Tips needed!

As others have said, it helps to learn to distinguish real hunger from grazing because food looks attractive. I like the suggestion of setting a 20-minute timer.

I was reading Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" last night. His basic advice is to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." In the section where he explains what he means by "not too much," he notes that Americans tend to stop eating when their plate or bag of food is empty, whereas the French stop when they are full. Like all generalizations, there are limits, but in general, we Americans do seem to rely on extrinsic clues to tell us when to stop eating. When there's a lot of food always available, that's a problem. You need to learn to develop an intrinsic sense of when to eat, and when to stop.

That said, in my first 3-4 weeks on MFP, I got real hunger pangs, often. I was training myself to live on about 550-600 calories fewer than what I needed to maintain my weight, and therefore about 600-650 calories fewer than my body was used to eating (I had been slowly gaining about 6 pounds a year). Until my ability to draw on fat stores improved, I was frequently hungry. I just sucked it up, because my eyes were on the long-term goal. I did, and do, find low-calorie, high-bulk snacks to be helpful: especially pickles and celery. But after over a year of running a deficit (except for three weeks over the holidays!), I no longer need snacks unless I'm really hungry.

Today someone brought in homemade chocolate chip cookies -- seriously!!! I wanted not just one but the whole bag -- I wanted to steal it away and hide in my office and eat all of them... but I don't want to be fat --- argh --- so I didn't even have one. I wish I had something revolutionary to tell you - it's hard - everyday,. hour, minute, second.... it's hard. I just tell myself that fitting into my smaller clothes this summer will be worth walking away from the chocolate chip cookies and everything else. Also - I take all my meals and have my entire day planned in the morning so I don't have to think about where I'm getting my next meal. It takes about 30 minutes in the morning to get it all together but it helps me. I also workout almost everyday and that allows me extra calories to eat and drink..... Good luck - stay strong!!

What are some of your strategies to keep on track when goodies are all around? What do some of you do to keep from snacking all of the time?

Either eat them, enjoy them, count them, and make them fit... or avoid them.

Lastly, what are some suggestions to help control feelings of hunger as my body adjusts to proper portions? (The last question is probably the most important because I feel like portion control is what I struggle with the most.)

Eating enough. Get that protein, fat, fiber. If you feed yourself appropriately, you won't be hungry. No need for "proper portion" worries.

Exactly what he said and prepare your meals the night before so you know what you're eating and work in anything you might want. I truly believe you can have everything in moderation

A glass of milk goes a long way with me. I'm not really a huge fan of drinking plain milk. But it really makes a difference in how you feel. It satisfies both a thirsty and hungry feeling. There are some solids in the milk-fat and there is protein for energy, and it really takes away that between-meal munchy urge and the hunger that sometimes comes earlier than expected. Plus, and extra boost of calcium and some vitamin D, good stuff.