Your tips came as "similar threads" when I tried to summarize - yeah, machine learning is sometimes working well. Here are my comments - feel free to look at my journal - but I am not here too often anymore, in the first year, 2003-2004, I was here a lot. History: 2003 in 5 months lost 15 lbs, in about a year 25 or 30 lb, from then on slowly creeping up, around 2011, went serious about wanting to lose again. In 2014 briefly was near my ideal weight (in fact, I came home from vacation and thought the scale was broking haha!), but then back. Now I am between +5 and +15 from my ideal weight, trying hard to kick off the last few lbs.

This is copied from my own Journal:

Here are my comments on Genesis (Bill)'s lessons:
1, 2, 3) - not very relevant for me, never was my issue what others think etc.

4-5) absolutely true - although I started exercise only after I had lost the first 15 lb and felt like I could show myself in the gym - this is probably cosmetic, as we just look slimmer than how we used to, whether others look at you that way is unclear. anyway, I am kind of addicted to exercise now. It isn't completely helping losing but sure keeps from re-gaining.

6) keeping dinner smallest is not possible for me - my husband cooks, and I come home. Would not miss home-cooked Chinese! My modification of that is: have dinner relatively early (even a combo lunch dinner 4 pm on weekends) and avoid post dinner snacks. Not always successful, but being strict on this point gets my back on track if I have re-gained.

7) I hate bars except as emergency when I have low-sugar shakes (which I occasionally have if not eaten and exercised). I love nuts too much - if I buy 1 lb of peanuts, its gone in less than a week. I have to be extremely careful about nuts.

8) Interesting ... these last 2 weeks that is my sense, that drinking a lot of water helped me kick it down a notch. May need to be explored more/ experimented with more.

Rest is fine for most - I have started this in 2003, and I know physiology, so no need to learn more. I am still learning things about my own mind and my own body.

My additions:

14) Remember that alcohol contains carbs too, and the drinks have additional calories. Reducing and at times eliminating alcohol completely helps. This is not just calories, as I do have non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic wine that have similar calories but they are still better.

When scientists analyzed genes that make some people more obese than others, what they mostly found were brain genes. My University's Atkins Professor (he really has an Atkins-endowed chair) found that ongoing depression is the single best predictor of relapse after their obesity program. So, it is mostly psychology, and appetite, control, not so much physiology. Yes, there are people who eat the same as you and don't gain - I thought my husband was one, as when we eat together he always eats a lot, and a lot of carbs, and is at the edge to underweight. But then... when he is sick, he stops eating, when he has a headache, he barely eats and I have to force him to drink, if he has a lot of work he forgets eating. So, I changed my mind about him - I think he does eat more than me when he eats normally, but he never snacks, doesn't drink alcohol, and often goes through challenges by not eating. Net effect: He does eat less.