Thread: How Do We Prevent A Puffy Appearance?

Hello,

I have been on a bodybuilding and fat loss diet for
almost a month now. I have noticed that my upper lip
and cheeks tend to bloat or retain water or something.
Either way, it gives a puffy appearance. My face is
naturally thin. I usually have sunken cheeks and high
cheek bones etc.. but I have been noticing, even
though I am losing weight or fat, that my face looks
rounder or a little more puffy, especially around the upper lip and lower cheek area. You would think my face would be
very thin or tighter since I have been eating well and
losing weight and drinking lots of water. What could be causing this?

I realize that salt/sodium will do this, but I hardly
eat any salt, and plus the salt I do intake, gets
flushed out by the gallon and a half of water I drink
every day. To much dairy is another fact that may cause this.

Could it be that drinking too much water may be causing
this?
Here is my diet I stick with, and maybe you can tell
me if what I am eating may be contributing to it.

8:00 am - 100% natural oatmeal with 1 scoop of whey
protien

10:00 am- 3 oz chicken breast and half cup brown rice
(no salt added)

12:00 pm- Tuna sandwhich on whole wheat bread with a
tbsn of mayo, half cup cottage cheese, tbsn of walnuts
(salted), and a medium salad with light dressing

2:00 pm- bannana shake: consisting of 1 bannana, 1 cup
skim milk, 1/2 scoop whey protien, 2 eggs, and a 1/2
tsp safflower oil.

4:00 pm- 40 30 30 zone nutrition bar

7:00 pm - 1 scoop whey protien, broccoli and or 1 oz
cheese

That's it. This is what I usually eat every day
consistantly. I was thinking maybe it's the bananna
shake that could be contributing to it, but then
again, I'm not eating that much dairy or salt. I also thought maybe by drinking tons of water will give me a leaner appearance everywhere and I wouldn't retain any water or anything.

Is there a remedy or preventative treatment I could
take or do in order to rid of this puffy face and
lips?
I know it's not fat because some days I am a lot
thinner then others. but the days I have the problem,
I can hardly see my upper lip or sunken cheeks. I feel I look fat.

I'm also wondering if maybe this is just a temperary
problem my body is going through as I am losing weight
and getting healthier, and hopefully when I achieve a
low body fat %, this problem will go away and I will
have a tight, structured face and lips again. My goal is to rid of the puffy fat appearance and look slim and toned everywhere including my face.
What do you think? What can I do to prevent this?
Thank you for your time ;-)

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

Is this what you mean by puffy?