I feel blobby and fat dating

You know how it goes. You wake up in the morning, glance at yourself in the mirror, and decide you're "too fat" to go anywhere. Instead of interacting with the outside world--mirrors! people!--you'd rather sit at home watching too many hours of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and eating cheese fries...with your hands. Hey, we've all been there. But would you believe us if we said it's all in your head?

It's true, say researchers at the University College London. Feeling thin or fat is an illusion constructed in our posterior parietal cortex--an area of the brain that integrates sensory information from different parts of the body. Unlike your sense of touch, there are no specialized receptors in your body that send information to the brain about the size and shape of your body parts, says lead study author Henrik Ehrsson, MD, PhD. "Instead, the brain appears to create a map of the body by integrating signals from the relevant body parts such as skin, joints and muscles, along with visual cues," he says.
Which means that if you spend the day sending your brain the wrong cues about your body, it's going to give you the wrong image.

To the rescue: Our expert-approved feeling-fat fixes that show you it's just as easy to feel fab as it is to feel fat.

1. Wear red
It doesn't matter if it's lipstick, nail polish, or clothes: There's something about the color red that instantly makes you feel more bold. It also commands respect, says fashion editor and style expert Jacqui Stafford, author of the upcoming The Wow Factor: Insider Style Secrets for Every Body and Every Budget. "Wearing a rich, deep color like red gets you noticed and shows that you're a risk taker," she says.

Also, let's not forget the study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that found men like a lady in red, and are more likely to ask her out on a date if she's wearing the color. And it's no secret that a little attention can go a long way in the confidence department.

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2. Put on a belt
While a belt may be the last thing you want to wear when you're feeling "fat and blobby," says Stafford, it can also remind you that your body has an actual shape. And New York Times best-selling author of Women, Food, and God Geneen Roth agrees. "Wearing a belt is a simple, concrete way of physically defining yourself. It allows you to circumscribe your body, to touch its boundary line," Roth says.

3. Accessorize
Accessories are fat proof, says Stafford, meaning that they'll always look the same--no matter how you're feeling. Anything from a really fabulous shoe, to a great pair of earrings, a killer clutch, or even a statement lip gloss can help distract from your figure and highlight the body parts you do love. And when it comes to lip gloss, Stafford suggests something with a little bit of shine so it reflects the light and amplifies your lips.

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4. Choose form-fitting clothes
Baggy clothes actually make you look bigger, meaning those well-worn sweatpants you love aren't doing you any favors. On the other hand, clothes that are more fitted and tailored, like a blazer, can do wonders to enhance your shape. "Blazers are so universally flattering, and they work on everybody," Stafford says.

5. Pick pumps
Feeling short and stubby? Lengthen your legs with a pair of nude-colored pumps. Be sure the color is similar to your skin tone, says Stafford, so it can better work as an extension of the leg. And aim for something that's at least three inches for an additional slimming effect.

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6. Schedule a blowout
"Hair really is such definitive way to feel better about yourself, wherever you are going," says Stafford. Bonus: Salon blowouts are fairly inexpensive.

Or try this trick instead: Put your hair up in a high ponytail with lots of volume at your crown to give your face the illusion that it's longer and leaner. To create: Start by putting your pointer finger at the very top of your head, and then measure one pinky-length back from there. Make a Mohawk-like section and, inch by inch, apply a root-lifting or volumizing hair spray directly to the root. Blow dry at the base of each section, and then gently comb through the product. Pull hair smooth and higher at the crown for a sleek, classic look.

For even more volume-boosting tips, see 5 Ways to Give Your Hair More Body.

7. Buy a better bra
Eighty percent of women are wearing the wrong bra, says Stafford, and better-fitting under garments are going to make all the difference. The key is to get a bra that lifts your bust line, lengthening the distance from your bust to the top of the hip-making your torso appear even longer than it actually is.

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8. Drink more water
There's a good chance that the reason you feel so puffy is because you're bloated. Common culprits are rich and fatty foods, artificial sweeteners, and gum. The good news: you can flatten your belly by upping your water intake and ditching bloat-inducing foods--we're looking at you, carbs! See even more tips on how to prevent bloating.

Try 3 New Delicious Ways to Hydrate

9. Get your om on
Research shows that mindfulness meditation (and yoga!) can lead to positive mood changes. And studies also show that long-term meditators have increased gray matter density in the brain stem, which has been linked to improving self-control and emotion regulation, says Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a health psychologist at Stanford University.

Interested in giving meditation a try? Check out 3 New Weird Ways to Meditate.

10. Fake it
"If you walk into a room feeling fabulous, then everyone else will think you are," says Stafford. In other words, no one has to know that you feel fat. Plus, new research shows that a key to getting ahead on the job is by being confident-even if you're not the most qualified.

Bottom line: "You don't have to be the prettiest or the skinniest," says Stafford. "When you walk in like you own the room, you will."

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Lose pounds and inches and watch your Belly Flatten!