A quick tip, probably mentioned on previous weight loss threads. Buy smaller dinner plates. I have some glass plates that are about 2 inches narrower than our regular dinner plates. If I fill my glass plate I have about 3/4 the food I would have if I filled our regular dinner plates.
I still feel like I have had a full portion of food.
I am lucky that I do not have a sweet tooth. I do not like sweetened drinks, so pop has never been an issue for me. Baked goods are not an issue either, but if you put a bag of kettle cooked chips in front of me, I will eat the whole thing, even a family sized bag.
However, I love red meat and tend to abandon portion control when I eat it. I also only like potatoes when roasted or baked and loaded with sour cream and bacon bits. I am better off loading my plate with non starchy vegies and not eating any spuds at all.
My dh, who also needs to lose weight loves all things carb, cookies, doughnuts, candy and more. He used to drink lots of pop, but discovered fizzy water when on a business trip to the Netherlands. He is happy to drink sparkling water instead of pop. He loves the mouth feel. This year for Christmas he got a Soda Stream to make his own fizzy water at home. You can buy flavouring for the water, be he likes it plain.