Great post Drew and you are definitely not alone.
I've struggled and lost the war in the waistline spread many years ago, however, over the years I have managed to firstly come to terms with a bit of a belly and secondly I can actually loose some of it.
I've tried all sorts of diets, counting calories etc etc and none have worked for me.
The secret I found was a exercise (but this is really just for good health not for weight loss) and intermittent fasting.
I realised that on many days I would naturally miss lunch/dinner just becasue I was working and either dint't get time to eat or just forgot! Then I by chance saw a program on TV about intermittent fasting and realised that I could quite easily do this.
After doing some research on it which shows many different ways of intermittent fasting I decided to try a simple routine of
1-day fasting (less than 1000calories)
2-3days normal eating
1-day fasting (less than 1000calories)
2-3days normal eating
etc
Of course I also cut out all the rubbish I was eating to such as snacks, biscuits etc.
What I found was that I could easily swap and change days around if needed and once I'd got into it, it was easy to do.
I also found planning your weekly meals a big help as this makes sure you have the food in and removes the temptation of 'oh what shall I eat tonight?'
The first time I did this regime I went from 98Kg down to 72Kg in about 5-months, then over the years my weight does creep back up, so I just repeat the regime and lose a few kilos.
I'm currently at 80Kg and want to get back down to 72kg so I am trying to get back onto my regime, although for some reason I am struggling this time to get into it.
However, now that I have started my NBE journey, this has given me more impetuous to crack on and do it, so for me it's fingers crossed - grow some breasts and lose my belly.
It is difficult but with perseverance and support it can be done safely and healthily.