I lost a lot of weight and the difference was noticeable. After a few months, everyone who had seen me earlier commented on the change.
After weight loss, people below the age of 40 look younger. If you are over 40-45 years and have wrinkles then the weight loss will give you a gaunt look (only if you lose a very large amount of weight). However, you can balance it by maintaining the right amount of fat. Weight and fat are different.
In my case, I got too many compliments and the age guess by new people was over 5-8 years less (blush blush). However, there are techniques to look younger after weight loss otherwise, you may not get the full benefit.
Weight Loss Factors affecting your appearance
Duration
If you lose a large amount of weight very fast, you will end up with loose skin. This excess fat will give you a wrinkly look. However, this is mostly the case when you lose over 35-40 kg (75-85 pounds) of weight.
The best way to lose weight is to lose gradually. Aim to lose 0.5 -1 kg (1-2 pounds) per week.
Facial Fat Loss
If you lose excess fat on your face then you may look old! However, this is usually true for older people mostly women.
Therefore, folks below 40 can afford to lose that extra fat.
There is nothing known as concentrated fat loss i.e. losing fat from a particular body part. Hence, we cannot just lose weight everywhere and maintain a little on our face.
Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to it. However, by doing correct exercises (explained below) we can achieve this balance.
Age (during your weight loss journey)
Usually younger people below the age of 40 do not have wrinkles. Hence, after losing weight they look their best.
For people above 40 losing a large amount of weight will make their wrinkles prominent, if they have. However, if they lose weight while still maintaining some amount of fat will bring out their best look.
You can maintain a slightly high amount of fat by reducing weight training and doing moderate cardio or body weight exercises.
Exercise
My experience with exercise was different. I did not do much exercise to lose weight. I relied solely on nutrition.
It was only after I lost 16 Kg and I hit a plateau when I introduced mild jogging only to break the routine. If the body adapts to a particular regimen we need to change it else it stops delivering results.
My advice may go against popular wisdom so take it with a pinch of salt. I would suggest taking up toning exercises like calisthenics or yoga and supplement it with cardio, instead of weight-training exercises.
I have not heard of weight training suggested to older people or children but yoga and body weight exercise is for every age. There has to be some reason behind it.
They will also help you to reach your optimum weight while maintaining the right amount of fat, provided you are maintaining the calorie deficit through nutrition.
The right amount of fat gives the glow that makes you look younger.
Nutrition
Eating right is fundamental to any form of physical change. If we do not maintain optimum nutrition then we will achieve our weight loss goal but will also harm our bodies. The quality of our skin depends on the intake of essential nutrients.
As mentioned previously, fat is an extremely important component of the quality of our skin. If we reduce it drastically, only to achieve our weight loss goal then we risk harming our skin quality.
Other than fats, vitamins and zinc are important to maintaining healthy glowing skin.
Hydration
Our body is 60% water. One of the most important reasons for looking younger is the quality of our skin. Water dictates the quality of our skin. Always Be Hydrating! Apologies for the deliberate inclusion of the famous sales quote 😉
Other Factors
Emotional Health
It is a known fact that the mental well-being plays an important role in our appearance. If you do not manage stress but manage to lose weight, it will show on your appearance.
While losing weight will surely give you the high but other stresses and strains of life can bog you down. Employ stress management techniques to overcome the problem.
Treat stress management as a skill. Moreover, like any skill, you cannot learn it overnight. Commit to learning it and slowly but surely you will be living a pleasant life. The inner calm will reflect on your face giving you that glowing look.
Good emotional health also affects your physical body. Hence, it will definitely affect your look positively.
Sleep
Sleep deprivation is a major problem that affects your appearance. Focus not just on the duration of the sleep but also on the quality of it.
Get sleep every night and don’t try to compensate for it on weekends.
Addictions
Smoking, alcohol and other substance abuse harm our health in a big way. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I tell you that it accelerates our aging also. Just quit it.
I have quit smoking and alcohol using Allen Carr’s Easyway books. I highly recommend them.
Does gender impact the appearance after weight loss?
Gender does impact the appearance after weight loss. Unfortunately, women tend to show age more compared to men. However, this is the case when they are above 40-45. Also it can be managed by maintaining the right amount of fat.
This advantage can make us men feel happy. However, if we lose weight the wrong way and our skin becomes loose it will affect our appearance.
How to lose weight the right way?
- Weight loss should be gradual
- Always maintain optimum nutrition.(especially fat percentage) and hydration
- Supplement it with body weight exercises and mild cardio
- Have a good night’s sleep daily
- Manage your emotional well being
Does fat percentage impact appearance?
Fat is not a bad thing. It is an extremely important factor in maintaining our health. The shine that our body emanates can be credited to the fat content in our body.
We need a perspective shift here. Fat is made to be a villain, which it is not at all. Being too muscular or too skinny is not natural to us humans.
We should not try to fight our natural state. The body wants fat and we deny it. This conflict can be bad for it.
If we understand that our body needs fat and is important to keep it functioning in the long run we will easily become comfortable with it.
Appearance is mostly external. If we look attractive, it does give us an advantage in various areas of our life. However, it should not weigh over our physical and mental wellbeing.
We will not be able to enjoy anything in life without good health.
Hence, do not get obsessed with maintaining low fat levels rather focus on maintaining optimum levels of it.
Is it just the face that looks younger or also the body?
If you are thinking about this question then you are on the right track. It proves you are not only aiming to look younger but also concerned with the overall physical well-being.
The good news is that your entire body will look younger. There is nothing known as concentrated fat loss. Therefore, you will be losing fat uniformly all across the body. However, do not judge it too early. Give it a few months and you will observe it.
If you lose weight the right way, your skin will not shrink, it will not have wrinkles and there will be no stretch marks. These factors will help to make your entire body appear younger.
Will I only look younger or also feel the same way?
You will have more energy, feel less tired and be less lethargic. These factors will definitely make you feel younger.
If your centre of validation is yourself then it will be hard for you to feel affected by others’ opinions. Since you will genuinely feel amazing from inside even if others comment on your appearance you will be calm as a monk and have a smile on your face.
You will not be forcing yourself in that state but actually be in that state. So yes, you will also feel younger. As they say, you are only as old as you feel!
References:
Kind request
I want to request you to have an open mind and give my program a try. I am not charging any fees for it. I genuinely want you to achieve your goal. At any point, if you face any problem in understanding the program please feel free to email me. I promise I’ll help you in every way to achieve your goal. Wish you the best. Happy Eating!