dan_philly said:

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming…

Before/after narrative for mental health — one year in:

Before (284 lbs): Winded climbing stairs, chronic back pain, pre-diabetic, on 3 medications, dreaded mirrors, avoided photos, social anxiety about my weight.

After (179 lbs): Run 3 miles regularly, pain-free, A1C normal, down to 1 medication, bought a swimsuit for the first time in a decade, actually enjoy being photographed.

Total weight lost: 84 lbs. Total life gained: immeasurable. This isn't just about weight — it's about reclaiming your identity.

dan_philly said:

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming…

This is exactly what I could not find anywhere else. I will report back once I have actually tried it.

From the other side of the consultation, briefly. The honest answer is that the effect is real, the magnitude is contested, and the individual variation is larger than either. Those three things can all be true at once, and most arguments here are two people holding different parts of that.

Happy to go further on any of that.

anders_CPH said:

The honest answer is that the effect is real, the magnitude is contested, and the individual variation is larger than either.

Same experience, arrived at from the opposite direction. The detail I would add is minor and it is already implied above.

anders_CPH said:

The honest answer is that the effect is real, the magnitude is contested, and the individual variation is larger than either.

Adding the part of the answer the thread has not reached. Worth answering the question that was asked rather than the one behind it. The narrow version usually has an answer; the broad version usually does not, and answering the broad one is how a thread stops being useful.