(Usually something someone would call "junk food", but some douchebag somewhere will complain about any food except lettuce.)
I'm just going to be honest. From the other side of the Internet, you are coming across sounding like an asshole. Perhaps others are also being assholes, but that doesn't change the way that you come across.
My experience has been somewhat similar, but somewhat different from yours. I, too, was overweight, and my doctor was giving me a hard time about all sorts of things. Cholesterol, blood pressure, problems in my blood chemistry, and god knows what else. He said that I'd need to go on blood pressure and cholesterol meds soon.
Well, I got my weight down to healthy levels and suddenly all of my other levels were in the normal range, as well. I'm sure it's different for different people, but for me, it seemed being overweight was causing a bunch of health problems.
As for losing weight, as you note, the answer is always "eat less". But the trick bit is how do you do that? It's a simple matter to eat 1500 calories worth of potato chips and soda, yet still feel starving again in a few hours. When most people (myself included) feel hungry and there is food around, the answer is to eat the food, whatever it is. Most people lack the willpower--over the long run--to say, "I'm starving, there is food right here that will take away my pain, but I know that it will make me fat so I'm just not going to eat it." They can deny themselves once. They can deny themselves twice. But sooner or later, they will give in. Some people have above-average willpower, and it sounds like you might be one of those people. That's great for you, but it won't work for most people.
What worked for me was keeping a food log of what I ate, how much, how many calories it was, and most importantly, how long it made me feel satisfied for. Only once I had that information could I eat less without feeling hungry and irritable. And it just so happened that the foods with the highest satiety to calories ratio were high in fiber and protein. Fats also led to satiety, but tended to pack a higher calorie wallop. Anyway, those high in fiber/protein foods tended to be what most people call "health foods". Vegetables, nuts, hard cheeses, cottage cheese, etc. What most people call "junk food" was the worst. It had high calories, but did hardly sated me at all.
So in order to lose weight, I simply banished junk food from my reach and I stock health foods and water in easy reach. I drink water all day long, and when I'm hungry, I snack on high protein/fiber things.
After a while, I started doing weight training. This provides further motivation to continue with the healthy eating, as I am much happier seeing myself looking muscular than seeing my old self. Make no mistake: working out did not help in the "eat less" department. It's definitely got me eating more. But now I'm more concerned with how I look in the mirror rather than a number on a scale. I would advise people starting out in weight loss not to add in exercise as it tends to lead to overeating, and as the old saying goes, "You can't outrun your fork."
I guess my point is that, while I agree with you that eating less is the way to lose weight, I have to point out that for most people, the secret to eating less is to eat "healthy food". Apparently you did not need that, but I definitely did and still do. And for the record, I still eat junk food. But I only do so a few times a week.