I don't weight my food

Options
12357

Replies

  • cmoll520
    cmoll520 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    I don't weigh- except meat occasionally. I've lost 30lbs since jan 1 and am 6lbs from my goal weight (140 5'5"). I started losing 2lbs a week and am now at about 1-1.2lbs a week. I've stayed at about 1300 calories the whole time and eat back at least some on my exercise calories every day.

    I hope to not have to start weighing but will if I have to. Do what works for you!

  • brdnw
    brdnw Posts: 565 Member
    Options
    I've never weighed my food, i don't think it's that difficult to estimate.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    Options
    Jgasmic wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    mburgess458 wrote: »
    elliej wrote: »
    Some people wear never-weighing as a badge of honour, why?! How does it make you superior? I don't get that. It's about what works for you as an individual.

    Personally, I weigh things like pasta that I'm really bad at eyeballing but not veg, fruit, bread slices, proteins. I used to weigh cheese portions until I could fairly accurately eyeball.

    I think it's likely a reaction to all of the many, many threads where the people who always weigh come off as acting superior like they know precisely how many calories they are eating each day and that's the only way to lose weight.

    I tend to agree. There are some people whose answer to everything is "Are you using a food scale to weigh your food?" While I agree that a food scale can help people identify a serving size, I don't think it is a good idea for people to be dependent on it. The implication is that people have to quit doing anything that would keep them from using a food scale or they will gain weight. No more eating at restaurants. No more sitting down with the family and passing the dishes around the table. For long term maintenance, it seems like it would be better to know how to use an approach that allows a person to live life normally.

    I think using my scale has made me more comfortable in the situations where I am not in control of the food. I feel more confident in my guesstimating abilities and knowing I'm being as accurate as possible the rest of the week allows me to relax the one or two meals a week when I'm eating out.

    This-when I'm at home I use my food scale (it literally takes a few seconds to do). Doing this has helped me in situations where I don't have my scale. At the end of the day, people need to figure out what works for them, and for me using a food scale on a regular basis is something that helps me :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    I never weighed food while losing (I did count nuts). I didn't weigh for about 10 years of maintenance. I got curious about portion size a few years ago and hubs got me a scale for Christmas. I've used it about 5 times. I totally get that for some it's a necessary learning tool, but portion size wasn't the primary issue for me with my weight.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    Options
    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Think about this, there are people in the world that don't even weigh or measure or track calories, and stay lean and fit. I know...MIND BLOWN.

    Yeah, but those aren't the people hanging out here on MFP for the most part. The majority of us here need a bit more structure ;)
  • TiffanyR71
    TiffanyR71 Posts: 217 Member
    Options
    I don't weigh anything and have had success so far (1-2lbs/week), but I'm only 10 pounds in to a 45lb weight loss journey. I may need to start weighing in the future, as I get closer to my goal, but for now, my estimations (and margin left for error) are working.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited May 2015
    Options
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    I don't weigh everything. It is working for now. If my weight loss slows or stops then I will start weighing more stuff.

    I just want to add that I am an experienced and frequent cook so I believe that I may be better than some people at eyeballing measurements or portion sizes since I am used to seeing what different measurements look like.

    What? Are you kidding? You really don't weigh your food?! :D

    I hope the world does not fall apart. :)

    Seriously, that's wonderful. I don't weigh every piece of food either, just what I eat at home.

    My guy is also pretty good at eyeballing portions because he's an experienced cook as well.

    I also hope the world doesn't fall apart because a lot of people besides me in this thread have stated they don't weigh their food or only weigh some things and have still been succesfully losing weight. :D
    I'm not putting anyone down who weighs everything. I do think weighing food is useful and if someone is having trouble losing then it is something they should try. As stated previously, if my weight loss stops or slows then that is what I will do. I also think that people who haven't been cooking for years and measuring food for years might need to do more weighing and measuring and less eyeballing of food than those with more experience. I'm not putting those people down either.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Options
    I love that all three pages is people who don't weigh being all snarky about it, people who do weigh saying, hey, to each their own. I suspect there's a little projection goin' on with the non-weighers. Our minds aren't blown, the world is still spinning, we still eat at restaurants, we don't care if you weigh or not.
  • dalem48
    dalem48 Posts: 86 Member
    Options
    That's great, but when people encourage people to weigh everything as a means to overcome not losing weight, they aren't encouraging guesstimating but rather suggesting that people must weigh everything or they won't lose weight. In the long run, the people who are good at guesstimating will be more successful than those who are shackled to the scale.[/quote]

    Except people don't say that. They recommend that people use scales when they aren't seeing the results they want.

    And finally, you don't like food scales. We get it. It would be great if you could shut up about it and stop trying to insult those that do enjoy them. [/quote]

    Can't like this enough!
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Options
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    Jgasmic wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    mburgess458 wrote: »
    elliej wrote: »
    Some people wear never-weighing as a badge of honour, why?! How does it make you superior? I don't get that. It's about what works for you as an individual.

    Personally, I weigh things like pasta that I'm really bad at eyeballing but not veg, fruit, bread slices, proteins. I used to weigh cheese portions until I could fairly accurately eyeball.

    I think it's likely a reaction to all of the many, many threads where the people who always weigh come off as acting superior like they know precisely how many calories they are eating each day and that's the only way to lose weight.

    I tend to agree. There are some people whose answer to everything is "Are you using a food scale to weigh your food?" While I agree that a food scale can help people identify a serving size, I don't think it is a good idea for people to be dependent on it. The implication is that people have to quit doing anything that would keep them from using a food scale or they will gain weight. No more eating at restaurants. No more sitting down with the family and passing the dishes around the table. For long term maintenance, it seems like it would be better to know how to use an approach that allows a person to live life normally.

    I think using my scale has made me more comfortable in the situations where I am not in control of the food. I feel more confident in my guesstimating abilities and knowing I'm being as accurate as possible the rest of the week allows me to relax the one or two meals a week when I'm eating out.

    That's great, but when people encourage people to weigh everything as a means to overcome not losing weight, they aren't encouraging guesstimating but rather suggesting that people must weigh everything or they won't lose weight. In the long run, the people who are good at guesstimating will be more successful than those who are shackled to the scale.

    Except people don't say that. They recommend that people use scales when they aren't seeing the results they want.

    And finally, you don't like food scales. We get it. It would be great if you could shut up about it and stop trying to insult those that do enjoy them.

    Trying to correct one of his strawman arguments is a waste of time.
  • iheartred
    iheartred Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    I weigh my food simply because that is one less dish I have to wash! If I can put a glass on my scale and fill it with 216g of almond milk, I know that is 1 cup and I haven't dirtied a measuring cup. And as everyone else has said, it all comes down to how accurate you need to be to get over a plateau and how good at estimating you are.
  • fastforlife1
    fastforlife1 Posts: 459 Member
    Options
    A deck size portion of meat is 3 oz - don't need to weigh that. I know what each of my bowls measure: 1/2 cup for the small ones and 1 1/2 cup for the big ones. I eat as many vegetables as I want. 1 oz of cheese is not very much cheese (unfortunately)! Fat and nuts are the sneaky high calorie ones - I usually use tablespoons for that.
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
    Options
    iheartred wrote: »
    I weigh my food simply because that is one less dish I have to wash! If I can put a glass on my scale and fill it with 216g of almond milk, I know that is 1 cup and I haven't dirtied a measuring cup. And as everyone else has said, it all comes down to how accurate you need to be to get over a plateau and how good at estimating you are.

    Aren't you then dirtying the cup you put on the scale? I don't see how it's one less since you have to pour it into something.
  • sandryc79
    sandryc79 Posts: 250 Member
    Options
    I don't find weighing my food cumbersome. I find it reassuring. I have misjudged quantity in the past or just plain deluded myself. Growing up a serving was however much you could fit on your plate.

    It is just a tool though. I use tools that help and discard those that don't.

    That said, I am happy that not measuring works for you. It sounds like you are doing a good job!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    mburgess458 wrote: »
    iheartred wrote: »
    I weigh my food simply because that is one less dish I have to wash! If I can put a glass on my scale and fill it with 216g of almond milk, I know that is 1 cup and I haven't dirtied a measuring cup. And as everyone else has said, it all comes down to how accurate you need to be to get over a plateau and how good at estimating you are.

    Aren't you then dirtying the cup you put on the scale? I don't see how it's one less since you have to pour it into something.

    No cup is being used. The person is pouring directly into the glass.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Options
    Something calorie dense I will weigh. Something like lettuce, not so much.
  • Labouffecestbon
    Labouffecestbon Posts: 182 Member
    Options
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    Rockin2014 wrote: »
    I started my weight loss journey 10 weeks ago. In these 10 weeks I have lost 10kg (22lbs) just as planned. However, I hardly ever weigh my food. I measure with cups, spoons and my eyeballs and each and every week I have met my target. If I am eating something I've never had before and which I find impossible to figure out I will weigh it (if I'm at home).
    I sometimes wonder whether the focus on weighing your food is to big on MFP and I believe it may scare many people away because they find it too much of a hassle.

    Anyone else not weigh and still see great results?

    If you're losing as planned while logging 500 or more calories below your daily target, you are then eating more than you think.
    This!

Categories