Hey spacekablooey,
My goodness, what a history; but I’m so glad that you are feeling better! For whatever it’s worth, I just wanted to second what Thomas said. I also feel you may be at a critically point (important stage).
I obviously can only speak from my limited experience, but I benefited greatly from the whole “eat whatever the hell you want and forget about exercise” approach. The problem occurred when I didn’t stop. I gained weight (not in a good way), and I sported a very sexy blood pressure of 160/100 that happened to hang around until I lost the weight. (I was never anywhere close to being overweight; I just weighed too much for me.)
It’s not that I regret trying this approach (well, I actually kind of do), but the real issue was that I didn’t stop when I knew that I should. I should have been more aware and mindful of what was going on, and listened to my body.
A cautionary tale. Good luck, and I hope you have continued success!