Good habits that helped in the long run?

Do you guys have any good habits you've established that helped you loose weight in the long run. It doesn't have to be food based, something that sort of helped you loose weight without too much effort and you realizing it.

Like an example is a friend named danceswithforks drinks hot tea to relax. I like that because it's easy and it satisfies you so you're not tempted to binge or anything.

So anyway list your good habits here 'cause frankly I need some inspiration and ideas.

Thanks!

-hananabanana 

Exercise!  I've found that trying to build a brisk walk into my daily routine really helps with my mood, as well as my weight loss efforts.  Also, not allowing a slight slip up to derail my efforts.  It's a mental challenge sometimes!

I like to chew my calories and I find I stick with my eating plan best when I don't drink my calories. So that means I don't drink beverages that have calories because that's not going to satisfy my desire to EAT.

So I have carrots on hand always, also apples--anything that's crunchy/chewy and not calorie dense works for me.

When I do choose to have a drink that has calories it's because it brings me pleasure and adds to my meal enjoyment--generally that will be a glass or two of red wine. And I make sure I have the room in my calorie budget.

Also I will echo the hot drink idea. I don't drink hot tea very often, instead I drink hot water all day long. I stay well hydrated, I am not taking in more caffeine than I need and it's got zero calories :-) I call that win/win.

sleeping is a big help.  if i'm not overtired during the day, i don't have to overfuel myself w/food just to keep going.  and i'm in a better mood.  and my muscles repair better between workouts. 

After really thinking about my eating habits, I realized that a lot of the time I was eating when I wasn't hungry, just out of habit. So now I keep stress balls or those hand-grip exercise things around my computer or my bookshelves so that my hands keep busy during activities that I used to do while snacking. Listening more to my body and only eating when I am hungry has made a huge difference.

I keep as much of my grocery shopping as I can outside of the center isles. If you get out of the habit of shopping the shelfs of the isles and stick to the outskirts of the store, you're more likely to eat healthy and buy foods that are non-processed.

 Also, I DO at least something every day. Meaning, even if I don't have the time for a "work out," I will stretch while watching tv, go for a short walk, do just a short set of crunches, etc.