I think when it comes to his health, he’s lying to himself because he wants to believe it. He does 95% less rehab than needs do but 5% more than he wants to do, so his arm is healing. He eats much more unhealthy food than he should, but he does a token thing like not drink a soda, so the weight is falling off. He walked a few more steps this week, so his legs must be getting better.
He’s basically tricked his brain to think that the token things he does are major and substantive, so the results are real. When it comes to Successful YouTuber or Best Sauces Ever, it’s all marketing and fronting and he knows it’s bullshit. I think he’s legitimately convinced himself he’s living a better lifestyle, though. For someone like him, this mindset is ultimately significantly more dangerous than the behavior itself.