Goal weight anxiety — March 2026

dan_philly said:

The mental-health dimension is under-measured in the trial literature and the reports here are consistent enough to take seriously.

Recovering from an eating disorder and using mental health: this is a complex situation and I want to be transparent about it.

I have a history of binge eating disorder. My psychiatrist, therapist, and prescribing doctor all collaborate on my care. The GLP-1 agonist has actually been therapeutic — it removes the biological urgency of binge impulses without relying on restriction.

This is NOT appropriate for all ED patients. Anorexia, bulimia, and restrictive EDs require different approaches. But for BED specifically, the evidence and my personal experience are positive. Always involve your mental health team.

A narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:

What did you change at the same time, and can you separate the two now?

SleepDoc_PDX said:

Recovering from an eating disorder and using mental health: this is a complex situation and I want to be transparent about it.

Body image adjustment with mental health: I've lost 87 lbs but when I look in the mirror, I still see my old self sometimes. "Phantom fat" is a real phenomenon.

My therapist specializes in body image issues with weight loss patients. She says it can take 12-18 months for your brain's body map to update. In the meantime: take progress photos (your eyes lie but cameras don't), try on old clothes, and be patient with yourself.

Reporting back.

Follow-up — I put something in the gap where food used to be rather than waiting for the gap to close on its own. That was the part nobody told me.

LibrarianMeg said:

Body image adjustment with mental health: I've lost 87 lbs but when I look in the mirror, I still see my old self sometimes.

Mood changes on mental health: I want to be transparent — I went through a rough patch emotionally around month 2. Not depression exactly, but a weird flatness. Food was my main coping mechanism and without that, I had to develop new ones.

Therapy has been essential. I'd strongly recommend anyone starting GLP-1 therapy also invest in mental health support. The physical transformation is only half the journey.