I have lots of thoughts on this. Here's my take, if it's helpful:
My spouse and I both lost weight during the pandemic. I lost a little, he lost a lotttt, and there were several reasons, I think. We weren't going out to eat anymore and it's amazing what a difference that made. Restaurant food tends to be extremely calorie rich and portion sizes huge because that's how they make money. I'm very fortunate that my spouse likes to cook, because it means we don't eat as much pre-made, processed food as we would otherwise. But, right at the beginning of the pandemic, he fell and chipped a bone in his shoulder so I started making all the food while he healed. I don't like to cook, so for lunch I was making sandwiches (lettuce, cheese, lunchmeat, whole grain or seed bread) every day while taking care of him. He found they worked really well to keep his hunger levels sated and regulate mood, so he just kept making sure to have a sandwich for lunch each day after he was back to rights. "It's sandwich day!" we joke. He also has found he really enjoys the endorphins from intense exercise, so he has made a routine of that and goes for walks to fix funky moods.
We also cut down on the amount of meat we eat. We were eating a
lot of beef, honestly. Now, hamburgers are maybe once a month, lol.
He also is really interested in what science currently understands about weight and shares articles about various studies with me, and listens to podcasts. We've tried some diets, and watched friends and family do Keto and Atkins and fasting and what-have-you. Weight goes, and often it comes back when the diet stops.
I think what really makes the difference is doing something that you're happy to keep doing in the long term. If your body is comfortable not eating after 5 pm until 7am, that's sustainable for you. Diets that make you feel stressed out because you're denying yourself things all the time eventually fail and we bounce back.
Everyone is a bit different, so it's important to pay attention to what you eat and how it makes you feel. Are you starving for your next meal? Maybe a carb-heavy breakfast is crashing your blood sugar, and you need more fats, fiber, and protein instead. Sugar is highly addictive and also we get super accustomed to it. After reducing the amount of sugar I consume for a while, I'm always kind of grossed out by how sweet food is in the U.S. We put WAY too much sugar in food here, and we vilify fats that actually would keep us more satisfied. Substituting them with artificial sugars doesn't do you a lot of good either. If you can start to let yourself appreciate foods that are a bit more bland, or that get their flavor from herbs, spices, acidity, freshness, healthy fats, etc, you can dodge many calories that you didn't really need in the first place.
Eating mindfully is a big deal, honestly. So many of us scarf our food because we're short on time or super hungry, but if you can make yourself really chew and taste everything, you'll get more satisfaction out of it, digest easier, and also give your body time to overcome that delay between eating and getting the feedback that you're full. Have water with your food too. When you eat delicious things, savor them as long as you can, and check in with how you're feeling, if it's nourishing you or making you feel a bit gross. If the next bite isn't as fulfilling as the previous one, might be time to set it aside and enjoy the rest another time. You can save it as a gift for your future self, something to look forward to. You don't have to feel bad about loving cheese or baked goods. Just be really aware of what they do for you, and don't use them as relief for something else you're missing.
And be kind to your body. Fat is an organ, a system of your body. It's programmed to do a lot of things for your survival, including change your weight with the seasons, your stress levels, your age, your health, etc etc etc. Don't be angry or disgusted with yourself if you're not where you want to be, just become aware of how things are going and start being conscientious again if you think you've been drifting. You can be curvy and healthy, just as you can be skinny and unwell. Give it time, and do it for you and not what anyone else thinks.
