Search Results: going on a diet

Yes, I get that some people will say "they should've never gotten fat to begin with" or that "normal weight people don't get praise for not getting fat" and all that jazz. The thing is, it's EXTREMELY F*CKIN HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Despite what some armchair nutritionists may think, it's not just simple math of starving yourself at a caloric defecit and eating next to nothing for a month or more until the pounds shed off. Actual experts will tell you starving yourself doesn't work, and that weight gain isn't as simple as gluttony. There's a ton of factors that contribute to weight gain, with one of the biggest ones being mental and stress. This may be an assumption on my end, but most overweight people don't seem very happy. (I sure wasn't, my entire life.) Stress is a heavy contributor to weight gain, even if you avoid fast food and have a pretty vanilla plain diet.

So while I'm not saying it's "heroic" to lose weight, I don't see what the point is on sh*tting on people trying to turn their life around. Same with people coming off drug addiction, or other problems in life. If people are going to be assholes to them regardless, why even bother to improve themselves along the way?

So I ask, do people who lose a lot of weight or otherwise improve their bodies deserve kudos and respect for turning their life around?

This one is going to be controversial, I'm sure.

I'm 27 i have 2 steady jobs although my income is not great its barely over minimum wage really. My expenses are low so I do have a some what decent amount of $$ leftover every month after necessities and CC payments. ($500-$1000 Roughly) I'm also looking to seek therapy for my maladaptive daydreaming issues and other deep seated issues on better help.
I am good looking only slightly overweight which would not be noticeable if I wear a shirt. I do go to the gym cardio and weights and my diet is mostly on point. I find that I can have some but not a lot of free time but at least enough time to work on my passion project and side hustle. I have been on 2 dates my whole life no girlfriend ever, few hookups, so I've had little experience and little success before. I plan on making my side hustle to eventually be my FT income. Should I self improve more and get my side hustle going and start making more money first? or should I start putting my self out there now to make other guy friends and start dating right away so i can have some company in my life and not be so lonely?