Trying to lose - need friendly support

Here's my story.

I'm 44yo, male, and struggling with my weight since puberty. I'm tall, and I've been told I "carry it well", but no one would look at me and think anything but "fat". My health otherwise is pretty darn good. I have low cholesterol, my blood sugar is great,, and my doctor says I'm one of the healthiest overweight people he's ever seen. But overweight (actually obese) I definitely am. I would love to lose 50 lbs, ideally 100 lbs.

I don't eat junk food (except on rare occasions), I stay away from processed foods, and am a huge fan of Michael Pollan's books.

I've also been a strict vegetarian since the age of 21, except a 10 month break around 2 years ago when I was trying to get more protein after cutting back on gluten and dairy, which were both giving me issues. Unlike people who try to be vegetarians and fall off the wagon, so to speak, I did the opposite - I couldn't stick to meat - it just bothered me too much, so I went back to vegetarianism, albeit now pesco-vegetarianism (eating fish). And in any case, I GAINED weight on meat, instead of losing, despite trying to be Atkins-ish.

I get exercise on a regular basis & walt a couple of miles every day. I bike & swim & occasionally hike.

My wife & I are kind of foodies, and that's the problem. I've been told I'm a very good cook. I like to eat. And I think in some ways I'm addicted to eating. And work stress makes me more likely to binge. Yes, binging might mean an omelet with fried vegetables and olive oil. But I use way too much olive oil. I like carbs too much, even if it's whole spelt bread.

On the advice of my doctor, who told me that in my 40's I could no longer just coast on having good blood test results, I joined Weight Watchers a few months ago. I started tracking and for the first time in years I began to actually lose weight. But the WW meetings were a bit silly, and they pushed their products too much. And their mobile app is really difficult to use. On a friend's advice, I downloaded the MFP app, which works SO much better! And while continuing to attend WW meetings, I used the MFP app and MFP online instead. But I felt more & more disconnected from WW because of that. So I quit back around Thanksgiving and figured I could just continue to lose weight by continuing to use MFP. But without the routine and encouragement of weekly meetings, as silly as they were, and without the weekly weight-in, I kept falling off tracking. I haven't gained back all the 14 lbs I lost, but I may have gained back around 5 of them.

I keep thinking that I should go to OA meetings, but haven't gotten myself to do so yet. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the whole quasi-religious aspect of it, even if they make everyone welcome.

So I'm hoping to kick off fresh enthusiasm for myself by getting involved in MFP groups and forums at least, to help keep me on the straight & narrow. I know what I have to do. I just have a hard time doing it.

Any advice and encouragement would be very appreciated.

Thanks!

-Dave