How Long Does it Take to Notice Weight Loss in the Face?

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Written by Megan Ayala. Last Updated: May 16, 2022

Nowadays, almost every person is trying to lose excess weight and keep fit.

It certainly feels good when people notice that you’ve lost a few pounds. That will probably make your day or week. You must already know that it takes blood, sweat, and tears to lose weight successfully.

Regardless of how much weight you lose, even when you cut down only a few pounds, folks still notice it. That encourages you to lose more weight. So, how much weight do you need to lose to experience this feeling? And how long does it take to notice weight loss in the face?

Fortunately, this article will cover everything you need to know about weight loss. Ways to notice weight loss. How it appears on your face. How does it affect your face?

Let’s dive in.

How Much Weight Do You Have to Lose to Notice Weight Loss?

Table of Contents

a man in a blue sweatshirt and grey shorts stretches prior to working out

You’ll first notice the difference in initial weight loss through your face. Based on a study conducted by the University of Toronto, men and women with average height will need to lose or gain around 8-9 pounds for anyone to see the difference in the face.

What’s more, Canadian researchers discovered that women need to lose slightly more pounds than men to look more appealing to people. When it comes to the average amount of weight you need to shed to make your face more attractive in photos, it is 14 pounds for an average woman of average height, and 18 pounds for a man of typical height.

The University of Toronto also cited that a person’s face is a strong indicator of their health. And increased facial adiposity is associated with stress levels, compromised cardiovascular function and immune system, more prone to blood pressure, frequent respiratory infections, and mortality.

Therefore, a few dropped pounds from your face can help improve your health.

How Does Weight Loss Affect Your Face?

Once you start losing weight, you inevitably shed off some fat. This includes that which is naturally found in your face and neck. Experts claim that when this occurs, volume in your neck and face reduces.

As a result, this creates skin laxity and folds.

When you lose fat, you also lose collagen, which is the scaffolding within the skin that helps it stay plump and firm. Your skin naturally loses collagen because of age. That means when you combine this with losing weight, you shouldn’t be surprised to notice droopier, wrinkled skin.

The surprising thing is that it doesn’t take a significant weight loss of 100 pounds to have loose skin after losing weight. According to health experts, skin laxity may change after losing around 30 pounds.

So if you notice changes in bigger areas of your body, such as arms, thighs, abdomens, and buttocks, you might also get that change in the face.

How Can You Tell Whether You’ve Reached a Healthy Weight?

To determine the amount of body fat you need to lose, you first need to understand what body mass index is and its importance. Body mass index is typically measured as a person’s body weight in kilograms (kgs.) divided by the square of their height in meters.

You can also calculate it via a BMI index chart and set your weight loss goals.

Usually, a healthy BMI ranges between 18.5 and 24.9. Now, you can use this to find out how much weight you got to lose. It would be best to stick to a safe and efficient weight loss strategy because it will improve your health. Most doctors and scientists agree with the fact that shedding 1 to 2 pounds per week is excellent for sustainable weight loss.

Now, let’s get back to noticing weight loss…

Which Part Of Your Body Fat Will You Lose First?

When it comes to body-targeted weight loss, every person who is trying to lose weight wants to know this. Simply put, where you’ll lose weight first predominantly relies on several genetic factors. It’s almost like your body is programmed to shed fat from specific body parts. Your diet, exercise regime, hormones, age, and sexual life play a significant role in how quickly you can drop a few pounds.

Have you ever undergone a weight loss journey?

Then you might be aware of which part of your body might be shedding fat. Some people might see their first weight changes in their waistline. But for others, it could be the breasts or face. A study published recently discovered that women tend to shed off more weight from their hips, while men often lose fat from their trunk area.

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Gaining and losing fat at specific body parts also seem to change as you age. Middle-aged men and postmenopausal women tend to store excess fat around the midsections.

There was a study conducted on female soldiers who had undertaken an intense training program for 12 weeks. It found out that they lost much of the fat from their trunks, and arms, whereas the fat mass in their legs was still unchanged.

So, what factors influence when you see weight loss?

How To Notice Weight Loss

a couple working out together

In general, there is a wide range of factors that influence our weight loss such as diet and exercise. There are no evident answers when it comes to the rate of losing weight, but below are a few reasons and tips that you need to consider to notice your lost weight.

Keep reading.

Starting Size

Generally, starting size can affect how quickly your results will be noticeable. In case you have a relatively higher BMI to start with, then weight fluctuation might not be noticeable on a large frame.

A larger body is also more likely to lose weight faster.

During the early days of your weight loss journey, if you have a small frame with a relatively lower BMI, then weight might come down gradually, but it will be evident much sooner. Folks with low BMI will generally have less weight to shed and it will come down at a much slower rate at 1-2 pounds weekly.

Diet Type

Generally speaking, few popular diets are specifically designed so that the user will experience accelerated weight change during the initial phase. Most diets also incorporate intense food restrictions for their first and second week to lose some excess weight in a short period.

You can lose five pounds (or more) during this period.

It assists you to notice losing weight sooner. However, you lose water weight here, because of restriction of carbs, and not fat loss.

Carbs Intake

As previously stated, carbohydrate restriction may make you lose water weight too quickly. Your body requires water to store carbohydrates. So once you restrict carbohydrates, then you lose water which is required to store it.

And although losing water weight may make you look thinner, fat loss doesn’t happen yet.

Reducing your carbohydrate consumption can help you cut down weight but combining this with a healthy diet may make a world of difference. It will land you a healthy BMI much sooner.

Measurement Method

When most of us get started with a particular weight loss program, we desire to fit into our favorite attire/ clothes that don’t fit us anymore. Or perhaps, many people want to get killer abs and thinner thighs. For some, they keep tracking the numbers on their weighing machine.

After all, we would all wish to be comfortable in our skin.

Did you know that how you measure progress can have a huge impact on your results?

At first, you will most probably notice changes on your scale. Then, on tight-fitting clothing. Some may see changes in their face, thighs, and belly immediately. This could be genetic. However, if you’d like to see changes in specific parts of your body, regular exercise is your ally. Following a regular workout regime can change your frame.

But don’t forget that increased muscle mass may increase your weight even if you’re shedding off fat. So, instead, focus on fat loss.

Size Changes in Clothing

Are you looking forward to fitting into your small size clothes? Well, this is to brief you about the amount of weight you need to cut. Did you know that your current height plays a fundamental role?

Let’s assume, that if you’re an average woman who’s around 5 feet tall, then a 10-pound weight loss could be equal to shedding 10% of body weight. It is also worth mentioning that people recognize even a small decrease.

But for women who are tall and athletic, a drop of 10 pounds might go unnoticed, and might not see a change in their clothing size at all.

Most specialists claim that you could expect a change in clothing size or your clothes to fit differently with every 10-12 pounds of lost weight. Weight changes also don’t occur evenly across the body. For instance, your bra size might come down quicker than your pant size.

Below Are a Few Measures You Can Take To Notice Weight Change Soon

Eat a high protein breakfast
Cut on salty and sugars foods entirely
Drink water before meals
Practice mindful eating
Exercise along with diet
Eat lots of soluble fiber
Natural weight loss supplements for your weight loss
Drink unsweetened black coffee and green tea
Good amount of probiotics
Intermittent fasting
Consume healthy fats
Diet with whole foods

So How Much Weight Will You Have to Lose to See a Difference?

Quite frankly, it entirely depends on your body type and BMI. Your weight and height have a significant purpose here. But, on average, you’d need to shed off around 14-19 pounds to see change in your weight.

It would be best to think about this in percentages.

You’ll start seeing the difference when you lose at least 2%-5% of your body weight. Go for a weight loss plan that works slowly but surely, instead of choosing the flashier ones which are often not sustainable in the long term.

Summary

Most diet programs work based on allowing very fewer calories, but they’re not sustainable in the long term. And the saddening part is that you might slowly gain weight even twice as much as you’ve lost.

Faster weight loss is unlikely to last as it is difficult to maintain. Ensure that you consume a healthy diet that comprises proteins, whole foods, and healthy fat content.

With the help of a personal trainer/ assigned coach, you’ll see weight change on your face soon!

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