Public food scale usage?

MelodyandBarbells

I've weighed food at work. I eventually got sick of deconstructing the meal (see the post above). Nowadays though my lunches tend to be the same thing over and over, so I'm more comfortable estimating when I log

Christine_72

zyxst wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

Also, how on earth would you weigh a meal in a restaurant? Say you get a plate of chips, salad and a steak, do you ask for a spare plate so you can transfer it all while you are weighing it one at a time?

Short: yes. Sometimes, I use the plates provided for the appetizer (they're there no matter if we order one or not).

If there aren't any plates around, I use the tare function and weigh as I eat since I'm a separate foods eater. No, I'm not Vulcan.

Ah ok thanks for explaining

DeficitDuchess

BigGuy47 wrote: »

I think using a scale.is like using training wheels to learn to ride a bike. Eventually you build up.enough confidence to take the training wheels off. If you measure out an ounce of cheese enough times you learn what an ounce looks like.

I use a scale at home.

Regarding using a scale in public it doesn't seem practical. At restaurants so many of the ingredients are combined into the recipe the measurement wouldn't mean anything. If I order a burger am I supposed.to deconstruct the burger in order to.weigh the individual items?

Here's what I did at Burger King today: I had the Bacon Cheeseburger & a Zesty Sauce. I usually get the burger plain but BK doesn't offer, nutrition information for that. Therefore I got it made their regular way (for maximum accuracy). They also don't offer information for each item separately either, so deconstructing the burger; wouldn't have helped. The Zesty Sauce, I weighed separately because it came separately, in it's own container & BK does offer nutrition facts, for that.

DeficitDuchess

stealthq wrote: »

I haven't used one in public, except at family members' house - and then I was using their scale so it wasn't too weird.

However, I never had a problem losing, either. If I had and needed to get really accurate logging data, then I'd have done it.

Not at any fancy restaurants, of course. Those meals I don't bother to estimate, other than 'over - by a lot'.

I doubt the fancy restaurants, would even allow it.

DeficitDuchess

troutlilly wrote: »

FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »

I have this:

http://images.cuisinartwebstore.com/imagesEdp/p93652z.jpg

I'll get this:

http://images.bloomingdales.com/is/image/BLM/products/5/optimized/8136385_fpx.tif?wid=550&qlt=90,0&layer=comp&op_sharpen=0&resMode=bicub&op_usm=0.7,1.0,0.5,0&fmt=jpeg

I didn't know they made scales like the second one! I might need to look for one.

I wish that I had it today because then, I wouldn't have had to carry a 2nd bag; besides my purse!

DeficitDuchess

DorkothyParker wrote: »

I wouldn't. But I'm neither overweight nor training for a certain BFP or fitness level so the difference isn't wholey substantial to me.

Also, as a former anorexic, I do think it would make me look like I was getting obsessive again or falling into old habits. I like to keep things casual.

But you do bring up a good point, I think our culture really hates "trying." Be beautiful, but don't have cosmetic surgery or wear a lot of makeup. Be thin, but don't diet. It's frustrating.

Oh I remember when people, would hide their Slim Fast in their shopping cart; under their children's cereal boxes. They'd literally shop for everything else 1st, then in the Slim Fast isle; create a whole among everything; then place the Slim Fast in the hole & cover it over.

MelodyandBarbells

FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »

BigGuy47 wrote: »

I think using a scale.is like using training wheels to learn to ride a bike. Eventually you build up.enough confidence to take the training wheels off. If you measure out an ounce of cheese enough times you learn what an ounce looks like.

I use a scale at home.

Regarding using a scale in public it doesn't seem practical. At restaurants so many of the ingredients are combined into the recipe the measurement wouldn't mean anything. If I order a burger am I supposed.to deconstruct the burger in order to.weigh the individual items?

Here's what I did at Burger King today: I had the Bacon Cheeseburger & a Zesty Sauce. I usually get the burger plain but BK doesn't offer, nutrition information for that. Therefore I got it made their regular way (for maximum accuracy). They also don't offer information for each item separately either, so deconstructing the burger; wouldn't have helped. The Zesty Sauce, I weighed separately because it came separately, in it's own container & BK does offer nutrition facts, for that.

Without nutritional info provided, I'd basically say okay this is a grilled burger, a slice of cheese, some veggies on a white bun, weigh them, and find an entries in the database matching them. That was also one of my concerns - if you're doing it this way, it's still an estimate. Might as well use an estimate for the whole burger

Machka9

I use my scale at home. I had thought about bringing one to work, but never bothered. And I certainly would not use a scale in any sort of restaurant.

On the rare occasions I eat out, I just go with the calorie amount provided on the website or a really good estimate. And then exercise a little bit more.

rankinsect

JaneiR36 wrote: »

FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »

BigGuy47 wrote: »

I think using a scale.is like using training wheels to learn to ride a bike. Eventually you build up.enough confidence to take the training wheels off. If you measure out an ounce of cheese enough times you learn what an ounce looks like.

I use a scale at home.

Regarding using a scale in public it doesn't seem practical. At restaurants so many of the ingredients are combined into the recipe the measurement wouldn't mean anything. If I order a burger am I supposed.to deconstruct the burger in order to.weigh the individual items?

Here's what I did at Burger King today: I had the Bacon Cheeseburger & a Zesty Sauce. I usually get the burger plain but BK doesn't offer, nutrition information for that. Therefore I got it made their regular way (for maximum accuracy). They also don't offer information for each item separately either, so deconstructing the burger; wouldn't have helped. The Zesty Sauce, I weighed separately because it came separately, in it's own container & BK does offer nutrition facts, for that.

Without nutritional info provided, I'd basically say okay this is a grilled burger, a slice of cheese, some veggies on a white bun, weigh them, and find an entries in the database matching them. That was also one of my concerns - if you're doing it this way, it's still an estimate. Might as well use an estimate for the whole burger

Even if you weigh known food on a scale, it's still an estimate. All calorie values are estimates to some degree - there's rounding, there's different methods of calculating calories, etc. All that really matters is getting a good enough estimate that your calories in are close enough.

Depending on how often you eat fast food, just estimating the whole burger may well be more than good enough of an estimate - or it might not be.

MelodyandBarbells

rankinsect wrote: »

JaneiR36 wrote: »

FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »

BigGuy47 wrote: »

I think using a scale.is like using training wheels to learn to ride a bike. Eventually you build up.enough confidence to take the training wheels off. If you measure out an ounce of cheese enough times you learn what an ounce looks like.

I use a scale at home.

Regarding using a scale in public it doesn't seem practical. At restaurants so many of the ingredients are combined into the recipe the measurement wouldn't mean anything. If I order a burger am I supposed.to deconstruct the burger in order to.weigh the individual items?

Here's what I did at Burger King today: I had the Bacon Cheeseburger & a Zesty Sauce. I usually get the burger plain but BK doesn't offer, nutrition information for that. Therefore I got it made their regular way (for maximum accuracy). They also don't offer information for each item separately either, so deconstructing the burger; wouldn't have helped. The Zesty Sauce, I weighed separately because it came separately, in it's own container & BK does offer nutrition facts, for that.

Without nutritional info provided, I'd basically say okay this is a grilled burger, a slice of cheese, some veggies on a white bun, weigh them, and find an entries in the database matching them. That was also one of my concerns - if you're doing it this way, it's still an estimate. Might as well use an estimate for the whole burger

Even if you weigh known food on a scale, it's still an estimate. All calorie values are estimates to some degree - there's rounding, there's different methods of calculating calories, etc. All that really matters is getting a good enough estimate that your calories in are close enough.

Depending on how often you eat fast food, just estimating the whole burger may well be more than good enough of an estimate - or it might not be.

Thank you for your encouragement

Christine_72

rankinsect wrote: »

JaneiR36 wrote: »

FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »

BigGuy47 wrote: »

I think using a scale.is like using training wheels to learn to ride a bike. Eventually you build up.enough confidence to take the training wheels off. If you measure out an ounce of cheese enough times you learn what an ounce looks like.

I use a scale at home.

Regarding using a scale in public it doesn't seem practical. At restaurants so many of the ingredients are combined into the recipe the measurement wouldn't mean anything. If I order a burger am I supposed.to deconstruct the burger in order to.weigh the individual items?

Here's what I did at Burger King today: I had the Bacon Cheeseburger & a Zesty Sauce. I usually get the burger plain but BK doesn't offer, nutrition information for that. Therefore I got it made their regular way (for maximum accuracy). They also don't offer information for each item separately either, so deconstructing the burger; wouldn't have helped. The Zesty Sauce, I weighed separately because it came separately, in it's own container & BK does offer nutrition facts, for that.

Without nutritional info provided, I'd basically say okay this is a grilled burger, a slice of cheese, some veggies on a white bun, weigh them, and find an entries in the database matching them. That was also one of my concerns - if you're doing it this way, it's still an estimate. Might as well use an estimate for the whole burger

Even if you weigh known food on a scale, it's still an estimate. All calorie values are estimates to some degree - there's rounding, there's different methods of calculating calories, etc. All that really matters is getting a good enough estimate that your calories in are close enough.

Depending on how often you eat fast food, just estimating the whole burger may well be more than good enough of an estimate - or it might not be.

I eat out maybe once every 3-4mths, so estimating at those times works for me as they are so few and far between.
If I was eating out once a week or more then obviously I'd have to be as accurate as possible, so using a food scale may be plausable if this was the case.

valente347

My husband is deployed and currently eating DFAC food. One of the guys who is a regular weighs his food, and my husband's friends have pointed it out, implying that it's kind of obsessive. However, they report that he's lost about 30 lbs in a few months, so it is working for him. I would be too self-conscious to whip out a scale in a restaurant that's much fancier than say, Chipotle, but I don't care if anyone uses one around me.