Weighting everything to the ounce. So discouraging.

dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc
dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc Posts: 13 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I just read one blog. OMG I'm new to this forum. It's so shocking. Really, is that what you do? Weigh everything to the ounce? It's so discouraging. Diet.
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Replies

  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    More like to the gram.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    Not everyone does this -- people lost and gained weight long before at-home food scales were a thing, so it's not required. However, it is the easiest and most accurate way to measure your caloric intake.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature. And I do it to the gram, which is more precise than ounces.
  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,309 Member
    I don't own a food scale. I will probably get beat up for that... LOL

    I estimate the best that I can & it's working. I have 5lbs more to go to get to my goal. If I happen to stall I may have to spring for one but for now I refuse to weigh my food... :)
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Weighing in grams is more precise. You don't have to weigh food for ever, it just gets you good at eyeballing portions.
  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    I just read one blog. OMG I'm new to this forum. It's so shocking. Really, is that what you do? Weigh everything to the ounce? It's so discouraging. Diet.

    There are all levels of people on here. Some just estimate or "eyeball" their portions and as long as they're losing weight, they're fine. Others weigh every single thing that they eat, and plan on doing so forever. Others (like me) are starting out by weighing everything just to get a handle on calorie consumption and portion control, and hope to slowly phase it out as I hit my goal weight.
    I don't really see how any of these are shocking or discouraging.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2016
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    I just read one blog. OMG I'm new to this forum. It's so shocking. Really, is that what you do? Weigh everything to the ounce? It's so discouraging. Diet.

    It can be very beneficial to weigh things out to ultimately see what proper portions look like...proper portions are a pretty foreign concept to many so they're unable to visually estimate...so they log 1/2 cup of cooked rice or something, but they're really eating a cup or more.

    There are certainly people who do just fine not using a food scale...but there are a lot of "it's not working" threads all over this forum and in most cases, people are simply logging one thing but eater more than that because they are eyeballing stuff poorly.

    I used to weigh most things, but now, for the most part I can eyeball or use measuring utensils for most things...there are still some things though...like pasta...I will never be able to eyeball a 2 ounce dry serving of spaghetti with any accuracy.
  • LBuehrle8
    LBuehrle8 Posts: 4,044 Member
    xbowhunter wrote: »
    I don't own a food scale. I will probably get beat up for that... LOL

    I estimate the best that I can & it's working. I have 5lbs more to go to get to my goal. If I happen to stall I may have to spring for one but for now I refuse to weigh my food... :)

    Nah, just the ones that don't own a food scale and refuse to use a food scale who can't figure out why they're not losing weight :p
  • canadianmom1975
    canadianmom1975 Posts: 23 Member
    I used to feel over welmed and thought it was hard work..i have been doing cico for 2 months and measure and weigh everything..it helps and you realize how much you actually over eat...you get used to it and mfp helps to keep tract of the cals yoy ate....
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    It is at first. The reason for doing so is that people underestimate how much they're actually eating. They think they're eating a serving as stated on the package, but they're not. For example: for me, a serving of cashews is a small handful. The serving ounce stated on the package barely covers my palm. So I would be getting 3-4 servings, which is a HUGE difference in calories! So starting out, you need to get in the habit of weighing everything you can. No one's going to suggest you take it to a restaurant or friend's house! That's just cumbersome and will interrupt social time. But weigh as much as you can and log it.

    It's not forever. I don't really weigh much at all because while I've been weighing food, I've also been training my brain and my body to what a proper portion does look like. While I'm probably not exact for most things, I'm close enough that I can adjust for the day. I weigh new things and sometimes double check myself, but I don't have to weigh EVERYTHING anymore. Remember, this isn't a 'diet', this is you relearning new eating habits that will help you KEEP the weight off for the future, and that requires exact data so you can see what you need to change.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Grams - not ounces. And it takes less time than using a measuring cup and is more accurate also. I have no ability to eyeball portions accurately.
  • dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc Posts: 13 Member
    grams or ounces. it doesn't matter. the idea is what I meant to say. I think that is the weight watchers approach. it's great if that works for you.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    grams or ounces. it doesn't matter. the idea is what I meant to say. I think that is the weight watchers approach. it's great if that works for you.

    That's exactly how it works for me. If I were to guesstimate my portions, I'd be off.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited March 2016
    Echoing the grams. I just keep the scale on the counter and pop the food on it, weigh and log it right there in the kitchen. It takes 10 seconds. It becomes just something else you do in food prep.

    I don't think I will ever go back to eyeballing except when in a restaurant or family and friends, and I definitely won't estimate when I do not have to at home again.

    take it from a hard *ss, it took me several months of not loosing (especially being a really short person at that) to buy a 20 dollar piece of equipment that changed things forever for me.
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,986 Member
    It's truly only overwhelming at first. And what's a few extra seconds to weigh something out in the grand scheme of your daily schedule?

    Say you measure out your chips by the # of chips on the label. It says something like "10 chips/28g = 100 calories per serving" (numbers are made up to make the math easier) If you only put 10 chips on your plate, but they actually weigh 36g, that's an extra 29 calories. Just in that one serving of chips. Say you have them once a day, that would be 203 calories a week. Not to mention any/all other foods you eat without weighing. You can quickly be overeating and not even realize it.

    I'm not saying a food scale is a must, but it is most definitely helpful.

    Best of luck! :flowerforyou:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    grams or ounces. it doesn't matter. the idea is what I meant to say. I think that is the weight watchers approach. it's great if that works for you.

    How is the idea any different really from using measuring utensils...which most people don't seem to have an issue with...but then the scale is somehow this crazy thing. It's just a tool and it is faster and more accurate than utensils.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    In my case, NOT weighing my food is discouraging. I am a terrible, no good, very bad estimator of calories and portion sizes. I overfeed myself and underestimate calories very easily. If not for my kitchen scale, I'd be the very frustrated "Help, eating less than 1200 and not losing" person.
  • Monsterdog1114
    Monsterdog1114 Posts: 32 Member
    I only weigh those items that I have a hard time estimating, or that are 'costly' if estimated wrong. But you need to see what works for YOU. But at a minimum I confirm my estimation on occasion. As long as this works for me, I'm ok with it.. But if I was to stop losing or even gain weight, then I would go to the weigh everything method!
  • LBuehrle8
    LBuehrle8 Posts: 4,044 Member
    williams969 wrote: »
    In my case, NOT weighing my food is discouraging. I am a terrible, no good, very bad estimator of calories and portion sizes. I overfeed myself and underestimate calories very easily. If not for my kitchen scale, I'd be the very frustrated "Help, eating less than 1200 and not losing" person.

    +1 100% agree!
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
    It's not as bad as it sounds. Here's what I did at the advice of people here: invest in a good counter-top digital scale - mine cost $30 but I have seen them for half that. Read the instructions and set it to grams. Throw your bowl or plate on, hit Tare to reset it to 0. Throw on your protein, like say your fish, and record how many grams. Tare again. Throw on your rice or potatoes, record. Tare. Throw on your veg, but really who cares how much they weigh! Record on MFP.

    If you cooked in a little oil or butter or broth, add that in by weighing ahead and dividing by portions cooked.

    It gets really easy after a few days. Meals you eat often, you can eyeball, spot checking from time to time.

    You can guess, but if you guess wrong you won't get the results you want and that to me is even more discouraging than weighing my portions. I think of this as just a way to keep me honest :)
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    grams or ounces. it doesn't matter. the idea is what I meant to say. I think that is the weight watchers approach. it's great if that works for you.

    How is the idea any different really from using measuring utensils...which most people don't seem to have an issue with...but then the scale is somehow this crazy thing. It's just a tool and it is faster and more accurate than utensils.

    Plus, when you use a scale, you don't have to wash measuring cups/spoons every day. I was on the fence about using a scale, but not having to do extra dishes pushed me over the edge in favor of my scale. I hate washing dishes :wink:
  • dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc Posts: 13 Member
    to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I would weigh. my vegis? my protein bar? my salad dressing? my prepackaged light string cheese? okay nuts. I could use a measuring cups for nuts. there's nothing I would weigh. what are you eating that you have to weigh? vegis? would you weigh vegis?
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    grams or ounces. it doesn't matter. the idea is what I meant to say. I think that is the weight watchers approach. it's great if that works for you.

    How is the idea any different really from using measuring utensils...which most people don't seem to have an issue with...but then the scale is somehow this crazy thing. It's just a tool and it is faster and more accurate than utensils.

    Yes, exactly! When I cook I now use my food scale for all measurements (a la Alton Brown.)
    2 cups of flour = 240 grams
    3 Tablespoons of brown sugar = 37 grams

    No leveling, no rounding, just dump it in and weigh.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    I weigh everything, but that doesn't mean that you have to. If you are successfully losing without weighing, keep at it!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I would weigh. my vegis? my protein bar? my salad dressing? my prepackaged light string cheese? okay nuts. I could use a measuring cups for nuts. there's nothing I would weigh. what are you eating that you have to weigh? vegis? would you weigh vegis?

    Yes, weigh veggies (unless it's something like 1-2 leaves of lettuce that you throw on a sandwich). Weigh salad dressing, and nuts, and ice cream, and yogurt, and any kind of meat, and cheese, and crackers, and bread, and pasta, and pasta sauce...etc.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    I weigh it all.
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,986 Member
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I would weigh. my vegis? my protein bar? my salad dressing? my prepackaged light string cheese? okay nuts. I could use a measuring cups for nuts. there's nothing I would weigh. what are you eating that you have to weigh? vegis? would you weigh vegis?

    All of the above.

    Seriously. The back of your protein bar should give you a serving size in grams. They're allowed to be off by a certain %. Same goes for prepackaged string cheese. And especially nuts.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc wrote: »
    to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I would weigh. my vegis? my protein bar? my salad dressing? my prepackaged light string cheese? okay nuts. I could use a measuring cups for nuts. there's nothing I would weigh. what are you eating that you have to weigh? vegis? would you weigh vegis?

    The weight on packaged food is often inaccurate. You can very easily cram extra nuts in a measuring xup
  • dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc
    dcdcdcdenisedcdcdc Posts: 13 Member
    okay, I will think about it. maybe buying a scale soon!
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    LBuehrle8 wrote: »
    xbowhunter wrote: »
    I don't own a food scale. I will probably get beat up for that... LOL

    I estimate the best that I can & it's working. I have 5lbs more to go to get to my goal. If I happen to stall I may have to spring for one but for now I refuse to weigh my food... :)

    Nah, just the ones that don't own a food scale and refuse to use a food scale who can't figure out why they're not losing weight :p

    This.

    Weighing your food takes a couple extra minutes a day max and it means that you can eat literally anything you want and still lose weight as long as you don't eat too much of it. It's incredible to have no restrictions - when I was losing weight (I've maintained for a couple years now) it was so nice to know that I could still have chocolate or cheese or whatever it was I was craving as long as I weighed it and logged it and stayed under my goal for the day. It turns weight loss from this difficult, uncertain task into basic arithmetic. It's easy, it's manageable, and while there will always been errors (either in your calories burned from activity or mistakes made while logging) it's really so simple and straightforward if you take a few minutes to learn to do it as accurately as possible.

    I still weigh lots of my food after maintaining for a long time, but now I do it to make sure I'm eating enough to sustain my activity level (and not overdo it on the super calorie-dense stuff like nut butters and ice cream.) It's just habit now and is just one more thing I do to take care of my health, like flossing my teeth, going to the gym, or making regular doctor and dentist appointments.
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