You’ve probably asked yourself this question: Why is my face still so puffy? Face fat is one of the most annoying things to deal with on a fitness journey. You can see your biceps burning, your thighs tightening, but your face remains the puffy same face.
The reality is that the face is often the second last thing to lose fat, right before your belly fat. Don’t worry, in this article, we’re gonna be answering that question. We’ll be looking at changes in your diet, simple lifestyle changes, and exercises that will speed up your weight loss journey. Just remember to be patient and disciplined throughout.
1. Hydrate!
Sometimes, maybe your face already HAS slimmed down. Puffy faces are often mistaken for face fat. To check if your face has gotten slimmer, drink water more often. When you are dehydrated, your skin holds onto water. This water will only disperse once your body has rehydrated.
2. Avoid Sodium and Alcohol
A possible cause of face puffiness is too much salt and alcohol in your diet. Alcohol and sodium will dehydrate the body and cause your body to hold onto water weight. Not only that, both tend to slow down your body. Reduce your intake of both as much as possible.
3. Cut Down Carbs
You should be lowering your overall carb intake, but a special mention goes to refined carbs. Refined carbs are basically carbs minus the good things about carbs. It’s just compressed sugar and calories. It might taste good, but it’s bad for you in excess. Don’t be so glum about a low-carb diet, though.
That means you can eat more low-carb stuff, which is tastier than you would expect. Examples include lean meats, fish, green vegetables, oats, nuts, and fruits.
4. Look at the Labels
Most packed food items are mandated by law to include nutritional facts. The advertisements can say whatever they want, but the labels will reveal the truth. Make sure to take a good look at all the information.
This will help you balance your diet much easier. Pay close attention to how many carbs and calories are in each serving portion. Once you memorized a certain brand’s nutritional facts, it will make healthy grocery shopping easier.
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
5. Cardio
Extra face fat is directly tied to your overall body fat. When your other body parts start storing too much fat, it starts to go to your face. Cardio is the most straightforward way to lose weight, and this fact is backed up by pretty much everything.
It’s been hailed by several studies to be the top way to burn body fat. As for anecdotes, there’s a reason you see running on TV and movies to portray a character getting fit.
There are several “couch to 5k” routines you can follow to ease you into a higher cardio routine. On average, 30 minutes of cardio a day is enough to help you lose weight when paired with a proper diet.
6. Strength Training
A common mistake by those looking to lose weight is focusing too much on cardio. Cardio can only do so much for the shape of your body.
It will cut the fat, but excessive cardio also eats up your muscles. To help tone your body and face, you need to undergo strength training. When paired with cardio, this allows for efficient use of all the fuel in your body.
Moderate strength training has been shown to vastly improve muscle growth when paired with cardio. This helps make your now lighter body look as good as you feel.
7. Sleep
Both face puffiness and inefficient weight loss are tied to a lack of proper sleep. Sleep deprivation will increase your stress levels, which among other things, cause weight gain.
Sleep is also important to give your body the time it needs to repair your muscles after a strength training session. The ideal amount of time to sleep should at least be 8 hours.
8. BMI (Body Mass Index)
Your BMI is one of the best ways to measure how close you are to losing your face fat. It’s the measurement of fat in your body proportional to your height. There’s a lot of jargon involved, so just use one of the hundreds of BMI calculators you can find online.
The only thing you need to know is that your BMI needs to be firmly between 18.5 to 24.9 as this is the standard for most people. A healthy BMI is also a helpful way to know which parts of your body you need to “attack” so to speak. If you are at a healthy BMI but find your belly is still a bit big, start doing more cardio and toning your abs.
“It's not about perfect. It's about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that's where transformation happens.”
– Jillian Michaels
Conclusion
Losing your face fat will not be quick or easy. However, it’s not only doable, it’s also fun to maintain once you get into the swing of it. Just stay consistent and follow the advice on this article for the best results. With time and effort, this is a great way to slim your face down.