Solution to weight problem that I found is simple, even if somewhat expensive: dietary catering (as in: having ready-made meals delivered to your doorstep).

The problem isn't usually quantity of food, but quality. Having 5 pre-packaged, healthy, low GI meals delivered makes it quite easy to follow the diet. Also, you don't even have to reduce calorie intake in the beginning: feel free to order 2500-3000 calorie option, if you so wish. You won't be losing any weight on that, but at least your metabolism, your glucose levels will stabilize. Then, after 2-3 weeks adjustment period, change your calorie intake to 1500 calories and continue for another month or two - the results are almost magical.

I wonder if it would make sense to have the government heavily subsidize healthy, low GI, low calorie density meal preparation and delivery, bringing it down to the cost of the cheapest junk food?

I imagine it would be expensive, but only as expensive as food and delivery of it, and would reduce much more expensive health care costs, right?

I've had similar results! At first when I tried monitoring my diet, I assumed that 2600 calories/day with exercise would be good enough, but I was only losing ~1lb/month. It did make it way easier for me to transition to 1.5-2k calories though, I'm not sure I could've done that from the start.

And it's definitely easier to feel satisfied off low cal food if it's nutritious - smoothies with protein powder and greens? Filling and diet friendly (esp if no milk). Water? Low cal, but you'll definitely still feel cravings.

There are so many different ways to address mindfulness around eating. I'm glad you found one that works well for you! I'm a big fan of meal prep and portion control. Casual servings often end up being several times larger than necessary. I agree with you that practicing deliberate portioning is really important.

Another big issue is condiments. It's really easy to add a few tbsp of dressing to an otherwise healthy meal, which can add a few hundred "hidden" calories.