Using a food scale in front of your kids
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I'm just honest about what I'm doing and I tell my kids that it's for figuring out the correct servings sizes. They notice that I use it and notice that daddy doesn't (unless he's cooking dinner for the family) so sometimes that is hard to explain. They do hear me talking about calories though and ask questions about it.
The other day my son was watching me work out and he asked me "Mom, how skinny are you going to get??" I told him it wasn't about getting skinny, it was about being healthy. I try never to say anything about losing weight or being skinny to any of them. I can remember feeling fat as far back as 3rd grade (even though I was actually a pretty average weight) so I don't want any of them to ever experience that.0 -
My daughter gets a kick out of measuring things. She's 7, and I'm not worried. I have always stressed the importance of eating a good diet with plenty of vegetables so we can be strong and healthy. Part of that is knowing that there is a limit to how much we should be eating. She weighs her own ice cream and snacks according to the nutrition label.0
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Using a food scale in front of your children shouldn't be looked at as a bad thing. You can use it as a tool to explain, "This is how much a serving looks like." It'll put healthy in perspective for them, and could help them to stop/not start over eating. I find that 99% of the time, I eat everything on my plate, simply because it's there, not because I'm still hungry. Using a scale and putting the rest away - cereal for example, keeps me from refilling the bowl over and over, and usually the serving I measure/weigh out is enough to leave me satisfied.
Also, in regards to cups and spoons rather than weight, sometimes I find that you get just a little more food by weight rather than volume - and it's easier with things like fruit. It's easier to weigh 8oz of blueberries than try and put them into a cup. I say if the nutrition label gives cups and grams, weigh it for a more accurate nutritional value.0 -
Hmmmm, maybe it's a regional thing, but I don't know anyone (outside of chefs/serious cooks) who uses a food scale. And if I was to pull one out at, say, a family gathering, I would definitely raise a few eyebrows and concerns. It's just not common practice and would, like some other people suggested, be possibly seen as "disordered."
Maybe that's why I'm hesitant while, for others (and rightfully so), it's just not a big deal, it's common practice.0 -
Hmmmm, maybe it's a regional thing, but I don't know anyone (outside of chefs/serious cooks) who uses a food scale. And if I was to pull one out at, say, a family gathering, I would definitely raise a few eyebrows and concerns. It's just not common practice and would, like some other people suggested, be possibly seen as "disordered."
Maybe that's why I'm hesitant while, for others (and rightfully so), it's just not a big deal, it's common practice.
I do it in my own home, and I have my old food scale at my office (I have a private room I share with 3 other ladies who also watch what they eat so they don't think it's weird.)
I don't bring my scale to me to parties, restaurants, etc. That would be perceived as over the top. I also don't really try to accurately count anything when I am in a situation like that (unless it's a restaurant with nutritional values on their menu or online). I try to take a reasonable amount of food and make the best choices I can.
Or I may even say "Screw it, I am going to eat what I want and work it off tomorrow..."
Thankfully I'm not in that kind of situation very often - a few times a year maybe.0 -
Sarasmaintaining wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
You're using the wrong recipes.lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
Nearly every cookbook and recipe I've come across..uses measuring cups and spoons, here in the US.
This-I do a LOT of baking and I have hundreds of recipes that I've printed off from online recipe sites. They all use measuring cups/spoons for measuring, I've never seen a recipe that goes by weight for an ingredient.
In Italy it's just the opposite. Everything is in grams--no cups or spoons. Strange world isn't it?
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Hmmmm, maybe it's a regional thing, but I don't know anyone (outside of chefs/serious cooks) who uses a food scale. And if I was to pull one out at, say, a family gathering, I would definitely raise a few eyebrows and concerns. It's just not common practice and would, like some other people suggested, be possibly seen as "disordered."
Maybe that's why I'm hesitant while, for others (and rightfully so), it's just not a big deal, it's common practice.
I understand what you're saying. Now that I'm using one, I see it as normal, but years ago I probably would have raised my eyebrows. But kids are not judgmental adults and can usually accept new information/change pretty easily.
Whenever I use my scale, I wipe it down and store it in a cabinet with all my other cooking tools. So no exactly hiding it, but I never said a word about it to my husband. I do a lot of cooking when he's still at work. The first time I had to use it in front of him, I admit I felt a little weird, but I just did it, and I didn't feel the need to offer an explanation, and he didn't ask (or even seem to notice). It doesn't really warrant that much focus. Now, I can't imagine a time when I would be using my food scale in front of guests...I cook for my immediate family, but I've never had people over and cooked for them on the spot (that's what catering is for, lol). But I guess if I am in that situation, I'll just use it like the tool that it is, and not feel the need to discuss it.0 -
The first time I saw a kitchen scale ever was when my friend started Weight Watchers back in the early 90s. Just an ordinary $5 scale (not digital). I found it interesting, but not odd or disordered.
I don't know many people who have a kitchen scale, but then again, I don't go snooping through people's cupboards.
I just don't get what all the angst is over using it in front of kids...it's not like your 5 year old caught you using something from the adult toy store or anything...
Do you have children? I have two young daughters. One of them is 7 years old and she already comes home from school some days talking about calories and diets and not getting fat. She is too young to be worried about such things IMHO. We talk about what food is for treats only and food as fuel, but what she hears from her peers and other kids in school outweighs a lot of what I try to teach her at home. She knows I have a food scale and I tell her it's for measuring food for recipes. If I told her it's because I count calories to know what's going in my body and to lose weight, she's going to want to do it herself. She does not need to count calories at 7 years old. She's stick thin already.
Growing up my mother was always on some diet, remember Richard Simmon's Deal-A-Meal? Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, she did it all (this is a woman who has never been overweight a day in her life). Observing her I learned an unhealthy body image and later on, disordered eating. It's been a struggle to undo that damage. I don't want my children to go through the same thing.
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My kids see me weigh my food all the time. I tell them its so i can see how much of something im gettig so that i can continue to be strong and healthy. its never been about weight loss. i even weigh thiers out so they feel like a part of it. I dont think it gives any negitive conotation unless you make it negitive. saying things like "well its to help mommy get skinny, or so i dont eat to much and get fat, etc"0
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I know 10 years ago I would have considered weighing food obsessive and disordered. I now find it normal and feel it's becoming more mainstream. Like everything, it has to be explained properly to our children and probably everyone who doesn't understand the proper use for it.
I agree that an informative nutrition class in schools would be a positive health idea for kids of all ages.0 -
You could say something like "I want to make sure I'm eating *enough* to be my healthiest and happiest self." - that frames it in a more positive light than "I don't want to eat too much."
Sorry if this has been said before, I didn't read past the first page.0 -
insearchofcheese wrote: »The first time I saw a kitchen scale ever was when my friend started Weight Watchers back in the early 90s. Just an ordinary $5 scale (not digital). I found it interesting, but not odd or disordered.
I don't know many people who have a kitchen scale, but then again, I don't go snooping through people's cupboards.
I just don't get what all the angst is over using it in front of kids...it's not like your 5 year old caught you using something from the adult toy store or anything...
Do you have children? I have two young daughters. One of them is 7 years old and she already comes home from school some days talking about calories and diets and not getting fat. She is too young to be worried about such things IMHO. We talk about what food is for treats only and food as fuel, but what she hears from her peers and other kids in school outweighs a lot of what I try to teach her at home. She knows I have a food scale and I tell her it's for measuring food for recipes. If I told her it's because I count calories to know what's going in my body and to lose weight, she's going to want to do it herself. She does not need to count calories at 7 years old. She's stick thin already.
Growing up my mother was always on some diet, remember Richard Simmon's Deal-A-Meal? Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, she did it all (this is a woman who has never been overweight a day in her life). Observing her I learned an unhealthy body image and later on, disordered eating. It's been a struggle to undo that damage. I don't want my children to go through the same thing.
I have 3 children.
They are well adjusted, non-obese, non-body obsessing 19, 17, and 15 year olds now. 2 girls and a boy. They have completely ignored my food scale shortly after I started using it. They just rolled their eyes at me and said it was "Old people stuff." *shrug* Each kid is different, but I certainly didn't act like it was some taboo object or something to be ashamed of.
And counting calories isn't just for losing weight. You can count calories to maintain a healthy weight, or to gain if you need to. You can just say "I'm weighing my food to make sure I'm eating the right amount to be healthy." You don't have to say it's "to lose weight" - even though that's what you're doing. You can just say "to eat enough to be healthy."
So if your daughter wants to do it, find out what her recommended calories are for the day and let her do it. There is nothing unhealthy about being aware of what you eat, and having a reasonable understanding that some days you may go over, some days you may not...
A food scale has nothing to do with fad diets and has everything to do with empowering you to eat a healthy amount of food.
Projecting your own fears and insecurities on it is not good.0 -
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Do you have children? I have two young daughters. One of them is 7 years old and she already comes home from school some days talking about calories and diets and not getting fat. She is too young to be worried about such things IMHO. We talk about what food is for treats only and food as fuel, but what she hears from her peers and other kids in school outweighs a lot of what I try to teach her at home. She knows I have a food scale and I tell her it's for measuring food for recipes. If I told her it's because I count calories to know what's going in my body and to lose weight, she's going to want to do it herself. She does not need to count calories at 7 years old. She's stick thin already.
Growing up my mother was always on some diet, remember Richard Simmon's Deal-A-Meal? Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, she did it all (this is a woman who has never been overweight a day in her life). Observing her I learned an unhealthy body image and later on, disordered eating. It's been a struggle to undo that damage. I don't want my children to go through the same thing.
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Ugh. My oldest is 6 and i am not looking forward to what you're saying. Thinking back over the last few weeks, there have been times when she suddenly didn't want to eat much of something with no explaination and I wondered why. I hope kids at school aren't already talking about being fat (she's perfectly healthy herself, but that doesn't mean all the kids aren't talking about it).
My mom had her ups and downs too. A lot of emotional eating and closet eating. Not long ago she commented that I am not a closet eater. To which I said yes, I'm just really good at it
My mom lost weight a few years ago and this time it stuck. I don't think she addressed her issues though. I am losing much more slowly, but I am feeling less and less connected to the emotional responses I always had with food.
I hope to teach my kids that food is just food. There doesn't need to be emotions involved. But part of that is treating food scientifically--including weighing it. It actually allows me to be more human and not have any restrictions on food.
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My youngest daughter also made comments about being fat, when she was around 9-11 years old. She never has been much of an eater (even before she went to school. Even as a baby, she didn't eat much compared to her siblings). Yet she was afraid of getting fat. I suspect this is a normal phase at this age. I wonder how many kids worry about being fat because they see overweight kids in school and maybe witness them being bullied by others?
Being frank and honest with your kids about healthy eating is important. We constantly reassured our daughter that she was a healthy size and healthy weight and that she looked terrific. She eventually stopped and while she still doesn't eat a lot most of the time she never makes comments about worrying about being fat and it doesn't keep her from enjoying her ice cream when she wants it. lol
Talking with your kids about what healthy is and what isn't healthy is important. Good nutritional habits are important to teach.0 -
My youngest daughter also made comments about being fat, when she was around 9-11 years old. She never has been much of an eater (even before she went to school. Even as a baby, she didn't eat much compared to her siblings). Yet she was afraid of getting fat. I suspect this is a normal phase at this age. I wonder how many kids worry about being fat because they see overweight kids in school and maybe witness them being bullied by others?
Being frank and honest with your kids about healthy eating is important. We constantly reassured our daughter that she was a healthy size and healthy weight and that she looked terrific. She eventually stopped and while she still doesn't eat a lot most of the time she never makes comments about worrying about being fat and it doesn't keep her from enjoying her ice cream when she wants it. lol
Talking with your kids about what healthy is and what isn't healthy is important. Good nutritional habits are important to teach.
Good for you! I think it's a big mistake to just ignore things and think then they'll go away, Explaining things to your kids when they're small (and will listen) is the best course. It all depends on how you handle it. Letting your own hangups get in the way can backfire. 0 -
BAM @JPW1990 Nailed it perfectly in response to @asflatasapancake.
Show it off as just another tool you use in the kitchen.
Its no different than the blender or the timer on your oven. Its a tool that helps with a job/project.asflatasapancake wrote: »Yeah, I was wondering how to approach that with my 5 year old daughter. She asked me why I was doing what I was doing. I said, 'It's something that daddy does'.Bake a cake with her - a real one from scratch. To get it right, you should weigh all the ingredients, not measure them. Explain that to her while you make the cake, and how if you have too much of one ingredient or not enough of another, it will be floppy or thick or crumbly.
If it comes up again when you're using the scale (or if you just want to throw it in while you're baking) tell her you use the scale on your dinner for the same reason, to make sure you have the right mix of ingredients. Leave it at that til she's older.
My son is 12, and he's just always seen me using it, but I use it for everything, baking, full recipes, or just making my own lunch. He just associates it as another kitchen tool, one he uses, too, when he helps in the kitchen.
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My middle-school daughter has a friend with some disordered eating habits, so I try to be thoughtful about how I talk about food. I have explicitly explained to her that I ignored my body telling me when it was hungry and full for long enough that I have to count calories to make sure I have the right amount of energy, and that she needs to listen to her body so that she doesn't have to.
I do think that the vast majority of people who have never had food-related issues (never been significantly overweight, never had disordered eating) do not need to count calories, much less weigh their food.0 -
Sarasmaintaining wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
You're using the wrong recipes.lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
Nearly every cookbook and recipe I've come across..uses measuring cups and spoons, here in the US.
This-I do a LOT of baking and I have hundreds of recipes that I've printed off from online recipe sites. They all use measuring cups/spoons for measuring, I've never seen a recipe that goes by weight for an ingredient.
They're rare, for sure. You have to either go looking for them or go to a foreign site. I once returned a cookbook (pre-MFP days) because it only gave measurements in grams and I had no idea what 500g of potatoes might look like.0 -
I have discussed this whole journey with my kids. Pointed out that the reason I needed to work to lose weight in the first place was due to years of inactivity & poor eating choices. I tell them they should learn from my mistakes, and be active & aim to eat foods that give their bodies the things it needs. I tell them they have no reason to 'count calories'. I'm making up for past mistakes - and they can see that.just looking for some opinions/thoughts here (particularly from mothers of daughters). I've been thinking about getting a food scale to help me with this last stretch (the vanity pounds).
That said, I'm currently at a healthy weight and size. And, well, I'm kind of hesitant about using a food scale in front of my kids and having to explain why...does that make sense? Like, my body is a healthy weight and, at this point, I'm just working on composition and, well, looks/vanity. Do I really want to get into that with my kids? I guess I'm afraid I'll project some unhealthy ideas about food and body image.
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just looking for some opinions/thoughts here (particularly from mothers of daughters). I've been thinking about getting a food scale to help me with this last stretch (the vanity pounds).
That said, I'm currently at a healthy weight and size. And, well, I'm kind of hesitant about using a food scale in front of my kids and having to explain why...does that make sense? Like, my body is a healthy weight and, at this point, I'm just working on composition and, well, looks/vanity. Do I really want to get into that with my kids? I guess I'm afraid I'll project some unhealthy ideas about food and body image.
I don't know how old your kids are but I would just approach it as wanting to eat the right portion size and that while you like yourself you want to make just a few changes. if you don't make using a kitchen scale a big deal or say negative things about your body/weight then I doubt they will think, "Mom is weighing her food. Everything she says is a lie. I must be fat and ugly."
My dd is 15. I have been open with her about my weight loss and it has not been an issue. It is just something I do. I want to be at a healthy weight. I want clothes to fit better. I want to be more fit. That doesn't mean that I hate myself, that I'm starving myself, getting surgery or exercising 5 hours a day. I'm just eating a bit less and moving more.0 -
I don't see the problem, it's no different than using a measuring cup. In fact they suggest you weigh ingredients when baking.0
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I have had no problem using mine in front of my family. It is an example of a healthy lifestyle. If you want to learn proper portion sizes, it is a necessary tool. I want my daughter to know that there are proper portion sizes.0
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I agree with the "recipe" comparison. 35 plus years ago I worked at a Hagaan Das (sp) and Round Table and we measured everything. RT just wanted consistent pies and HD it was a budget deal. I think many weigh for many reasons and your kids see it everywhere. I think these are the habits our kids see that are really good for them to see. (IMO)
I think that's a great idea! There is nothing wrong with being taught how to fuel your body properly.0 -
victoria_1024 wrote: »I'm just honest about what I'm doing and I tell my kids that it's for figuring out the correct servings sizes. They notice that I use it and notice that daddy doesn't
This is the case with me, too. Have explained to my 9yo daughter, who thankfully has a normal appetite and body and is sporty like her father, that I got the way I am - overweight and unfit - because I don't have the skill that she and her dad have of judging their portions so I am learning it and the scale is a tool to help me. And because I didn't use to move a lot, but now I do. She finds it all rather reasonable and hasn't given it a second thought.
Also, here (Quebec) they get a lot of initiatives at school to learn good nutrition, for example she monitors her own food to include three different food groups at every meal or almost and really enjoys that, so to her I guess it's natural that good nutrition is something you learn and some people didn't learn it well as kids so have to try to learn it later in life, like her mum.
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I don't see the problem, it's no different than using a measuring cup. In fact they suggest you weigh ingredients when baking.
Who is "they"? I've never weighed ingredients for baking. I used to bake regularly when I had children at home and never used my scale or had a recipe that gave ingredients in weights. But then, I sometimes measure by eyeballing amount if I don't want to dirty up all the measuring cups/spoons (e.g. just fill the 1 C measuring cup 1/3 for 1/3 C, etc.). My 'from scratch' baked goods always turned out fine.
I have had a kitchen scale for many years but I mostly use it for canning because the wrong acid level can mean spoiled food.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »I use mine in front of my 13 year old daughter. I just told her I like to be aware of what I'm consuming, so I know I'm getting the proper amount of food for my body.
There's nothing wrong with being accountable and careful about the amounts you're eating.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't see the problem, it's no different than using a measuring cup. In fact they suggest you weigh ingredients when baking.
Who is "they"? I've never weighed ingredients for baking. I used to bake regularly when I had children at home and never used my scale or had a recipe that gave ingredients in weights. But then, I sometimes measure by eyeballing amount if I don't want to dirty up all the measuring cups/spoons (e.g. just fill the 1 C measuring cup 1/3 for 1/3 C, etc.). My 'from scratch' baked goods always turned out fine.
I have had a kitchen scale for many years but I mostly use it for canning because the wrong acid level can mean spoiled food.
Professional bakers. Recipes from mom blogs or sites like food network don't always provide weights, but once you get into serious baking, like variations on sour dough or craft breads, all the recipes are in weights. Some are only in ratios.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
You're using the wrong recipes.lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
Nearly every cookbook and recipe I've come across..uses measuring cups and spoons, here in the US.
Including the MFP blog recipes >.<
America's Test Kitchen recipes use cups and ounces.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I don't see the problem, it's no different than using a measuring cup. In fact they suggest you weigh ingredients when baking.
Who is "they"? I've never weighed ingredients for baking. I used to bake regularly when I had children at home and never used my scale or had a recipe that gave ingredients in weights. But then, I sometimes measure by eyeballing amount if I don't want to dirty up all the measuring cups/spoons (e.g. just fill the 1 C measuring cup 1/3 for 1/3 C, etc.). My 'from scratch' baked goods always turned out fine.
I have had a kitchen scale for many years but I mostly use it for canning because the wrong acid level can mean spoiled food.
Professional bakers. Recipes from mom blogs or sites like food network don't always provide weights, but once you get into serious baking, like variations on sour dough or craft breads, all the recipes are in weights. Some are only in ratios.
Yup. First time I saw a scale used in baking was when I volunteered at the kitchen at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.
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