I think you're making this sound harder than it is.

If you count calories and stick to a budget, you will lose weight, even if those calories come from deep-fried fast food. Sure, it's good to eat more whole fruits and vegetables, and you should, but weight loss doesn't require some kind of Edenic perfection. Stick to a calorie budget and you will lose weight, the end.

We can add some second and third order provisos, sure. The next tip would be to go low carb. And to keep a spreadsheet with calorie numbers for everything you eat. Track what you're doing.

But basically, if you eat 1500 kcal/day for nine months, you will be much thinner. We don't have to make it harder than that. It works. Perfection is not required.