A phenomenon increasingly observed by doctors, psychologists and nutritionists.
“I always open the doors wide for fear that my hips won’t fit through and I’m always surprised to see that they fit through without any problem.“, says a woman on the social network Reddit. “I feel “fat” around my stomach. I swear the fat is still there until I put my hand down and feel it’s not“, confides another Internet user. Increasingly observed by doctors, psychologists and nutritionists, “phantom fat” is a real phenomenon that poses a problem for many people, especially those who have lost weight.
““Phantom fat” is a fancy term to compare this expression to the “phantom limb” perceived by people who have undergone amputation. This reflects the illusion that the missing part of our body is still present“, explains Laurence Murillo, dietitian-nutritionist. “Phantom fat” is a form of dysmorphophobia, a disorder which corresponds to a distorted perception of one’s body image. Whether the physical defect is imaginary or real, the person will develop a preoccupation excessive and obsessive thoughts in this regard, often arousing shame or disgust towards herself, which can alter all spheres of her life (professional, romantic, friendly, etc.) and increase the risk of depression and social isolation.
“If weight loss can be felt quite quickly in clothes – generally we change sizes, our clothes are much too baggy – the brain, for its part, is on a different rhythm. We must give him time to build the new body image“, continues our interlocutor. When weight loss is very rapid, the discrepancy is even more marked and this erroneous perception can lead to counterproductive behavior in the long term. In fact, the person, feeling “always fat ” may have a tendency to restrict herself and fight against her desire to eat, which ends up, like any restriction, producing the opposite effect of what she expects, namely frustration and therefore (re)gain in weight.
To get out of this “phantom fat” phenomenon, you absolutely must remove negative thoughts, take a step back from the situation and regain better self-esteem. “Accepting your body does not necessarily mean “adoring” your body, but at the very least it is important to find pleasure in living in it. In particular by listening to your needs (in particular your hunger and your desire to eat) and by doing activities that make us feel good (physical activity that makes us happy, dancing, walking in Nature, doing creative activities, etc.). It is this letting go that will allow you to regain serenity with regard to your body.“, advises Laurence Murillo.
Psychological help may also be considered. One of the most effective is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which will allow us to work on erroneous thought patterns that cause inappropriate or even harmful reactions in the person, in order to deconstruct them and help them accept themselves. as it is. In France, many psychologists offer CBT.