.
Sleep deprivation can also lead to an increase in cortisol, a stress hormone that causes side effects like weight gain. That is because cortisol can alter your metabolism and increase your appetite, resulting in more fat storage.
What you should do:
- Shut-eye time is essential to any weight loss strategy. So, switch up your sleep schedule in a way that makes it possible to get at least eight hours of sleep each night.
- If you’re too busy to grab a full night’s sleep, try getting regular 20 minutes to an hour nap time during the day.
Of course, this is less difficult to do when you are home. But if you find yourself at work, you can try putting your head on your desk to sleep. And don’t forget to put up a “do not disturb” notice.
#8 Speak with your doctor
Okay, this point should’ve come first, but better late than not at all. There is a slight chance that all your efforts at losing facial fat on your own may go nowhere. So, you should speak to your doctor first to know if there are other causes behind your facial weight gain. Genetics may play a role in which areas of your body receive more fat, and your doctor should provide safe options where possible.
Furthermore, medications, diet changes, and certain health issues may have a part to play. That is especially true if other symptoms accompany your facial fat. In such cases, you should be able to return to your usual self once you get off your meds. Otherwise, it would be best if you spoke with your doctor about healthy alternatives.
Also, do not be in a hurry to rush into surgery, as in most cases, trying to get facial fat removed is a bad idea. Removings pads of fat from your face can cause you to lose some of your facial skin structure. And this will make you age horribly, to put it mildly.
Did you enjoy reading this article?
I’ve had some struggles in the past trying to get rid of what seemed like stubborn facial fat without understanding the biology at play. If you have the same issues, it is essential first to know what the cause is.
That will help you choose the quickest weight loss approach. And that is why I found it necessary to put together this article for you.
So, do not hesitate to tell me what you think in the comment session and kindly share the article if you liked it.
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