Phantom fat is a condition that occurs after weight loss when you are unable to see your new fit body. Dealing with phantom fat can be challenging.

What is phantom fat?

If you used to be fat and you’ve lost significant weight recently, chances are that you are struggling with phantom fat. Phantom fat means that you still have the big fat body image in your mind even after you’ve lost weight and your body changed and became smaller. Your perception of yourself did not change: you still see yourself as fat, and you can’t relate to the fit body image that you see of yourself in the mirror.

More on phantom fat>>>

Good news: phantom fat is just a temporary state! Give it enough time, it will go away on its own. Your mind will become accustomed to your new fit and smaller body.

See how phantom fat can give you emotional struggles>>>

4 methods to help you deal with phantom fat

Here are 4 methods that will help you deal with phantom fat:

1. Ask a friend for a game of reflective listening

Sit down with a friend or someone from your family whom you trust. The game starts with you talking about you talking about your struggles of becoming fit but being unable to relate to your new fit body. Your friend needs to listen carefully to what you are saying, and they need to repeat what you said by expressing it with other words (aka paraphrasing your message). They should keep away from being judgmental or expressing their own opinion. They should concentrate on paraphrasing what you just said.

The aim of this game is for you to hear the message that you are saying for yourself in order for you to be able to find the underlying emotions.

If it is hard for your friend to phrase or grasp your emotions, you just have to keep on talking until they get it.

At the end of this game you will better understand yourself and your feelings regarding your phantom fat. By hearing back the underlying message that you send out by talking about your struggle with phantom fat gives you the opportunity to understand what you are going through. At the end of the game you will be able to develop insight about yourself.

2. Keep a journal

Start keeping a journal to analyze the development of your phantom fat over time. This is a way to write yourself out of the phantom fat phase of after weight loss struggles.

Writing a journal helps because basically your mind is stuck in the “I am still fat” phase while your body is in the “I am so fit” phase. So keeping a journal is a great way to give you insight into your thoughts and feelings. You can have a conversation with the part of your psyche that is still stuck in the past, aka fat phase. By writing a journal about your feelings and thoughts about phantom fat you will gain awareness that you didn’t have before.

3. Identify phantom fat

Knowing that what you are experiencing is phantom fat is the first step towards improving and overcoming your mental habit. If your thoughts revolve around your fat body image, chances are you struggle with phantom fat.

See if you suffer from phantom fat>>>

If your inner voice and thoughts say that you are still fat, even if others say that you look great and you’ve lost weight, then you might suffer from phantom fat.

Now listen to your inner voice: is it positive or negative? Why? Investigate the source of your inner voice. In case you notice a pattern while evaluating your inner voice, then trace the feelings back to your first memory about them.

Believe in yourself! Believe that you are fit! You know it, now believe that one day you will see it for yourself! If you believe, you are able to!

4. Self reflection

Sit down and think. Take some time for yourself, put aside an hour for yourself when no one will bother you. Grab a cup of tea, sit down in a corner and start thinking. Self reflect. Think about what you have learnt about yourself and your feelings of phantom fat so far. What did you accomplish so far that makes you happy? Don’t just list the obvious things like “I’ve lost 60 pounds.” but dig deeper: “I’ve adopted a healthy lifestyle.” Is there something that you regret that makes you sad? Time to identify that too.

Still haven’t found what you were looking for? Check out my other guide on how to accept your new fit body>>>

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