Some Days I Feel Too Lazy to Measure Food - What to do?

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  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Your choice, if you can't be bothered to put the effort in then you may not get the results out. What motivates me is that once I started measuring my food intake I started to lose weight.

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  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    arnoldmq wrote: »
    you could buy food that is kinda already measure. like for example, costco thin sliced chicken breast is about 4 ounces per pace, and u can also use measuring cups that would give u a rough estimate of the weight. is not as accurate as using a scale but is quicker and is as accurate as u can get without measuring.

    Huh?
  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
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    arnoldmq wrote: »
    you could buy food that is kinda already measure. like for example, costco thin sliced chicken breast is about 4 ounces per pace, and u can also use measuring cups that would give u a rough estimate of the weight. is not as accurate as using a scale but is quicker and is as accurate as u can get without measuring.

    This is good advice. Another trick I use is making enough food for several days and carefully logging the recipe as I'm cooking. Once I know how much is in the batch and decide how many portions it would make, I don't weigh the individual portions. For example, I might know I made 1200 calories worth of red beans and rice and that I want to divide it into 4 meals, so I just call each meal 300 calories. In reality they might be 280, 320, 290, and 310 but who cares? It all evens out over the course of the week.

  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I enjoy it. Maybe that is weird, but I enjoy figuring out my calories, punching them in my diary, balancing my macros, etc. It's like a game. It's fun.

    Maybe you can try to stop looking at it like its a chore, and more like a game where your goal is to "win" the number on the scale moving down.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    I cook and freeze into portions for days that I feel lazy. I already have the calorie count (on mfp) and labeled on each portion.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Look at it this way. Weight loss is something you do for yourself. If you say ,"I don't fee like it", what you are really saying is, "I am not worth the effort".

    So... do you consider yourself worth your effort?
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I rarely measure or weigh anything. It works for me. Ultimately, all that matters is the number on the bathroom scale. If it isn't going in the right direction, then you're probably being too generous with your portions.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    forgtmenot wrote: »
    I enjoy it. Maybe that is weird, but I enjoy figuring out my calories, punching them in my diary, balancing my macros, etc. It's like a game. It's fun.

    Maybe you can try to stop looking at it like its a chore, and more like a game where your goal is to "win" the number on the scale moving down.

    Ya, I look at it as a game too - how can I make yummy, nutritious, filling meals that I enjoy and still be at a calorie deficit at the end of the day.

  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    I am never 100 % accurate. I look at portion sizes, sometimes I weigh and sometimes I even eye ball. And I am still losing weight. If you done it long enough you become an expert ( at least I did ). But I still have to log everything. In the end of the day I must be pretty darn close sense Im losing exactly what I am suppose to lose.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    arnoldmq wrote: »
    you could buy food that is kinda already measure. like for example, costco thin sliced chicken breast is about 4 ounces per pace, and u can also use measuring cups that would give u a rough estimate of the weight. is not as accurate as using a scale but is quicker and is as accurate as u can get without measuring.

    Huh?

    That was not that hard to comprehend..lol
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    edited May 2015
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    GunnarHamundarson wrote: »
    If I skip a day of measuring food, I feel like I did not do my best. I start, again, only to feel like one of those who does not have to measure. How to you keep motivated to measure all the time? Some days, I just go to the gym and eat the meals that I know the values already. When I reach my goals, do I still measure? Ugghh.


    If you are following your plan and losing at a reasonable pace, an occasional "day off" (say once every other week or so) from rigorously weighing and logging your meals should be perfectly fine. Try to keep your portions similar to your normal days and it can help to have some pre-portioned meals handy for occasional use, too. Just don't use an off day as license to eat a lot more than you usually do. Also, don't make yourself guilty for relaxing a little, you need to be able to trust yourself to keep from overeating after you reach your goals.

    When you get to your goal, it is a good idea to spend some period of time keeping the log as you get used to maintenance. As you keep yourself at a stable weight for a period of time and you get used to eating portions at that level, you may find you want to relax the routine and spot check yourself periodically.

    In the end, it's all about having a healthy attitude about the food you eat and learning to enjoy eating meals that keep you satisfied without getting too many calories.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    karintalley wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    arnoldmq wrote: »
    you could buy food that is kinda already measure. like for example, costco thin sliced chicken breast is about 4 ounces per pace, and u can also use measuring cups that would give u a rough estimate of the weight. is not as accurate as using a scale but is quicker and is as accurate as u can get without measuring.

    Huh?

    That was not that hard to comprehend..lol

    I guess I'm not very good at reading skewed abbreviations :smiley:
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    Im reading my 8 year olds school work so I guess Im used to all of it :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    Docbanana2002 wrote: »
    Also, it isn't that much work to weigh and measure if you integrate it into what you are doing. Like if I want to make a PBJ sandwich on a plate, I gotta set the plate and bread down somewhere. So I set my plate/bread on the scale and zero it out. I add the PBJ and look at the weight. Zero it out. Add the jelly and look at the weight. I'm not doing anything that is extra other than monitor the number. I usually put my PB and jelly in standard portions (16 grams, 32 grams) so I don't even have to remember the number. I just remember I had a serving of PB and a serving of jelly and log it the next time I log.

    Same with cereal...I have to set the bowl down, so do it on the scale. I have to pour and at some point stop pouring my cereal. I let the number I'm seeing guide when to stop pouring.

    I use measuring cups for rice, beans, pasta instead of a spoon or scoop (or scale) I have to use something to scoop it, why not a half cup measuring cup? I have a couple of cheap sets and keep them handy.

    Yes, once I got a digital scale that zeroed, weighing became really quick and easy.

    Like you, I integrate weighing into food prep and use measuring scoops instead of serving spoons.
  • GunnarHamundarson
    GunnarHamundarson Posts: 7 Member
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    rmcloughlin22 wrote: »
    On the days you're feeling motivated, weigh out additional portions for the week of foods you frequently eat. Then store them in Ziploc bags or tupperwares for later. Ziplocs are nice because you can write on the bag with a shapie, i.e. "40 grams of oats, 140 calories." Then you don't have to worry about weighing/measuring when you don't feel like it.

    Thank you, everyone, for your comments. This sounds like a good idea, here. Much appreciated.

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