I understand and then I don't (scales and weighing and calorie worrying)

BiggDaddy58

I understand all the weighing of food, and worrying over whether it's 3.5 cups or 3.2 cups and whether it's actually 100 calories or maybe 150 calories. I get it. However, it doesn't make much sense to me. This is just MY opinion. Unless you're training for the Olympics, weighing in for a title fight and have to make weight, or are some world class athlete, or possibly for SERIOUS health issues, I really do not get it. I don't think the calories are off by that much as to throw off your whole lifestyle, or suddenly make you gain 2 pounds when you should have lost one.

I do not weigh much of my food at all. I have a food scale and use it IF I have something which actually requires me to use it. Otherwise I use the information listed on the package or what MFP has for it. I started on Feb 29th at 308 # and weigh in Monday at 255.2# a loss of 52.8# in 98 days. I put myself on a "strict" 1200 calorie a day diet for the first two months and now I log between 1200-1600 depending. I ride a stationary bike an hour+ a day and lift very light weights in the a.m. and p.m. for a short period of time..10 minutes each. I'm 57 years old.

I overestimate calories up if I have to, and underestimate calories burned to allow for some incidental incorrect calories. It is a lifestyle change not just a "diet" and at some point, I have to figure..I got this..I know what to eat and what not to eat?

I know the weight comes off easier, when you are really overweight, however. if you know your BMR, your TDEE and your approximate calorie intake, along with your ballpark calorie output, you can lose weight, or maintain, w/o weighing things, and worrying about little things? I know everyone is different, but I really don't get it.(Unless you fall in those certain categories I mentioned)

Maybe if I get down to 198 and have serious trouble losing anymore , I'll get more serious about it. But this is a lifestyle change, it should not, after time, require food scales and worrying over juice in a can..should it?

I am not suggesting that you stop using a food scale, or stop trying to determine how many calories you input and how many you output, but at some point it is overdoing it..isn't it?

Not a knock on people who use whatever tools they wish for success. I wish everyone a successful journey on whatever course they've chosen.

YMMV as always

RoxieDawn

Thanks for sharing your opinion on this. And if you don't get it, you just don't get it! Not rocket science here.

Not to be snarkie at all, don't do it and for those of us that got many years under our belts, we will stick with what we know and what works for us!

And by the way, some us do train! And some do have health issues and some just want to stay or be as healthy as they can, they reached a goal and want to keep it that way.

bogwoppt1

When you have a large amount of weight to lose, and reduce your calories as drastically as you did, then weighing matters less. A 308 pound man can lose if he estimates food. It is also possible just to cut out stuff like soft drinks or candy and lose without really counting calories.

The challenge is when you are trying to lose a pound a week and you only weigh 150 pounds. Then every gram really does matter.

Being 200 calories "off" a day matters very little when you are 300 pounds. But once you reach the lower range 200 calories extra a day can be the difference in loss and gain.

janejellyroll

I weigh 108. When I weighed an orange I ate recently, I found it was 40 calories more than what I had initially logged (based on eye-balling the fruit). For my calorie goal, that's a big deal.

Others may have more wiggle room, but when you are dealing with fewer calories, accuracy can be important.

stealthq

bogwoppt1 wrote: »

When you have a large amount of weight to lose, and reduce your calories as drastically as you did, then weighing matters less. A 308 pound man will lose if he estimates food.

The challenge is when you are trying to lose a pound a week and you only weigh 150 pounds. Then every gram really does matter.

Being 200 calories "off" a day matters very little when you are 300 pounds. But once you reach the lower range 200 calories extra a day can be the difference in loss and gain.

All of this.

Got a huge deficit you can do, you've got a ton of leeway for incorrect estimates. Take advantage of it. No reason to be nitpicky and make things difficult if you're being successful.

When you don't have that much leeway, lots of people find that weight loss is not so easy. That's when weighing comes in.

RoxieDawn

I think eyeballing brought me to to MFP to begin with!

olive1968

You have the ability to lose with a lot of cushion in your calories. I don't. I have a low TDEE, so a low calorie allotment. Where I'm at, if I under count by 100 calories a day, that could mean no weight loss for that week. I just don't have much room for error.

endlessfall16

OP, I already saw this side a few weeks in. I realize the body is really good at managing surplus and deficit and in a lot longer than 24 hours. I stopped weighing foods after 2 months in. It's unnecessary to be precise with 1xxx calories. Life (at least mine) is much more spontaneous and up/down than such precision. I have enough worries and I don't need another worry about calories. All the work and concern about foods are pale in comparison to a bit of effort used for self control around foods.

That said, everyone is different. Many people are comfortable with what they only know and not expanding. It's good that they are losing weight with what they learned on first day. You don't have to, and you cannot, understand everyone's tendencies.

VioletRojo

BiggDaddy58 wrote: »

I know the weight comes off easier, when you are really overweight, however. if you know your BMR, your TDEE and your approximate calorie intake, along with your ballpark calorie output, you can lose weight, or maintain, w/o weighing things, and worrying about little things?

^^ Right there is the answer. When you have a lot of weight to lose, you afford to be less precise with your measurements. But it took me eight months to lose eight pounds last year. I had to very precise in my measurements because I had very little to lose. Get down to you last 10 pounds and we'll revisit the subject.

Edited to add that since losing the weight last year, I've lost my thyroid to cancer. I have no wiggle room anymore at all. I weigh every morsel that goes in my mouth.

Colorscheme

Personally, weighing isn't a must. It's just the most accurate way of counting calories and MFP gets bombarded a lot with "have lost no weight on ____ calories"

Usually due to people not counting correctly. So if you're not losing weight and not weighing food, try weighing and see if it helps.

snowflake954

I'm with everyone else. I have to really watch, if I don't I gain. Kuddos to you and hope you don't arrive where alot of us are. Walk a mile in my shoes....there's a reason they say it.

janejellyroll

endlessfall16 wrote: »

OP, I already saw this side a few weeks in. I realize the body is really good at managing surplus and deficit and in a lot longer than 24 hours. I stopped weighing foods after 2 months in. It's unnecessary to be precise with 1xxx calories. Life (at least mine) is much more spontaneous and up/down than such precision. I have enough worries and I don't need another worry about calories. All the work and concern about foods are pale in comparison to a bit of effort used for self control around foods.

That said, everyone is different. Many people are comfortable with what they only know and not expanding. It's good that they are losing weight with what they learned on first day. You don't have to, and you cannot, understand everyone's tendencies.

Choosing to weigh doesn't mean that one is only comfortable with what they know and not expanding. It just means they have found a method that works for them.

I don't know if there are "tendencies" to "understand" as much as there are different methods that people can choose based on their lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

afatpersonwholikesfood

BiggDaddy58 wrote: »

however. if you know your BMR, your TDEE and your approximate calorie intake, along with your ballpark calorie output............

But this is a lifestyle change, it should not, after time, require food scales and worrying over juice in a can..should it?

1. If you want to calculate a TDEE that is more accurate than what you get from a calculator online, you need data going back at least 2-3 months, and that data needs to be as accurate as you can make it.

2. As for the lifestyle change aspect, for me, I plan on weighing and logging permanently. In the past, any time I lost a lot of weight, I had this idea that I needed to reach a point of normalcy. That meant no more weighing or logging and just eating like a normal person. For me, personally, this is something that is not possible. I would not have had such a massive weight problem my whole life if it were. I've come to accept this and look at my logging as part of my "treatment".

Plus, weighing everything means that you actually may get to eat more than you think sometimes. You know that you have X amount of calories left for something vs. just hoping that you do - at least within a margin of error that will still exist when weighing, but it's a lot smaller than eyeballing.

Purplebunnysarah

I'm sorta with you OP... for now. I weigh calorie dense stuff until I'm comfortable eyeballing it but I don't weigh e.g. my cucumbers. There are some foods I just can't seem to get to the eyeball stage (I'm looking at you, almond butter). If I ever plateau for a reason I can't explain, I will tighten up.

But I get why people with smaller deficits have to weigh absolutely everything, as well.

dlcshan

Some people (like myself) really suck at "eyeballing". I can't eyeball 12 inches, I can't eyeball 3 oz, and I can't eyeball a half of a cup. I know my flaws and I work with them rather than try to fight against them. If that means I have to obsessively weigh and calculate, then I live with it. I always have loved math anyway.
In fact, I wish recipes would use mass rather than volume anyway. Why do we still use volume for fine powders anyway? I'd rather just weigh and be done with it than have to sift flour or worry whether I'm spooning it lightly enough.

afatpersonwholikesfood

Here's one video on the issue. There's another as well that is really good, but I have to look a bit more for it.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU

edit: ^figured out how to embed the video a couple posts down from this one

endlessfall16

janejellyroll wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

OP, I already saw this side a few weeks in. I realize the body is really good at managing surplus and deficit and in a lot longer than 24 hours. I stopped weighing foods after 2 months in. It's unnecessary to be precise with 1xxx calories. Life (at least mine) is much more spontaneous and up/down than such precision. I have enough worries and I don't need another worry about calories. All the work and concern about foods are pale in comparison to a bit of effort used for self control around foods.

That said, everyone is different. Many people are comfortable with what they only know and not expanding. It's good that they are losing weight with what they learned on first day. You don't have to, and you cannot, understand everyone's tendencies.

Choosing to weigh doesn't mean that one is only comfortable with what they know and not expanding. It just means they have found a method that works for them.

I don't know if there are "tendencies" to "understand" as much as there are different methods that people can choose based on their lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

It's controversial when intelligence or capability is discussed. So we better not go there. But think about this, as most things in life there tends to be superior ways and rudimentary ways. Do you think all fit people need to weigh? The answer is obviously No. If people could get fit without weighing, do you think they would take that option? Yes.

snowflake954

endlessfall16 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

OP, I already saw this side a few weeks in. I realize the body is really good at managing surplus and deficit and in a lot longer than 24 hours. I stopped weighing foods after 2 months in. It's unnecessary to be precise with 1xxx calories. Life (at least mine) is much more spontaneous and up/down than such precision. I have enough worries and I don't need another worry about calories. All the work and concern about foods are pale in comparison to a bit of effort used for self control around foods.

That said, everyone is different. Many people are comfortable with what they only know and not expanding. It's good that they are losing weight with what they learned on first day. You don't have to, and you cannot, understand everyone's tendencies.

Choosing to weigh doesn't mean that one is only comfortable with what they know and not expanding. It just means they have found a method that works for them.

I don't know if there are "tendencies" to "understand" as much as there are different methods that people can choose based on their lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

It's controversial when intelligence or capability is discussed. So we better not go there. But think about this, as most things in life there tends to be superior ways and rudimentary ways. Do you think all fit people need to weigh? The answer is obviously No. If people could get fit without weighing, do you think they would take that option? Yes.

Sure, and if I could wave a magic wand, I'd do that too.

janejellyroll

endlessfall16 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

OP, I already saw this side a few weeks in. I realize the body is really good at managing surplus and deficit and in a lot longer than 24 hours. I stopped weighing foods after 2 months in. It's unnecessary to be precise with 1xxx calories. Life (at least mine) is much more spontaneous and up/down than such precision. I have enough worries and I don't need another worry about calories. All the work and concern about foods are pale in comparison to a bit of effort used for self control around foods.

That said, everyone is different. Many people are comfortable with what they only know and not expanding. It's good that they are losing weight with what they learned on first day. You don't have to, and you cannot, understand everyone's tendencies.

Choosing to weigh doesn't mean that one is only comfortable with what they know and not expanding. It just means they have found a method that works for them.

I don't know if there are "tendencies" to "understand" as much as there are different methods that people can choose based on their lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

It's controversial when intelligence or capability is discussed. So we better not go there. But think about this, as most things in life there tends to be superior ways and rudimentary ways. Do you think all fit people need to weigh? The answer is obviously No. If people could get fit without weighing, do you think they would take that option? Yes.

If people could get fit without counting calories, they'd probably do that too. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with using calorie counting as a tool for weight loss or that the people who choose it are only comfortable with what they know and don't want to expand.

Food scales, calorie databases, . . . these things are just tools. I don't think one can make assumptions about broader personality traits based on someone choosing to use certain tools for weight loss over others.

afatpersonwholikesfood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

mcginger1

I love this post, OP!! Thank you for so eloquently saying what I've been feeling all along.

kimny72

OP, you have 2,200 cals to work with. You seem to be aiming for a 1,000 cal deficit. So even if you are off by 300 cals, you will lose weight at a good clip.

I am a smaller woman at a healthy weight. My maintenance is 1700 cals, so I only shoot for a 250 cal deficit. When I was eyeballing, I didn't lose weight, because after 50 cals here and 50 cals there, my deficit was gone.

Eyeballing how much pasta to put on my plate, or putting my plate on a food scale and adding pasta until I see the right number take basically the same amount of time. I would guess I maybe spend an extra 5 minutes a day using the scale, at most.

As far as "sticking with what I know, and not expanding", what I "knew" was eyeballing and measuring cups. I "expanded" to using the food scale. And now I am much better at eyeballing when at a restaurant or someone else's home. But I am a very number oriented person, so when I have access to the food scale I LIKE to use it.

MonkeyMel21

I don't weigh either, but I understand how, mainly to people that are counting calories and still not losing, that it can be beneficial. Instead of weighing my food, I just don't add in my exercise calories. And I try to overestimate my calorie intake vs underestimate. It works for me, but if it didn't then I would definitely invest in a food scale and go from there.

RoxieDawn

endlessfall16 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

OP, I already saw this side a few weeks in. I realize the body is really good at managing surplus and deficit and in a lot longer than 24 hours. I stopped weighing foods after 2 months in. It's unnecessary to be precise with 1xxx calories. Life (at least mine) is much more spontaneous and up/down than such precision. I have enough worries and I don't need another worry about calories. All the work and concern about foods are pale in comparison to a bit of effort used for self control around foods.

That said, everyone is different. Many people are comfortable with what they only know and not expanding. It's good that they are losing weight with what they learned on first day. You don't have to, and you cannot, understand everyone's tendencies.

Choosing to weigh doesn't mean that one is only comfortable with what they know and not expanding. It just means they have found a method that works for them.

I don't know if there are "tendencies" to "understand" as much as there are different methods that people can choose based on their lifestyle, goals, and preferences.

It's controversial when intelligence or capability is discussed. So we better not go there. But think about this, as most things in life there tends to be superior ways and rudimentary ways. Do you think all fit people need to weigh? The answer is obviously No. If people could get fit without weighing, do you think they would take that option? Yes.

I do get this comment..

But, with MFP it is all about numbers.. Everything is about the numbers. Has nothing really to do with getting fit per se, etc....

If you hate numbers or math, then calorie counting is the absolutely wrong thing for you to be doing and should find an alternate way to achieve your goals.

Why OP is doing something he despises is what I do not understand.

There is always more than one way to get to the destination or to the end result, it is what you choose to get you there and the path you choose!

FitFroglet

I'm glad you've found a way that works for you and that you find sustainable.
For me, weighing stuff is kind of a way of life now. It doesn't bother me.
However I've got other factors at play too - weighing helps me be accurate with my carb count which helps me manage my type 1 diabetes better so I have a bigger payoff to the time invested in weighing things out.

Great work on getting more activity into your routine, it sounds like you're doing all kinds of good things for your health.

SmartAlec03211988

My maintenance calories are 1445. I need to be SUPER vigilant about my intake and 50 calories off here and there DOES add up. I have tried not weighing my food on numerous occasions and have always gained weight. Unless I workout a crap ton, I can't eat a lot of food, and every calorie needs to be accounted for.

For me, it isn't overdoing it. It's a fundamental part of my lifestyle change.

Color me surprised when the steak I weighed last night was 13.8 oz. I estimated it at 8 oz. That's a calorie difference of 377. A quarter of my maintenance calories.

cmcollins001

My initial run with MFP I lost about 90 +/- pounds. Life stuff happened and I stopped logging and hitting the gym. However, I thought I "had" this thing. For the most part, I paid attention to what I thought I was eating, with a lot of eyeballing and guessing.

Fast forward to today. While I never gained all the weight back, I did gain a large chunk of it back. I've started tracking again and it has made the difference, down 20ish pounds in the last 2-2 1/2 months. Do I weigh everything? Nope. But I do make it a habit of weighing most things. I don't weigh pre-packaged food of the single serving variety, but if it's something where I only eat part of it, then yes, I weigh it when I am at home and have the scale handy. I'll never be one of those who brings a scale out to a restaurant...it's just not THAT important to me. I'll either not log it, count it as one of those days, and move on. The goal is to have more logged days than not logged days.

I still haven't gotten back in the gym, but tracking my food is what is currently working. I could probably lose more or eat more if I started back in the gym, I'm just...to be honest...too lazy for that at the moment. I don't want to take the time out to get it done. That's all on me. I'm in no hurry and so far what I'm doing is working; when it stops working, I'll do something else.

People lose weight different ways. That's not to say that it's still not calories in/calories out, but the way they go about CI/CO is different. Keto, paleo, IIFYM, vegan, etc., the goal is the same. The bottom line is to find what works for you, and when it stops working, change it up a little until you find something that you can maintain. Personally, I found what works for the dropping portion of the game, it's the maintaining that I need to work on.

janejellyroll

cmcollins001 wrote: »

My initial run with MFP I lost about 90 +/- pounds. Life stuff happened and I stopped logging and hitting the gym. However, I thought I "had" this thing. For the most part, I paid attention to what I thought I was eating, with a lot of eyeballing and guessing.

Fast forward to today. While I never gained all the weight back, I did gain a large chunk of it back. I've started tracking again and it has made the difference, down 20ish pounds in the last 2-2 1/2 months. Do I weigh everything? Nope. But I do make it a habit of weighing most things. I don't weigh pre-packaged food of the single serving variety, but if it's something where I only eat part of it, then yes, I weigh it when I am at home and have the scale handy. I'll never be one of those who brings a scale out to a restaurant...it's just not THAT important to me. I'll either not log it, count it as one of those days, and move on. The goal is to have more logged days than not logged days.

I still haven't gotten back in the gym, but tracking my food is what is currently working. I could probably lose more or eat more if I started back in the gym, I'm just...to be honest...too lazy for that at the moment. I don't want to take the time out to get it done. That's all on me. I'm in no hurry and so far what I'm doing is working; when it stops working, I'll do something else.

People lose weight different ways. That's not to say that it's still not calories in/calories out, but the way they go about CI/CO is different. Keto, paleo, IIFYM, vegan, etc., the goal is the same. The bottom line is to find what works for you, and when it stops working, change it up a little until you find something that you can maintain. Personally, I found what works for the dropping portion of the game, it's the maintaining that I need to work on.

I agree with most of your post, just want to point out that veganism isn't a weight loss plan. It's an ethical position. The goal is to avoid unnecessary animal exploitation, not to lose weight.

srecupid

You are 100% right of course but, a food scale is $10 and makes it easy for me to portion about my food. This way I eat a single serving instead of entire bag of chips. It's about the same effort to just put the bowl on the scale and toss some in so why not? If I'm eating an entire container of something or if im out I don't fret using the estimate on the label but,if I'm portion controlling at home and I'm not going to create an extra dish to wash it's not really any extra effort and it saves me from over indulging

emmylootwo

I lost 100 pounds 3-4 years ago and never weighed a thing, I lost another 50 with a food scale, but I bought the food scale mostly because I couldn't be bothered to wash measuring spoons/cups all the time! lol. So, I agree, in my experience, weighing your food does not make or break you. I'm sure I ate muffins and sandwiches and whatever else on a daily basis with double the amount of calories they were supposed to have according to weight, but the pounds kept coming off. I ate out at restaurants 4-5 times a week and relied on the calories posted online.

I do weigh my food now. I'm just a bit more cautious the second time around and want to make sure my projected deficit is where I want it to be. But this post also reminds me that it's okay to "let go" sometimes. Actually I was thinking today when I put 3 grams of honey in my cottage cheese and 5 grams of sriracha on my black beans for lunch and I logged a whopping 11 calories for those two addititions. Silly. I could forget to log that every day, for every meal, and not be affected.

Edit:
Just wanted to add that I think, for me, it's bordering on obsession and eating disorder territory to weigh individual packages of food like a bag of chips or a tub of yogurt. My food scale is primarily used for things that need to be portioned out (like chips from a family sized bag or homemade recipes) or veggies, meats, cheese, rice etc. I was told to weigh slices of a bread because they could be wildly off, but at least with the brand I'm using, every single slice has been spot on. I don't bother with it anymore.

jennifer_417

If you're losing, then it's not an issue. The problem comes when people are closer to their goal weight, think they are logging accurately, when in reality it's very easy to eat several hundred more calories than they think they are every day which adds up really quickly.