Hi cheekygal,
Thanks

, I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I agree with you on the principle, but I find that when I crave something, giving in to it (most of the time) is more about shutting up the feelings of craving than actually enjoying the thing. Which is why I wasn't terribly pleased about last night's episode. It would've been ok if I'd enjoyed it (and it was a waste of chocolate! I love chocolate, and I didn't enjoy it!). Fortunately I think I'm coming into the mindset where I don't have to eat to make up for a failure- the only reason I had a kiwifruit was because the cravings weren't going away and I thought I'd try something else to try to get over it/ distract myself. (And heck- 2% of my calorie allowance? Who cares?)
What's worked for me? Basically, the stuff I repeat over and over. Porridge- keeps me genuinely full until lunch time, low calorie (and it's cool enough here to do it all year round, it may not be in Australia- I'm from Sydney myself, so I can say porridge is a no-no in summer there). Having it with berries is only a little more in the way of calories and makes it into a treat for me. Rye bread and low fat cottage cheese- rye bread is less calorific than bread (I can get here in any case), and more filling (it's also quite high in sodium, but I'm not sure how much of a problem that is). Cottage cheese is an excellent flavour to go with it, I find, along with spices (included in the cottage cheese or added separately), tomato, and red ontion. Snacking on fruit and vegetables- be careful about the ones you choose, but some you can eat quite a lot for negligible calories (I like little tomatoes- the store here calls them "baby plum" tomatoes, although they look like grape tomatoes to me- a 325g punnet, which is more than enough to deal with munchies/ boredom eating- is only 58.5 calories). Not feeling guilty about snacking- I don't know about you, but I feel horrible if I don't eat every few hours or so (sick)- but a piece of fruit or sometimes a vegetable is enough to make that feeling go away. Low calorie/ kilojoule recipes- I use and search their low kilojoule recipes for something I like that I can easily make. I quite often adapt, particularly by reducing the amount of meat, and then I calculate calories using this website (you'd then need to convert back to kilojoules): I load up on vegetables with my dinner (and quite often serve with couscous, which is a lower calorie option than, say, rice). Experimenting a bit with things- my Greek yoghurt desserts (except last night's) have been a hit, and all under 250 calories. And eating things I enjoy- not sticking to rice cakes and celery sticks- if I wasn't enjoying my food I couldn't keep this up. Ditto eating to be satisfied, not just to weigh things (my priorities are eat to be satisfied, try to make low calorie choices, document, potentially learn from mistakes). I can now see this as a lifestyle change, not a "diet" until I get the weight off.
Most important, calorie counting is working for me- I used to think I had to be hungry to lose weight, and now I know that's not true. I'm very rarely hungry, and when I am it's not because I'm trying to deprive myself of food, it's more because, say, I go out and I forget to eat beforehand. I suppose in Australia you'd need to find a program that did kilojoules (about 4.2kj to a calorie)- in the UK working out calories is way easier (most of the packs display calories prominently and kj less so- my only issue is using Australian websites and having to convert, or sometimes even remember it's kj and not freak out that this "low kilojoule" recipe is giving a number that's almost as much as I want to eat in calories in a day!)
My boyfriend doesn't think I'm overweight either, but he wants me to be happy, so he's there for me. Actually- there's an idea. I keep his surplus Pepsi at my place because that's his major weakness (he tends to have it on night shifts, or takes them to social gatherings where other people will be drinking- he doesn't drink). If I'm going to plan to treat, I might keep the treats at his place (depending on what they are- he told me last night he has no willpower) so I don't have to buy expensive individual portions of things or have temptations lying around my place. I'll see how that goes. (And actually again- that's another thing that helps me. I get my boyfriend to check my receipts from food shopping, and to tell me off if I've bought rubbish. I told him to do it, it wasn't his idea. I actually find it does stop me from buying rubbish)