January 9, 2021:
Boom and bust cycles.
Nutrition and exercise for a few weeks, followed by full-on revolt for a few more, so that the weight fluctuates, the blood sugar boomerangs, and the belly oscillates from bloated to only semi-bloated.
Perhaps the most realistic strategy is the American Beauty one. Keep in mind the inescapable hormonal preference of the woman you love. And her own obsessive exercise. Just do it, workday obsession over time and productivity be damned.
But there's the point in time and age you run headlong into... well... time... and age. Where starting is the painful thing.