Fitness

As the other commenter said, I recommend not counting calories. I don't necessarily recommend low-carbing (I've done it, it works, but I don't think it should be the first line for weight loss), but I agree that counting calories is not a great strategy.

Here is the thing: you used MyFitnessPal 10 years ago. And yet, here you are again, looking to lose weight. Either you gained the weight back, or you never really lost it the first time. This is a familiar experience for almost everyone who counts calories. Because the thing to realize is that all (reasonable) weight loss programs work, just as long as you keep doing them. But if you stop doing them, you gain the weight back. So the only way to achieve your body comp goals and stay at that level the rest of your life is to figure out a body comp strategy and keep doing it for the rest of your life. And counting calories, for most people, is onerous and annoying and just one more thing to do, and now you can't eat as much pizza and ice cream as you want, and it sucks.

Instead, most people who stay lean for years and years simply focus on living healthy lives. The long term solution for most people isnt going low carb or counting calories or whatever. It is creating a fundamental shift in their identity to "I am a healthy person, who does the things healthy people do." And then by doing those things and spending time with other healthy people, their body comp naturally stays in check.

Honestly, my biggest recommendation for achieving long term body comp goals is to go make lots of skinny friends and hang out with them as much as possible. You'll naturally adopt their habits, lifestyle, and mindset, and the weight will come off without even trying.

On your own, I do think the most impactful thing you can do is track what you eat. But track quality rather than quantity. For this, you can just use a normal notes app, or just a pen and paper. Every day, track how much you weigh, and track what you eat. Eg:

5/16 - 100kg egg sandwich at home taco bell burritos grilled chicken + veggies at home

Then every week, review your weight fluctuations and what you ate. Then with, for example, the taco bell, you can ask yourself "why did I do that, and how can I avoid doing it in the future?" That might mean asking why you were stressed out, suggesting you coworkers go somewhere else for lunch, or leaving your credit cards somewhere difficult to access so you are less tempted to eat out. Over time, you change your lifestyle and habits, and you find you are eating unhealthily far less often.