I've got the same issue, and didn't have any weight problems by sticking with that lifestyle until I turned 30. I'm following myfitnesspal, and only doing the 1/2 lb per week. My goal is just to get within the healthy range of my bmi, which is technically only 13lbs to the top end of healthy.
I plan to do CLX next winter, then STS a few months later, with lots of cardio in between. I'm hoping that the increased muscle mass will help increase metabolism so that I don't have to be too restrictive with calories. Another thing that has helped me is to view my food intake by filling up on super healthy foods during the day so that I'm not as hungry for unhealthy foods. Also, I still use things like cream and butter in recipes, but I just use less of them. I don't fret about 2TBS of heavy cream in 2 quarts of sauce. My other sneaky "trick" is to eat a whole grain fig newton, a serving of Citrucel, and a large glass of water about 20-30 minutes before dinner. I end up feeling fuller so that it's easier to eat a smaller portion of my dinner, which tends to be the most decadent meal of my day.
Two nights per week, I just have pan-seared fish and a deep-green salad with my own dressing. For pasta and rice, I've replaced it with the Barilla whole grain pasta and I'm eating brown basmati rice, which is a little finer in texture than traditional brown rice. I think that it's important to make changes in baby steps, or else our creative gourmet tendencies will feel deprived.