Solid stuff, much to ponder. And I'm a guy who has read a great many self-help books.

Personal story here. I used to be a junk food addict, obese, and a yo-yo dieter. The cycle was exactly as OP described.

But last December I quit junk food entirely, haven't had a single bite of it since, and lost 45 pounds from my peak. The amazing part is, it wasn't even hard.

What happened? Well, I got sick. Bouts of indigestion, coming faster and more intensely over time, until one bad night I was writhing on the floor for 12 hours straight in the worst agony of my life, ended up in a hospital ER wondering if I was dying. But weirdly the doctors could find nothing wrong and sent me home.

Much research and trial and error, and I realized, it was the junk food causing it. And realizing also, I'm an addict who can't have "just a little bit", I quit completely.

Insight, just as OP said.

My mentality changed too, just as OP describes. Before it was "oh, I know the stuff is bad for me. Hard to care. It's comfort food, makes me feel better."

But after I quit, I'd see the stuff at the grocery store. A temptation would hit, until I remembered writhing in agony on the floor, and the craving would disappear instantly.

I'd have a thought tempting me "come on! Just one bite won't hurt!", except I knew that was wrong. "Yes, it would. It would trigger an eventual relapse. It's opening the door, just a crack, back to hell. No WAY am I ever doing that again!"

One difference between me and OP, it wasn't a game to me. It was life and death.

But it's otherwise just like OP said. I don't even miss the junk food. It never tasted that good. "No food tastes as good as being healthy feels."

I replaced old thoughts with new ones. No brainwashing, no "positive thinking". It worked, because I knew the new thoughts were absolutely not fake. I'd already experienced it.

I don't feel deprived. I don't want the stuff anymore. What surprised me the most, is it was easy. No struggle, no stress, no ordeal, no feeling deprived or oppressed. I'm much happier with the way I am now. I don't ever want to go back.