What does weighing and measuring food do?

strawsombrero
strawsombrero Posts: 13 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
so I just started in the gym losing weight and building muscle and I see all this talk on weighing and measuring foods to maximize weight loss, ect. Can somebody explain in detail what this does to help us? Thanks

Replies

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited September 2015
    It means you know how much you're eating. Weight loss is about eating a calorie deficit - it's hard to do that if you don't know how many calories you're eating!

    You can guess how much you're eating, but most people tend to be way off (usually underestimating, but sometimes overestimating). Weighing your food means you know exactly how much you're eating, so you can stay in your calories.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    It allows you to now exactly how many calories you're eating, which is half of the "calories in, calories out" formula that drives weight loss.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    strawsombrero wrote: »
    so I just started in the gym losing weight and building muscle and I see all this talk on weighing and measuring foods to maximize weight loss, ect. Can somebody explain in detail what this does to help us? Thanks

    Weighing food on a scale helps you to more accurately track your calories. Measuring with a measuring cup or spoon is a step toward accuracy but weighing things is the most accurate way to do it because many people tend to jam their measuring cups/spoons as full as possible in order to get extra bites. I use a mix of the scale and measuring cups/spoons but I'm sure not to stuff the food into the latter :)

    If you start out with a fair bit of weight to lose, accuracy is not as big a deal. I started out with 50+ pounds to lose. For the first several months, I lost weight just by measuring in servings (no weighing) and often just eyeballing serving size. At a certain point, though, I needed to become more accurate so I switched to the scale/cups.
  • strawsombrero
    strawsombrero Posts: 13 Member
    By knowing the weight and messuremts how does this help me know how many calories something is?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited September 2015
    Losing weight and building muscle....highly unlikely. If you are eating at a deficit, lifting helps you retain lean muscle. You are likely building strength though.

    Anyway, some people can "eyeball" portions and be fairly correct. Others suck at it (me). I measure portions and do pretty well, but weighing food will be the most accurate of all. Especially with calorie dense foods.

    Even some packaged foods are not the same weights as on the label. Settling occurs and you have many more calories than you anticipated. If you don't believe this.....measure 1 cup of flour. Tap it on the counter a few times and you can add more flour. Light pastries & cakes......weigh the flour.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    strawsombrero wrote: »
    By knowing the weight and messuremts how does this help me know how many calories something is?
    Because a given food has a particular amount of calories according to its weight. MFP -- and other sites -- use this information to tell you how many calories are in that amount of food.

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    strawsombrero wrote: »
    By knowing the weight and messuremts how does this help me know how many calories something is?

    Well, how do you currently know how many calories something is? I'm guessing you look at the label or use the MFP database. The label will always have calories per 100g, so you can work it out from that (usually more accurate than going by '1 serving' or whatever it might otherwise have), or if you use the MFP databse you just find an entry that has the serving in grams, and enter how many grams you ate.
  • Erfw7471
    Erfw7471 Posts: 242 Member
    edited September 2015
    strawsombrero wrote: »
    By knowing the weight and messuremts how does this help me know how many calories something is?

    Nutrition Labels on food packaging has the calories/pro/fat/carbs listed by their serving size - by weighing with a food scale and measuring with measuring cups and spoons you will be able to accurately count the serving. Eta: if the grams are listed I always use that, even if cup or spoon measurement is given as well.

    If your food is without a label, the USDA site has foods listed as well.


  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    strawsombrero wrote: »
    By knowing the weight and messuremts how does this help me know how many calories something is?

    Well, how do you currently know how many calories something is? I'm guessing you look at the label or use the MFP database. The label will always have calories per 100g, so you can work it out from that (usually more accurate than going by '1 serving' or whatever it might otherwise have), or if you use the MFP databse you just find an entry that has the serving in grams, and enter how many grams you ate.
    I wish that the US had nutritional information per 100g on the nutritional labels. I'm jealous. All we get is per serving.

    As for the MFP database, it is important to pick accurate entries. Some entries aren't accurate so you need to check them against the label or USDA site to make sure you are choosing an accurate entry or else create your own entry in My Foods.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    strawsombrero wrote: »
    By knowing the weight and messuremts how does this help me know how many calories something is?

    Well, how do you currently know how many calories something is? I'm guessing you look at the label or use the MFP database. The label will always have calories per 100g, so you can work it out from that (usually more accurate than going by '1 serving' or whatever it might otherwise have), or if you use the MFP databse you just find an entry that has the serving in grams, and enter how many grams you ate.
    I wish that the US had nutritional information per 100g on the nutritional labels. I'm jealous. All we get is per serving.

    As for the MFP database, it is important to pick accurate entries. Some entries aren't accurate so you need to check them against the label or USDA site to make sure you are choosing an accurate entry or else create your own entry in My Foods.

    Whoops I think I meant to say almost always haha. Doesn't it say how much '1 serving' is (whether in grams or something else)?

    I'll put that on my list of reasons not to move to America lol (which currently includes things like lack of healthcare, lack of decent chocolate, and the fact that I'll be arrested for murder when I finally snap and kill the 100th person to ask me if I know the bloody queen).
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    So you know exactly what the hell you are putting in your mouth. How will you know how many calories you are consuming if you don't weigh your foods?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    dhimaan wrote: »
    So you know exactly what the hell you are putting in your mouth. How will you know how many calories you are consuming if you don't weigh your foods?
    How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    Doesn't it say how much '1 serving' is (whether in grams or something else)?

    Yeah, I actually don't find it difficult at all.
  • amandarunning
    amandarunning Posts: 306 Member
    edited September 2015
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    dhimaan wrote: »
    So you know exactly what the hell you are putting in your mouth. How will you know how many calories you are consuming if you don't weigh your foods?
    How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

    Is that cute as cute puppy yours?? Gorgeous!

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    Doesn't it say how much '1 serving' is (whether in grams or something else)?
    Yeah, I actually don't find it difficult at all.
    The math isn't difficult but a 100g listing would be great for accuracy. Some of the things I eat have 7g servings and I feel like there's a whole lot of rounding that would be more transparent if there were also a 100g listing. For instance, Pam cooking spray has 0g of fat per serving when the whole thing is fat. They just made the serving size small enough to hide that.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    I am a food measuring convert. Here's why:

    I used to completely shun the idea of measuring my food - claiming it was ridiculous and slightly obsessive. I couldn't have been more wrong. After becoming a member of MFP and learning more and more about the process, I bought myself an electronic food scale - and I will never, ever look back! For the past 4 months, I have been WILDLY under-estimating my calorie intake. Some days by around 300 calories. I'm actually surprised I managed to shift the amount of weight I have - but I will put that down to being active. If it wasn't for my exercise, those extra 300 calories per day would have really affected my progress.

    Case in point today - the first time I measured granola. Usually I track it as around 200 calories which included a dash of natural yoghurt. My electronic food scale told me it was in fact just over 300 calories. That's 100 calories just for breakfast alone that I 'missed'.

    I can't recommend weighing food enough.

    Obviously if you are eating out or grabbing a snack from the shop, no one expects you to carry your scales around with you. A lot of this is common sense too. But if you have an opportunity to weigh, by all means do!
  • LaceyBirds
    LaceyBirds Posts: 451 Member
    edited September 2015
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    dhimaan wrote: »
    So you know exactly what the hell you are putting in your mouth. How will you know how many calories you are consuming if you don't weigh your foods?
    How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

    You can't have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat.

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