It sounds simple enough, right? Think about everything you put into your body. “Mindful eating” is something we should all practice, but all too often we, well, forget. And we forget to such an extent, according to a new study, that we sometimes don’t even remember eating.

The effects of an unmemorable meal reach well beyond a wasted lunch. In fact, with a good memory of what we ate we feel fuller longer. And when we don’t remember our meal, we tend to snack more or eat more calories at the next meal.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham in England conducted a study on mindful eating to determine its possible effects. The researchers fed three groups of women identical lunches of ham sandwiches, chips, and water. While this was not the healthiest lunch they could have chosen (those researchers haven’t been reading this blog), it came in around a respectable 500 calories.

One group ate with nothing but their lunches to keep them occupied. A second group read a newspaper article on changes in chocolate bar sizes and soft drinks. The third group ate while listening to audio instructions on how to focus on the look, smell, flavors, and textures of their food.

One of the cornerstones of any successful diet plan (and something I've always stressed to The Biggest Loser contestants) is that the quality of your calories is just as important as the quantity. It’s an important distinction to remember, especially when you are decreasing the number of calories you are eating in order to drop weight -- so choose wisely.

Freshness equals flavor.
Regardless of the recipe, the quality of the outcome is a function of the quality of the ingredients you use. Buy the freshest, highest-quality foods you can afford. Depending on your budget, it’s not always possible to buy organic produce and prime-grade fish, poultry and meats. But on the other hand, once you’re comfortable experimenting with a variety of flavors and styles, you may discover you’re dining out less without missing out on flavor -- which can result in substantial savings.

Similarly, focusing your diet on “clean” foods made from fresh, whole ingredients is likely to be more filling and satisfying than consuming an abundance of processed foods; you may find you need less of the good stuff and achieve savings through quality over quantity.

A few more tips to help maximize your fresh-foods dollar:

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook: “OK, so why does the husband lose 7 pounds and I only lose 3 in the past 10 days of the ‘new regimen?’... so not right.” So, does this sound familiar?

Many times when a husband and wife, or male and female couple start a weight loss journey together it seems that the man loses weight faster and more easily than the woman does. For us women, that’s downright frustrating.

There are several explanations for this phenomenon, but it’s also important to keep the focus on you, and to only compare yourself to you, not to others. So, to cut to the chase, here are a few of the reasons why men tend to lose weight faster and more easily than women:

Women tend to be more prone to “emotional eating”: In 2009, the Brookhaven National Laboratory conducted a brain imaging study to look at how we control our brain response to our favorite foods. Men were better able to control their responses. This may explain part of the puzzle on why women typically have a harder time dropping the pounds.

Men may be more competitive than women. Some research has shown that when money was awarded for every pound lost, men did better than women. It is interesting to note the percentage of men winners on the Biggest Loser compared to women (70% of the winners have been male).

Men have more muscle mass: Men tend to have more muscle than women, and we all know that muscle burns more calories than fat. Having a higher muscle composition leads to a higher metabolism. Based on several studies, the metabolism of a man has been found to be anywhere from 3-10% higher than that of a women of the same weight and age.

Female hormones play a role: Female hormones, such as estrogen, make it easier for the body to deposit fat.

With all this stacked against women, don’t be discouraged. Focus on you and don’t compare to yourself to your man! Pay attention to your eating habits and take note if you’re eating for emotional reasons or for true hunger. Keep a food journal and record your emotions/feelings in it throughout the day. Add resistance/weight training to your workout routine to help increase your muscle mass (and metabolism).

Most important, don’t give up. Take small steps toward a healthier, more active lifestyle and you will see results.

Maybe you’ve hit a plateau in your weight-loss journey or, for some reason, you’ve overindulged and need to get back on track. To help, I’ve developed what I call my “SOS Plan” -- a streamlined boost that delivers essential nutrition while resulting in a noticeable drop in weight.

Please understand, however: The SOS Plan is NOT for the long term! It is a temporary solution to weight-loss plateaus and occasional over-indulgences. Here are the core precepts:

• Maintain your overall calorie budget
• Increase lean protein intake to 35 percent of calories; from fish, poultry and meat
• Reduce carbohydrate intake to 40 percent of calories, and limit these carbs to fresh fruits and vegetables ONLY
• Eliminate whole grains (Remember this is only temporary)
• Reduce or eliminate legumes
• Maintain your intake of healthy fats at 25 percent of total calories
• Use the “SOS” plan for no more than four weeks at a time, and no more than three times a year