Up until my mid 20s, I paid no attention to what I ate. I graduated high school at 155 (5’10”) and came out of college only a few pounds more than that. It wasn’t until I crept up just shy of 200 in my mid to later 20s that I realized I had to be better.
In terms of food, I’m an advocate for just being conscious. I don’t take much of anything totally off the table so to speak, but before I eat something high in sugar, cholesterol, calories etc, I do a quick recap of what I’ve eaten over the last couple of days. If I had pizza yesterday, I’m not having it again today. How much have I eaten for breakfast and what did I have? When’s the last time I had a couple servings of veggies?
I think sometimes people think you either have to go on a regimented diet or just not care. I’ve had a good amount of success just trying to stay “casually aware” and making smart decisions based off that.