You are me 5 months ago!

You're doing great but as I'm so similar and I really feel I've cracked it... Here's what is FINALLY giving me an excellent relationship with food as well as slaying the excess.

Firstly, have a think about what foods you love and enjoy and want to eat regularly. This is important - don't go on a set diet with meal replacements or shakes or anything. You need to learn what portions to work with when it comes to maintenance. When you are eating how you want to eat and it covers what your body needs, you're not looking for an end point, and it's a lot harder to 'fall off' because you're already incorporating what YOU want and like

Then consider putting them together in high protein, low GI meals. This keeps you fuller for longer and will help curb the appetite

Find these items in frozen versions, and get a big freezer if you don't have one. EG mine is stocked with frozen portioned chicken, lamb, beef, sliced peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, garden veg, peas and some frozen herbs and garlic.

The reason for the frozen items is it's very near as good as fresh, easy to keep to hand, won't go off and you'll always have something to just throw in a covered pan and forget for 30 mins or so - bingo, dinner.

Also keep a stock of 0% greek yogurt for a great protein hit snack that again tends to keep well for ages in the fridge. (put it with anything you like, from PB2 to fruits, sweetener, cocoa powder, anything - experiment and see what you like)

Get a bunch of spices in if you haven't already - adding flavour and depth with almost no calories, allows you to change things up a bit and keep it interesting

Keep jars of whole-grains, like brown rice and pearl barley

Look for one pan or easy recipes, or browse /r/loseit and /r/1200isplenty when you are feeling full for new ideas and meals

Be flexible with calories. Some days I'm full on 1000, some days I need 1500/1600. It's fine to vary and go with the less hungry days to bank some for extra at the weekend or a hungry day or snack attack

Use myfitnesspal

Persist through any plateau's - it will happen, bodies are weird. The weight will drop again if you stick at it

Get and use a food scale, learn the portions

Keep up the 16:8 pattern, it works so well for me at controlling hunger alongside the high protein and low GI

Don't be afraid of fat - it's satiating and good for you in the right doses

Low carb things are useful for keeping cals down or for an emergency low cal meal if you accidentally go over, but on the whole I'm convinced whole grains especially with my main evening meal keep everything in check nicely

I was stuck in the exact same cycle of healthy stuff in the fridge getting ignored but I've cooked for myself for 115 nights in a row now. You get much more bang for your calorie buck when you cook for yourself

Good luck!