Wednesday, June 24, 2009

‘Phantom fat’ can linger after weight loss

Body-image experts say it’s not uncommon for people, especially women, who have lost a lot of weight to be disappointed to some extent to discover that they still aren’t “perfect.” The excess fat is gone when they reach their goal weight, but they may have sagging skin, cellulite or a body shape that they still deem undesirable. Like Hicks, some even continue to see themselves as though they are overweight.

Experts say part of the problem in our body-obsessed culture is that many women — and increasingly more men — have highly unrealistic expectations of what weight loss can do for them. Too often, they think hitting their ideal weight will make them look like a swimsuit model in a magazine, and they’re disappointed when that’s not the case.

I have been blessed to be delusional. When I look in the mirror, I always look smaller then the scale says I am. The only time I can see is my true size is in a picture with measuring reference.

I take a lot of pictures in front of doors. So when I can't see the door around my hips. I have to accept that I am fat. It is a hard realization, so what I do when I can, is pose in open spaces with no references then I look smaller again.

I am also blessed to know that most of my problems are caused by my perception of events and the rest are due to economic issues. So I have no beliefs that my life will be better when smaller/thinner.

3 comments:

  1. I can also be fairly delusional and photos make me say, "WTF? I'm not THAT FAT, am I?" but in the mirror or just in my head I'm not thin, but definitely not as fat as I am.

    I do think that I prefer not to be terribly tormented emotionally, so some delusion seems healthier than say the perception of a thin person that she is ugly/fat/whatever that beats her up constantly. Its really amazing sometimes to realize how down on themselves lovely people can be, just because they aren't X (weight, hair color, nose shape, toe length, tan enough, fair enough, straight hair, curly hair, eyes too wide, eyes to close together, etc.).

    So, I think a little delusion in the positive side of the aisle is okay, but delusion to the extent of Sanford running away to Argentina and trying to pass it off as no big deal, yeah, that's a problem.

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  2. "So, I think a little delusion in the positive side of the aisle is okay, but delusion to the extent of Sanford running away to Argentina and trying to pass it off as no big deal, yeah, that's a problem."

    That is so true I saw the press conference. I haven't that much crazy since I left the "crack house". So he must have been doing the "good-repulican-coke" that we talked about in college.

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  3. What I found interesting about that article is that they studies woman who had lost with weight loss surgery. If I had lost all my weight in less than a year, I'd be freaked out too and probably being feeling phantom fat. But I didn't and this has never been an issue for me. Time heals all.

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