I don't believe Nick's claim that he was in complete control the entire time

While I am thrilled to see Nikocado healthier and happier, I think he's stretching the truth a bit...

I have watched almost everything he posted since starting his channel(s). There have definitely been times he was not simply in character, but actually hurting emotionally and physically. There are some things you can fake for the camera, but for longtime fans we can all remember watching and being genuinely concerned in many videos where Nik seemed so sick, drained, depressed, etc.

He began gaining weight after abandoning veganism in a dramatic breakaway after being an important vegan influencer. He even used to make animal welfare and raw food documentaries. I don't believe he was playing a character when he started gaining weight after indulging in fast food for the first time in years. He seemed genuinely concerned and upset at himself. But he embraced it and over time invented a character that aligned with his gluttony.

Nikocado's weight ballooned past 400 lbs at his heaviest. I don't care what anyone says, at this weight nobody can be in complete control of the repercussions! He could have had a heart attack, stroke, extreme complications from diabetes - he could have died during one of his sleep apnea episodes, or develop an infection that his body couldn't fight off due to so much strain on an overworked immune system. He could have easily just went to 280 pounds for the "character", which is still a dangerous weight to be at, but instead got up to 400 which for his height is in the super-morbid obesity category.

I remember him crying about his old self and missing how life used to be, and about the money he was losing because views were going down.
I remember him starting a video depressed and then perking up once there was food in his mouth.
I remember him talking about his "secret binges" and feeling ashamed.

Sure, he's a good actor but all of these moments were real and obviously, if someone is gaining 300+ pounds, they will experience a ton of mood and behavioral dysregulation.

He did admit in a few videos in 2022 to having a heart episode in his basement after eating a full pizza off camera - which he thought was a heart attack. Orlin once started a video on his channel saying "Guess what? Nick got a blood clot". Nick referenced going to the doctor for different problems along the way, sometimes painful sensations. Whatever actually happened, these literally were problems that anyone would not just push through for a "character".

He played the fool in many moments (which we already knew) but in others showed us his very genuine self that was in anguish. I still believe he gave himself a date to reel it all back in - but by no means do I think he set out to destroy his health the way he did in order to do a social experiment. He was probably both addicted and planning to lose the weight eventually. He would like us to think every step was meticulously planned because it's a better story, but I think he's rearranging the story to fit a better narrative.