Your face is the often the first thing others notice about you. Well-defined cheekbones, a firm chin and a slender neck tells old high school classmates and prospective romantic interests that you care about your body and health. According to renowned personal trainer and best-selling author Jim Karas, exercise and a healthy diet can redefine your face. Moreover, your face is often the first place you notice weight loss.
Chubby Cheeks?
Even if you only lose a few pounds, this can dramatically affect your cheeks, Karas told "Good Housekeeping" -- even before you see weight loss in other parts of the body, such as your waist and abdomen. He indicates that there's no way to spot-target any part of the body, even if you do diet and exercise. However, most of the clients with whom Karas works start to notice weight loss in their face first. "It stands to reason that if your face and neck look slimmer, people will instantly register the change, even if you still have lots more dieting to do," he says.
Weight Loss
Fad diets, herbal supplements and diet patches may claim to give you fast, easy results -- up to a pound of weight loss a day -- without exercise or dieting. Although these choices can be tempting, exercise patience and restraint, because most of them don't work, cautions the Federal Trade Commission. The best way to lose weight safely and permanently is to lose it slowly and steadily. According to Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist Dr. Donald Hensrud, most medical experts recommend that you lose no more than 1 to 2 lbs. each week. If you take shortcuts and shed a lot of weight rapidly, you might not be burning off fat, Hensrud says -- you may be losing water weight or even muscle tissue.
Healthy Dieting
Each pound of fat has 3,500 calories. You can lose a pound a week if you simply cut 500 calories from your diet each day. There's no shortage of trendy new diets that guarantee better results than last year's models. When you assess any diet, MayoClinic.com recommends making sure that it includes a full range of food types, especially fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy foods, lean proteins, nuts and seeds. Make sure the foods in your diet can be purchased from your neighborhood market, and that they're comfortably within your budget. Your diet should include foods that you'll enjoy eating for a lifetime -- not for a few weeks or months.
Exercise Goals
When it comes to weight loss, exercise gives you the edge. Cut down on calories and add regular physical activity to your day, and you can obtain your goals of a pudge-free face -- and a slimmer, healthier body, too. MayoClinic.com cites U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' exercise recommendations for healthy adults: at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of intense aerobic activity spread out during the course of a week. Couple fat-burning aerobic activity with twice-weekly strength training, which increases lean muscle. If you haven't exercised in a long time or have health complications such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure, MayoClinic.com recommends getting your doctor's OK before you start a new exercise plan.
Other Tips
Karas offers other face-saving tips to "Good Housekeeping" readers. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and go easy on the salt -- alcohol and sodium can increase your chances of facial bloating. Drink a minimum of nine 8-oz. glasses of water each day. Karas explains that whenever your body senses a limited water supply, it retains what's left in your body. "You can see the puff in your face and feel it in your hands and feet," he says.
Member Comments