Sugar free/artificial sweeteners aren't really any better than real sugar. I've read over the years that your body really can't tell the difference between the two. For me, it's no artificial sweeteners (they tear me up) & I limit the real thing. And then the real sugar is minimally processed, it's cane sugar with the molasses still in it. Highly processed sugar like high fructose corn syrup, which is almost in everything, is very addictive.
Have you looked at a low carb diet? If not going full low carb, then maybe a combination of it & with another. Some people have better luck if they start off slowly changing their diet while others jump right in to it. Eating the right protein will stay with you & you won't feel as hungry & you can go longer between meals.
My husband has always been a snacker, I'm not. He has put on weight because of an ankle problem which has kept him from the gym. Two weeks ago he said he needs to loose weight, so I went through the house & got rid of everything that was a snack food for him. If it's not in the house, he can't eat it.
When my SIL moved into the house we had for her, we didn't allow any of the junk food foods she preferred eating which were pure sugar foods & snack chips, etc. Her health was terrible as was her weight. She was getting senior meals at the other house that was healthy, but she ate the bad food & left them to go to waste for the most part. She would make a 9" two-layer cake & eat in within two days. She also sat most of the day watching TV in the old house.
At the grocery, she was only allowed to buy real food. No ready-made cookies, cakes, pastries, potato chips, etc. As little processed boxed foods like potatoes or stuffing as we could. We found recipes her Mom used to make & she had recipes for making her own cookies. If she wanted them, she was going to have to get off her can & make them instead of watching the boob-tube all day. Having a one-story house she could get out of helped too. She even decided to mow her own grass which gave her excercise.
It didn't surprise my husband & I, but when she went to the doctor she found out that she was loosing weight at a normal rate. Getting off of her head meds her one doctor had her addicted to also was an immense help.
@Remy, you are being active by moving & working which helps. Go to the grocery with a list & stick to it. Even spread out your shops from once a week to every two weeks or once a month. Watching what you eat when your stressed is very hard. Dieting during the holidays is the worst. It is definitely hard to change eating habits & if you have restrictions it can be harder. I have faith in you that you can do it. We all will be hear to support you.