No food scale?

itssophiapierre

In the situation where a person cannot buy a food scale, what's the next best thing?

MonaRenton

If it's package stuff just use eye measures and decision. For other things you can measure with cups and spoons I guess. Hope you are able to get some soon. Maybe ask a neighbour if you can borrow or check Facebook free stuff pages if someone is giving one away.

Longevity100

Use a hand based measurement system. Google Precision Nutrition infographic "calorie control guide"

RoxieDawn

Hand, fist, palm and thumb rules? Liquids can still use measuring cups. Spoons are gonna have to do.. but measuring spoons for things like peanut butter bad idea.. Knowing the calories in recipes you make homemade will be hard.

Are you gonna get one?

French_Peasant

I lost my first 25 lbs successfully mostly without a food scale (I had a janky old plastic thing, but didn't use it overly much). I did measure many things with cups, and practiced eyeballing a "deck of cards" size to gauge meat. Now that I just have 5 vanity lbs left to lose, I am using a small $10 digital scale more and more. I can just throw it in my purse and it is very handy. But I'm not too concerned about it, as I have become entrenched in good fitness and eating habits over the past year and am not concerned that I am losing ounces instead of pounds. You don't have to weigh, as long as you are successfully losing (and as long as, as RoxieDawn points out above, you are not a peanut butter addict, as it will kick you in the butt!)

However--If you are not losing, then you either need to start weighing or using another technique like erring on the high side as you estimate calories, or cutting out sugar, or eating pre-packaged meals, or another management tool that will help you get the CI portion of the CICO equation right. You've probably read all the threads on "why come I not losing?!?!" and have seen people getting their chops busted for not weighing (if other things like post exercise water retention and monthly water fluctuations are ruled out). Weighing keep you honest and rigorous.

Also, I find the more I cook at home, the more economical it is, so if money is tight, it's one of the best things you can do both for your health and your wallet.

French_Peasant

This scale is $8.88 currently on Amazon. I am very happy with mine. It won't be as helpful for the bigger things (like adding ingredients to a mixing bowl or a burrito the size of a toddler) but does a nice job with most things I need to weigh. If you think you need one sooner rather than later, maybe there is something that you could give up for a couple of weeks that would also benefit your diet: sweet coffee drinks, sodas, snacks, french fries, desserts--drop the money you would save in a change jar.

https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-0-01g-Digital-Scale/dp/B0012LOQUQ/ref=zg_bs_678508011_2

StaciMarie1974

1. Assume prepackaged things are wrong. Such as label says 2 slices of bread = 41 grams, it is often 45-49 grams for 2 slices of bread. So log things like this as 1.1 or 1.2 servings to account for the likely extra calories.

2. Be careful to account for things like cooking oils, condiments. You may not know exactly how much you've consumed but log something for it. Something is better than nothing.

3. Be careful on portion sizes for calorie dense items. Being inaccurate with lean proteins, green veggies will be less 'damage' than being wrong about starchy sides for example.

4. Judge by results. If estimating is working, meaning you are losing weight as expected when you judge over time, then you're good. If not then you're probably eating more than you think and should consider decreasing portions.

jemhh

Use the "eat less" method. If you normally have two slices of toast with your breakfast, have one. If you normally make scrambled eggs with oil in the pan, try having boiled eggs for awhile. If you normally have two spoonfuls of mashed potatoes with dinner, have one. A few of those changes each day will add up calorie-wise.