I possess a roll of belly fat that I (and my boyfriend!) would prefer to say goodbye too.
I sympathize. Most success stories involving becoming attractively-thin (i.e. having so little fat that you can see abs, or whatever turns you+partner on) don't involve feeling subjectively hungry, or craving any food in particular. You sure can do a lot of exercise, especially aerobic, and not lose weight (assuming you're already skinnier-than-average) - because eating simply cannot be held constant, forever.
If I undereat for too long (really feeling hungry), and a satisfying food is available, I'll overeat. As in, I could have eaten 1/3 as much and still felt satisfied for a few hours. On the other hand, people can get used to a fixed eating routine that's difficult at first; some people don't eat at all until evening. Perhaps they're successful only because they don't (psychologically) feel hunger, or perhaps this means that hunger isn't necessarily the downfall of moderate eating.
Also, caffeine (ok) and smoking (bad) reduce appetite.
It's best to experiment with kinds of food until you find a way to reach a weight you're happy with. Diet is more critical than exercise. You may not be lucky enough to find anything that gives you what you want; consider learning to be happy with what is 90% of how you'd like to appear and is 50% more comfortable than reaching 95% (or whatever).
Definitely experiment with satisfying hunger with foods that satiate you for longer (regardless of calorie count). Wheat is definitely suspected by many to have a bad satiety curve (compared to comparable calories of other foods). For non-celiac sufferers, the only thing I've heard that seems scientific is that wheat has phytic acid, which should simply mean that you effectively need 50% more of various minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, whatever - I forget the details). I think there were rat studies that suggested most grains are worse for obesity than many other foods (except oats and white rice, which were neutral). There's a chance that doesn't translate to humans. Most of what you hear excitedly claimed on the internet is simply not trustworthy, but there's nothing wrong with indulging in placebo-tailwind experiments, if you find something that makes you feel good, physically.
Also, reduce stress and increase (regular, during dark/quiet hours) sleep if possible.
Since the beginning of September, I have been attempting a gluten-free diet. (I was tested and I'm not celiac, but eating wheat, and especially highly refined-flour foods like cookies, tends to make me bloated and give me diarrhea.) I also wanted to lose 5 to 10 pounds. I'm not overweight per se, but I possess a roll of belly fat that I (and my boyfriend!) would prefer to say goodbye too.
The first little while went well, and almost effortlessly. I was at the cottage with my family, exercising moderately (about 2 kilometers of swimming daily) and eating my mom's excellent-tasting cooking. After about one and a half weeks, I had lost 5 pounds, although I suspect a lot of it was water retention/bloating, since I had been eating wheat and various junk foods all summer.
Then school started, and with it my 16-hour days away from home, including one marathon session where I leave my parents' house at 5:00 am on Monday morning, sleep at a friend's house, and don't come back again until 11 pm on Tuesday, only to work 5:30 am to 4 pm at the pool the next day.
In short: my diet is quickly deteriorating and I have regained those 5 pounds. I find it next to impossible to stay gluten-free, since I have to be incredibly organized and pack everything from home, and inevitably it isn't quite enough for 16 hours. (I eat 3000 calories a day or more when not dieting. According to a metabolism study I participated in last year, this is actually how much I burn per day with the amount of exercise I get. If I eat much less, say less than 2000 for one day or less than 2,500 for several consecutive days, I get dizzy and weak when I exercise, which is really irritating.) I would probably be able to lose weight more easily if I exercised LESS, but this would a) kind of defeat the point, and b) be difficult because exercise is my main stress control method.
Willpower is a big issue, which is weird and annoying because usually it's not a big issue for me. Especially when I'm sleep deprived (nearly all the time), stressed, or bored to tears in my classes, I tend to comfort or reward myself with food, and nearly all my 'comfort foods' have wheat in them. I can resist to a degree if I have access to other reward/comforts, like sleep, or lots and lots of tea.
I've never really had to learn any willpower tricks for dieting, since I usually let my weight sit at its natural set-point. Does anyone have suggestions?