No food scales
selina884
Posts: 826 Member
Anyone here used IIFYM and achieved their goals without every owning food scales?
Anyone still losing with no food scales?
Anyone still losing with no food scales?
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Replies
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How would you be sure if something fit your macros, if you're not accurate with your calories? Then you're guessing....9
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JustMissTracy wrote: »How would you be sure if something fit your macros, if you're not accurate with your calories? Then you're guessing....
yep guessing.
That's what I am asking people.3 -
I think it's possible, but having accurate numbers makes weight loss a lot more achievable. Its like using your bank card, spending all day, without knowing how much you have in your bank account. If you know the numbers first, you know exactly how much you can afford to spend.4
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JustMissTracy wrote: »I think it's possible, but having accurate numbers makes weight loss a lot more achievable. Its like using your bank card, spending all day, without knowing how much you have in your bank account. If you know the numbers first, you know exactly how much you can afford to spend.
yeah absolutely agree and theres no argument here.
Im just seeing who did it by guesstimating.0 -
I've lost 12 lbs in 10 weeks. I don't really follow IIFYM, but I do generally hit the macros MFP set for me. I haven't ever used a food scale up until yesterday. I bought one out of curiosity, and while I like it because I'm a numbers gal, I've found that for some things I was eating more than I thought (packaged items that weighed more than what 1 serving should be), but there are other items, for instance, raw cauliflower, for which I had been overestimating calories without the scale. So for me it might all average out anyway. If you're trying to hit specific macro levels, I guess a food scale would at least tell you if you're recording the food amounts accurately or not. But you would still need to be sure the macros are entered correctly in the database.2
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my scales died last night... i almost cried as i was having rice for tea :laugh:4
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When I started, I didn't have a food scale and was still able to lose. I think it's probably easier when you have more to lose so you may be able to target a larger deficit and have a bit more wiggle room to guesstimate and still be at a deficit and losing. I think as you get closer to goal and weight loss becomes more difficult, the guesstimates may not work as well and you may need to improve precision with a food scale. I do have one, but I'm not religious in its use and I've gotten lax in logging, so this is mostly speculation.4
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If would be pretty difficult to really do IIFYM without food scales. It would just be a bastardized version.5
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yes people lose weight all the time without using a food scale...
even following IIFYM...
I own food scales and find it easier to be accurate and prefer the accuracy to the 5mins in my week I might lose by using a food scale.3 -
I've lost down to my goal weight not using food scales. I try to overestimate whenever possible though.
I don't have a body scale either. Anything is possible just watching portions and logging.
I have a measuring tape, cups and spoons and I roughly know what a serving of meat, fish, veg and fruit look like.
I buy things like yogurt in individual small one seving containers, and keep a teaspoon measure next to the nut butter jars!
It hasn't been a problem for me, I've lost pretty well on schedule, 4 pounds a month.
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When I first started on MFP I knew nothing of food scales, but I was losing pretty steadily. I started reading in the forums about how helpful they are to improve accuracy and that whenever someone hits an unexplained plateau that is always the first advice given to make sure you aren't eating more than you think. I never really did hit one of those unexplained plateaus (several plateaus but always very easy to see why - holidays or vacation or not exercising as much), so I never invested in one. I lost the weight I set out to lose in a reasonable time frame for me, (about a year) and am now maintaining without using one.
I probably could have lost faster, or maybe eaten more as I always tried to have a buffer on my calorie goal to account for inaccuracies. I always advise using one to people starting out as I think they are tremendously helpful, I just never ended up getting one and am maintaining fine without.1 -
Something that has crossed my mind more and more recently is those old school body builders seemed to do a pretty good job of repeated cycles of gaining and cutting (yep, I know many most were juicing but there were and still are some natural) and they:
- Didn't have MFP
- Probably didn't have decent food labeling for any packaged stuff they ate
- Probably did little weighing of their food
What I assume most did, was follow the bro-science concept of small frequent meals with carbs centered around w/os and lots of protein (therefore keep carbs and fats relatively low when cutting).
I doubt they followed IIFYM but it is likely that if we had the opportunity to review a typical bulk and cut diet it would fit reasonably well with IIFYM guidance (I suspect that IIFYM is a kind of reverse engineered BB diet).
Inmates often manage spectacular transformations on prison diets (and what they can purchase), hard work outs, and plenty of rest. No tech, little labelled foods, and I guess all the scales are being used to weigh out 8 balls.
TLDNR version: IIFYM (and MFP) requires a close level of monitoring but people have been building muscle and losing fat for decades without these tools.
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Anyone here used IIFYM and achieved their goals without every owning food scales?
Anyone still losing with no food scales?
My dh lost 30 lbs or so and is maintaining without logging, counting calories, weighing food, exercising. He just managed to eat less. I lost about 28 lbs but had to use more tools to do it including a food scale at times.
So it is possible to lose weight without a food scale. Are you a person who can manage that? Maybe, maybe not.
If you are not losing at the rate you want a food scale is a good tool to improve your accuracy which is helpful for losing.0 -
If your question is, "Can I lose weight following IIFYM principles without a food scale," then the answer is yes. Full stop.
If your question is, "Should I endeavor to follow the IIFYM principles and lose weight without a food scale," then the answer is "it depends."
Early on, when you're at a higher deficit, it's easier to account for errors in estimating. Shooting for -1000 and coming in at -850 will still yield a fairly significant loss. Shooting for -250 and coming in at -100 is still a deficit, but even though the amount of the error is the same, the percentage is much more significant. That and most people suck HARD at estimating, and given "judgement calls", will typically opt in the side that fits them at that moment. "Was that 1.5 ounces or 1 ounce of cheese?" That's a 55 calorie question. 1.0 tbsp or 1.25 tbsp of olive oil? That's a 30 calorie swing. When you're aiming for smaller deficits, it's tougher to guesstimate.
tl;dr: do what you want, but more people are more successful with a scale than without.2 -
6502programmer wrote: »If your question is, "Can I lose weight following IIFYM principles without a food scale," then the answer is yes. Full stop.
If your question is, "Should I endeavor to follow the IIFYM principles and lose weight without a food scale," then the answer is "it depends."
Early on, when you're at a higher deficit, it's easier to account for errors in estimating. Shooting for -1000 and coming in at -850 will still yield a fairly significant loss. Shooting for -250 and coming in at -100 is still a deficit, but even though the amount of the error is the same, the percentage is much more significant. That and most people suck HARD at estimating, and given "judgement calls", will typically opt in the side that fits them at that moment. "Was that 1.5 ounces or 1 ounce of cheese?" That's a 55 calorie question. 1.0 tbsp or 1.25 tbsp of olive oil? That's a 30 calorie swing. When you're aiming for smaller deficits, it's tougher to guesstimate.
tl;dr: do what you want, but more people are more successful with a scale than without.
No those are not my questions. I am not talking between the lines.
I am asking about individual experiences.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »my scales died last night... i almost cried as i was having rice for tea :laugh:
have you bought another set?1 -
lightenup2016 wrote: »I've lost 12 lbs in 10 weeks. I don't really follow IIFYM, but I do generally hit the macros MFP set for me. I haven't ever used a food scale up until yesterday. I bought one out of curiosity, and while I like it because I'm a numbers gal, I've found that for some things I was eating more than I thought (packaged items that weighed more than what 1 serving should be), but there are other items, for instance, raw cauliflower, for which I had been overestimating calories without the scale. So for me it might all average out anyway. If you're trying to hit specific macro levels, I guess a food scale would at least tell you if you're recording the food amounts accurately or not. But you would still need to be sure the macros are entered correctly in the database.
I have a food scale and I measure ingredients it when Im making things like Pizza dough but usually Im too lazy.0 -
JustMissTracy wrote: »I think it's possible, but having accurate numbers makes weight loss a lot more achievable. Its like using your bank card, spending all day, without knowing how much you have in your bank account. If you know the numbers first, you know exactly how much you can afford to spend.
yeah absolutely agree and theres no argument here.
Im just seeing who did it by guesstimating.
Hi mate - yeah I don't use scales. Most things you can scan and then easier. I have lost a lot. Way to do it is balance it out - I don't log to the gram what rice I have but then I don't log every step or the 10 mins walk to and from the gym so it works. My defecits are normally pretty decent as well so not just scraping through
ello mate.
Yeah same, I tend to overestimate my calories.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »my scales died last night... i almost cried as i was having rice for tea :laugh:
have you bought another set?
yep!1 -
brisingr86 wrote: »When I started, I didn't have a food scale and was still able to lose. I think it's probably easier when you have more to lose so you may be able to target a larger deficit and have a bit more wiggle room to guesstimate and still be at a deficit and losing. I think as you get closer to goal and weight loss becomes more difficult, the guesstimates may not work as well and you may need to improve precision with a food scale. I do have one, but I'm not religious in its use and I've gotten lax in logging, so this is mostly speculation.
Im guessing overtime people can eyeball their measurements after years of accurately measuring. Again speculation too.0 -
Bought one early on. Used it twice. For me, not worth the bother.
I use this chart:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f9/d9/96/f9d9968e354d39de9feade7557d750d7.jpg
Works very well for me. Lost over 160#, and have kept it off for almost 3 years.
Whatever works for you and will be sustainable for the long term.4 -
I weigh my grated cheese, because otherwise I always over estimate. But most other things I just use the nutrition labels. The one thing I don't worry about too much is veggies, I guess if I stopped losing I would have to get more careful with that, but for the moment I'm not worrying.0
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I've lost fine without scales. I always over calculate my food in MFP to make up for any discrepancies.However, I DO own a scale, but only use it for meats and high calorie foods.0
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I didn't have much weight to lose when I joined MFP over 6 years ago (I had lost 1/2 on my own already), and I got to my goal weight without using a scale and even logging "generic" items in my food diary. I got a scale out of curiosity after reading the forums and sometimes I wish I had not because sometimes I am a slave of the scale.
I have been maintaining my weight (+/- 2 lbs) for the last six years and I am not longer that accurate with the logging or weighing. I don't guess or overestimate either; I just don't log when on vacation, eating out or a friends house. I do realize that if you want to be accurate with your macros, the scale is a great tool and that is the only reason why I still use it; however and like other members mentioned above, just do what works for you.
Edited to add: the food scale is very handy when you want to use the Recipe Builder.
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I've lost 22 pounds since July 15 of this year. I'm about 15 pounds to goal. I've never owned a scale. I also don't use a measuring cup or measuring spoons -- I eyeball everything and read labels. Is this inaccurate? Of course it is.
I can see how a scale would benefit someone who ate a more complicated diet or wanted to hit certain macros.
My kitchen is being worked on and it is a hassle to use it. I also eat simple food with little prep and eat the same range of food over and over (I'm a widow and don't have to make food to please a family). I know about how much I should eat. My food also addresses some problems my doctor brought up. I'm not starving and am losing weight without problem.1 -
I lost without the food scale yup. I over estimated when un sure. I use one sometimes now in maintenence as I was in a big deficit before so a bit of error was ok. In maintenence I gotta be a bit more careful as there's not really a buffer anymore.0
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brisingr86 wrote: »When I started, I didn't have a food scale and was still able to lose. I think it's probably easier when you have more to lose so you may be able to target a larger deficit and have a bit more wiggle room to guesstimate and still be at a deficit and losing. I think as you get closer to goal and weight loss becomes more difficult, the guesstimates may not work as well and you may need to improve precision with a food scale. I do have one, but I'm not religious in its use and I've gotten lax in logging, so this is mostly speculation.
Im guessing overtime people can eyeball their measurements after years of accurately measuring. Again speculation too.
Aw man..we are in the naughty corner lol
wth is that? We are in jail LOL.0 -
I didn't use a food scale when I first started here in 2012. I lost much faster than expected, which is not the worst problem to have of course, but I was so hungry all the time and then I gained about half the weight back since 2013. I did buy a food scale after that and am back on track. Without the food scale, my food diary wasn't accurate enough to figure out what was going on. I wasn't sure if I was eating a lot less than I thought or if my actual TDEE was higher than the various calculators were guessing. Now that I use the food scale, I know my TDEE is higher than would be expected (sedentary job, etc). That has been super helpful for me because I know I can eat more and lose, which makes the hunger issue not as great, and I think it will be easier to stay on track now.
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I've lost 190+lbs and have not used a food scale that much. I use it for some things, but I guestimate some stuff, and have gotten pretty good over the past year or so in knowing what I eat at least when I make things myself at home. i do use it from time to time when I'm making or eating something new, but usually after a while I am pretty good at knowing what I am putting in my body.
I also exercise quite a bit to give myself some buffer room on any gaps I may have by not measuring/weighing every single thing.
It works for me, but may not work for others. Just gotta find what works for you.2 -
I lost in the beginning for 6 months without a food scale. I got to my last 15 pounds and had a terrible time.
There are two sides to my situation, I have trouble with calorie deficits and my husband does not. I needed tools to lose weight, he does not.
So he lost 65 pounds with out logging or weighing one calorie, I had to log all my calories in the final stages through weighing and logging accurately. It can be done.
eta: I still use my food scale daily, it is now my third arm in the kitchen. My goals are different now, but the food scale is really the only way to get to that accuracy to maintain even after loss goals are met for me.2
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