I'd like to offer my two cents here if it's welcome!
I've always been fat but have never been "unhealthy" and I believe it is in large part to balancing my diet. I love a good fast food binge, I can take down three bowls of pasta in one sitting, and Chinese food may very well be the way to my heart, but I also will f*ck up a chicken ceasar salad, or an entire bag of grapes. Strawberries and Nutella? Yes freaking please! I'll sometimes just have an entire bag of steamed broccoli with some ranch seasoning and butter for a snack.
I think one of the best things you can do is listen to your body when it comes to maintaining your health. When you eat things that your body tells you it doesn't like (through things like heartburn and acid reflux, dehydration, digestive issues, skin issues like rashes or acne, etc) it can help to balance your diet with more nutrient rich and water heavy foods.
Foods with high water contents will make you feel satisfied longer and, what I'm more concerned with for myself, they make you just feel physically better.
Getting more water through actually drinking it or having foods that have a higher water content has made me feel so much better over the last few years. Like literally cleared up my skin, significantly reduced headaches, helped me feel more alert and awake, and really has overall improved my quality of life. All of that being said, I'm also at the heaviest I've ever been with no health issues whatsoever.
So, I'd recommend looking for those foods that you enjoy! Even if it means putting cheese on your veggies, Nutella or some sugar on your fruit, or more dressing on your salad, balancing your diet out can do wonders for your health and, what I think is more important here, it can make you just feel so much better overall. Plus, most Americans don't actually eat enough fruits and vegetables, or consume enough water which is what causes so many of the health issues we see, especially the ones that medical professionals believe are tied to obesity.
The thing is, the underlying cause of most of the health issues that come with being overweight is the actual diet, not the weight itself (apart from joint/muscle issues caused by the actual weight itself). By balancing out the things that negatively impact your body with things that positively impact it you can make huge quality of life improvements for yourself that (keep in mind I am not a medical professional) will likely positively impact your health as well.
The big thing here is that it's not about what foods are "good" or "bad" for you, it's about how you physically feel and how they're affecting your overall health. If anything, this balance can lead to a more sustainable and long term gain because it helps eliminate those health issues that put gains on pause or even cause them to need to be reversed. And wouldn't you rather suck it up and eat more fruits and veggies and drink more water than have to completely change your lifestyle due to a major health risk?
Good luck out there everyoneđź’•
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