I saw an article on CNN on small things to do to lose weight. It's resolution season, after all, and with all the holiday indulgences, people start thinking about eating more healthfully.  Only this was food-specific, and few of the items on there were relevant to me.  So it wasn't very helpful. 

I do like the concept of small changes, because they're easier to manage, and less likely to fail. Some of the tricks that can help you make small changes to improve your eating habits I've picked up, if not always used are:

Keep a Food Diary.  Record every bite you take, and check it over after about a week, and you may find things you need to start reducing. 

Drink Water.  And lots of it.  It helps make you feel fuller before a meal, as well as good for you in general. Instead of reaching for a soda, or sugary drink, try water first.

Smaller Plates.  I won a set of dinnerware last year, and the dinner plates are so big, I can't fit them in my cupboards. People tend to fill their plates, so using smaller plates can help you start reducing portions.  I normally use the salad plates I have as dinner plates, which helps.

Delay Second Helpings.  Even if the portions you started with were small, give yourself time between servings (and courses) to digest.  You'll often feel fuller after a wait, and less likely to eat more.

Portion Control. In the land of Super Sizing, Americans in particular have no sense of proportion.  Have you ever tried measuring or weighing out the portions you eat, specifically if it's for a product that has nutritional information? You may be surprised at how much you're eating.  Don't try it for every meal, but one or two at a time, to start adjusting the portions. And sometimes, if you have just a little of something indulgent, it can satisfy a craving.

Reduce the Add-Ons.  Part II of portion control, the hidden calories you are probably not aware of relate to the add ons and add ins, such as the sugar in your cereal or coffee, the big dollop of sour cream on your potato, and cheese. Cheese is evil. Delicious, but evil, if you don't control it.

Keep it Fresh. Or as fresh as possible.  Prepared foods often have a lot of processed ingredients, such as flour, and sugars, and additives galore.  Processed foods are basically pre-digested; instead of your body working to break it down, part of that's been done in advance.  Process foods also have less nutrient value than whole foods.  It'll require a bit more time to prepare meals with fresh foods, but it's worth it in many ways.  I'm also one of those people who's less hungry if I take the time to cook my meals. 

Don't Forget to Treat Yourself.  This may seem contradictory, but if have a sweet tooth, don't deny yourself. You're less likely to binge if you allow yourself an occasional treat.  There's a concept called "food budgeting" where you plan out your caloric (or fat or sugar or salt) intake for each day or week.  So you can have an indulgence one day, and make up for it another. 

Experiment. Try finding alternatives to the habitual foods you indulge in.  If you always go for chocolate, try fruit tarts.  Or Tiramisu.  Or key lime yogurt (Yoplait's is actually very tasty).

Allow for Failure.  Whether your changes are big or small, you may find yourself binging, or going back to bad habits. Don't beat yourself up. Just try again. Unlike smokers, who don't need smoke to survive, food is essential, you can't avoid it, and that makes it harder to get back on track, especially if you've had years of bad eating habits