[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).