I've been up and down with my weight my whole life. When I've been successful at losing weight, it has been primarily by counting calories. Up until last year, I would typically settle in to a diet that focused on lean protein and carbs, since fats are generally of much higher caloric content. But diabetes runs in my family, and last year I had an A1C of 8.3. It was pretty tough to make the switch from primarily protein/carbs to a low(er) carb diet, but thankfully the current Keto diet fad has provided a lot of alternatives to certain foods that I had to cut back on. I was able to get my A1C down to 5.9 based on diet alone, although I do wear a continuous glucose monitor, so it is easy for me to see what various foods do to my sugar to learn what I can and can't get away with. I don't count carbs specifically, but I know what my safe choices are.
Whatever you count, you will have much better results if you keep logging in your foods, even if you have a bad day or if you start eating the same things over and over and don't feel like you need to any more. Small, infrequent cheats become larger and more frequent. If you don't hold yourself accountable, then it's easy to fall off the wagon.
For counting, I use the SparkPeople app/website. They have a pretty big database of foods, and it's easy to add stuff that's not already built. It's also easy to copy meals from one day to the next if you eat the same breakfast, pack the same lunch, etc. When I count calories, i usualy also set a minimum protein amount as a secondary measure. For me, it helps guide me to the food choices that work best for me.