Things that help you eat less calories (other than tracking)

I understand that almost all "popular diets" rely on you eating less calories in total, even if they say "eat as much as you want (as long as you don't eat X Y or Z)". They are all different ways of making this easier to do (low fat / low carb / high protein / eating windows, etc), but essentially there are no magic bullets; CI<CO = weight loss.

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It seems to me that calorie tracking is possibly the easiest or most direct way to avoid getting lost in the weight loss woods. You are focussing on the actual path out of the woods, rather than the colour of the leaves, or only eating if you can see flowers, or which seeds you can or can't eat on this diet. Unfortunately for me, every single time I've attempted to track calories, it sends me a little crazy. My brain immediately becomes obsessed with food and it overwhelms me, and kicks off really unhealthy behaviours and compulsions. I'm am continuing to work on it, but until I get a handle on this particular brain weasel, I want to do what I can to eat better and lose weight, in the absence of calorie tracking.

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So far, I have:

1. Smaller plates

- I purchased plates that are quite a bit smaller. I've noticed I'm often just as satisfied at the end of a meal, with a much smaller portion than I otherwise would've thought I needed to eat.

1. Identified problem foods

- I have difficulty with crisps. If they are in the house, I will eat them. All of them. I have banned them from the property - yes, in an ideal world I would fix the compulsion to eat them, but for now avoidance is better than nothing and is working.

1. Changing default menus

- I have been working on finding new meals that are healthier that will replace the old 'regular go-to meals' that are less healthy. Basically increasing the healthiness of the things I eat regularly and replacing the really unhealthy habitual meals.

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So please share your behavioural changes / food tips / mindset changes that have helped you sustainably eat less calories (other than tracking them - which I know is the big gun and I will still be working towards being ok doing that).

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