Accurate weighing/measuring = 30+ calorie difference!!

laura3977

All us newbies hear/read "did you weigh and measure everything?" and my answer is always "of course!!" for things like strawberries, chicken, etc BUT never for pre-packaged stuff.

I just finished packing my lunch and decided to weight the herb roasted turkey - not sure why but I did. Packaging says: Serving Size - 2 slices (56g). I've always took that to mean "we have weighed every slice in this package and 2 slices = 56g" ... Um, I don't have to tell you veterans that surprisingly enough that is not the case. The 2 slices I would have normally packed and entered as 60 calories because that is the amount of calories in the serving turned out to be 86 grams and a difference of 30+ calories!!! What the what?!?!

Anyway, I'm glad I keep seeing that question being asked over and over because it made me question my serving!!! Weigh and measure people!! WEIGH AND MEASURE!!!!

AmbientBlu

I've actually found that in a lot of instances, weighing the food out has given me MORE calories to work with.

For example, I made onion rings the other night. The package read (I don't recall exactly, so let's say) 4 onion rings (90 grams) were 200 calories. But when I weighed out the 4 onion rings I'd chosen, it was something like 80 grams (when frozen, less when cooked ... but I logged the frozen weight just to be safe). So I was able to gain back a few calories that I otherwise would have lost by assuming the packaging estimates were correct.

It's really an eye opener.

laura3977

Very eye opening @AmbientBlu‌ !! I mean, I would have been happier it had given me more calories rather than take away but either way I'm glad that I'm able to actually log it accurately!

I bought some hummus for lunch and I have a tbsp but not my scale so now I'm thinking "MAN!!! What if it's more than 28g?!?!" LOL

TimothyFish

That's great, but what you don't know is how much of that extra weight is due to extra water, extra protein, or extra fat, so you don't really know if it is a 30 calorie difference or not. As AmbientBlu pointed out, sometimes it goes the other way. So rather than stressing out over it, I just use the number on the package and figure that it will all average out over time.

uvi5

I discovered yesterday, when designing my "Salmon Sandwich", that the sourdough (something i did not consider before), from a round loaf, says on the package 120 a slice. I thought, ok, sure, but what about the end pieces? The ends have to be less than the larger middle. So, i went by the grams (thanks to all that encourage scales!) and weighed out my two pieces for my sandwich and came to 100 + calories more. Before I would just innocently go by the package and fool myself into believing, well, less dense crust in the middle, so probably the same. Ha Ha. Great threads this morning:)

annette_15

I think it all evens out in the long run. Some foods weigh less than the package says as well

StaciMarie1974

That's why I log my lunch bread as 2.2 slices instead of 2. Supposed to be 41g per 2 slices but whenever I weigh, its 45-48. Now I'm in maintenance and allow myself to estimate a bit more, so just log it as 1.1 servings automatically.

Note: I don't stress over it. I imagine the heel pieces are smaller and help on the average, but I don't eat them...

laura3977

Oh, I'm not stressing over it, it was just something I hadn't really done and since, like I said, I always read the same question (especially when people say "HELP!! I'M NOT LOSING!!") I thought it was interesting

This is the longest I have stuck with MFP (or any program really) and I'm enjoying the process of learning more about portion control and how sometimes, things are not quite what they seem

girlviernes

Good observation, I usually go by the package, but my weight loss has been slowing down so perhaps another area in which to tighten up.

Francl27

In my experience, no, it doesn't even out, and 90% of the food is up to 10% heavier than the package says.

So I always weigh (except Greek yogurt cups, because weighing twice is annoying). But I probably don't use enough prepackaged food for it to matter.

callsitlikeiseeit

i will admit i dont weigh prepackaged foods (not that i eat much of them but if you want to include bread and slices of cheese, etc i guess it does), BUT if i found i was stalled in my weight loss, that would change.

its all about what works for you, and knowing what you need to do if things STOP working.

lizzocat

I've noticed that's usually the case for me- about a 20-30 ish calories difference, which after a few things, makes a big difference.

Whenever something comes up under the calories though, I feel like i won.

CrabNebula

I am not sure how tragic this really is. I lost a boatload of weight (at least 85lbs) just going by what the package said a serving was. I didn't even own a kitchen scale until a month ago and I am now pretty much at goal weight and starting to maintain.

Cortneyrenee04

Weighing your food is such a game changer, for me. Sure, it's 30 calories, but if everything you logged was off by 30 extra calories, you could be way off by the end of the day.

Good catch