CastlesMadeOSand,
From what I understand, overweight people who get enough exercise are healthier than "normal" weight people who are sedentary.
When I exercise, it makes me mindful, and it helps me not obsess about how much I ate or didn't eat. I biked 50 miles every day last summer, when I didn't work full time and didn't volunteer at all so I had a lot of time. I biked 15 mph. Now I work a lot of hours, my son has 3 orchestras that I drive him to, and I volunteer a lot, so I am only getting 25 miles in every day (indoors, on a trainer). But still 15 mph! *sigh* It helps me a lot.
Other people have more useful thoughts than mine, but please let us know how you're doing!