Dude, do what makes YOU happy and what makes YOU feel good.

You're asking a bunch of strangers on a forum who have absolutely no idea what you look like for their opinion on what you should look like...

There's a saying in women's circles: Face or Body? 'Cause you can't have both. If you lose too much weight, your face gets sacrificed, but your body is lean as heck. If you gain weight, your body might not be as awesome, but your face looks better.

I had something similar happen recently. At the end of a Whole30, I weighed the least I've ever weighed as an adult, even without trying! I was lean and felt light during my workouts, which was nice. But my husband was glad to see a few pounds come back on.

My other sense is that people have no idea what "normal" looks like anymore.

Obviously, the crap binge ain't doing you any favors. But you might be able to find a balance that allows you to get closer to your goal. Good luck!

After losing a lot of weight, a lot of people became fond of telling me that I was "too skinny" just because I looked thinner period. Something about the South...they like men flabby down here.

If you're going to keep eating a crapload of calories, just don't let them all be crap.

Does it have to be one or the other? You're probably looking gaunt because you're restricting calories too much. Here's a secret; You don't have to restrict calories at all to get abs. You just have to eat the right foods at the right times and do intense resistance training.

I have looked very gaunt before but that was when i was anorexic. sure I had abs but it was not worth it at all. I eat around 3500 calories for maintenance now and I think my abs are much more defined than they were 90 lbs ago.

do some research and mimic those who have the physique you want.

Ultimately you have to do why makes you feel good and happy. And if getting abs requires significant calorie restriction, it won't make you feel good or happy in the long run. There is a way you can get them without restricting your calories at all, and I suggest doing it that way.

Unless you walk around with your shirt off nobody can see your abs.

Unless you walk around with a mask on everybody can see your face.

That so-called "gaunt" and "skinny" face is actually normal and healthy. Just wait a while until people, including you, are used to your new "skinny" face. This is just a transitory phase while people still remember your fuller face. I went through the same thing.

Combo of what April and Steven told you: what's important is how you feel "I feel like I was healthier 10 lbs ago..& I can slowly feel the fat creeping back around my stomach and thighs," which translates into: that's where I'd like to be. Also, like Steven said, our society has become so f*cking fat (okay, not what Steven said, I'm embellishing a tad here) that if your abs are showing they think you're skinny. I lost a little bit of bodyfat fasting, and my abs and muscle definition popped. I was then told by several people (clearly 80lbs+ overweight) I was loosing too much weight. I'm 148lbs at 5'7 and did 350lbs on the leg press machine the other day. I'm not feeling weak, and I'm not too skinny. They're feeling horrible, and they're definitely too fat.

When you can shine a flashlight at your stomach and see your organs, you're too skinny. We're supposed to have our abs showing...

As long as you maintain a healthy weight, do what makes you feel best about yourself. If you look in the mirror and you're scoping your rocking abs and you think your face looks fine, then stay that way. When I lose weight in my face, people tell me I look tired or stressed, but it's just because chubby faces=jolly disposition in people's minds. Honestly though, you'll feel a lot better on a regular basis eating clean foods over the greasy sugary processed crap, regardless of how you look.

Feeling confident looks best, whether your abs are cut (or face is gaunt) is secondary.

However : Maybe consider how often/how many people see you walking around without a shirt off. Now think about how you want to present yourself to the majority of the people you interact with...

Basically I've seen nothing indicating that single digit body fat is healthier. In fact I believe there is evidence to the contrary. So in the end....yes do what makes you happy, but if your gearing this towards health just realize that you are plenty healthy in the more attainable 10-15% body fat arena.

People are used to seeing puffed up faces holding tons of water and salt. People are so " fluffed " up now a days.

Unfortunately, due to our neolithic environment, I'd estimate most people have at least some degree of jaw deformity and malocclusion. When I lost weight, the lessening of fat on my face made my jaw issues look more prominent, which was very annoying. But I feel better, and so I'm not going to purposefully regain. I could have surgery to correct the jaw issues or get localized fat injections but the costs/risks of those procedures are not worth it to me.

I'm inclined to think people's concept of what a 'healthy' face (and body) looks like is warped by just how prevalent high body fat percentages are. Almost everyone in this country is carrying a lot of extra fat and retained water, whether they are 'fat' or 'skinny' according to BMI.

Then again, I'm someone who thinks that single digit body fat isn't particularly natural or 'ultimately healthy' for men, considering that it seems to take a very extreme and regimented lifestyle to get and stay there, for most.

Echoing most other posters, eat well and don't let other people's random opinions have too much effect on your goals for your own body.

I just started dating someone who is (naturally) super lean and also very thin, personally I can't get enough of him and his skinny face. :)

I think I'd go for feeling healthier over looks any day. A few months after I started eating Paleo, I told my husband that I'd continue doing it if I never lost another pound, just because I had started feeling night-and-day better than when eating the SAD. Two years later, I still feel that way.

And I agree with the answers above that "normal" these days is at least a little bit overweight and your face probably wasn't all that gaunt in reality.

I really wouldn't care what my face looked like after suffering the intestinal pain that I'd be feeling from eating pizza, beer and white carbs. I'd probably be in a constant grimace. In a bathroom stall.

The puffed up look has become the norm with the SAD and it is caused by water retention... I notice that when I go on a weekend 'bender' (it happens sometimes, especially when college buddies come to town), I am all puffed up and red in the face on Monday. I have even been told on one of these Mondays that I, as well, looked 'healthier'. All the while, I felt like complete crap and knew I had fallen off my normal primal lifestyle wagon.

All together now: "You're sooooo vain, you probably think this hack is about yoooooouuu...."