[chrisa]

If you drink soda or other sugary drinks, stop that first (or switch to diet).

Then, the only thing that has really worked for me: pick either lunch or dinner, and take 1/2 of the meal (before you start eating), and box it up for tomorrow. Don't get seconds.

I was eating out for lunch a lot, and when I started eating just 1/2 of the meal, I started to lose weight (surprise surprise).

It's not fun or easy to stop eating at 1/2 a meal, but it's a simple rule to remember. After you're used to eating less, you can start worrying about eating healthy foods, etc., but to start with that was too overwhelming. The simpler the rules you set for yourself - the easier it will be to stick to it.

[Jtsummers]

I've found a glass of water with a splash of lemon/lime juice satisfies my soda cravings, and is probably better than drinking diet soda. On ice, I can fill the glass a couple times before it loses all the lemon/lime flavor.

Boxing the meals is a really good idea. When I first lost a lot of weight (and finally kept it off), I was usually doing this (though it was stress that had killed my appetite, it wasn't intentional). Once I'd reset my concept of "full" it was much easier, after the stressors were resolved, to maintain that eating level. I allow myself more food now, but I'm also much more active. And when I spent a few months unable to exercise (injuries), adjusting my diet down to the lower activity level was easy (only gained ~3 pounds over 4 months, most in the first month).