Possibly silly question... Do I *have* to weigh my food?

WanderingRivers

I have seen several posts as I've gone through the forums talking about weighing everything you eat and that just boggles my brain. I am having a hard time getting behind that because a.) I can't justify having yet another gadget in my kitchen taking up space and b.) I can only imagine how weird I am gonna look to my family sitting there weighing and logging everything on my plate while they're already half way through eating dinner by the time I even get to the table.

Can I still lose w/o the extra doodads? Or do I have to spend yet more cash?

TavistockToad

You don't gave to weigh your food, guestimating portions/calories is enough for some people to be able to lose weight.

sunnybeaches105

Of course some people can lose weight without weighing their food, but most people trying to lose weight will underestimate the amount of calories they're consuming. If estimating works for you then do that, but when it stops working then start weighing. I'll add that I weigh and measure and really don't care what others have to say about that. I'm fit, the ones who say things such as, "that's crazy" usually aren't.

CurlyCockney

You don't need to weigh your food. However, if you aren't losing like you thought you would it's a really good place to start. For me, there's no point in logging if I can't be as accurate as possible (although none of this is really accurate). I think of it as 2 + 3 = 5, but if I'm not sure if the 2 is a 2 or the 3 is a 3 I shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't total 5.

TonyB0588

KurumiSophia wrote: »

I have seen several posts as I've gone through the forums talking about weighing everything you eat and that just boggles my brain. I am having a hard time getting behind that because a.) I can't justify having yet another gadget in my kitchen taking up space and b.) I can only imagine how weird I am gonna look to my family sitting there weighing and logging everything on my plate while they're already half way through eating dinner by the time I even get to the table.

Can I still lose w/o the extra doodads? Or do I have to spend yet more cash?

I don't weigh mine. Somethings are more guessable than others. Prepackaged items have the weight on the pack. Some things clearly look like a cup measure, or a tablespoonful, etc.

Sara1791

I mostly measure with cups spoons and eyeball (ew, not literally). If I hit a plateau, I'll switch to using the scale I already own more regularly.

I also seem to be one of those rare creatures who overestimates calories consumed/underestimates quantity of food. I was waiting to be SHOCKED by how little a tablespoon of peanut butter really is, but it turns out I was pretty spot on with my scooping.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

You don't *have* to, no. Sometimes it helps people to be as accurate as possible, e.g., people who have a smaller deficit (so less wiggle room), people who eat a lot of calorie dense foods, or people who have hit a plateau.

Personally my food scale is the best purchase I've made while losing weight. I love knowing exactly how much I'm eating, and it cuts down on the number of dishes I have to wash by cutting down on measuring cups and spoons. It seemed like it would be a PITA at first, but it is actually more convenient for me than the other methods I've tried.

I also don't weigh my food at restaurants or when I'm at social gatherings, so no need to worry about looking weird or awkward. Though if you eat out daily or eat socially very frequently, that may be an issue for you.

singingflutelady

TonyB0588 wrote: »

KurumiSophia wrote: »

I have seen several posts as I've gone through the forums talking about weighing everything you eat and that just boggles my brain. I am having a hard time getting behind that because a.) I can't justify having yet another gadget in my kitchen taking up space and b.) I can only imagine how weird I am gonna look to my family sitting there weighing and logging everything on my plate while they're already half way through eating dinner by the time I even get to the table.

Can I still lose w/o the extra doodads? Or do I have to spend yet more cash?

I don't weigh mine. Somethings are more guessable than others. Prepackaged items have the weight on the pack. Some things clearly look like a cup measure, or a tablespoonful, etc.

Prepackaged can be up to 20% off the weight and you can really squeeze a lot into a cup. You don't have to weigh but it's more accurate than measuring cups and the weight on the package.

rileysowner

You don't have to, but for me it is far easier. When I make my smoothy all that gets dirty is the bending container and one spoon. All the measuring is done on the scale. I pour in the appropriate weight of milk, scoop out of the protein power, cocoa, powerder peanut butter, and sweetener all by weight. I used to use measuring cups and spoons and had many more dirty dishes. At this point I prefer using a scale as long as I have the weight amounts for solids and even for liquids at times.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

You weigh the raw as you are prepping not after cooking. Suppose I'm lucky that logging is a 20 second task both me and my husband do.

ChelzFit

When I first started using my food scale, I was amazed at how off I was about portions. My two slices of bread that would state were 84 grams would be over 100 grams when weighed. Even though I maintain now, I still use it frequently when weighing meats, cereal, pasta, and grains. I have never weighed veggies. Of course when eating on the go or out and about I just use my best judgment.

malibu927

Do you have to? No, but many people underestimate serving sizes, sometimes pretty severely if you've never counted calories before. It's a good tool to have if you need it.

LazSommer

can you put down the fork?

85Cardinals

Yes, you have to weigh your food. It's the law. Lady Justice has those scales, you'll notice.

Lounmoun

KurumiSophia wrote: »

I have seen several posts as I've gone through the forums talking about weighing everything you eat and that just boggles my brain. I am having a hard time getting behind that because a.) I can't justify having yet another gadget in my kitchen taking up space and b.) I can only imagine how weird I am gonna look to my family sitting there weighing and logging everything on my plate while they're already half way through eating dinner by the time I even get to the table.

Can I still lose w/o the extra doodads? Or do I have to spend yet more cash?

You can lose weight without using a food scale.
A food scale is a helpful tool and it takes seconds to weigh things out. I never bring mine to the table. I weigh stuff in the kitchen and then sit down at the table to eat. My family thinks I am doing what works for me which is not weird at all. It was less than $20 and takes up little space.
If you stop losing, get a food scale and increase your accuracy. Don't post about not being able to lose weight until you try that.

PennWalker

KurumiSophia wrote: »

I have seen several posts as I've gone through the forums talking about weighing everything you eat and that just boggles my brain. I am having a hard time getting behind that because a.) I can't justify having yet another gadget in my kitchen taking up space and b.) I can only imagine how weird I am gonna look to my family sitting there weighing and logging everything on my plate while they're already half way through eating dinner by the time I even get to the table.

Can I still lose w/o the extra doodads? Or do I have to spend yet more cash?

Nope. I don't weigh anything and am losing weight every week.

My exercise is probably accurate, since I do it at the gym on a machine that times it and tells me how many calories I burned. My food diary is "good enough." To be honest, I'm horrible and don't even use measuring cups. I have a good idea how much I should eat and stay away from trigger foods.

dragon_girl26

No, you don't have to.

Though, with regards to having yet another gagdet in the kitchen...it eliminates the need for measuring cups unless you're measuring liquids, so you could have less stuff laying around by using the scale more. Certainly less dishes. Another thing is that, if you like to bake like me, the recipe has better results because weighing is far more accurate than measuring.

Ready2Rock206

You only need to weigh if you want an acurate diary. Of you lose fine with approximations then don't weigh. If you get stuck though that's where accuracy can really help. And if it takes you that long to use your scale you're doing it wrong.

Catawampous

I haven't been here long. Before I *officially* started and was getting use to the app and logging, I read a ton of threads here. Do you have to? No, I don't believe you do. Should you? Probably. One thing I've seen over and over again is the closer people get to goal weight the harder time they have loosing OR they flat out aren't loosing at all and most of the time it is because they are inaccurate. If that doesn't concern you then you are golden!

BinaryPulsar

It helps a lot of people to learn about portion size. So, it depends on the person. Of course plenty of people lose weight without gadgets and food scales. A scale will add more accuracy and information. And for some people it's incredibly valuable to their success. But, my opinion for myself is that it doesn't matter if my measurements are off, as long as I am consistent and it's working for me. So, I eyeball now because I have been at this for four years, and never had much to lose any way (sometimes my focus has been weight gain). Some things I still measure in a cup. So, it's not completely scientifically accurate, but whatever it is, it's consistent.

WanderingRivers

Sounds like I can do without unless something goes sideways with losing weight. Thanks y'all.

Purplebunnysarah

KurumiSophia wrote: »

Sounds like I can do without unless something goes sideways with losing weight. Thanks y'all.

Yep, I only weigh some foods these days and almost never use measuring spoons or cups. Only things I regularly weigh are my yogurt (because 11%), frozen strawberries (carbs) and almond butter.

I am losing slightly faster than MFP thinks I should be, once you average my losses over several months.

RodaRose

You can buy a scale for under 20 dollars at Target or Walmart. Weigh foods for the first month. After that it is possible that you can eye-ball foods that you eat often. For foods with lots of calories like peanut butter or avocados you need to weigh them.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

olymp1a

Some people have results with guestimating or using measuring cups, the scales are though the most accurate way of calculating calories.

TARGET65K

If you are losing weight, then the answer is no.
If you are not losing weight, then the answer is perhaps.
Its your decision.

d4_54

KurumiSophia wrote: »

I have seen several posts as I've gone through the forums talking about weighing everything you eat and that just boggles my brain. I am having a hard time getting behind that because a.) I can't justify having yet another gadget in my kitchen taking up space and b.) I can only imagine how weird I am gonna look to my family sitting there weighing and logging everything on my plate while they're already half way through eating dinner by the time I even get to the table.

Can I still lose w/o the extra doodads? Or do I have to spend yet more cash?

You don't have to weigh. Weigh yourself about every 7-10 days. If you haven't lost weight then reduce you portions slightly until you lose weight.

Do not reduce too much, even when you start losing weight. It will be tempting but don't do it. You should feel mentally and physically satisfied after every meal.

WanderingRivers

RodaRose wrote: »

You can buy a scale for under 20 dollars at Target or Walmart. Weigh foods for the first month. After that it is possible that you can eye-ball foods that you eat often. For foods with lots of calories like peanut butter or avocados you need to weigh them.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

My finances are out of whack right now thanks to an expensive unexpected car repair so there is no room to get extra stuff at the moment. We're more concerned about playing catch-up. It's something I can consider when there is more budgetary wiggle room.

robertw486

I've never owned a food scale, and probably never will. If you use your body weight trends as a feedback loop you can easily adjust any error you have. Just accept that the final number you log to lose weight might not be as accurate as someone that weighs food.

fishshark

its all depending on your body. If im super super active i dont need to. If i am actually being sedentary (like right now) then i need to weigh my food because my wiggle room is so tiny. yesterday according to my heart rate monitor tracker i burned 1400 calories... for the whole day... thats a large big mac meal.

sandsofarabia

I know right now it might seem stupid and unnecessary (and sure you COULD lose weight without it) but it's so helpful and fast! You can get a really cheap yet accurate one on amazon.

I love it because cooking major recipes can even be easy because instead of looking around for cup measurements you can just put the plate or bowl on the scale and add the amount you need!

Also you can become your own bartender by adding in the right portions of alcohol to other drinks so it doesn't have to just be a way to count calories but to make very specific recipes. I felt weird for the first time that I got it and when I moved into my first apartment it was also kinda weird having my friends watch me weigh my food but if you make it a normal thing it can really be amazing. Sure it takes a little space but not much. You don't need to do it for every little thing but it sure beats having to measure everything out.

BinaryPulsar

I even bought a scale. But, I don't even use it.