(NewsNation) — As the use of injectable weight-loss drugs rises, so do the known side effects. While many of the reported issues are physical, there are also reports of a prominent psychological effect.

It’s called “ghost fat” or “phantom fat.” It refers to patients who have lost a considerable amount of weight but still see themselves as having a larger body. Psychology Today describes it as the same concept as phantom limb syndrome. When someone loses a limb or gets plastic surgery, the mind can’t fully comprehend the drastic physical change, and it can sometimes lead to them still feeling that it’s there.

The phenomenon isn’t just with GLP-1s, but with all dramatic weight loss that happens quickly rather than gradually. According to Medscape, patients who have undergone bariatric surgery also suffer from “ghost fat.” Some reported seeing little or no change in their body shape despite substantial weight loss for 18 to 30 months.


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Plastic surgeon and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Terry Dubrow explained on “Jesse Weber Live” Thursday that the experience can occur regardless of how the weight is lost.

“When you lose weight on a regular diet and exercise program, 75% is fat, 25% is muscle. When you lose weight with a GLP-1 drug like this, it’s 50% muscle and 50% fat. So, it’s a different kind of weight loss distribution, it takes a little bit of time to re-equilibrate. So, it’s important to be patient.”

This type of disconnect can cause people struggling with “ghost fat” to instinctively do things they did when they were larger, such as grabbing larger clothing sizes, looking at a chair’s width before trying to sit, even trying to adjust their body around objects and through tight spaces when they no longer need to.

“Body image is a construct, rather than what you see in the mirror,” psychologist Dr. Sheethal Reddy told Medscape. “It’s the mental construct of our physical selves.”

Like most side effects, the symptoms of “ghost fat” will eventually disappear with time, as the brain eventually begins to comprehend the new version of your body.