Dealing with temptation... anyone else does this?

I used to do that, but not anymore. What helped is telling myself that I can have whatever it is whenever I want in whatever quantity I want. Basically, nothing is off limit in any way. The only caveat is that I need to be very aware of my food decisions when I make these food choices. No impulse eating, no "just this time" eating, no "I'll start over tomorrow" eating.

If I want something high in calories I ask myself a series of questions: Why do I want this food? Do I really want it or am I reaching for it because it feels forbidden? Do I really like the taste or is it just habitual? Is my choice controlled or am I food hoarding because I feel deprived? How does this food usually make me feel before, during, and after eating it? What's the smallest quantity that would genuinely satisfy me, not what I think my portion should be, and is it worth the calorie hit (I don't like teasing myself with a whiff of something that leaves me wanting it even more)? Is this food worth going up to maintenance calories today, knowing full well that too many maintenance days means taking longer to reach my goal? Am I willing to eat lower calorie foods today to fit this in or would that be too stressful? How often have I gone over my calories in the past few weeks, and do I understand full well what it means for my weight if I do it too often? and many such questions. I basically make sure when I decide to eat higher calorie foods that I really do want them, and that I really understand what that means in terms of calories and planning.

I don't often keep things at home, I just go to the store to buy them or make them myself when I want them (like this amazing pizza I made a couple of days ago). When I get something as a gift I just put it away in the most inconvenient place. I know I'm lazy and I make my laziness work for me. Sometimes the hassle of getting it out dissipates cravings pretty quickly, and if it doesn't and I go through the series of questions above and decide it's worth it, I just eat some (or all) guilt free as long as I'm 100% aware of what I'm doing without excuses or mental justifications.

ETA: the last two days are a good example of this practice. I made pizza and it was really good. It was worth every calorie and I decided it was worth going up to maintenance. I was still in a tiny deficit, but I was definitely over my planned calorie budget. It felt it was worth it because I ate fewer calories than planned earlier this week so I made an informed decision and was 100% aware of what I was doing and of the consequences. I'm currently only slightly over my weekly budget - nothing an extra evening walk for a couple of days can't fix. I understand that I will need to be on point for the next 2 days. Since going over was an informed and controlled decision, I don't feel any guilt and I don't feel derailed, which helps weight loss more than you realize. If I didn't have the calorie buffer from previous days and still decided to have it, I would have needed to understand that this would mean losing less this week or investing energy in a very low calorie day (an advanced strategy that should only be attempted by those with a healthy relationship with food).

Here are my calories for the past 5 days to see what I mean: