No Jabba no batta...

February 17, 2006 11:00 AM

[FlabFilter] I'm 35, male, average weight...but I need to try and lose a double chin. (personal reasons for posting anon, apologies)

When I was young, I was super-skinny. A rail. People made jokes.

In my 20's, I slowed down. I started working as an IT professional (whee... no activity at all!), and my metabolism dropped off. I became "skinny guy with a gut."

Through some diet changes and increased activity, the belly is almost all gone (could stand to drop about 5-10 more lbs, maybe). Though cardio is difficult for me (medical reasons), I have been walking, cycling and even jogging and swimming when I can muster it. I feel the best I have ever felt. The problem is that, though I have lost all of this weight, I have a fat face!

Help! I need to lose this horrendous double chin!

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (11 comments total)

You just have to keep going with the weight loss - you can't "spot reduce" - much less your face. I know - it's frustrating when our "problem areas" don't go away first or as fast as we like - but sounds like you are doing good so far - just keep going!
posted by jopreacher at 11:14 AM on February 17, 2006

You absolutely need to build muscle! Why? Weight training 1) raises your basal metabolism rate because new lean muscle mass requires calories to maintain and grow 2) Weight training increases growth hormone, testosterone and a host of other manly hormones that will help you burn fat faster and even look younger 3) even the short-term spinoff of intense weight training is a metabolism hotter than a blast furnace and better utilization of ingested calories. In fact, eating high glycemic, high carb foods is ideal after weight training!

I could go on and on but you got the gist. Focus more on the iron game and less on the running game. God bless you!
posted by rinkjustice at 11:41 AM on February 17, 2006

Neck Fat Removal at Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Chin Liposuction Before and After pictures
posted by matteo at 11:49 AM on February 17, 2006

Jeez! I feel like I wrote this. Same deal - 35, used to be skinny and even though I'm 6' and 180 I gots the chin fat. I started working out 3 times a week with weight training and cardio and it's getting better and best of all I sleep well and I'm not tired all the time. Now, if I could just get my eating habits in check I'd lose the flab wrinkle under my jaw. Seriously, a workout routine is going to get you there and you'll be healthier to boot.
posted by photoslob at 11:54 AM on February 17, 2006

One more thing - if you drink alcohol, stop now. That will take 5-10 pounds off you almost immediately. For heavier folks this might not be the case but if you have a thinner frame it will have a very noticeable effect. It also should help to stabilize your metabolism.
posted by photoslob at 11:59 AM on February 17, 2006

Your skin is probably just losing its elasticity. Even if you lose all your excess weight, you may still have the double chin. You might look into Thermage, I've heard good things about it. (Link goes to MeFi user shogoth's Web site, his clinic does it.)
posted by kindall at 12:09 PM on February 17, 2006

Grow a beard.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:19 PM on February 17, 2006

1. Stick with your diet an exercise plan. Double your efforts. You will eventually get there with enough effort.

2. Try a ketogenic diet, either the straight-ahead Atkins-type thing or a cyclical ketogenic diet. This sort of regime seems to work especially well for people who have low bodyfat but are trying to bust those last few pounds. The bonus result of going low-carb is that you'll stop retaining water, and your face will look slimmer.

3. If it really bothers you, as others have said, there's always plastic surgery.
posted by rxrfrx at 12:25 PM on February 17, 2006

Streches ?
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 12:38 PM on February 17, 2006

Here's a chin tightening exercise you can try:

Tilt your head right back until you're looking at the ceiling (assuming you're in an upright position, of course).

Work your jaw up and down. If you're doing it right, you'll feel a tugging on your muscles.
posted by orange swan at 12:59 PM on February 17, 2006

Just a quick "thanks guys"! I have a soft, almost-double chin that I do not like at all. (I've resigned myself to the hobbit tummy). I'll try weight training and orange swan's suggestion :)

Good luck, anon.
posted by kalimac at 1:07 PM on February 17, 2006