I'M Losing Weight But Looking Fatter

So you’ve lost weight, you’ve become healthier, you’re a few sizes smaller… but you look in the mirror and you think you look exactly the same? Has anyone else been in this boat? It’s something that’s nicknamed ’phantom fat’. After losing a few dress sizes and adding a decent amount of muscle to my frame this happened to me. Within the first month of starting training I lost 11cm from my waist by eating a moderately healthy diet and exercising two times a week (that’s nearly 3cm a week gone, crazy). Fast forward a year to now, every part of my body is smaller and leaner than it was, and I have only just started to accept that my body has changed and become totally comfortable in my skin. There are so many articles online along the lines of, “this is why you’re not losing weight”… but what happens when you’ve lost the weight but you don’t see it in the mirror?

What is it? ’Phantom fat’ is the experience you have when you’ve lost weight, but when you look at yourself you don’t think you have, largely due to the fact that your brain takes a much longer time to adjust your spacial awareness. People might be commenting on how good you look, but in your head it doesn’t feel like it. You have more weight too lose, there’s a bump here, a lump there, it’s not good enough, nothing is ever good enough. Every time you look in the mirror you pinch and prod and wonder what things would look like if they were a bit smaller or a bit more toned, it’s endless and it’s exhausting. If this type of thinking is not brought under control it can lead you along a dangerous path, so it’s best to start getting it sorted out while you still can.

Can youfix it? To stop yourself from thinking like this you need to adjust your behaviour and recalibrate the way your brain imagines your body. This is what I’ve done to get it under control and accept my body and be happy with how it looks:

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1) Every time you find yourself picking on something bad in the mirror stop, breathe and focus on something you do like. Remind yourself often of the things you like about your body. Avoid thinking negatively, your mind is incredibly powerful so don’t let your life be ruled by bad thoughts.

2) SHOW YOURSELF what you actually look like, even photos can be deceiving sometimes. Get someone to trace your outline on a sheet of paper, or something I like to do is measure my waist and then show myself how small the measuring tape is, then readjust the measuring tape to what my old waist measurement was, the difference is crazy, and it makes me really proud because it’s so much easier to see that there is a difference.

4) Eat healthy and get plenty of sleep. I know this might sound a bit left-field but making sure you are consistently eating foods that will nourish your body as well as getting enough rest will allow your body to think more rationally and hopefully reduce the amount of anxiety you have towards your body.

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5) Time. It takes time for your mind to adjust to your new size, much longer than it takes to actually lose the weight, be patient and stay positive.

Phantom fat, i lost weight but can't see it in the mirror, lost weight and still feel fat, i lost weight and don't see it, still feel big, still feel like i haven't lost weight, body dysmorphia, after weightloss, weightloss6 CommentsFacebook Icon The letter F. Facebook Email icon An envelope. It indicates the ability to send an email. Email Twitter icon A stylized bird with an open mouth, tweeting. Twitter Snapchat icon A ghost. Snapchat Fliboard icon A stylized letter F. Flipboard Pinterest icon The letter P styled to look like a thumbtack pin. Pinterest Link icon An image of a chain link. It symobilizes a website link url. Copy Link

Trainer Kelsey Wells posted a before-and-after photo to show that it's possible to look more toned without actually losing weight. Kelsey Wells/Instagram

After Huge Weight Loss, Sagging Skin Remains

When you're going to the gym, eating well, and taking steps to improve your health, it's normal to want to track your progress and see the results. You might think that weighing yourself is the best way to measure that progress, but that's not always the case.

There are a number of reasons why it's not a good idea to fixate onthe number on the scale. One easily forgotten reason is that your weightonly indicates your body mass index (BMI), not your body composition, which is the amount of muscle versus fat you have on your body.Your body composition makes a huge difference in what you look like even though it can't be measured by the scale.

To the scale, a pound is a pound. Muscle does not weigh more than fat — but it does take up less space on your body, which is why you might look leaner after building muscle even if your weight doesn't change.

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The following women have posted photos to remind others that, at the end of the day, you shouldn't rely on your weight to measure your progress toward your fitness goals.

1. Leanne Now this is a very common question I always get asked. “How much weight have you lost since the start of your fitness journey?!” Uhmmmm. The truth is that I have stayed almost the exact same weight as when I started. As weird as it may sound, my weight has not fluctuated and if anyone were to ask me just how many kg’s I have lost.... the truth is none. This is living proof that the number on the scale is not an accurate measure of progress. Although I may have been the same weight in both the pictures, it is pretty clear that I certainly do not look the same. You see, this is why I find the scale to be so problematic. It does not take into account SO many factors, like for example how much of your weight is actually muscle and how much is fat, the time of the day you are weighing yourself, the time of the month, whether or not you have eaten etc etc. at the start of my fitness journey, I remember placing so much emphasis on that number on the scale. Losing a few kgs meant the world to me and gaining was a terrible fear. These days my approach could not be more different. I hardly ever weigh myself, and if I do it’s in hope that the scale will actually go up ( muscle gains 💪). How do I measure my progress? Besides taking progress pictures, my main benchmark is according to how I FEEL. I feel energetic, full of energy and confident- these are my main pointers of progress! So ladies, don’t let a pesky number on the scale dictate to you your self worth. It is not accurate, and can often hinder your progress. ⭐️⭐️ A post shared by @ wholesome_lee on Nov 5, 2017 at 10:40pm PSTNov 5, 2017 at 10:40pm PST

This is why I find the scale to be so problematic. It does not take into account SO many factors, like for example how much of your weight is actually muscle and how much is fat, the time of the day you are weighing yourself, the time of the month, whether or not you have eaten, etc., the blogger wrote.

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2. Adrienne Osuna *For all the people that don't read the post...YES TWO POUNDS. Body recomposition. Lost fat gained muscle! NEGATIVE COMMENTS ARE DELETED AND BLOCKED*. People have been messaging me telling me they've seen this pic all over 😬like on Facebook pages and groups, twitter, other accounts here ect. I don't mind people sharing it!! But I DID NOT use anyone's products to do this...in fact I didn't even diet to do this 😂 this was all hard work in the gym lifting heavy weights and intermittent fasting. And for anyone just seeing this for the first time YESSS really 2 lbs, the scale doesn't measure fat vs muscle! Keep going girls 🙌🏼💖💜 . . . . . . . . #weightlossjourney #momsthatlift #powerlifting #eattoperform #iifym #allthefood #bodybuilding #strongmom #flexibledieting #squats #fitnessjourney #strongwoman #girlswithmuscle #girlswhopowerlift #dietingsucks #fitbit #fitfam #bodypositivity #powerliftingbuiltthisbody #deadlifts #liftheavythings #intuitiveeating #bodybuildinglife #gymislife #progressnotperfection #beforeandafterweightloss #powerlifter #beyondthescale #nsv #heavylifting A post shared by ↠a d r i e n n e o s u n a↞ (@adrienneosuna) on Feb 17, 2017 at 9:07am PSTFeb 17, 2017 at 9:07am PST

Osuna shows the scale can't account for your body composition. As she writes in her caption, she lost fat and gained muscle by hitting the gym, lifting heavy weights, and practicing intermittent fasting.

3. Holly Louise #transformationtuesday . This my journey to date. In the first photo I did no little to no exercise and had a terrible diet. I felt crappy - physically

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