10 Things I've learned about weight management

I know a lot of people with the usual  "get in shape" New Year's resolution.  I've made the same resolution for the last few years of once again achieving my pre-college weight.  I've gotten close before but I always end up sliding back up in the fall and winter.  I work at a computer, sitting all day.  With cycling being my main activity, it really slows down in the winter, it can sometimes be hard to get that motivation to get on the trainer and go nowhere fast.  So here's a list of bits of knowledge I've learned over the years that actually do help me (disclaimer:  I'm not a doctor or anyone even remotely qualified to give advice on an exercise/diet plan.  What?!  No really, it's true.  This is stuff I've read, heard, or come up with myself.  I won't cite sources, find them yourself.  Talk to a doctor before trying anything, yada yada):

1. Portion control.  If I simply think about how much I put on my plate, I put less on.  If I put less on and finish it, I wait a few minutes before giving myself the option for seconds.  There's a delay between your stomach and your brain, your brain needs a few minute to catch up.  Most of the time my brain catches up and I'm actually full, but I've eaten less than I would have.  
2. You don't have to burn more calories exercising than you eat in a day.  If you do, your body will freak out and start eating muscle rather than fat.  Bad thing.  There's a thing called Basal Metabolic Rate, don't forget that you actually burn calories sitting still, keeping your body working.  This accounts for most of your calories.  So all you've got to do, is burn up the surplus, and then a little more, if you want to actually lose weight.  For most people, this is a few hundred calories, not that bad.
3. Counting daily calories is a pain in the butt and doesn't help.  But being generally aware of how calorie rich a food is is still a good thing.  It helps to know how full of garbage your meal is so you can think about maybe a healthier alternative, or just eat less of it.
4. Sweet things are addictive.  Any sweet things, especially artificial sweets.  Seriously, I read this and I didn't believe it.  I had already stopped drinking sugar soda.  I thought I was being smart and avoiding all that sugar.  Then I read somewhere that the sweetness in artificial sweetener triggers your body to start pumping insulin, which shows up to the party only to find that the sugar isn't there.  Your stomach then tells your brain it had better send some damn sugar down or it's gonna get ugly, you then crave sugary things.  I quit drinking soda altogether, and suddenly, I didn't want nearly as many sweets.  By not eating sweets, it got easier to not eat sweets.  I never realized how much sugar I was actually eating till I stopped.
5. I love coffee.  A cup of coffee a half hour before a workout can help you push a little harder and a little farther than you might.  Make it a straight up coffee or espresso, not some sugary "coffee drink" from Fivebucks.  Put a spoon of sugar and milk in it if you like.  Real sugar has about 15 calories per spoonful.  You'll burn that off again and then some during your workout.  Watch out for dehydration though, caffeine makes you pee...
6. Dehydration can kick your butt.  You've really gotta watch it.  Get a little dehydrated and you can suffer through an average workout.  It actually increases your perception of fatigue, that sounds fun doesn't it?  Don't rely on sports drinks to stay hydrated, they have more sugar than you need.  If you're working out less than an hour, drink water.  Otherwise your sports drink can negate your workout.  Too much water can kill you though, careful...
7. Fiber.  Yeah, I'm going there.  Fiber is hard to digest, so you actually burn more calories when you eat more fiber.  All kinds of awesome food has lots of fiber.  Kashi breakfast cereals are delicious, and full of fiber and protein.  Careful though, prunes and apricots can be dangerous...  in ways that lead back to dehydration...  Prunes and apricots have about the same fiber, and also have potassium which is something you need when working out to help prevent cramping.
8. Excercise is an appetite suppressant.  If I eat after a good workout, I'm less hungry, get full faster, and I eat less.  Uh, win, win, win, there.
9. Don't start working out too hard.  You're all psyched to work out and get fit again, it's been a few days (maybe weeks, months) since you really got to it.  You work out, you work long, you work hard.  In reality you didn't go that long or hard, you're out of shape.  But you kicked your own butt and now you're in too much pain to do it again the next day.  Days go by, you keep waiting to feel "ready" again.  You may never.  Start easy, easier than you want to.  Then ramp it up as you find your limits.
10. Sleep is good.  Your body needs to repair when you are asking it to change.  You don't build muscle while working out, you build it while you sleep, AFTER you workout.  Getting solid Z's helps you rebuild, gives you more energy to start fresh, and makes you feel better in general, you can't fool your body, it's not stupid.  It knows when you aren't getting enough sleep and it retaliates by making you too tired to workout again.