Support group thread — looking for input

hans_munich said:

Body image adjustment with mental health: I've lost 85 lbs but when I look in the mirror, I still see my old self sometimes.

hans_munich said:

...mental health should only be used alongside therapy...

I'd say therapy should be AVAILABLE to all GLP-1 patients, but requiring it as a precondition for treatment would create an access barrier.

Not everyone can afford therapy. Not everyone needs it. Some people do just fine with medication + lifestyle changes. But for those with emotional eating, body image issues, or disordered eating history, therapy is extremely valuable.

My recommendation: make mental health screening part of the initial assessment, offer therapy as a recommended adjunct, but don't gatekeep medication access behind it.

LibrarianMeg said:

Positive side effects of mental health that surprised me: Clearer skin — inflammation reduction improved my rosacea Better sleep — weight loss…

Thank you — that is the clearest version of this I have read, and I have read a lot of them.

hans_munich said:

Body image adjustment with mental health: I've lost 85 lbs but when I look in the mirror, I still see my old self sometimes.

One year anniversary on mental health — reflections:

What I wish I'd known: the side effects are temporary, the benefits compound over time, protein is more important than I thought, and the mental health aspect needs as much attention as the physical.

What surprised me: how much my relationship with food changed, the cascade of health improvements beyond weight, and how supportive this community is.

What I'd do differently: start therapy earlier, prioritize resistance training from day 1, and stop comparing my progress to others. Everyone's journey is unique.

WendyG_ATL said:

My mood has been flatter since about month four and I genuinely cannot work out whether that is the drug, the deficit, or the fact that I no longer…

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming a new version of yourself.

Key realizations: I used food to manage emotions, I had internalized fatphobia that I'm still unpacking, my social identity was partly built around being "the big guy/girl," and learning to accept compliments is surprisingly hard when you've been invisible for years.

Physical transformation without emotional processing is unstable. Do both.

Moderator note: leaving this open. It is being argued well and the disagreement is the useful part.