Easy First Real Step to Losing Weight

(This is a guest post by Tim Hathcock.)

Before you start making any real changes in what you eat and how much you exercise, a great first step toward your weightloss goals is the easiest: portion control. Have you ever stopped to look at what you put on your plate at dinner, and compare it to “a standard size portion?” I do not mean a portion size at the Cheesecake Factory. Most American restaurants now have portions that qualify for two or three meals, not one. What I do mean is this: when you cook up a steak, is it a 3 or 4 ounce steak, or an 8 ounce steak? Did your pasta start out as 4 ounces, or as 6? Are you going back for seconds of each thing? Wasn’t the first serving actually your full portion for dinner? If you just stop at the first serving (and no double-loading up front to get around this), you can make a dramatic difference in your caloric intake and reach your first weight loss goal quickly.

The Mayo Clinic has this neat slide show on line to help with understanding portions and servings.

And although I am not a doctor, I’d say take just one portion at a time and call me in a month:)