'How to lose weight in your face' is one of the most Googled questions when it comes to weight loss. So be assured you're not the only one seeking the answers.
Talk to any health or medical expert about weight loss and they'll confirm that there's no real way to target weight loss to one specific part of your body. In fact, the golden rule reamins that the easiest way to lose weight in one area is to aim to lose weight overall. And the best way to achieve this is (you guessed it!) through exercise and a balanced, healthy diet.
The plus side is that if you're targeting your face in particular when adopting a weight loss regime, it's an area that sees the most change initially. "You’ll usually lose fat from your face first," Personal trainer Carly Yue tells us. So stick to your exercise regime and choose a diet that works and you should see the results you want sooner rather than later.
How to lose weight in your face
1. Stay hydrated
Lucy Locket Loves, Personal Trainer, Fitness & Nutrition Coach, explains that one of the many benefits of drinking water is that it can aid weight loss.
"Make sure you’re super hydrated and drinking enough water," she says. "Water plays such a vital role in weight loss and tracking your water intake will not only help your shift the pounds but also do wonders for you skin at the same time, helping you glow!"
2. Get fit from the inside out first
Wellbeing coach and fitness ambassador Stuart Pilkington says that diet should be your number one priority when it comes to weight loss.
"Your skin condition can transform the appearance of your skin. Creams don’t cut it - you need to eat foods that will help your complexion. Your body repairs from the inside out and only a diet rich in nutrients and minerals can reduce blemishes, swelling and excess water, all of which give the appearance of a bigger face. Focus on green vegetables and healthy fats such as avocado, almonds and walnuts."
3. Don’t be afraid of the weights at the gym
Kay Justice, personal trainer at KJ Nutrition & Fitness points out, "Losing weight in your face is something you can’t do without seeing a change in the rest of your body. Cardio exercise is great to burn fat so doing this you’ll definitely see a change.
"However, once you end your cardio session the fat burning ends too. To continue burning fat after you’ve exercised you need to put in some sessions with weights. By building your muscle mass you naturally increase your metabolic rate so your body ticks over at a greater rate, burning calories faster."
4. Say goodbye to alcohol
Personal trainer, nutritionist and fitness author Carly Yue suggests that scaling back on those glasses of red and cheeky G&Ts will help with weight loss and reduce bloating - and you’ll start to see results in your face.
"Cut down on alcohol which makes your cheeks and face puffy and swollen," Carly advises. "Even if you don't want to stop drinking alcohol altogether, you will still see the benefits of cutting back alcohol pretty quickly. Try only drinking at the weekends, or limiting yourself to one glass of wine when you have a meal."
5. Try a facial work out
John O Neill, personal trainer at Club Vitae gym, Clayton Hotel Limerick, points out that with so many muscles in your face (the human face typically has 43 muscles), certain exercises can actually help you tone up.
Here are John’s top tips for toning those facial muscles:
- To tone the muscles around your mouth, say X and O in a row. This exercise makes your facial muscles contract and move. Do this exercise daily, repeating it as many times as you can.
- Help get rid of chubby cheeks by toning your cheek muscles. All you have to do is make a fish face by sucking in your cheeks. Repeat 20 times every day for positive results.
- Get all your facial muscles working by opening your mouth widely and roundly. Hold the position for 5 seconds and relax. Repeat up to 30 times over a day.
- Fill your mouth with air so that your face looks fat and round. Keeping your lips closed, move the air in your mouth from side to side. Do this for 5 minutes over a day.
- With facial massage you can lose considerable amount of fat from your face by regular facial massage. It enhances oxygen and blood circulation which, in turn, helps tighten your skin.”
How to lose the double chin
Keen to get rid of a double chin? You could also perform a lymphatic drainage massage if you’re keen to reduce puffiness.
You can do it yourself, by simply massaging your face in circular motions, which will help to drain toxins and reduce fluid retention in the area.
Celebrity facialist and Time Bomb Skincare Emma Brown explains: 'We have lots of lymph nodes along our jaw line, so by massaging from your chin upwards towards your ear, you’re assisting the lymphatic draining process.
'When we massage our face we are increasing the blood flow to the area we are working on, which in turn increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients which reach the skin as well as boosting collagen production.
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- Reverse dieting
- What is the best time to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner?
- Diets that work fast
- Weight gain: How long does it take to put on weight?
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