I have food issues like a malamute and struggled with my body image / weight from age 12 to present (3 decades and change).

aging has made everything harder except I guess my capacity for understanding and being honest with myself have improved.

I do still care more than I should about if others find me pleasant to look at, but the stakes are lower than they ever have been lol. so now I legitimately just try to find the courage and will to improve myself for general health. I quit booze completely and have accepted how awkward I am at social functions. I don't have to feel like I'm funny or cool anymore. I'm an old fuck. I quit tobacco . I get good sleep, I stay hydrated, I stretch daily, I take my medications, I monitor my BP, I walk all over the goddamn place, and I have cultivated a deep well of affection for those vegetable heavy dishes that use heat and acid instead of salt and sugar.

my personal quality of life has improved enough from these things that I'm much less emotionally invested than I was in my pcp's interpretation of my lifestyle based on how my teat panels came back. like I just never get sick or get headaches anymore. that alone is an enduring source of strength for me.

of course, unlike the last 10 years, now everything is always moving in a good direction, so there's no conflict.