Being an obesity physician (also family physician), I hear all the frustrations of my patients as they go through their weight loss journey. One of the most common, even after extensive weight loss, is “feeling” flabby (or insert other critique of one’s physique).
The patient could be doing absolutely great losing over 25% of their body weight (which is amazing by the way), and at some point, they just feel this way. They say something like, “I feel fat even though all my friends and family keep telling me I look better than I have in years.”
I want to tell you this is very normal. In fact, right before my bodybuilding competition where I was leaner than I have ever been, I felt flabby. Regardless of how I looked in the mirror or the amount of skin I pinched on my belly, I still felt his way. If I felt this way, I can imagine what my patients feel. It is real. What is funny is I called my brother the day before my competition and told him this and he laughed and said he felt exactly the same.
Now you may laugh and say I am a jerk for even thinking this when I had a shredded six pack, but it’s all relative. What was really going on? I don’t know. Maybe I was anxious or something. All I know is that I felt that way and my patients feel that way sometimes too. With patients I try to help them figure out what else is going on in their lives that may be making them feel this way and this sometimes helps. The feelings wax and wane, but sometimes they can be tough to overcome.
