What works for me:
Plan, plan, plan and then plan some more. I try to have at least 1/2 to 1 full day logged in advance. It's a pain the butt to change it all in fitday and I'm lazy
so mentally it's just easier to eat what I planned in the first place. Logging and being aware of what goes in my mouth was really the first step for me, and I have a calorie range I stick to now. It also helps enormously to prepare meals in advance, so I just have to grab stuff rather than prep and cook when I'm already hungry.
Water. With the exception of coffee and the occasional party drink, I've pretty much cut out any other beverage. I love water so it's not a problem, but a Propel or a Crystal Light can make it more palatable if you prefer.
The gym. Or your living room or a walk down the street. Whatever works for you, just move. After my much whined about 3 month backslide, I'm in the gym again. I have a plan for that too, working gradually from 3x/week back up to the 5+ days I was working out when I went AWOL. Getting to the gym sucks -- I literally dread it. But once I'm there I'm fine, and I'm always glad I went.
The perimeter. Shop primarily around the perimeter of the grocery store, where you usually find lean meats, dairy, fruits and vegetable and not a whole lot of processed crap. I do this as much as I can, as having non-crap in my house doesn't really give me a chance to eat it.
Cheat days. They don't work for me for a few reasons. First, I don't believe in "cheating"...I hate what the word implies, just like I don't believe in being "bad" because it feels like some kind of moral judgment I impose upon myself. There are good choices and poor choices we consciously make, and we have to own those decisions (and believe me, I've made plenty of poor choices). Also, I can't be trusted with a cheat day -- I've proven time and time again that it takes me too long to get back to eating like a human being again after a full-on cheat day.
However, I don't deny myself anything either. I'll generally wait several hours or sometimes even a full day to indulge a craving. Most times it goes away. If it becomes overwhelming, I figure a small amount of that food into my tracking. My own personal rule is that if it's going to put me over my calories for the day, I don't do it. But if I can work it in (I'm talking to you, insane psychotic PMS chocolate craving -- I wound up having one small dark chocolate dove square I swiped from the bowl in my boss' office last week and it did the trick) I won't have it.
Don't look back. My wonderful cohorts here at 3FC have taught me this more than anyone. Celebrate the now and your successes. Don't beat yourself up about your past failures. Doing that and looking ahead has literally been like a rebirth for me. Awesome.
And lastly...
Communication. This was probably the hardest thing for me, because I'm so a give-the-people-what-they-want pleaser type. In the past I've also been pretty private with my weight loss efforts but this time around I just had to throw it out there and talk to my family and friends and let them know that while I love them desperately, I really don't want that huge dinner or big burger because it's not going to do me any good. Doing this was ultimately very freeing and makes mealtime a much more pleasant thing.
If my boyfriend wants a calorie-packed supper, I make it for him and have whatever I planned anyway. We don't need to eat the same thing to enjoy each others' company at dinner.
Along the same lines, I still go out to lunch nearly every weekday with one of my best friends because it's a nice break in the day and a time for us to catch up. He's a younger dude, super thin with crazy metabolism, so we're kinda like Jack Spratt and his wife or something
. The unwritten rule is I need to be able to eat healthily wherever we go, and I don't expect him to do the same (he won't...the guy can eat a side of beef with 12 potatoes as a chaser and be hungry an hour later). If he offers me a bite of something which he almost always does, I generally turn it down and remind him that my butt is getting smaller and that's a good thing. It's amazing how accepting and happy for me people are now that I've given them the chance.
Oh, and just a note...I didn't take all these steps at once. Your original question was about small tweaks, and I definitely made these changes one at a time until I had the whole thing together. Life feels better and more hopeful now.
Sorry for the rambling, but I hope you find one or two things here that ring true and will help you out.
Happy weekend!