Ghost Fat: Altered Female Body Perception After Bariatric Surgery

Abstract

Body perception is an individual’s ability to recognize their body in attitudinal and/or dimensional aspects. We investigated women’s body perceptions before and after bariatric surgery. Participants were 31 women (M age = 36.23, SD = 7.95 years old) with an average pre-operative body mass index of 44.58 (SD = 4.65) kg/m². We collected anthropometric and body perception measures (attitudinal body image [ABI] and dimensional body image [DBI]) before bariatric surgery and 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after it. There was an average decrease of 21.09% in participants’ body weight over the 120 days. Regarding ABI, 51.61% of participants had high body dissatisfaction before surgery, and this proportion of dissatisfied participants decreased to 3.23% 120 days after surgery. We observed no statistically significant differences in DBI perceptions. Fast weight loss caused by bariatric surgery appeared to generate a perception of ghost fat. Somatosensory interventions and/or a longer follow-up are needed to alter this persistent distortion of body dimensions.

Keywords

attitudinal body image body weight dimensional body image gastroplasty obesity

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alleva

J. M.

Veldhuis

Martijn

(2016). A pilot study investigating whether focusing on body functionality can protect women from the potential negative effects of viewing thin-ideal media images. Body Image, 17, 10–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.01.007

Apovian

C. M.

(2016). Obesity: Definition, comorbidities, causes, and burden. The American Journal of Managed Care, 22(7 Suppl), s176–s185. https://doi.org/10.4158/ep161531.co

Askevold

(1975). Measuring body image. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 26(2), 71–77. https://doi.org/10.1159/000286913

Busetto

Buongiorno

Schiff

(2018). Studies on body image changes after bariatric surgery in adults. In Body image, eating, and weight (pp. 233–245). Springer.

Cash

T. F.

(2012). Cognitive-behavioral perspectives on body image.

Collins

K. L.

Russell

H. G.

Schumacher

P. J.

Robinson-Freeman

K. E.

O'Conor

E. C.

Gibney

K. D.

Yambem

Dykes

R. W.

Waters

R. S.

Tsao

J. W.

(2018). A review of current theories and treatments for phantom limb pain. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 128(6), 2168–2176. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI94003

Costa

P. R.

Strazzacappa

(2015). To whom it may concern: Somatic education in academic research. Brazilian Journal on Presence Studies, 5(1), 39–53. https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-266047152

da Silva

S. A.

Pires

P. F. F.

(2019). The influence of the media on the eating behavior of adult women. Terra & Cultura Magazine: Teaching and Research Notebooks, 35(69), 53–67. http://periodicos.unifil.br/index.php/Revistateste/article/view/1172

Dayan

P. H.

Sforzo

Boisseau

Pereira-Lancha

L. O.

Lancha

A. H.

Jr (2019). A new clinical perspective: Treating obesity with nutritional coaching versus energy-restricted diets. Nutrition, 60, 147–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2018.09.027

10.

Glucksman

M. L.

Hirsch

(1969). The perception of body size: The response of obese patients to weight reduction. Psychosomatic Medicine, 31(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-196901000-00001

11.

Griffiths

Williamson

Zucchelli

Paraskeva

Moss

(2018). A systematic review of the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for body image dissatisfaction and weight self-stigma in adults. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 48(4), 189–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-018-9384-0

12.

Haire-Joshu

Hill-Briggs

(2018). Treating obesity—moving from recommendation to implementation. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(11), 1447–1449. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5259

13.

Hartwig

T. W.

Santos

F. A. I. d.

González

M. C.

Rombaldi

A. J.

(2013). Effects of bariatric surgery on the body composition of adults. Brazilian Journal of Kinanthropometry and Human Performance, 15(6), 686–694. https://doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2013v15n6p686

14.

Hillier

Worley

(2015). The effectiveness of the feldenkrais method: A systematic review of the evidence. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/752160

15.

Kakeshita

I. S.

Silva

A. I. P.

Zanatta

D. P.

Almeida

S. S.

(2009). A figure rating scales for Brazilian adults and children: Development and test-retest reliability. Psychology: Theory and Research, 25(2), 263–270. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-37722009000200015

16.

Kakeshita

I. S.

(2008). Adaptation and validation of silhouette scales for Brazilian children and adults. Ribeirão Preto: Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo.

17.

Laus

M. F.

Almeida

S. S.

Murarole

M. B.

Braga-Costa

T. M.

(2013). Validation and reliability study of the figure rating scales applied to Brazilian adolescents. Psychology: Theory and Research, 29(4), 403–409. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-37722013000400006

18.

Mancini

M. C.

(2014). Bariatric surgery–An update for the endocrinologist. Brazilian Archives of Endocrinology & Metabology, 58(9), 875–888. https://doi.org/10.1590/0004-2730000003413

19.

Marcuzzo

Pich

Dittrich

M. G.

(2012). Construction of body image among obese subjects and its relationship with the contemporary imperatives for body beautification. Interface-Communication, Health, Education, 16(43), 943–956. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1414-32832012005000041

20.

Menzel

J. E.

Krawczyk

Thompson

J. K.

(2011). Attitudinal assessment of body image for adolescents and adults.

21.

Muller-Pinget

Carrard

Ybarra

Golay

(2012). Dance therapy improves self-body image among obese patients. Patient Education and Counseling, 89(3), 525–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2012.07.008

22.

Müller-Pinget

Golay

(2019). To improve body image with dance therapy. Revue Medicale Suisse, 15(643), 640–642. https://doi.org/10.53738/revmed.2019.15.643.0640

23.

Natvik

Groven

K. S.

Råheim

Gjengedal

Gallagher

(2019). Space perception, movement, and insight: Attuning to the space of everyday life after major weight loss. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 35(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2018.1441934

24.

Novais

P. F. S.

Rasera Junior

Leite

C. V. d. S.

Oliveira

M. R. M. d.

(2010). Body weight evolution and classification of body weight in relation to the results of bariatric surgery: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Brazilian Archives of Endocrinology & Metabology, 54(3), 303–310. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0004-27302010000300009

25.

Picado

Almeida

Pereira

(2019). Perception of body image and body scheme in post-stroke patient. European Journal of Public Health, 29(Supplement_1), ckz034.047. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckz034.047

26.

Pivotto

L. R.

Schmit

E. D.

Candottii

C. T.

Rodrigues

A. P.

Neto

E. W.

Souza

Loss

J. F.

(2022). Effect of 30 pilates sessions on body posture, perception and dynamic balance in healthy women. Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior, 16(1), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.20338/bjmb.v16i1.290

27.

Ribeiro

P. R. L.

Tavares

M. C. F.

(2011). Seymour Fisher contributions to body image studies. Motricity, 7(4), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.6063/motricidade.91

28.

Rubino

Nathan

D. M.

Eckel

R. H.

Schauer

P. R.

Alberti

G. M. M.

Zimmet

P. Z.

Summit

D. S.

Prato

S. D.

Sadikot

S. M.

Herman

W. H.

Amiel

S. A.

Kaplan

L. M.

Taroncher-Oldenburg

Cummings

D. E.

(2016). Metabolic surgery in the treatment algorithm for type 2 Diabetes: A Joint statement by international Diabetes Organizations. Diabetes Care, 39(6), 861–877. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc16-0236

29.

Sarwer

D. B.

Thompson

J. K.

Cash

T. F.

(2005). Body image and obesity in adulthood. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 28(1), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2004.09.002

30.

Segheto

K. J.

Silva

C. B.

Gama

E. F.

(2011). Body schema and level of physical activity in university students young adults. Brazilian Journal of Science and Movement, 19(3), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41935-2

31.

Taskin Yilmaz

Karakoc Kumsar

Demirel

(2019). The effect of body image on sexual quality of life in obese married women. Health Care for Women International, 40(4), 479–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2018.1542432

32.

Thurm

B. E.

Matoso

Diaz

A. C.

Paschoalini

Neves

Tuunelis

Kiyomoto

H. D.

Gama

E. F.

(2013). Chronic pain effect on body schema and neuropsychological performance in athletes: A pilot study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 116(2), 544–553. https://doi.org/10.2466/15.27.PMS.116.2.544-553

33.

Vallar

Papagno

(2013). Pierre Bonnier’s (1905) cases of bodily ‘aschematie. In Classic cases in neuropsychology (Volume II, pp. 165–188). Psychology Press.

34.

Visscher

(2017). An evaluation of the body image of bariatric surgery patients

35.

Welbourn

Hollyman

Kinsman

Dixon

Liem

Ottosson

Ramos

Våge

Al-Sabah

Brown

Cohen

Walton

Himpens

(2019). Bariatric surgery worldwide: Baseline demographic description and one-year outcomes from the fourth IFSO global registry report 2018. Obesity Surgery, 29(3), 782–795. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-018-3593-1

36.

WHO . (2020). Obesity and overweight World health organization. Available: http://wwhttps//www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight>