Want to Lose Facial Fat? Here's How
How often do you think about having a skinnier face? Does it sometimes feel like you never really left your childhood days in terms of those chubby cheeks and facial fat? Perhaps you’re on a slow and steady weight loss journey to health, and the extra pounds around your face are slowly melting away, but fast enough! If this sounds like you, you’re certainly not alone. Many of us have chubbier faces than we’d care to have. And many of us want to lose excess fat all over our body, including in our face.
In this article we’re going to explore some effective exercises for getting rid of excess facial fat. We’re also going to look at some of the not-so-healthy habits that may be preventing you from getting the slim visage you’d like. And, as always, we’ll take a look at the healthy habits you should be continuing to integrate into your daily life—the tried and true ones we often discuss on this site.
So, let’s take a look at how you can chisel that jawline and lose the facial fat for good!
Drink plenty of water throughout the day
We can never underestimate the benefits of drinking plenty of water every day. Staying well hydrated is necessary for all aspects of health, including weight loss, all over your body. Many studies prove just how drinking plenty of water each day is a necessary part of sustainable weight loss. A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology shows how drinking plenty of water helps us decrease the amount of fluids we retain. Fluid retention makes us look puffier in all areas of the body, including our face. If you need to get rid of excess facial fat, drinking plenty of clean water is key.
Do the smiling exercise
One way to effectively tighten those facial muscles and make them more supple is to simply exaggerate a smile, hold that exaggerated smile for a few moments, and then relax the face. You then repeat the exaggerated smile, hold for a few moments, and again, relax the face. I like to do 10 exaggerated smiles, two to three times per day. You can do this facial exercise while taking a nice, long bicycle ride, or a solitary stroll on a nature trail. Or just practice in the quiet comfort of your bedroom—whatever works.
Practice strengthening facial muscles by reciting the vowels—A, E, I, O, U
This is a lighthearted facial exercise that might make you laugh at yourself. And it should. A Lot like the smiling exercise above, the “A, E, I, O, U” exercise is done in the same exaggerated way. Just form your mouth (in an exaggerated fashion) to form each vowel. Move slowly through each letter and really work the facial muscles as you do it. Repeat each A E I O U ten times. Then, do it again sometime later in the day. Three sets of ten is a good goal to have. Do it while walking, biking, washing the dishes, listening to music, or watching TV. This is an effective way to lose facial fat and increase facial tone.
Even studies like this one suggest that doing exercises such as the smiling exercise and the A E I O U exercise, can make you look younger, and perhaps even gradually slow down the process of aging. How’s that for a motivating force? Anti-aging by simply doing some funny facial exercise each day? Sign me up!
Watch how much you drink
The negative impact of consuming too much alcohol goes without saying. But, did you know that drinking too much can sabotage your efforts to get a skinnier face? When we drink to excess, we typically retain fluids. This makes us look puffy and bloated. It’s one reason we look like you know what after a wild night out on the town. And of course, our sleep is affected— and not for the better. We all look pretty rough when we’ve missed a decent night of zzz’s. Combine dehydration, fluid retention, and lack of sleep, and you’ve got a pretty darn good recipe for a puffy, tired face.
When it comes to imbibing and losing facial fat, one word comes to mind. Moderation. That generally means enjoying just a drink or two each day. And if you’re going to drink more than that, you need to drink even more water than you normally would. If you don’t, all those facial exercises you’re doing could go to waste. So, just watch how much you drink, and try not to overindulge too much.
Exercise your heart out
When I say this, I’m referring to cardiovascular exercise. Doing regular cardiovascular exercise increases your ability to lose facial fat in a major way. When it comes down to it, if we’re going to lose excess facial fat, we’re going to have to lose excess fat all over our body. This is where regular cardio workouts come into play. If having a thinner face is a true goal for you, adding more cardio to your weekly workout routine is essential.
If you’re thinking, well, heck. I do enough cardio as it is! You should just consider adding a tad bit more. Let’s say you go on a thirty minute bike ride each day when the weather permits. Why not up that bike ride to 45 minutes? The extra 15 minutes is no biggy, especially when it comes to enjoyable workouts like biking outdoors. The same could go for dancing or swimming, or walking. By adding on just a bit more time to your normal routine, you’re going to feel that much better and lose that much more weight—all around. And if you’re looking for scientific evidence to further motivate you, check out a study published in the International Journal of Obesity. It will no doubt help stoke the internal fires of cardio motivation.
Watch what you eat
While this goes without saying, it can’t be reiterated enough. I need constant reminders that sugary foods really aren’t worth eating. So many foods that sabotage our health line the shelves of our grocery stores. And none of us are immune to buying them. Even so-called health foods aren’t really all that healthy and can really get in the way of our concerted efforts to tone our facial muscles and trim fat.
Wondering what the culprits are? If you’ve been reading our blogs, you probably know by now. And, I don’t mean to sound redundant. However, it’s always a good idea to be constantly reminded of what you need to know. Repetition, after all, is how we learn. That being said, if you want to lose weight all over your body, including in your face, you need to eat whole foods. Anything that’s refined or processed needs to go. Anything loaded with sugar needs to go. And for goodness sake, stop drinking sugar.
Stop drinking Gatorade and other so-called healthy drinks for athletes. There are healthier alternatives to replenish your electrolytes. Stop drinking fruit juice. Just because the label has the word fruit in it doesn’t mean it’s not loaded with sugar that makes you fat. You may want to go on a gluten fast, and stop eating simple carbs. If you’re going to eat simple carbs, make sure you’re not eating the pre-packaged breads, cakes, cookies, and crackers. Throw all of those items out of your pantry if they’re indeed there.
Love bread? Make it yourself. Get a sourdough starter and hone your bread making skills. There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh baked bread wafting throughout your kitchen. Baking bread is a great winter hobby to boot.
Eat the right foods to lose facial fat
There’s a community garden in my neighborhood where I’ve been foraging for greens all season. I can’t get enough of them. And I can just feel how good these bitters are for me. Last night I sauteed several handfuls of fresh kale in olive oil and ate it all. This morning, I flushed out my system and felt great. Eating loads of greens, straight from the earth, is one of the best things you can do for your digestion and elimination, and one of the best things you can do to slowly and steadily lose weight, or maintain the ideal weight you have.
Get enough rest
Are you overtired, stressed out, and/or overworked? If so, your weight loss efforts are probably compromised. To lose weight and get a skinnier face, you need to get good sleep. Your system needs proper rest in order to function the way it’s meant to function. When you’re sleeping deeply, your body goes through the many hormonal processes necessary to prevent weight gain.
When you’re stressed out and overtired, the stress hormone known as cortisol rises. And as this study shows, high levels of cortisol make it difficult to sustain weight loss. Elevated cortisol levels slows your metabolism. And as you well know, a healthy metabolism is essential to maintain healthy weight loss. Sleep is so important, and I cannot reiterate just how important it is for your overall health.
If you’ve been having sleep issues lately, check out some of our tips for better sleep. Some of the simplest ones simply include getting on a set sleep routine so that your body naturally knows when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to rise (without an alarm clock). Then, there are certain foods to eat that help you sleep, and certain foods and drinks to avoid. For example, alcohol right before bedtime may help you fall asleep but it’s a sleep disruptor when it really comes down to it.
Make your bedroom a true sleep sanctuary, which means keeping it cool and dark, or making the necessary modifications as needed. Treat yourself to a good bed and good bedding if you can afford it, and close your devices an hour before bedtime to simply read a book or light a candle and do some pre-bedtime yoga. Indulge in good sleep. Treat it like a luxury.
Moderate salt intake
Do you love salt as much as I do? I add salt and pepper to nearly everything. But, it’s a good sea salt that I use. However, when it comes to keeping your face looking thin, moderating your salt intake is a good idea. Why? Because too much salt leads to water retention and bloating. Now, we’re all different, and what causes some of us to retain water is different for others. However, the general rule is true. Eating too much salt can make your face appear puffier than when you moderate your salt intake.
Overall weight loss leads to a skinnier face
This is common sense, of course. But, it’s always nice to be reminded of certain things. Losing fat all over your body is going to mean losing fat in your face. If you’re on a weight loss mission, you’ll want to read some of our previous articles about the best ways to maintain sustainable weight loss. It’s not about losing weight fast. It’s about losing weight gradually, over a long period of time. This is what works in the long run. And if you want a skinnier face, it works for that, too!