On the difficulties of using a food scale.
Derf_Smeggle
Posts: 610 Member
Just some rambling thoughts and experiences on the subject.
For the past 4 weeks I've been using a food scale to weigh approx 97% of my food intake (yes... I really did just math it out...). There were 4 meal exceptions that included Halloween parties and a restaurant meal from last night.
I have been noticing when it comes up in conversation with my friends, and with a number of posts on this forum, people express this perceived idea that scaling food is extremely difficult and time consuming.
"Oh man! You must be really committed to take that much time", is a phrase that comes to mind from a friend.
Okay, the first couple days I can agree. There is an adjustment phase to any new routine. You forget to set up the scale before you threw some ingredients into a pot. Maybe you forget to zero out the scale after you put your plate on it, and spend a little extra time sorting out the actual food weight. Quit laughing. I was up early one day in the beginning. Mistakes were made and regretted.
However, once you establish your routine it literally adds 10-30 seconds to dishing up food (yes... I really did time myself a few times... with the stopwatch on my phone...). That's the time it takes to get the scale, turn it on, tare if needed, maybe wipe it down if you spill something, then put the scale away.
If you dish your food into a plate, bowl, cup, urn, flowerpot, or whatever, then scaling the food isn't that time consuming. You put said receptacle onto the scale before dishing it up.
For recipes, you weigh the raw ingredients before you throw them in a pot. A colander works great for veggies. I just zero out between ingredients and add until the colander can't fits no more. Meat? Plate on a scale. Meat on the plate. Done.
Don't be intimidated by the scale!! It's quick. It's easy, and oh-so accurate.
For the past 4 weeks I've been using a food scale to weigh approx 97% of my food intake (yes... I really did just math it out...). There were 4 meal exceptions that included Halloween parties and a restaurant meal from last night.
I have been noticing when it comes up in conversation with my friends, and with a number of posts on this forum, people express this perceived idea that scaling food is extremely difficult and time consuming.
"Oh man! You must be really committed to take that much time", is a phrase that comes to mind from a friend.
Okay, the first couple days I can agree. There is an adjustment phase to any new routine. You forget to set up the scale before you threw some ingredients into a pot. Maybe you forget to zero out the scale after you put your plate on it, and spend a little extra time sorting out the actual food weight. Quit laughing. I was up early one day in the beginning. Mistakes were made and regretted.
However, once you establish your routine it literally adds 10-30 seconds to dishing up food (yes... I really did time myself a few times... with the stopwatch on my phone...). That's the time it takes to get the scale, turn it on, tare if needed, maybe wipe it down if you spill something, then put the scale away.
If you dish your food into a plate, bowl, cup, urn, flowerpot, or whatever, then scaling the food isn't that time consuming. You put said receptacle onto the scale before dishing it up.
For recipes, you weigh the raw ingredients before you throw them in a pot. A colander works great for veggies. I just zero out between ingredients and add until the colander can't fits no more. Meat? Plate on a scale. Meat on the plate. Done.
Don't be intimidated by the scale!! It's quick. It's easy, and oh-so accurate.
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You are going great
We keep our food scale on the kitchen counter -- its designated home.0 -
I agree. When I first began and saw people recommending getting a food scale, I'll admit, I was very averse to the idea. It seemed like it was time consuming. I even thought at one point it was borderline eating disorder territory.
But I opened myself up to the idea after many many recommendations. I wanted to be accurate. I wanted to be successful. I wanted to maximize my potential in weight loss. So I got one. It was literally one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Seriously, it adds MAYBE a minute of extra time. I actually find myself using less dishes/cups/spoons/etc. Plus I get the added benefit of knowing my servings are accurate.0 -
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Derf_Smeggle wrote: »Just some rambling thoughts and experiences on the subject.
For the past 4 weeks I've been using a food scale to weigh approx 97% of my food intake (yes... I really did just math it out...). There were 4 meal exceptions that included Halloween parties and a restaurant meal from last night.
I have been noticing when it comes up in conversation with my friends, and with a number of posts on this forum, people express this perceived idea that scaling food is extremely difficult and time consuming.
"Oh man! You must be really committed to take that much time", is a phrase that comes to mind from a friend.
Okay, the first couple days I can agree. There is an adjustment phase to any new routine. You forget to set up the scale before you threw some ingredients into a pot. Maybe you forget to zero out the scale after you put your plate on it, and spend a little extra time sorting out the actual food weight. Quit laughing. I was up early one day in the beginning. Mistakes were made and regretted.
However, once you establish your routine it literally adds 10-30 seconds to dishing up food (yes... I really did time myself a few times... with the stopwatch on my phone...). That's the time it takes to get the scale, turn it on, tare if needed, maybe wipe it down if you spill something, then put the scale away.
If you dish your food into a plate, bowl, cup, urn, flowerpot, or whatever, then scaling the food isn't that time consuming. You put said receptacle onto the scale before dishing it up.
For recipes, you weigh the raw ingredients before you throw them in a pot. A colander works great for veggies. I just zero out between ingredients and add until the colander can't fits no more. Meat? Plate on a scale. Meat on the plate. Done.
Don't be intimidated by the scale!! It's quick. It's easy, and oh-so accurate.
This!
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Oops, meant to post in a different thread and it weirdly moved it in to the food board for some reason!
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I need one!0
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I am still adjusting to my new routine haha, it does take me a few extra minutes per meal but its just another tool that is helping me reach my goals so I'm just going to DO it!0
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I've turned into such a food scale nerd that I've started to do as our smarter European friends have done for ages--I look for baking recipes for my family that are measured in grams. You get much more reliable results that way.
I make the rest of the family waffles almost every morning for breakfast, and before, the outcome was always variable. Now that I weigh my ingredients? They always come out the same.0 -
PeachyCarol wrote: »I've turned into such a food scale nerd that I've started to do as our smarter European friends have done for ages--I look for baking recipes for my family that are measured in grams. You get much more reliable results that way.
I make the rest of the family waffles almost every morning for breakfast, and before, the outcome was always variable. Now that I weigh my ingredients? They always come out the same.
I do that too and yes, it makes a big difference. Thank goodness for the internet as it's hard to find recipes in the US that use weights.0 -
I find the scale to be a major pain in the butt and cannot wait to be done with it. A person should be able to have a sandwich without weighting out seven different things, writing them down, going to a computer and logging ever ingredient and it's weight.
The scale/logging thing is both friend and enemy.0 -
Definitely a huge plus for baking recipes! And I also hate US recipes.
The only annoying thing with a scale is weighing everything when you make recipes though (for things others than baking, where the exact ingredient proportion isn't a huge deal). It can be a pain in the butt, but knowing that your serving is 100 calories, instead of guessing, really helps with peace of mind...
Otherwise, yeah, all it takes is putting the plate on the scale and hitting one button every time you put something in your plate.0 -
I only have an old analog scale. I dream of someday being able to zero out a pot or a plate. For now, I have to do all the calculations manually. It has a little container that puts the scale to zero. It works fine, but if you're measuring something messy or that you don't want mixed, it has to be rinsed between items.0
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If you have a smartphone I would encourage you to download the app. You can skip the writing it down. Plus, if you set it up correctly your recent or commonly used items should be right on top.I find the scale to be a major pain in the butt and cannot wait to be done with it. A person should be able to have a sandwich without weighting out seven different things, writing them down, going to a computer and logging ever ingredient and it's weight.
The scale/logging thing is both friend and enemy.
You might also set up some recipes or meals that you can easily tweak.
I often pre-log the food I packed for the day. It takes me all of 3 minutes while I'm eating breakfast, and I'm down to logging dinner later in the evening. My log is open so you can see week to week I'm eating a variety of things.0 -
I find the scale to be a major pain in the butt and cannot wait to be done with it. A person should be able to have a sandwich without weighting out seven different things, writing them down, going to a computer and logging ever ingredient and it's weight.
The scale/logging thing is both friend and enemy.
Well you don't have to weigh everything. A lot of people don't.
It was an eye opener when I weighed my sandwich at lunch though and realized that a relatively small sandwich was still over 400 calories... I remember logging some sandwiches at 600 calories then weighing everything and realizing it was closer to 900!0 -
I signed up on the Indiegogo for a new Slate Scale - it's Bluetooth and imports your entries into your phone as you weigh (not sure about the integration into MFP, but I'm not married to any specific tool - I just need to weigh/track). It's the first of its kind (www.slatescale.com).. I travel a ton for work so it's going to be very beneficial for me! I've weighed and measured my food actively for years.. It's much easier than people think!
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I just bought a scale tonight.0
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@Kait_Dee, that is wicked cool!
@angela75022, you're going to be amazed at the difference in your tracking and accuracy.0 -
I find the scale to be a major pain in the butt and cannot wait to be done with it. A person should be able to have a sandwich without weighting out seven different things, writing them down, going to a computer and logging ever ingredient and it's weight.
The scale/logging thing is both friend and enemy.
Some ways I get around this:
1. Often I will weigh a typical/representative amount of something I use (e.g. if I butter bread, I tend to always use roughly the same amount per slice, so I'll measure once and then just use that measurement going forward). As long as your representative sample is actually representative, you're fine. You can weigh a couple times and average if you like.
2. I almost never weigh then log, instead I log then weigh. I prelog my food the night before, so I just have my smartphone on and use it like a recipe - I weigh out the amount I already chose for each food item. I don't care if I'm off by a few grams here and there, since I tend to be off in either direction equally and it all averages out with time. Only if I am considerably off will I update my pre-logged number to be more accurate.
If you don't have a smartphone, you could do the same thing by printing your pre-logged day and using a pen to make any corrections for later entry in a computer.0 -
Side topic:
Many of the digital scales use a CR2032 battery and buying Energizer and Duracell brands are expensive. Like $5.25 each.
One cheat that I've found are for cheap batteries is to buy the 10-20 pack of battery powered tea lights. They come with the batteries and it costs about $15.00.
Another less expensive option is http://www.batteryjunction.com/cr2032.html0 -
I signed up on the Indiegogo for a new Slate Scale - it's Bluetooth and imports your entries into your phone as you weigh (not sure about the integration into MFP, but I'm not married to any specific tool - I just need to weigh/track). It's the first of its kind (www.slatescale.com).. I travel a ton for work so it's going to be very beneficial for me! I've weighed and measured my food actively for years.. It's much easier than people think!
I signed up for it too. They say it will have MFP integration.
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I find the scale to be a major pain in the butt and cannot wait to be done with it. A person should be able to have a sandwich without weighting out seven different things, writing them down, going to a computer and logging ever ingredient and it's weight.
The scale/logging thing is both friend and enemy.
Get the app for your phone. It's not going to seem so time consuming.0 -
I have no doubt it's easy for some. It was not easy for me and it wasn't nearly as quick as for you.
One of the biggest pains for me was that the pot/pan I am adding food to is often bubbling away on the stove. I can't just remove it and put on the scale. I have to get a separate dish out for that. I may add things to the bubbling pot a dozen or more times before it's done. Things may be added to multiple bubbling pots which means multiple plates for the scale, or cleaning it between measurings.
It totally wasn't necessarly or worth it for me.
That's not to say I don't see how it could be helpful, just giving a different perspective.0 -
I find the scale to be a major pain in the butt and cannot wait to be done with it. A person should be able to have a sandwich without weighting out seven different things, writing them down, going to a computer and logging ever ingredient and it's weight.
The scale/logging thing is both friend and enemy.
I agree. It's not that it's hard or time consuming for me, it's that I'm so OCD that it turns my relationship with food into something it shouldn't be. I find the same for logging all of my items. I do both, but I have to be really careful with my mindset.0 -
There is some light at the end of the tunnel... although i'll weigh most of what I eat for the better part of the rest of my life, after a while you can eyeball 4 ounces of meat, 1 oz of cheese, 2 tablespoons (30g) of sauces, etc etc. So when you are without a scale, it's not impossible to "measure" your portions within a fair degree of accuracy so YOU can stay in charge even without the scale.
and yes, ps... recipes with a lot of ingredients are a pain compared single food items but the extra time it takes can be worth the effort to have something new on the menu.0 -
I do understand how when making a recipe from scratch it can seem a little daunting and frustrating. However, I frequently make stir-fry with 8 or more ingredients, and soups or slow cooker recipes with multiple components. With routine, it's not as time consuming as we perceive it to be.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I have no doubt it's easy for some. It was not easy for me and it wasn't nearly as quick as for you.
One of the biggest pains for me was that the pot/pan I am adding food to is often bubbling away on the stove. I can't just remove it and put on the scale. I have to get a separate dish out for that. I may add things to the bubbling pot a dozen or more times before it's done. Things may be added to multiple bubbling pots which means multiple plates for the scale, or cleaning it between measurings.
I totally wasn't necessarly or worth it for me.
That's not to say I don't see how it could be helpful, just giving a different perspective.
Weighing each ingredient before adding it to the pot/dish/pan/etc takes an extra 10 seconds. Rinsing out the weighing container/plate between ingredients, when needed: 5-7 seconds.
I do agree with that feeling of frustration the first time I started out with the scale. I thought my prep time was ridiculously long. Turns out the scale added very little time.
The perception of time versus the actual time taken is not drastically different, and routine allows us to cut that actual time further. Perception can be a real motivation killer. I had to get past my mis-perception in the beginning. I had to build in the routine.0 -
Derf_Smeggle wrote: »
I do understand how when making a recipe from scratch it can seem a little daunting and frustrating. However, I frequently make stir-fry with 8 or more ingredients, and soups or slow cooker recipes with multiple components. With routine, it's not as time consuming as we perceive it to be.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I have no doubt it's easy for some. It was not easy for me and it wasn't nearly as quick as for you.
One of the biggest pains for me was that the pot/pan I am adding food to is often bubbling away on the stove. I can't just remove it and put on the scale. I have to get a separate dish out for that. I may add things to the bubbling pot a dozen or more times before it's done. Things may be added to multiple bubbling pots which means multiple plates for the scale, or cleaning it between measurings.
I totally wasn't necessarly or worth it for me.
That's not to say I don't see how it could be helpful, just giving a different perspective.
Weighing each ingredient before adding it to the pot/dish/pan/etc takes an extra 10 seconds. Rinsing out the weighing container/plate between ingredients, when needed: 5-7 seconds.
I do agree with that feeling of frustration the first time I started out with the scale. I thought my prep time was ridiculously long. Turns out the scale added very little time.
The perception of time versus the actual time taken is not drastically different, and routine allows us to cut that actual time further. Perception can be a real motivation killer. I had to get past my mis-perception in the beginning. I had to build in the routine.
I instead built a successful weight loss routine that does not involve a food scale. It's good that we both could find something that worked for us.0 -
I signed up on the Indiegogo for a new Slate Scale - it's Bluetooth and imports your entries into your phone as you weigh (not sure about the integration into MFP, but I'm not married to any specific tool - I just need to weigh/track). It's the first of its kind (www.slatescale.com).. I travel a ton for work so it's going to be very beneficial for me! I've weighed and measured my food actively for years.. It's much easier than people think!
I signed up for it too. They say it will have MFP integration.
So cool! Ima get me one of those!!
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pearso21123 wrote: »I only have an old analog scale. I dream of someday being able to zero out a pot or a plate. For now, I have to do all the calculations manually. It has a little container that puts the scale to zero. It works fine, but if you're measuring something messy or that you don't want mixed, it has to be rinsed between items.
$19 at WalMart. I just bought one to keep in the kitchen at my office.0 -
Very true. Glad your methods are working for you.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Derf_Smeggle wrote: »
I do understand how when making a recipe from scratch it can seem a little daunting and frustrating. However, I frequently make stir-fry with 8 or more ingredients, and soups or slow cooker recipes with multiple components. With routine, it's not as time consuming as we perceive it to be.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I have no doubt it's easy for some. It was not easy for me and it wasn't nearly as quick as for you.
One of the biggest pains for me was that the pot/pan I am adding food to is often bubbling away on the stove. I can't just remove it and put on the scale. I have to get a separate dish out for that. I may add things to the bubbling pot a dozen or more times before it's done. Things may be added to multiple bubbling pots which means multiple plates for the scale, or cleaning it between measurings.
I totally wasn't necessarly or worth it for me.
That's not to say I don't see how it could be helpful, just giving a different perspective.
Weighing each ingredient before adding it to the pot/dish/pan/etc takes an extra 10 seconds. Rinsing out the weighing container/plate between ingredients, when needed: 5-7 seconds.
I do agree with that feeling of frustration the first time I started out with the scale. I thought my prep time was ridiculously long. Turns out the scale added very little time.
The perception of time versus the actual time taken is not drastically different, and routine allows us to cut that actual time further. Perception can be a real motivation killer. I had to get past my mis-perception in the beginning. I had to build in the routine.
I instead built a successful weight loss routine that does not involve a food scale. It's good that we both could find something that worked for us.0
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