I was 280 lbs, now I'm 198. Sleep, diet, and exercise are paramount. I gave up junk food. I stopped eating out except for Chinese at a place that goes light on sodium and oil, and even then kept that once a week or biweekly depending on my activity level.

I'm going to be brutally honest with you about diet. It's more about what one eats as opposed to how much. I pile in food like crazy, but what I'm eating is full of fiber and promotes weight loss with goods fats, quality protein, and carbohydrates that don't cause significant spikes in insulin: brown rice, oatmeal, vegatables, coconut, fresh fruit, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, nuts, legumes. I have made these changes in gradual steps over the course of years, mostly because i had and still yet have no one in my life who knew bettter. At this point I have almost completely removed refined sugars from my dietary intake, but before that I resolved to avoid high fructose corn-syrup like the plague it is by substituting with foods using sugar or honey.

While taking medications there will likely be weight that won't come off. That ravenous apetite might continue regardless of how much is consumed, but what one chooses to address those hunger pangs with is entirely under ones own control; impulse control ultimately comes down to Willpower and that takes time and effort to build.

Bad diet can lead to weight gain, but it also can lead to poor mental health due to nutrient deficiencies, insulin spikes, hormonal imbalances, toxins, and many other factors directly and indirectly influencing mood and energy. You are what you eat is a literal truth - if you want to determine who you are then exert control over what you ingest. I grew weary of forfeiting control of mind and body to a disorderly mood and took action to change both; I have been successful, more so than medication alone ever was.