I can relate to not wanting to restrict foods, I really can't be successful with a program with very specific foods or blanket restrictions as I don't cook much, travel a lot, and in general can't follow a specific eating plan.
That said, I have been
extremely happy with the process of online calorie counting (using like TheDailyPlate or FitDay). It has really opened my eyes to where I am wasting calories, that is things that are very high calories that do not bring me the corresponding eating pleasure
I have a general calorie range I try to stick around, but unlike many on here, I'm not too strict about going under or over as long as it is balanced overall.
I'll always remember the first time I looked up the calorie count for my "standard" meal at Taco Bell, which is one of my favs when out and about. It was almost 1,900 calories!!!!YIKES!!! I've replaced it with something I like almost as much for around 500 calories at Taco Bell, and now I save 1,400 calories each visit. This single change alone is worth 20 lbs in a year, just from greater awareness.
I would highly recommend that you try it, remember it's a simple equation
calories in < calories out
If you only focus on the calories out (which deserves attention!) it's super easy to almost unknowingly make a corresponding increase in calories in which will make you unhappy with the results.
The food you eat (not dieting), is a huge part of the equation...most would say 70-80%, so you should do something in this space too.
Oops you weren't asking for opinions
Good luck