One thing I heard is that sometimes the brain misinterprets thirst as appetite, and that drinking (anything) instead of eating can be the first appropriate response (but obviously, if appetite doesn't go away, eat). I don't know if it's actually true, but this strategy works for me.
This is one I use a lot! I've found coffee to be very helpful for weight loss because of this. I have my coffee black usually, though. It's probably less helpful there if you use a lot of sugar.
Exactly! I’ve lost 10lb just by replacing breakfast with coffee. The key is to make sure that you don’t over eat at lunch, so I tend to have two smaller lunches at noon and 2pm.