"Diet Face" - should we choose face over body or vice versa?

SnifterPug

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jenni-murray-warns-of-diet-face-8k2pkd0h0

Dame Jeni Murray has lost four stone following bariatric surgery and diabetic symptoms have gone into remission. Good for her!

She has now announced she is happy to weigh 14 stone because she does not want to develop "diet face". At her height (6 foot) she's still overweight by BMI standards and she doesn't strike me as a gym bunny who is carrying the weight as muscle.

So long as she's happy how she is, that's great, of course.

But I'm interested to see how others view the issue of diet face. Would you prefer to have the physique you want, at the possible expense of your facial looks? Or would you compromise on the body in order to keep your face looking better? Would you prefer your significant other to have the perfect body or the perfect face (assuming they can't have both)?

ccrdragon

With my genetics, I don't have a choice on this. To get any where even near to overweight on the BMI charts, my diet face comes out (turkey neck, sunken cheeks, etc.). The face is the first place that actually really shows when I lose weight (and my gut is the last place that shows).

I am also old and don't really care at this point about my looks - I would rather be healthy and live longer than look like some artificial concept of 'good'.

ku140

To answer your question, I would rather my face look healthy and my body look like it needs some toning. Same with my husband.

I was essentially here at my ideal weight, which I sustained for about 8 years. I looked pretty strong and fit, even if I didn't have a 6 pack and my thighs touch.

middlehaitch

I’ve gone for the better body over face.
I always had a rounder face, now it is quite drawn and angular with tons of wrinkles.

Got to say that I lost weight in 2008/9 during menopause so I don’t know whether my change of face, especially all the wrinkles, is due to menopause or weight loss.

I looked a lot worse the first year of maintenance, now, 10yr later and still maintaining, the drawn angular look is much softer.

I do occasionally wonder whether or not to do a small bulk to add a little weight that may round out my face a little. Unfortunately, at my age there would probably be little muscle added to my body, but more fat to my belly, so I just keep tossing the thought around. Decisions, decisions.

I’m vain enough to still care about my looks, but know I wouldn’t handle carrying extra fat on my body, (it would have to be muscle) just in the hopes to fill out my face, well.

Cheers, h.

COGypsy

I'd go for the physique....there are a million facial procedures and products that can reduce the effects of "diet face". Not so many for batwings and a saggy booty.

healingnurtrer

Health and physical comfort before looks for me

cwolfman13

what is diet face

Keladelphia

When I cut to competition weight for weightlifting I HATE the way my face looks but man it does feel cool to be that lean and shredded. I never sit at this weight for more than a few weeks because it's not worth the gaunt face just to have the extremely low body fat percentage to me other than for competition. I have found a happy medium weight (profile pic) where I still have good visible muscle definition and i'm content with the level of fullness in my face so I guess when it comes down to it i'm not willing to sacrifice the way my face looks for the perfect physique other than in the short term.

sardelsa

For me I'd rather have a bit more weight vs looking too small and sunken face which is what happens if I get too lean (so either very low bodyfat or on the very low end of healthy weight). I run bulk cycles to build muscle so I am able to sit at a higher weight and look more full and curvy.

seltzermint555

ccrdragon wrote: »

With my genetics, I don't have a choice on this. To get any where even near to overweight on the BMI charts, my diet face comes out (turkey neck, sunken cheeks, etc.). The face is the first place that actually really shows when I lose weight (and my gut is the last place that shows).

I am also old and don't really care at this point about my looks - I would rather be healthy and live longer than look like some artificial concept of 'good'.

SAME. I'm only 42 but I feel all of this. In the face, I looked just slightly chubby when I weighed in at 300 lb. It's true that I look a lot more drawn and old and my wrinkles show up more now after my weight loss. I'm fine with it, in the overall scheme of things the pros of weight loss outweigh a lack of wrinkles or looking younger to me.

gatamadriz

My face tends to even out when I am at a correct BMI and feel good. I also worked intensely with both a personal trainer and nutritionist for 3 years. I was trying to get down to my college weight and they said no. I was 16 pounds heavier due to muscle mass, which I gain very quickly. It all evens out, there are medical procedures if you develop sags on your neck for example, but that is inherent to my family.

lolly5648

Since I lost 20 lbs over the last four months I have developed hollows under my cheekbones and lots of new wrinkles and look haggard. I’ve lost weight on my bum and boobs but still have a fat tummy and waist. A couple of people have asked if I’m ill.
I lost weight because I have a fatty liver but I hate looking at myself in the mirror. I would definitely go for face rather than body.

watts6151

When Deep In to a cut I’ve had customers
Pull me to one side and ask if I’m terminal !!!

Been very lean really doesn’t look great facially on me, I usually grow my facial hair to hide the sunken cheeks, just need to figure out how to hide the hole eyed look

nighthawk584

I prefer to work on my body. Weight loss came off my face first. I'm 54, ain't getting any "prettier" but I can still work towards a great body

Safari_Gal_

Oh @SnifterPug - this is timely for me. I’d chose a more youthful face personally. Not sure how much of that is influenced by the fact that I come from a family of dermatologists though! Lol .

I actually started my health quest primarily as a way to keep my skin more supple and stave off premature aging. Losing weight was a side note for me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

aokoye

cwolfman13 wrote: »

what is diet face

That was my question as well. The pay wall cut off any part of the article that may have explained what it is.

middlehaitch

Ok, the what is diet face.
It’s the gaunt, sunken, wrinkled look you get when you initially lose weight.

Here is an example.
Left is mid 40’s pre weight gain, so same weight as I am now.
Centre was a year or so ago with my mid 60’s face. Nicely settled into its lack of fat and multitude of wrinkles.
Right is my mid 50’s face just after I had lost weight. Gaunt, angular, hollow eyed and wrinkled.




Cheers, h.

(I couldn’t get the whole article either. I did google her and found she is 3years older than me, just to give the aging face as well as weight loss context)

nooshi713

I felt I looked older when I was chubbier tbh. My face has always been round.

If I had to choose, I would choose face over body.

Noreenmarie1234

Body over face for me

Hollis100

Body over face for me. I would rather be alive than have a more attractive face. I have to choose a normal weight and avoid high blood pressure and high cholesterol and the cardiac problems that go with them.

rainbow198

Just had this conversation with a fitness friend the other day. Body over face for me. No question about it.

For my goals I never wanted to get too thin or lean so I still have a healthy amount of body fat and I haven't had to choose. However, I do have those lines on my cheeks when I smile where you can tell I used to be obese, but it's not a problem at all.

I started this transformation with mostly vanity in mind (better clothes options, wanting to wear a bikini etc.) but for there has been so much more. Being able to hike for 12+ miles and not getting sore or tired, getting glowing reports back from my doctor's, getting great sleep and waking up feeling energized.

Having a good body from my hard work is definitely a plus and I'm very proud, but my health and I how I feel actually surpasses it.

So for me it goes health/wellness - body - face.

cbstewart88

The petulant child in me wants both....

SnifterPug

Interesting. When I was younger and had no need to worry about it I would definitely have chosen face over body. Now it's the other way round.

That said, I have no desire to get to a very low body fat level, and my interest in my body is functionality and fitness rather than looks. So I am unlikely to get the very gaunt look. I think what surprised me about Jenni Murray's view was that she is happy to be overweight in order to be happy with her face. Up to her, obviously, but having gone to the trouble of having bariatric surgery it seems to me a tad perverse not to get to a healthy weight. After all, as someone else has pointed out on this thread, there are any number of facial procedures available to improve a gaunt face, and they don't all cost a bomb.

Joanna2012B

cwolfman13 wrote: »

what is diet face

Hahaha....my question exactly!!

seltzermint555

middlehaitch wrote: »

Ok, the what is diet face.
It’s the gaunt, sunken, wrinkled look you get when you initially lose weight.

Here is an example.
Left is mid 40’s pre weight gain, so same weight as I am now.
Centre was a year or so ago with my mid 60’s face. Nicely settled into its lack of fat and multitude of wrinkles.
Right is my mid 50’s face just after I had lost weight. Gaunt, angular, hollow eyed and wrinkled.




Cheers, h.

(I couldn’t get the whole article either. I did google her and found she is 3years older than me, just to give the aging face as well as weight loss context)

Wow, that is a truly great example! Thank you for sharing.

I'm up about 11 lb from my lowest weight in 2014, which is great with me as I'm pleased with my maintenance level...but I do think at that point I had a worse "diet face" with my eyes looking more hollow and teeth seemed crazily prominent. Apparently my face has settled a little bit, looking much more normal, fuller, and after seeing this example I think maybe it's time that has helped & not just from the extra 11 lb.

Mouse_Potato

I did not know this was a thing. I prefer my "diet face" to my "pre-diet face." Yes, I can see a few more wrinkles, but I couldn't stand the way I looked when I was overweight. Then again, I find angular faces more attractive than round ones. Personal preference, I guess.

@middlehaitch I think you look beautiful in all three pictures!

Chef_Barbell

Mouse_Potato wrote: »

I did not know this was a thing. I prefer my "diet face" to my "pre-diet face." Yes, I can see a few more wrinkles, but I couldn't stand the way I looked when I was overweight. Then again, I find angular faces more attractive than round ones. Personal preference, I guess.

@middlehaitch I think you look beautiful in all three pictures!

Me neither... learn something new and silly on this site every day :laugh:

youngmomtaz

I have a tiny head. So weird but true. I have to buy glasses in the children’s section, hats in the children’s section, my headset for the plane is pink because it was the best quality we could find that fit me; children’s sizes. At a lower weight this is more pronounced by my cheekbones sticking out and my chin looking more pointy. At a higher weight(just 10-20lbs above healthy bmi) I don’t really have a defined chin, just a neck transition to head. It is weird. Anyway, I am of the mindset that living long and being strong is my preference. So I lift heavy things, get some heart pumping workouts every week and roll with it all. Once again losing slowly, and I can deal with my “looks” changing, so long as my body is healthy.

ythannah

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Mouse_Potato wrote: »

I did not know this was a thing. I prefer my "diet face" to my "pre-diet face." Yes, I can see a few more wrinkles, but I couldn't stand the way I looked when I was overweight. Then again, I find angular faces more attractive than round ones. Personal preference, I guess.

@middlehaitch I think you look beautiful in all three pictures!

Me neither... learn something new and silly on this site every day :laugh:

Definitely. I've never dieted in my life and apparently I have diet face. In my case, it's a familial tendency to facial thinning with age. My grandmother had it and my dad had it. Although I've gained about 15 pounds since my early 20s, my face is considerably thinner.

AnnPT77

cbstewart88 wrote: »

The petulant child in me wants both....

(This is not a criticism of the post I'm quoting, just to be clear.)

For my own self, I'm kind of on the opposite end of the scale. I'm not very appearance-motivated at all at this point. I care about being healthy and strong, but not much about the appearance side of face or body. Function matters. That probably leads me to prefer a relatively lower healthy weight than some might choose, in a similar body. (It's a range, after all.) I'd admit I like looking kinda strong, but I think that's mainly because I like being kinda strong.

I'm more side-jowl-y now that I'm not obese; but I think I might have been so at this point (age 63) even if I'd never been overweight, based on how my parents/grandparents looked. OTOH, I have more of a sensible chin and neck than when I was fat.

Like @middlehaitch, I did feel like my face looked better a few months or so after hitting goal weight - even at the same weight - less haggard, less loose skin. I don't have photo evidence, though.

I'm assuming skin shrinkage and glycogen replenishment have something to do with the post-goal improvements, but there's also the more difficult to pin down "lengthy weight loss is stressful" factor.

Ninkasi

I still have a fat face anyway after losing 50 pounds so it hasn't been an issue. My face is less fat, but still fat. Just in case, though, I've been microneedling in case things start sagging.