Weighing food
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Dee_D33
Posts: 106 Member
Weighing food... how necessary is it really? When I'm eating/cooking I measure every ingredient that goes into my food rather than eyeballing it, but I was wondering if I'm leaving too much room for error by doing this. I didn't want to start using a scale because I didn't want to depend on it, knowing I won't bring it with me wherever I go. If anything, I would imagine that I'm eating less than I should be by measuring my food (solid's that is) as opposed to weighing them given they don't take up the whole space of the cup I'm measuring them in. Has weighing your food made an impact on your diet?
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serindipte wrote: »
Great video! I'm going to have to bookmark that so I can use it as a response in future threads.
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Another example with more foods. This shows that the extra bits add up. The smaller your deficit, the more of an impact it will make and can easily push you over to cause weight gain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnnpUYmr0OM 3 -
Weighing my food accurately was THE most important thing for me in trying to gain weight as it showed me I simply wasn't eating enough! I bought a set of digital scales and it was a good investment (my family thinks I'm mad but I don't care!)4
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Weighing food... how necessary is it really? When I'm eating/cooking I measure every ingredient that goes into my food rather than eyeballing it, but I was wondering if I'm leaving too much room for error by doing this. I didn't want to start using a scale because I didn't want to depend on it, knowing I won't bring it with me wherever I go. If anything, I would imagine that I'm eating less than I should be by measuring my food (solid's that is) as opposed to weighing them given they don't take up the whole space of the cup I'm measuring them in. Has weighing your food made an impact on your diet?
Weighing has absolutely made a difference for me. I did fine when I first started out without one. I was losing just fine, but then decided why not give it a shot. I think the difference for me is that it keeps me focused and takes some of the guess work out of the whole process. I could probably do without weighing at this point and when I travel or eat out I don't worry about it, but I know that down the road I would probably start slipping into old habits. At 63 I don't have a lot of leeway to over indulge so weighing keeps me honest.
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serindipte wrote: »Another example with more foods. This shows that the extra bits add up. The smaller your deficit, the more of an impact it will make and can easily push you over to cause weight gain.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnnpUYmr0OM
Boy was I wrong! Thank you so much! Looks like I'll be going out tomorrow and getting a scale.
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What's the calorie difference between food that's been cooked vs raw? (Assuming weight is the same?)0
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While I weigh my food, I know people can lose without doing so. However, if your weight loss is not at the rate you expect, or it has stalled and you are not weighting, as the videos illustrate so well, it is very likely weighing will make a difference. It is well worth it to get a scale.1
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omakase619 wrote: »What's the calorie difference between food that's been cooked vs raw? (Assuming weight is the same?)
Well, the calorie content of the food will be the same whether it's raw or cooked. The issue is logging it. The problem is that foods decrease in weight during the cooking process. Mostly because of water loss, but sometimes also fat loss, depending on what you're cooking. Cooking time and method will determine how much water (and fat, if applicable) will be lost.
So while the caloric content will be the same, the calories/gram numbers won't be. If you use a raw database entry for cooked food, for example, your calories for that meal will be underestimated. Make sense?1 -
omakase619 wrote: »What's the calorie difference between food that's been cooked vs raw? (Assuming weight is the same?)
it depends on the food...i.e. 4oz of raw chicken may be 3oz cooked...so if you were to eat 4oz cooked then its probably 5oz raw - so you would have the caloric difference...
I prefer measuring raw because food can absorb moisture (i.e. rice) or reduce in size (most meats)1 -
I weight almost all my food. I find it not only helps me eat the correct portions but it slows down my from-fridge-to-mouth, giving me more time to logically plan my meals. I'm so not controlling until it comes to my meals I've read so many posts that you can stop weighting after you get in the habbit and you can eyeball portions better but I still over ate when I gave up weighting after more then a month. It can be a pain but I know exactly what I'm eating portions wise. 1
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CafeRacer808 wrote: »omakase619 wrote: »What's the calorie difference between food that's been cooked vs raw? (Assuming weight is the same?)
Well, the calorie content of the food will be the same whether it's raw or cooked. The issue is logging it. The problem is that foods decrease in weight during the cooking process. Mostly because of water loss, but sometimes also fat loss, depending on what you're cooking. Cooking time and method will determine how much water (and fat, if applicable) will be lost.
So while the caloric content will be the same, the calories/gram numbers won't be. If you use a raw database entry for cooked food, for example, your calories for that meal will be underestimated. Make sense?
Surely they would be overestimated? If a piece of chicken weighs 100 grams raw and you log it as that, it's going to add up to more calories than if, say it only weighs 70 grams after cooking it?
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I lost half of my weight without MFP and the rest after a joined this website by using using generic entries sometimes, and without a scale; cups did fine. However, I like to disclose that I only had about 12 lbs total to lose so I don't know if my method will be good for somebody that has a lot of weigh to lose or a different relationship to food that I had/have.
I got a scale after I reached maintenance (6 and half years ago), and I wish I never did because I am now hooked.
But I only use it at home, and I don't take it to restaurants, while on vacation, or to other people house.
If your method works for you, go for it. If your weigh loss plateaus, get a scale to be more accurate.0 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »CafeRacer808 wrote: »omakase619 wrote: »What's the calorie difference between food that's been cooked vs raw? (Assuming weight is the same?)
Well, the calorie content of the food will be the same whether it's raw or cooked. The issue is logging it. The problem is that foods decrease in weight during the cooking process. Mostly because of water loss, but sometimes also fat loss, depending on what you're cooking. Cooking time and method will determine how much water (and fat, if applicable) will be lost.
So while the caloric content will be the same, the calories/gram numbers won't be. If you use a raw database entry for cooked food, for example, your calories for that meal will be underestimated. Make sense?
Surely they would be overestimated? If a piece of chicken weighs 100 grams raw and you log it as that, it's going to add up to more calories than if, say it only weighs 70 grams after cooking it?
Yes sorry, that was typo. Thanks.0 -
It's helpful if you're stalled or not losing at the rate you'd like, but it's certainly not required. People lost weight successfully for a long time before at-home food scales were available. If you're happy with what you're doing, carry on. If you get to the point where it's not working any longer, a food scale could be helpful.0
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I honestly think a scale is essential for keeping your diet in track. This way you know exactly what is going into your body, macro wise. Without my scale, I don't think I would be as successful as I have been in my weight loss so far. But when you are out, you don't need to bring your scale. Eyeballing is fine. But the more you use the scale, the better you will become at estimating the amount of grams certain foods are.1
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CafeRacer808 wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »CafeRacer808 wrote: »omakase619 wrote: »What's the calorie difference between food that's been cooked vs raw? (Assuming weight is the same?)
Well, the calorie content of the food will be the same whether it's raw or cooked. The issue is logging it. The problem is that foods decrease in weight during the cooking process. Mostly because of water loss, but sometimes also fat loss, depending on what you're cooking. Cooking time and method will determine how much water (and fat, if applicable) will be lost.
So while the caloric content will be the same, the calories/gram numbers won't be. If you use a raw database entry for cooked food, for example, your calories for that meal will be underestimated. Make sense?
Surely they would be overestimated? If a piece of chicken weighs 100 grams raw and you log it as that, it's going to add up to more calories than if, say it only weighs 70 grams after cooking it?
Yes sorry, that was typo. Thanks.
No worries I was just confused!0 -
If I use an entire container of a food- do I still have to weigh it?0
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I don't think it's necessary in the beginning of your weight loss journey if you are obese or morbidly obese, but it does become a very useful tool after losing a good amount of weight on your own. I know I definitely overestimated serving sizes, and my scale is something I use every day. And it probably helps my eyeballing serving sizes in scenarios where I can't weigh my food.0
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pielattes1 wrote: »If I use an entire container of a food- do I still have to weigh it?
It really depends upon the food but mostly yes.
Companies can get in trouble for having fewer grams of product in the box than the box says it has (on the low end) or more than 20% more than the box says (on the high end) so they aim for somewhere between those extremes. The result of that is that many boxes/containers are a bit overfilled.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfcB7GbLmIM
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