5 years post-80kg weight loss here (bariatric surgery, not GLP-1, but the emotional journey is identical). Things I wish someone had told me at your stage:

1. The identity crisis is normal and temporary. You will eventually feel like "you" in your new body. It took me about 18 months.
2. Other people will treat you differently and it will bring up complicated feelings — anger, grief, validation, confusion. All valid.
3. The relationship you had with food was probably more complicated than "I ate too much." Losing weight doesn't automatically resolve emotional eating patterns. Therapy is not optional IMO, it's essential.
4. Some friendships will change. People who bonded with you over food/dieting/complaining about weight might not know how to relate to the "new" you. That's painful but it makes room for deeper connections.
5. Loose skin or not — you did something incredibly difficult. Do not let a cosmetic issue overshadow the health victory. Period.

It gets better. I promise it gets better. ❤️

The idea that you "should just be grateful" is one of the most harmful narratives around weight loss. You can be grateful for the health improvements AND struggling with the emotional aftermath. Both things are true simultaneously. Gratitude doesn't cancel out grief — and yes, major weight loss involves grief. Grief for your former identity, grief for the body you expected to have, grief for the years spent in a larger body.

You deserve support through this. Please reach out to a therapist. This community is wonderful but it's not a replacement for professional help. ❤️

Made a therapy appointment today. First session next Wednesday. I feel lighter already just from posting here and making that call. This forum is genuinely special — thank you for creating a space where we can talk about the hard stuff, not just the scale victories. 🙏