LipidDoc_ATL said:

One year anniversary on mental health — reflections: What I wish I'd known: the side effects are temporary, the benefits compound over time, protein…

Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed. Rapid weight loss, a large deficit and disrupted sleep produce low mood on their own, and separating that from a drug effect is genuinely hard.

MariaRD said:

The weight came off and the harder part started, which is not what any of the material I read had prepared me for.

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.

TrialNerd_Beth said:

I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed.

Mood changes on mental health: I want to be transparent — I went through a rough patch emotionally around month 4. 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.

Following on from kim_atl_prep — and this may be the naive question:

How long did you give it before you decided it was working?

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.