I had surgery May 2009 and I've gone from 250 lbs to 157 lbs. My goal is 150 lbs but I feel like I don't like my face anymore. Still have some fat around the mid section I'm working on but my face is making it hard for me to keep losing weight. Everyone says I look sick and I can see it from my recent pics. any suggestions ?

If only it were that easy; at least it's not for me. Seems the last place you put fat on is the first place to thin down and vice versa. I wish I could focus the majority of weight loss on one particular area but unfortunately it never works that way.

I can do all the sit ups and crunches I want but that's not the area that will be trim the soonest. I'm only strengthening those muscles. Weight (fat) loss isn't strategic so hang in there and excellent job so far!

I've noticed in my friends who've lost a lot that the facial gauntness tends to soften after a period of time on maintenance.

The face does seem to lose too much, too fast---but with time and patience, things do redistribute some.

(I have plenty of face left, but can see how this might be an issue down the road---and darn it, the fat does plump out the wrinkles! Juvederm, here I come!)

The face is always the toughest part....it's what people see the most, and it's what YOU see when you look in the mirror.

The impact on the face varies a great deal amongst people who have had WLS. I have seen people who have lost hundreds of pounds (literally) and they ended up looking terrific with no Plastic Surgery...I have also seen people who have lost 25 pounds and have ended up looking gaunt, very drawn, and much older.

It depends on a lot of things, including your age, the amount of time you have spent in the sun throughout your life, genetics plays a role....lots of things. One important thing is to make sure you drink a LOT of Water during your weight loss....being properly hydrated is SO important to many parts of this process, INCLUDING the way your skin will turn out. Vitamin supplementation is also very important, as is Protein consumption.

In my own case, I have lost nearly 200 pounds. People told me that I did look a bit gaunt initially, but that changed a bit.....I have remained at the same weight, but people tell me I look much better than I did in the months right after I finished losing the weight. So, I think that there is, in fact, an adjustment of sorts that the body goes through and it is reflected in your face over time.

S.

Wow-- congratulations on the fantastic weight loss!

Are you getting in all your vits and minerals? I think that might make a big difference in how your face looks-- a thin face with a rosy, healthy glow is different from gaunt/hollow with circles under the eyes.... kwim? And I agree- Water, water, water!

Edited May 14, 201016 yr by jensmallwood
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I had surgery May 2009 and I've gone from 250 lbs to 157 lbs. My goal is 150 lbs but I feel like I don't like my face anymore. Still have some fat around the mid section I'm working on but my face is making it hard for me to keep losing weight. Everyone says I look sick and I can see it from my recent pics. any suggestions ?

I feel that I look sick also. My surgery was 10 months ago, and I've lost 100 pounds. In the beginning, the change came quickly, probably after only 30 pounds. It was shocking to see myself with a drawn face. I'm 55 and 100 pounds less, so the skin on my entire body is wrinkly and sagging. Before the surgery I was one of those who people would tell, you have such a pretty face... Now, I look old and sick. I've always had a weird crooked nose, and it now looks really weird and crooked. I suppose the nose thing is the biggest surprise, I knew people who'd had the surgery and was expecting the sagging skin.

I don't like my face now either, and thqat surprises me since I thought that movie stars who are skinny looked so beautiful. Why are their faces not guant? I guess it was a trade off.

I'm hearing the advice of water, and that's probably the best thing I can do, I don't stay as hydrated as I should.

Hope your face (and not the rest) plumps up soon! :w00t:

My face has softened a little with maintenance, I'm not gaunt, but I think I'd look softer and a bit younger with more fat on my face. Unfortunately, I cant choose.

Courtney Cox once said as you get older you have to choose between your face and your ass, and that's VERY true. I look at my ass and think 15lb more would do me the world of good, but I look at my face and I'm definitely bordering on too thin - my shoulders are very bony, my neck very thin (I can gross my kids out by clenching my jaw and making all the cords stick out). I mean, I cant even get a spray tan even because it pools in the deep hollows of my collar bones! My face does not need to be one single bit thinner.

I think I've officially reached the point where to shrink my lower regions, I really would have to consider lipo or more major cosmetic surgery. I just dont have more weight to lose up top and up top is exactly where it would come from. My boobs have even shrunk so much they no longer sag and for someone that's had saggy boobs since puberty, that's miraculous.

Hi:

Oh, I wish it was true that you could keep losing everywhere else without making your face hollow and gaunt. Not so.

I still have alot of excess weight in my legs (tree trunks!), however at my lowest a few people asked me if I'd been ill because my face was so gaunt. Not liking how the wrinkles came once the fat was gone. Oh well.

I decided that I didn't want to get down to healthy bmi weight because my face looked like crap as I got lower. Happy about 20 pounds higher than healthy bmi. Remember, my excess weight is mostly in my legs. I keep them covered!

Best wishes to you.

Sue

My face will always be chubby. It was that way in high school when I was somewhat skinny. I have puffy cheeks and a round face. I don't think mine is going anywhere, but we shall see. It will get smaller, but I don't think I'll ever look gaunt in the face.

For me it kinda of even out. After the first 20 to 25 pounds my sister kept commenting about my ever shrinking face. Also it can be an adjustment for you and others to get used to your smaller features. I'm having problems buying clothes--I'm always buying them too big.