A good rule of thumb/ A dieting secret

Over the past couple/few years I have lost just over 40 pounds. I know, it's taken a looooong time and instant gratification is way better, but it's still gone, and it used to be there, so that's pretty good. Lately people have either started noticing or I have been telling more people, but everyone asks how I have been doing it. I think people are expecting some crazy thing, like I work out 3 hours a day, I don't eat carbs, and I sacrifice a goat weekly to the Olsen Jolie gods. But no, really, the way I have been doing it is by asking myself one very simple question. Every time I want to eat something I think, has anyone ever said "I would be so thin if it weren't for ______" and insert the food I am about to eat. Or similarly, has anyone ever said "I used to be thin but eating _________ made me fat." If what I am about to eat fits in the blank, I don't eat it, or I only eat a bite/handful/spoonful of it. No one has ever said "I would be thin, except I eat a big ole bowl of steamed veggies EVERY night." Or. "Man, if it weren't for that extra glass of water, I would be a size 6." See, if you ask yourself that every time you eat, you may not decide against eating whatever it is at that time, but you will have made yourself actively aware that you are eating some crap that is going to make your scale inch in the wrong direction. Pretty simple! If you think eating a bowl of cheerios for breakfast has ever been someone's downfall, or that eating an apple was what brought on the new pant size, then you are clearly not paying attention and asking yourself that question every time you eat something. The other day I got a PB cookie from work, asked the question, answered with a HELL YES, so I bought a banana too and skipped eating the soup and 1/2 sandwich for lunch. So, it's not like I don't eat awesome delicious crap from time to time, but when I ask that question it makes me think and balance things better. So, there you go, in case you want to lose weight and are not looking for a quick fix, that has been working for me, maybe it will work for you too!