Food weighing?

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  • nicediva007
    nicediva007 Posts: 35 Member
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    Omg you guys rock! Great advice!

    I use scales regularly in my work (I'm a chemist), so I know how to tare and do conversions easily.

    When weighing liquids you have to take into account density. Most liquids do not align with water whose density is 1g/ml. With density you can convert mass to volume, however, since most ppl do not have the density of other liquids readily on hand (and if it's not a pure substance the information is not likely found anyway), it's best to stick to measuring by volume. The density of milk will differ drastically per batch due to fat content.

    Per your example, you can have the same volume serving size of 28-30 mls of five different substances but it won't be the same weight across all five unless they all have the same density.

    Sorry I'm a nerd.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    you better get an attorney than lol
    Because a lot of times it is not it is less or more

    Had some soft taco's that are always off...always more btw
    and the cheesecake piece that was 1 serving 46 grams = 210 calories But was after weighing 253..so 43 calories more!!
    Had some other things but forget ...because i dont go by serving sizes or cups and spoons anymore.
    I weigh everything ...and log everything
    Thats how i lost my 104 pounds in 10 months
    And happy with it

    Everybody has its own way. But sure enough the weighing pays off now that my deficit gets smaller and smaller. I am used to it and it only takes a minute more to weigh all my food....
    And it know i have the most accurate numbers possible.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited August 2015
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    nicediva007 wrote: »
    Omg you guys rock! Great advice!

    I use scales regularly in my work (I'm a chemist), so I know how to tare and do conversions easily.

    When weighing liquids you have to take into account density. Most liquids do not align with water whose density is 1g/ml. With density you can convert mass to volume, however, since most ppl do not have the density of other liquids readily on hand (and if it's not a pure substance the information is not likely found anyway), it's best to stick to measuring by volume. The density of milk will differ drastically per batch due to fat content.

    Per your example, you can have the same volume serving size of 28-30 mls of five different substances but it won't be the same weight across all five unless they all have the same density.

    Sorry I'm a nerd.

    sorry you are thinking wrong

    No density involved
    I weigh my liquid this way.
    The label says 1/2 cup is 30 calories
    So i put my half cup on the scale, tara button so the scale goes back to zero...poor the liquid in it...now the XX grams it gives me i use...I now know always that for this liquid the XX gram amount is half a cup.
    So when making ice cream or other things with that liquid as ingredient..i put the bowl on the scale. tara out so the scale is on zero.
    Fruit in it, write down the grams...tara out to zero...next ingredient for example my liquid..so i poor the xx grams in it and write it down 30 calories...Because i know that amount of grams is half a cup.
    This only works well when you use a certain liquid a lot.
    Like me almond milk on a daily base.

    Others i use cups

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    BWBTrish wrote: »
    nicediva007 wrote: »
    Omg you guys rock! Great advice!

    I use scales regularly in my work (I'm a chemist), so I know how to tare and do conversions easily.

    When weighing liquids you have to take into account density. Most liquids do not align with water whose density is 1g/ml. With density you can convert mass to volume, however, since most ppl do not have the density of other liquids readily on hand (and if it's not a pure substance the information is not likely found anyway), it's best to stick to measuring by volume. The density of milk will differ drastically per batch due to fat content.

    Per your example, you can have the same volume serving size of 28-30 mls of five different substances but it won't be the same weight across all five unless they all have the same density.

    Sorry I'm a nerd.
    sorry you are thinking wrong

    No density involved
    I weigh my liquid this way.
    The label says 1/2 cup is 30 calories
    So i put my half cup on the scale, tara button so the scale goes back to zero...poor the liquid in it...now the XX grams it gives me i use...I now know always that for this liquid the XX gram amount is half a cup.
    So when making ice cream or other things with that liquid as ingredient..i put the bowl on the scale. tara out so the scale is on zero.
    Fruit in it, write down the grams...tara out to zero...next ingredient for example my liquid..so i poor the xx grams in it and write it down 30 calories...Because i know that amount of grams is half a cup.
    This only works well when you use a certain liquid a lot.
    Like me almond milk on a daily base.

    Others i use cups
    It's all about density when you are working with trying to get mass from volume. Density is the "why" behind the differences in weight from one liquid to the next.

    You are getting a weight for a measured volume of a substance so that you can then use that weight to get that specific volume of the liquid. That works. However, density is why you need to get separate weights for separate substances.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    lol when i weigh out half a cup of almond milk...the next time that almond milk will weigh the same...and the next day too and after that and that

    So lets say i weigh half a cup of almond milk is 42 gram...the next day it is 42 gram again... really try it lol
    So why the next day take the half cup....just put your bowl or coffee cup on the scale...tara it out and poor in 42 grams of almond milk ( which is your half cup) = 30 calories
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    I agree that half a cup of water or milk or other liquids dont weigh 42 grams btw...
    But like i said before i am speaking of one liquid you use often...than you know it.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited August 2015
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    BWBTrish wrote: »
    lol when i weigh out half a cup of almond milk...the next time that almond milk will weigh the same...and the next day too and after that and that

    So lets say i weigh half a cup of almond milk is 42 gram...the next day it is 42 gram again... really try it lol
    So why the next day take the half cup....just put your bowl or coffee cup on the scale...tara it out and poor in 42 grams of almond milk ( which is your half cup) = 30 calories
    Yup, because the almond milk has the same density every day. However, it doesn't have the same density as Ranch dressing or Ketchup or Mayonnaise.

    You might have 55 grams for a half cup of Ranch dressing. It would be 55 grams every time, but it wouldn't be the 42 grams for that same half cup of almond milk because one is more dense.

    Just like you said above, you need a list for the different weights for the different liquids if you want to weigh those liquids directly. That's because the different liquids have different densities.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    well i dont use much dressings etc those i just measure every time ( and i use them rare) Most of the time i make my own dressings...But my milk i know ;) so no cups involved anymore.
    I even made entry's in MFP database for my own foods

    like white rice cooked per gram
    Beans etc.
    Ones you know how much it is dry and cooked you can make your own entry's and walla much quicker to pick the amount of your Own food list.

  • stephreed11
    stephreed11 Posts: 158 Member
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    Oops, I always weigh my salad dressing (grams)...so I've been underestimating cals?
  • cndkendrick
    cndkendrick Posts: 138 Member
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    To be quite frank, steph, one can always over pour a cup or tablespoon of something without spilling over. I would go by the serving size and weigh it on a scale.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited August 2015
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    stephreed11 wrote: »
    Oops, I always weigh my salad dressing (grams)...so I've been underestimating cals?
    What kind of salad dressing? If it's thick, it's likely more dense than water so you are likely overestimating calories. You might get a bit more salad dressing if you used a measuring spoon.

    For convenience sake, I weigh dressing. I don't use enough for it to make that much of a difference calorie-wise even though I know that it's not as exact as the volume measurement specified on the nutritional label.
  • cndkendrick
    cndkendrick Posts: 138 Member
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    :|
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
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    if you're just starting out, weigh everything. as time goes on and you get a good grasp of things, you may be able to stick to weighing the calorie-dense foods (i have gotten to the point where i don't need to weigh the leafy green and things like that, but i occasionally weigh everything else)...i'm trying to get to intuitive eating so i don't have to weigh for the rest of my life, but it takes a long time for me.

    i use a $15 scale that i got at k-mart that was on sale. it has worked quite well for me. it's digital and gives me both the option to tare and the option to use lbs/ozs or grams. i always use grams because i've become quite good at converting grams to ounces and just using the label on the food (if the food has a label; otherwise, i use the usda entry and use grams).

    i also made my own entries and recipes for a lot of things and just use those. it can be time consuming at first, but after that, it's so much easier.
  • nicediva007
    nicediva007 Posts: 35 Member
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    BWBTrish wrote: »
    nicediva007 wrote: »
    Omg you guys rock! Great advice!

    I use scales regularly in my work (I'm a chemist), so I know how to tare and do conversions easily.

    When weighing liquids you have to take into account density. Most liquids do not align with water whose density is 1g/ml. With density you can convert mass to volume, however, since most ppl do not have the density of other liquids readily on hand (and if it's not a pure substance the information is not likely found anyway), it's best to stick to measuring by volume. The density of milk will differ drastically per batch due to fat content.

    Per your example, you can have the same volume serving size of 28-30 mls of five different substances but it won't be the same weight across all five unless they all have the same density.

    Sorry I'm a nerd.

    sorry you are thinking wrong

    No density involved
    I weigh my liquid this way.
    The label says 1/2 cup is 30 calories
    So i put my half cup on the scale, tara button so the scale goes back to zero...poor the liquid in it...now the XX grams it gives me i use...I now know always that for this liquid the XX gram amount is half a cup.
    So when making ice cream or other things with that liquid as ingredient..i put the bowl on the scale. tara out so the scale is on zero.
    Fruit in it, write down the grams...tara out to zero...next ingredient for example my liquid..so i poor the xx grams in it and write it down 30 calories...Because i know that amount of grams is half a cup.
    This only works well when you use a certain liquid a lot.
    Like me almond milk on a daily base.

    Others i use cups

    What you did was essentially solve for density. Density is mass per unit volume.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    i know what it is lol
    And i even know it can be different from day to day for one and the same liquid too because of temperature
    But that is peanuts calorie counting lol.

    that is also why i expressed for ONE the same liquid you always use... when measured out ones you know that the next cup is the same grams for the same liquid over and over again.
  • nicediva007
    nicediva007 Posts: 35 Member
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    I'm totally picking up a scale when I'm out this weekend. I'm interested to see how off my typical food choices are. Lately we've been eating a lot more whole foods but some stuff is still packaged. One of these days I'll jump ship all the way to no processed foods. Until then, I think having a scale will take out some of the undertainty with regards to portions.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    i have a good one
    Today my husband wanted some Jimmy Dean
    56 gram per serving the label says... 1 serving = 190 calories. 6 servings a full pack
    I divided all the meat like i always do in servings

    I had 8 servings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Now dont weigh your food and think oke i eat half a pack and tomorrow the other half
    so you log 3 servings of Jimmy Dean ( 3 times 190 calories right)
    Well you ate 4 so a wopping 190 calories more...because there were 8 servings in it...but you dont know that when you dont weigh that...next day the same and you ate 380 calories more without knowing

    I made photos of it and posted it on my FB page lol to show the other i am not lying.
  • chulipa
    chulipa Posts: 650 Member
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    I bought a scale from Walmart for $14 but to change it over to kg you have to push a button onder the scale so I took it back and got another one for $18 and much easier to use
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    Mine has that too but i put it on grams
    On the pc i have a converter which i use for the ounces or kg into grams and visa versa
  • nicediva007
    nicediva007 Posts: 35 Member
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    BWBTrish wrote: »
    i have a good one
    Today my husband wanted some Jimmy Dean
    56 gram per serving the label says... 1 serving = 190 calories. 6 servings a full pack
    I divided all the meat like i always do in servings

    I had 8 servings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Now dont weigh your food and think oke i eat half a pack and tomorrow the other half
    so you log 3 servings of Jimmy Dean ( 3 times 190 calories right)
    Well you ate 4 so a wopping 190 calories more...because there were 8 servings in it...but you dont know that when you dont weigh that...next day the same and you ate 380 calories more without knowing

    I made photos of it and posted it on my FB page lol to show the other i am not lying.

    Okay so my question about this is, if the servings on the package are inaccurate, then how much stock can we put in the calories per unit? Like, how can you even trust that 1 serving of 56 grams is actually 190 calories? How do we know that it's not 190 calories per 45 grams? It seems like a crap shoot in some ways.

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