I bought a food scale, and I havent been eating what I thought!

blancoms
blancoms Posts: 165 Member
edited November 30 in Food and Nutrition
After reading over and over how people need to buy food scales to more accurately log their food, I knew I had to get one, but had to wait for extra money.
Yesterday I came home and the first thing I did was weight one of my favorite snacks, toast with cream cheese. I just eyeball it on the knife. Measuring spoons get too messy and you can't even get it all off.
One serving is 2 tablespoons. Apparently I've only been using between 1-1.5 servings! (and I thought I was still over 2!)
I think I got so worried about overestimating like most people do, I overcompensated cause I didn't want to be that person asking why I wasn't losing weight.
I weighed a few more things I commonly use - dressings, mayo, fish, bread. Typically I was under what I thought I was eating. So, now, I get to eat more :P
I just thought that was interesting. I was trying to not self sabotage and ended up losing out, on food and nutrients possibly. I am short so I had less to work with in the beginning anyway.
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Replies

  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    Yep it works both ways. It's great when you realize you can eat more of something than you thought! Or have some calories to spend somewhere else. :)

    I eat more food and more delicious healthyish food now than I ever thought I could.
  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
    edited February 2016
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.

    How much I typically ate, if not more, pre-scale.

    Kids_Rotini_Meatsauce_Grapes_796_dpv.jpg

    What an actual serving size is. :'(

    Glass%20Cup%20Pasta.jpg

  • chrissymfred
    chrissymfred Posts: 47 Member
    I had the same experience with most foods. I was pleasantly surprised at how much more I could eat! I love my scale.
  • Devol82
    Devol82 Posts: 80 Member
    When I bought my scale I realized I had no idea what a serving size was and was wayyy over eating. It was a little heartbreaking lol
  • Dandelie
    Dandelie Posts: 153 Member
    The picture of the pasta makes me sad. 2 ounces isn't that much when dry. I personally cannot eat pasta at all. I am looking for some rice noodles to purchase. PCOS means no gluten. I am trying to move away from it even if it is a weakness for me.

    I noticed when I began using my scale that I overate some things and underate some things. The condiments that most people tell you to avoid...were always under. It is great though to find those things that you under eat on and know you can have some more!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    OP, that's why I love my scale! (And because I hate washing measuring cups and spoons every day). I want to eat every single calorie I can, and when I eyeball I totally overestimate.
  • lisa9805
    lisa9805 Posts: 303 Member
    I will keep u posted when I replace the battery in my scale if I am in the same boat lol
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    yup it works both ways.

  • blancoms
    blancoms Posts: 165 Member
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.


    I've stayed away from pasta since I didn't have a good way to measure it before..at least it will be something!!
    AliceDark wrote: »
    OP, that's why I love my scale! (And because I hate washing measuring cups and spoons every day). I want to eat every single calorie I can, and when I eyeball I totally overestimate.

    I think its gonna take a while to get used to weighing things. Its kinda awkward sometimes
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    blancoms wrote: »
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.


    I've stayed away from pasta since I didn't have a good way to measure it before..at least it will be something!!
    AliceDark wrote: »
    OP, that's why I love my scale! (And because I hate washing measuring cups and spoons every day). I want to eat every single calorie I can, and when I eyeball I totally overestimate.

    I think its gonna take a while to get used to weighing things. Its kinda awkward sometimes

    True, especially if there are other people around. 90% of the time I'm cooking just for me, and I don't care if I look dorky dragging out my scale. If I'm at a family meal or something, I usually don't bother and just eyeball.
  • megemrj
    megemrj Posts: 547 Member
    I love my food scale. I weigh just about everything I eat. I do keto and this helps me plan my meals that are tasty and keep me right on track.
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.

    How much I typically ate, if not more, pre-scale.

    Kids_Rotini_Meatsauce_Grapes_796_dpv.jpg

    What an actual serving size is. :'(

    Glass%20Cup%20Pasta.jpg

    Or cereal. I mean who only eats a 28g portion of cereal. FYI... It's a small handful :/
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
    Weighing cereal is sad.....
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.

    How much I typically ate, if not more, pre-scale.

    Kids_Rotini_Meatsauce_Grapes_796_dpv.jpg

    What an actual serving size is. :'(

    Glass%20Cup%20Pasta.jpg

    Do you weigh yours cooked or raw? The package doesnt say for the noodles I've been using which I thought was odd, usually they have a dry and a prepared, or maybe thats just like the noodles with sauce or whatever?
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 845 Member
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.

    How much I typically ate, if not more, pre-scale.

    Kids_Rotini_Meatsauce_Grapes_796_dpv.jpg

    What an actual serving size is. :'(

    Glass%20Cup%20Pasta.jpg

    Do you weigh yours cooked or raw? The package doesnt say for the noodles I've been using which I thought was odd, usually they have a dry and a prepared, or maybe thats just like the noodles with sauce or whatever?

    I try and look for an entry for cooked or prepared
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    Cynsonya wrote: »
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.

    How much I typically ate, if not more, pre-scale.

    Kids_Rotini_Meatsauce_Grapes_796_dpv.jpg

    What an actual serving size is. :'(

    Glass%20Cup%20Pasta.jpg

    Or cereal. I mean who only eats a 28g portion of cereal. FYI... It's a small handful :/

    so upset on both of those haha. i eat about 2 portions of both
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    Dandelie wrote: »
    The picture of the pasta makes me sad. 2 ounces isn't that much when dry. I personally cannot eat pasta at all. I am looking for some rice noodles to purchase. PCOS means no gluten. I am trying to move away from it even if it is a weakness for me.

    I noticed when I began using my scale that I overate some things and underate some things. The condiments that most people tell you to avoid...were always under. It is great though to find those things that you under eat on and know you can have some more!

    Nothing to do with food scales, but I have Celiac disease and PCOS. Ronzoni and Barilla both have good GF pastas that are corn based.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    The pasta example is so whacked.
  • kirstenb13
    kirstenb13 Posts: 181 Member

    Do you weigh yours cooked or raw? The package doesnt say for the noodles I've been using which I thought was odd, usually they have a dry and a prepared, or maybe thats just like the noodles with sauce or whatever?

    Always weigh dry things like pasta, rice, oatmeal before cooking them. That's what the package information refers to anyway. There are huge difference in how much water they absorb when you cook them so it makes no sense to weigh the finished food.

  • blancoms
    blancoms Posts: 165 Member
    fishshark wrote: »
    Cynsonya wrote: »
    Wait 'til you weigh pasta.

    How much I typically ate, if not more, pre-scale.

    Kids_Rotini_Meatsauce_Grapes_796_dpv.jpg

    What an actual serving size is. :'(

    Glass%20Cup%20Pasta.jpg

    Or cereal. I mean who only eats a 28g portion of cereal. FYI... It's a small handful :/

    so upset on both of those haha. i eat about 2 portions of both

    I had to look at my cereal boxes after I read that! So sad :( At least some aren't too high in calories so you can double it. I like cereal, its just not filling enough when counting calories.
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    kirstenb13 wrote: »

    Do you weigh yours cooked or raw? The package doesnt say for the noodles I've been using which I thought was odd, usually they have a dry and a prepared, or maybe thats just like the noodles with sauce or whatever?

    Always weigh dry things like pasta, rice, oatmeal before cooking them. That's what the package information refers to anyway. There are huge difference in how much water they absorb when you cook them so it makes no sense to weigh the finished food.
    Having weighed them over and over and over dry and then cooked, they're remarkably consistent in term of final cooked weight.
  • Mapalicious
    Mapalicious Posts: 412 Member
    edited February 2016
    My scale is the best!

    Have you ever tried measuring out something in a cup or tablespoon, then weighed it? Sometimes those even arent the same!

    It's also just SO much easier for so many things. When I'm making salads, for example, I'll TARE my bowl, then add 4 oz mixed greens, 0.5 oz roasted almonds, 1 oz feta, 2 oz blueberries, 2 oz chopped fresh fennel, 1 oz pear, and then 14 grams of dressing. Tada! Easy peasy.

    Or weighing out cooked meat.

    Or huge wonderful servings of steamed broccoli. There is just really no way to estimate that. How in the world to measure it in a cup?

    The only thing I discovered I consistently underestimated on is peanut butter. That stuff is my kryptonite.
  • jennkaufer89
    jennkaufer89 Posts: 69 Member
    Purchasing a food scale that can measure in different units (grams, oz, ml) was seriously the best health related purchase I ever made for myself. It took out the question mark calories in my diet and really empowered me to know more about my food! B)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Purchasing a food scale that can measure in different units (grams, oz, ml) was seriously the best health related purchase I ever made for myself. It took out the question mark calories in my diet and really empowered me to know more about my food! B)

    .. ml is completely useless on a scale, unless you're measuring water.
  • DanSTL82
    DanSTL82 Posts: 156 Member
    That's pretty much the opposite of most people. People who think they're eyeballing 1 serving of salad dressing or peanut butter, are typically actually using 3 or more. Because the food industry gives us warped views of portions.
  • blancoms
    blancoms Posts: 165 Member
    EQComics wrote: »
    That's pretty much the opposite of most people. People who think they're eyeballing 1 serving of salad dressing or peanut butter, are typically actually using 3 or more. Because the food industry gives us warped views of portions.

    That's what I found so strange when I got mine. Same thing happened today with pork... 4 oz was double what I had been eating!
    Definitely love my food scale now, haha.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    Portioning out any snack food makes me sad. Have you seen what a serving of Doritos looks like? :( I end up saving about 500 calories just for my evening snack so I can have several servings.
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
    Ditto - I actually overestimated the amount of cream cheese, Nutella, etc - have sometimes been very pleasantly surprised. Deli meat shocked me - didn't know I could eat THAT many slices :)
  • yreka20
    yreka20 Posts: 10 Member
    Weighing cereal is sad.....

    Thats what got me.. I was about 3.5 servings worth eyeballing it lol
  • littlewomensmom
    littlewomensmom Posts: 54 Member
    Best and least expensive food scale? And where to find it.
This discussion has been closed.