When I was in the weight loss process, I found myself making a few general rules that I committed to live by. These helped guide my decisions and gave me the strength to overcome temptation when I walked into various situations.
Pack Your Lunch
If you pack your lunch, you will have more control over what you eat, and the temptation for eating junk is removed.
No French Fries for Lunch
This one is for the rare occasions you do eat out at lunch. When in this situation you should substitute a side of fruit for anything that comes with fries. Now, I am not saying that you have to give up French fries totally, what I am saying is to commit not to eat them at lunch. If you are out at dinner, and you ate a healthy and light breakfast and lunch, you can eat the fries, just watch the quantity that you eat.
Limit Alcoholic Drinks to Two on the Weekends
Alcoholic drinks can really add on the pounds if you let it. So limit them to two on the weekends.
Get Your Calories from Foods you Eat, Not Drink
Get your calories from foods you eat, not drink means reducing or eliminating sugary sodas and juices from your daily routine. There are many low/no calorie drinks on the market that can be substituted.
Exercise Daily
Get some kind of exercise daily. Even taking a 20 minute to 30 minute walk at lunch would be a benefit.
Stop the Seconds
This one should be quite obvious. Make it a rule not to go up for seconds.
These are some of the general rules that I live by, even today. That does not mean that I never break them. It means that I am careful and aware when I do break one of them. I also make sure that I have been careful with my other meals before breaking one of them.