Little Tips

1. Opting to climb an extra three to five sets of stairs a day instead of taking the elevator can burn enough calories in a year to negate the average adult's yearly one- to two-pound weight gain, according to Prevention.com.
2. Research shows protein can help you feel full for longer.  (see this and other tips here) 
3. Pay Attention to serving size! When you are reading labels, particularly on items that look like they are only one serving. (see "food porn" example here). 
4. Write down everything you eat, every day...and be honest with yourself about how much you have eaten and the calorie count. In the end, it really helps you understand why you are or are not losing / maintaining weight. This site can help you track your calories.
5. There is no evidence that eating early in the day - or not eating after 5p.m. has no bearing on your weight, despite a widely held belief that it does. When researchers tracked the eating habits and body weights of more than 7,400 U.S. men and women for 10 years, the percentage of their daily calories that they ate after 5p.m. had no bearing on changes in their weight.  (Caveat: If you are eating at night or any time, for that matter, because you are tired or bored, that will have an impact on your weight). See article here.
6. Aerobic exercise can improve cognitive functioning. (see study here)
7. The higher the alcohol content of a drink, the more calories it has. For example, Wheat Ale is about 15 calories per ounce, whereas Vodka and Whiskey are about 65 calories per ounce and Liqueurs are about 100 calories per ounce. 
8. Be aware that a manufacturer can claim that a food is trans fat free if that food has less than .49 grams of trans fats in it. To put this into perspective - the daily recommended intake of trans fats is no more than 1.11 grams. To check a food for trans fats look for "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils in the ingredients - if the food has one or more of these - it has trans fats.
9. Adding variety to your exercise routine can help you stick to it. 
10. Remember when you go to the movies: A medium popcorn and soda combo at Regal theatres contains1,610 calories, 60 grams of saturated fat (about 3 days worth of saturated fat) and is nutritionally comparable to what you will find in three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter. (see article here)
11. Pack your own low-calorie snacks when you travel.
12. Remember: Food obtained outside the home tends to be higher in calories and fat than food prepared at home.
13. Plan, plan, plan: Try to get into the habit of planning your meals and exercise every day ahead of time. For me, this has been one of the most important components to weight loss and maintenance.