Downside though is that sometimes I end up “wanting to want.” Like, having a date night with the wife, social gatherings with food, or just the occasional indulgence.
I liked the book "the glucose revolution" which describes how blood sugar affects you, and some hacks to manage it.
If your blood sugar spikes, it will eventually crash, making you tired, irritable, think unclearly and have strong cravings.
If you manage your blood sugar to even it out, you'll have even energy levels, clear thinking and won't be hungry.
there were a few easy ways to do this. Walking 10 minutes after eating. Switching the order of food in a meal to start out with fiber, add protein and fat and eat carbs towards the end. not eating carbs alone. lots of other things.
EDIT: random summary:
https://wisewords.blog/book-summaries/glucose-revolution-boo...