Possible to get sixpack without face looking too thin/sick?
hamlet1222
Posts: 459 Member
Title says it all. I saw a photo of that actor from Downton Abbey who went to hollywood and lost weight, and he might have great abs now, but his face - he looks ill. I know it's not possible to spot-reduce fat (short of lipo). Just wondered other peoples thoughts on this.
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I can kind of relate to this..
I'm around 8 lbs from my goal weight yet many people advised me to 'stop' a few pounds ago simply because my collar bone is protruding substantially and my rib bones are more visible these days. Having said that, I am still at the higher end of the BMI scale and I also still have quite a fair amount of fat left on my stomach and arms and back. I can't spot reduce, but I feel dropping my weight ever so slightly more will help tackle some of the excess on said areas. After 8lbs, I'll just embrace what I have and start a recomp type of plan.
Unfortunately, our bodies just lose as and where it decides!
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People say you need to be 10 percent bodyfat to see abs. If you are 10 percent your face should be thin and chiseled. Are there exceptions? Of course, but they are not the majority.0
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That is a very individual thing and depends on your genetics. If you have never been lean enough to see abs you won't know until you get there how your body and face looks overall. Some people can see abs at 10% BF some have to get down even lower. Myself, I have to get down pretty lean, around 7 or 8% to really have a true six pack but at that point my face is gaunt looking and I look a little sick. In my profile picture I am around 10% which is about as low as I like to go.0
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Great question. I haven't found any solution yet either......0
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yeah, what's the point of looking good without clothes, if you look ill with them.0
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Dan Stevens goes up and down in weight deepening on his role.0
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He does not look sick
When someone loses weight, they might look different to you and it can be shocking. But if someone didn't know them before and just sees the "after", they usually look great.0 -
Just get the abs, and then stuff your cheeks with seeds like a hamster or chipmunk. There, problem solved.0
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I think that a lot of people do look older with a thinner face as you can see more wrinkles. Not answering your question one bit but stating my opinion (fact)0
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SingRunTing wrote: »He does not look sick
When someone loses weight, they might look different to you and it can be shocking. But if someone didn't know them before and just sees the "after", they usually look great.
I don't think he looks ill but I will say that I wouldn't have known that was the same person. I think it's more because he has a different hair color and style now.0 -
In addition to what the others have said above, a lot also depends on your underlying musculature.
One could theoretically 'starve' him/herself down so thin that abs show, but with the side effect of losing (or - never having) substantial muscle mass underneath. That could be the effect you're describing.0 -
I can say, in my case, NO.
Here's a progression of my face as i've lost weight.
I didn't realize it was even that noticeable until looking at these pictures. I was low 20's body fat in the first two. I was 18% in the third. And i measured in at 16% on the last.
I was just starting to get fully visible abs on the last photo. I have since gained some body fat as it's not worth it to me.
My face especially around my mouth/cheeks/laugh lines started to get really gaunt looking.
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I know it's not possible for me, but I don't care. My face doesn't burn more calories in a rested state (ab muscles or any muscles will). My face doesn't keep my core steady and safe when I run (soon!), walk, and bicycle. To hell with my face, it wasn't all that cute to begin with. I'll deal. And yes, the muscles can still be there under layers of fat that will plump out my face, but that fat is useless deadweight that messes with my movement, core stability, and okay fine, annoys the crap out of me in clothes.0
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I know it's not possible for me, but I don't care. My face doesn't burn more calories in a rested state (ab muscles or any muscles will). My face doesn't keep my core steady and safe when I run (soon!), walk, and bicycle. To hell with my face, it wasn't all that cute to begin with. I'll deal.
You don't have to have visible abs to have strong abs.
O_o0 -
rainbowbow wrote: »I know it's not possible for me, but I don't care. My face doesn't burn more calories in a rested state (ab muscles or any muscles will). My face doesn't keep my core steady and safe when I run (soon!), walk, and bicycle. To hell with my face, it wasn't all that cute to begin with. I'll deal.
You don't have to have visible abs to have strong abs.
O_o
Crap, edited too slow! You're right. But fat is useless dead weight that hangs around (except the amount we need for insulation, blah blah science.)0 -
rainbowbow wrote: »I know it's not possible for me, but I don't care. My face doesn't burn more calories in a rested state (ab muscles or any muscles will). My face doesn't keep my core steady and safe when I run (soon!), walk, and bicycle. To hell with my face, it wasn't all that cute to begin with. I'll deal.
You don't have to have visible abs to have strong abs.
O_o
Crap, edited too slow! You're right. But fat is useless dead weight that hangs around (except the amount we need for insulation, blah blah science.)
Ah, true. I know for women especially the body fat percentage we need to function normally and without disrupting hormone levels usually doesn't allow us to get low enough to have visible abs all the time year round. Most women start losing their period around 16% body fat and depending on muscle mass, they may not show it until around there or even lower.0 -
Genetics is really going to determine most of this. I've seen people with thin faces and no 6 pack, and for them to get may mean an even more gaunt look. I've also seen people with 6 packs and no substantial fat loss from their faces. Only by doing it can an individual know.
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rainbowbow wrote: »rainbowbow wrote: »I know it's not possible for me, but I don't care. My face doesn't burn more calories in a rested state (ab muscles or any muscles will). My face doesn't keep my core steady and safe when I run (soon!), walk, and bicycle. To hell with my face, it wasn't all that cute to begin with. I'll deal.
You don't have to have visible abs to have strong abs.
O_o
Crap, edited too slow! You're right. But fat is useless dead weight that hangs around (except the amount we need for insulation, blah blah science.)
Ah, true. I know for women especially the body fat percentage we need to function normally and without disrupting hormone levels usually doesn't allow us to get low enough to have visible abs all the time year round. Most women start losing their period around 16% body fat and depending on muscle mass, they may not show it until around there or even lower.
I have never lost my period from weight loss (did from severe stress one summer when I was a teenager). Even when I was in my late teens and twenties and dieting stupid, I never lost it. If I ever do, it will be a huge warning signal to make fast changes. Unless of course I'm a few years older and its menonpause time.
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I think age, as well as body shape, is also a factor.
I have no idea what my BF% is, but I am nearly 51 yrs old (female). I have always had a very narrow trunk/waist/ribs and after 30 lbs lost, my BMI has shifted from from overweight to the middle of the normal range, so I am definitely not thin. I am quite muscular, given my age, and my abs are now quite visible, even though I still have fat along my inner thighs, butt and top of my hip region. After the weight loss, I can clearly see that my face has more deeper wrinkles/crevices. I suspect that this would not have been an issue if I were 20-30 yrs younger. I always was lucky to look far younger than my age, and part of that was one of the very rare bonuses of being a bit too fat.0 -
hamlet1222 wrote: »Title says it all. I saw a photo of that actor from Downton Abbey who went to hollywood and lost weight, and he might have great abs now, but his face - he looks ill. I know it's not possible to spot-reduce fat (short of lipo). Just wondered other peoples thoughts on this.
Totally relate to what you're saying. I'm 54, female, 5' 9". When I was 19ish I weighed 119 lbs. Naturally, not because I tried to be that weight. Was I thin looking? Yes. But I still had a young face with all the right amount of fat and cheeks. By 40 years old, I saw that if I weighed less than 135 lbs, people reacted badly and told me I was too thin. 140 lbs seemed to be the weight that I could be be happy with my thighs AND my face. Now at 54, I'm trying to work my way down to 140 again (currently 147) but I won't know till I get there if it's going to look good.
A gaunt face ages a person, not to mention you can end up looking like a lollipop head.0 -
rainbowbow wrote: »I can say, in my case, NO.
Here's a progression of my face as i've lost weight.
I didn't realize it was even that noticeable until looking at these pictures. I was low 20's body fat in the first two. I was 18% in the third. And i measured in at 16% on the last.
I was just starting to get fully visible abs on the last photo. I have since gained some body fat as it's not worth it to me.
My face especially around my mouth/cheeks/laugh lines started to get really gaunt looking.
You know your face better than anyone, but sorry, I don't see it. Your face is cute in every photo, but looks more defined in last 2 photos.
Pretty girl.0 -
rainbowbow, nothing wrong with your face in any of the photos, but I think number 2 is the best - stick with that and forget the abs. You don't want to end up like Cheryl Cole (I saw her on x-factor recently, she might have great abs, but face looks like she's starving.0
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basscadet808 wrote: »I think that a lot of people do look older with a thinner face as you can see more wrinkles. Not answering your question one bit but stating my opinion (fact)
This^
I think the natural shape of one's face can make this better or worse too. Some ultra skinny actresses look fine in the face, and other ultra skinny actresses look like crap.
I have a long face - my face looks gaunt long before I would have thin legs (I'm a pear).
Maybe a heart shape or round face can pull this off better......0 -
I've always shown weight loss in my face early, and when I was younger, it used to please me because I could see the changes every morning when I brushed my teeth.
Now that I'm in my 50s, the same thing happens, but now It kind of makes my face look craggy and. . .well. . . OLD. But it's not worth the burder of carrying around an extra 40 lbs just to have a fuller face. So I'm trying to just love the body--and face-- that I have.0 -
Your face will go down to its natural bone structure. If you naturally have more of a square face/jaw, you won't have as dramatic as a look as that actor does. He has a very narrow face by nature, the excess fat just covered it up.
In example, my sister and I have opposite face shapes. She has a very round face and I have a narrow, oval face. She has abs but you never know if you just saw her face and not her body. On the flip side, I'm thin but not near as in shape as she is (she's very athletic), but because my face is so narrow I look like I'm thinner than I am. If you saw our faces only, you'd assume I was the athlete with abs.
So point being... how your face adapts to weight loss is all genetics. You may or may not look like that actor, it's in your bone structure.0 -
It's totally possible to get a sixpack w/o your face looking too thin; I do it whenever I go to the liquor store...
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Redbeard333 wrote: »It's totally possible to get a sixpack w/o your face looking too thin; I do it whenever I go to the liquor store...
Ha, literally LOLd0
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