We all know that the line between healthy and unhealthy weight loss can get a little blurry.
If you’re wondering how to lose face fat specifically, your first step is to find the right information and make the best choices for your body.
View in gallery
Before we dive in, let’s clarify one thing first: facial fat isn’t an indicator of worth, much less attractiveness. In fact, it’s completely normal! We need body fat to survive and live our happiest, healthiest lives. For some people, facial fat is simply a part of that reality.
Lose Weight Sensibly To Lose Face Fat
Now, this isn’t to say you shouldn’t lose weight if you want to. On the contrary, we’re saying the complete opposite and that any weight-related goal should be made with your best interests at heart.
View in gallery
Fad diets, detox teas, and diet pills are all weight loss schemes that will achieve short-term weight loss if they happen to be effective.
If you want to lose facial fat for good, you need to educate yourself before implementing any long-term changes.
Fortunately, there are plenty of data-backed strategies to help you out—starting with this guide!
Below you’ll find everything you need to know about the causes of face fat, top methods for sustainable weight loss, and tips to prevent weight gain.
Let’s begin!
Causes of Face Fat
View in gallery
Body fat is all about being human. How we put on weight differs from person to person, and as a result, facial fat can be chalked down to many factors, including:
- General weight gain
- Genetics
- Age
- Medication
- Hormones and the menstrual cycle
- Stress
- Poor nutrition
As you begin your weight loss journey, keep these factors in mind. They’ll help you determine the difference between healthy weight gain caused by things you have little to no control over—and unhealthy weight gain (which we will cover in a moment.)
The Difference Between Fat and Bloating
You may have noticed that your face shape fluctuates from day to day. If so, it probably has less to do with weight gain and more that you’re experiencing facial bloating.
Like body fat, bloating is caused by many factors. For example, a late night on the town, combined with a lack of sleep, alcohol, and junk food, can cause facial puffiness.
Some people experience bloating more obviously than others due to their diets, hormone levels, or menstrual cycle.
Keep an eye out for whenever your face looks and feels especially puffy. It may be that your lifestyle choices are the source of your chubby cheeks rather than actual facial fat.
When Facial Fat is More than Weight Gain
Excess facial fat can also be an indicator of an underlying health condition.
Typically, conditions that cause face fat also lead to unwanted weight gain in other parts of your body. You may also find that your face is gaining weight faster than the rest of your body, which could be a cause of concern.
Some conditions that lead to facial fat include:
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and chronic stress
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Side effects of steroid treatment
If you suspect your face fat is connected to a serious health condition, reach out to your doctor as soon as possible.
How to Burn Face Fat: Overview
View in gallery
Weight loss empowered by a healthy lifestyle, good sleep, and a balanced diet tends to have a face slimming effect.
Finding the perfect mix will require some experimentation, however.
Just as everyone gains weight differently, everyone loses weight at their own pace. You may find that losing fat is best done if you take it slow and steady instead of jumping into an intense workout routine or vice versa.
Whatever you choose, remember that there are plenty of healthy and realistic strategies to implement. You can (and should) have fun with it!
Without further ado, here are eight effective ways you can lose face fat:
1. Sweat It Out!
Whether you’re hitting the gym or working out at home, cardiovascular exercise is one of the best ways to lose excess fat along your face and everywhere else!
Also known as aerobic exercise, cardio is designed to get you sweating and your heart rate up. The longer you go, the more calories you’ll burn, which can contribute to weight loss.
Cardio exercise routines are also easy to pace. However, studies have found that even a low-intensity cardio routine can help you burn fat and lose weight.
If you’re interested in something more intense, try mixing cardio and strength training. These types of workouts promote lean muscle definition and improve your endurance in addition to overall fat loss.
Incorporate 20 to 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio into your daily schedule for the best results. Try and aim for a total of 150 to 300 minutes per week.
2. Give Facial Exercises A Try
We don’t build up our facial muscles the same way we do our arm, leg, or abdominal muscles, but they are there—which is why facial exercises and the whole mewing craze exist.
Although there’s limited research on the subject and its effectiveness, performing facial muscle exercises has been found to increase definition in face and combat aging. In addition, this may help your face appear slimmer.
As you can imagine, facial exercises are done by exaggerating your facial expressions.
Some examples of facial exercises include:
- Puckering your lips like McKayla Maroney and alternating to the other side
- Holding a smile while clenching your teeth for several seconds
- Puffing your cheeks and pushing air from side to side
3. Cut Down on Alcohol Consumption
If you want to burn fat, cutting down on your alcohol consumption is a good place to start.
As an inflammatory substance, excessive alcohol intake can lead to weight gain. It also doesn’t help that alcoholic beverages tend to have a high sugar content, which may harm your diet and overall health.
Alcohol consumption in general also leads to fluid retention and facial puffiness. Therefore, drinking regularly may exaggerate the shape of your face. In which case, going cold turkey may not be a bad idea!
4. Drink More Water!
View in gallery
Did you know that we sometimes get our hunger and thirst cues messed up? As a result, we sometimes reach for a snack when we should be having a glass of water instead.
A study explored this subject and discovered a correlation between losing weight and drinking more water.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should skip meals. Eating regularly and drinking water is good for your health. Staying hydrated will also decrease fluid retention in your face, leading to less bloating.
5. Sleep Well and Often
According to research, if we’re not getting enough sleep, we’re more likely to indulge in late-night snacking and gain weight.
Nocturnal eating habits also further confuse our body’s circadian rhythms—aka our sleep routine—which negatively influences many aspects of our health, not just weight.
Improve your sleep health and support weight loss by cutting down on caffeine, reducing screen time, and avoiding irregular daytime naps to encourage a consistent sleep schedule.
6. Say Goodbye to (Refined) Carbs
We all love carbs, but when it comes to our diets, we need to step back, examine what kinds of carbs we’re consuming, and identify how many of them are refined carbohydrates.
Also known as “empty calories,” foods and drinks made of refined sugars and grains usually offer little to no nutritional value.
Although carbs alone are not the cause of weight gain, much less excess body fat, refined carbs have been linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and overeating, which can affect your weight.
If you’d like to cut back on refined carbs, avoid grains made of white flour as well as highly processed foods and drinks with high sugar content (usually labeled as sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, or agave syrup.)
7. Less Salt is Good for the Soul (and the Body)
Similar to refined sugars, a high sodium diet is also bad for our health. Regarding facial fat, eating salty foods can make our faces appear larger.
This is because salt triggers fluid retention in our bodies. The more we consume, the more water we hold on to. Therefore, too much salt in your diet may lead to consistent bloating in your face as well as in other areas of your body.
This doesn’t mean you should cut out salt entirely. If you did, your food would probably be tasteless, and where’s the fun in that?
Instead, cut down on highly processed foods such as junk food and frozen meals and try eating fresh.
8. Get that Daily Bread
Returning to our previous carb discourse, increasing your fiber intake can also help you lose fat along your face and body.
Unlike refined grains, fiber-rich whole grains move slowly through your digestive tract, keeping you full for longer.
In addition to being more nutritious, fiber helps regulate sugar in your body, curb cravings, and decrease your appetite, which may be beneficial as you start to develop a healthier diet.
If you feel like you can’t do without carbs (and let’s be honest, who can?), whole grains are a rich and nutritious way to keep bread, pasta, and baked goods in your life at a fraction of the calories.
How to Prevent Excess Facial Fat
View in gallery
While there’s nothing wrong with a “cheat day” or flaking on a workout now and again, you have to be consistent for weight loss to be sustainable.
Whether it’s your face, stomach, or thighs, you can prevent weight regain with a few simple tips:
- Eat a balanced diet: Whole grains, lean protein, fruits, veggies, legumes, and healthy fats are the way to go.
- Exercise regularly: Try incorporating at least 20 to 40 minutes of cardio into your routine. Feel free to change it up if you get bored!
- Drink more water: Stay hydrated and limit your intake of alcohol to reduce bloating in your face and body.
- Avoid heavily processed foods: Cut down on salt and refined sugars and diversify your palate with healthy foods.
Can You Lose Fat From Just Your Face?
View in gallery
As we mentioned previously, no one person loses or gains weight the same way.
As you start to change your lifestyle, you may discover that your face shape won’t slim down as quickly as the rest of your body.
This is because spot reduction (aka fat loss targeted at a specific area) isn’t a reliable form of weight loss. Therefore it’s better to focus on losing weight throughout your entire body.
By working out more, eating better, and cutting out unhealthy habits, you’ll lose fat everywhere—including your face. Visible results may take a little longer for some individuals.
Final Thoughts on How to Lose Face Fat
There you have it: Everything you need to know about losing facial fat!
During your weight loss journey, remember to be mindful of your choices. Always prioritize wellness over extreme weight loss and implement healthy changes to achieve the best results.
If you’d like to share your experiences or any healthy fat-burning tips, feel free to do so in the comments below.
