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"Diet Face" - should we choose face over body or vice versa?
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Hmmm... I went from super skinny to super fluffy to relatively buff. My face went from gaunt (which was the "normal" for me) to puffy and round to thinner but fuller than my skinny face.
I wouldn't call my initial facial appearance "diet face" because it's the facial shape I had most of my life as I was pretty skinny most of my life. Perhaps that "gaunt" look is just something you aren't used to seeing and is normal for a person at a lower body weight/body fat percentage?1 -
My whole life spent overweight, I received many complements about my youthful skin/face (and wasn't that nice of people to find something about my appearance to compliment me on? ) About halfway to goal, I suddenly looked my age. I suspect at goal this would bother me less, but in that in-between stage, I still had a flabby body and I lost my youthful look.
I've run into friends from high school who are slim and fit (always were), and was shocked by how old they looked (my husband has commented on this as well). I am a low-maintenance woman and have never been vain. I will always prioritize health and comfort over looks (when I was a teenager, I came to school in the winter in a heavy storm coat & hat while other girls seemed bent on looking cool and not messing up their hair), but I will admit, it bothers me more than I would like.1 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »So I guess that what I'm embarrassed about most when I gain weight is actually a blessing. If I gain 10 lbs, it all goes to my face first. And I'm not kidding. It's insidious. I don't even need to get on a scale, though I do. My wife is the opposite. She can gain 20 and her face looks the same. No weight gain.
Either the chubby cheeks or no change might be an improvement: At my age, with my face, I get a bit bulldog-jowly for a while after big loss.
Yes, I did comment earlier that my face filled back out, and it did, very materially, and some of the droop improved. Judging from photos of close relatives who were always thin, I look about how I'd expect to look at 64.jseams1234 wrote: »Hmmm... I went from super skinny to super fluffy to relatively buff. My face went from gaunt (which was the "normal" for me) to puffy and round to thinner but fuller than my skinny face.
I wouldn't call my initial facial appearance "diet face" because it's the facial shape I had most of my life as I was pretty skinny most of my life. Perhaps that "gaunt" look is just something you aren't used to seeing and is normal for a person at a lower body weight/body fat percentage?
I think that's part of it, but as others observed (and I believe even offered illustrative photos earlier in the thread), I think for some of us there is some temporary (we hope) post-diet effect when glycogen is still low, skin shrinkage hasn't yet had a chance to catch up with fat loss, and that sort of thing. That, if it happens, can improve.1 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »So I guess that what I'm embarrassed about most when I gain weight is actually a blessing. If I gain 10 lbs, it all goes to my face first. And I'm not kidding. It's insidious. I don't even need to get on a scale, though I do. My wife is the opposite. She can gain 20 and her face looks the same. No weight gain.
Either the chubby cheeks or no change might be an improvement: At my age, with my face, I get a bit bulldog-jowly for a while after big loss.
Yes, I did comment earlier that my face filled back out, and it did, very materially, and some of the droop improved. Judging from photos of close relatives who were always thin, I look about how I'd expect to look at 64.jseams1234 wrote: »Hmmm... I went from super skinny to super fluffy to relatively buff. My face went from gaunt (which was the "normal" for me) to puffy and round to thinner but fuller than my skinny face.
I wouldn't call my initial facial appearance "diet face" because it's the facial shape I had most of my life as I was pretty skinny most of my life. Perhaps that "gaunt" look is just something you aren't used to seeing and is normal for a person at a lower body weight/body fat percentage?
I think that's part of it, but as others observed (and I believe even offered illustrative photos earlier in the thread), I think for some of us there is some temporary (we hope) post-diet effect when glycogen is still low, skin shrinkage hasn't yet had a chance to catch up with fat loss, and that sort of thing. That, if it happens, can improve.0 -
Back in HS when I was in my best shape (I was on the high side of normal weight for my height, but well within the range and a healthy BMI) my face was very long and narrow. I did still think it looked nice, got many compliments too, but I did not feel quite as...feminine, perhaps. A decade out I'm in the overweight BMI range, but I do like the shape of my face better. As I work to get back into shape, if I lose the look of it now, so be it. I'd rather be in shape overall and be less happy with how my face looks.0
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Diet face is better than puffy eyes/hidden cheekbones! (At my heaviest, I always looked like I'd been crying, my eyes were so puffy.) The skin may tighten up a bit over time. If not, I'll go see my daughter's plastics/reconstructive guy. They can do amazing things these days.3
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Hmm I look younger when I lose weight. An extra 20 lbs ages me because it pulls down my face and makes it look droopy.1
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Heart/mind over body/face any day.2
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As someone who’s always been told I have an attractive face, let me tell you it does you no good when you feel like crap about your body.1
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I guess I would choose to have a pretty face and an "okay" body. There were huge changes to my face when I lost weight (see profile pic). At my lowest weight I was happy with my body, but happier with my face. I guess I'll work on them both.0
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@SisterSueGetsFit - although it’s hard to tell due to you having sunglasses on, I think you look gorgeous and younger than the first pic 🤷♀️💕1
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forestfreek wrote: »@SisterSueGetsFit - although it’s hard to tell due to you having sunglasses on, I think you look gorgeous and younger than the first pic 🤷♀️💕
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At this point in my life, I choose face over body.0
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I don’t know about my face or body looking “older, younger, better, worse” or anything like that because it’s all so subjective. I suppose I look older now because I actually am older now I’m just happy to be healthier than I used to be, looks come secondary to health in my book! I am sure of one thing though... since losing 43 lbs I indeed do FEEL about 10 years younger. I remember what it felt like to be completely sedentary and have zero energy/stamina, not to mention the beginnings of some very serious obesity related medical conditions and now that I’ve reversed all that I will do everything I can to never go back to that lifestyle. I’ve found my passion for trail running and it’s really helped me maintain within 5 lbs of my goal weight for the past 6 years. I do find that staying at the higher end of the BMI range for my height feels best for me (around 23.3) because if I go much lower I feel too hungry and struggle with cravings. I’m not “thin” but I feel healthy, strong and fit and I’m very proud of how trail running has shaped my body and shown me all that I’m capable of accomplishing! I say choose health!
Before:
Left body photo 2011, age 37, weight 209 lbs.
Right face photo 2012 (halfway to weight loss goal) age 38, weight 188 lbs.
After:
Both body photos 2019, age 44.5 weight 167 lbs (my height is 5’11”)
Both face photos 2020, age 45, weight 171 lbs (I need to start logging again to lose 4 lbs to get back to my summer weight of 167 lbs but I’m still within my maintenance range)
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