"Why should I use a food scale?"
Replies
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My eyes were forever opened when I started weighing foods I'd normally just measure. I was way overeating before! Now I know what a proper serving of most foods is, including meats. It's amazing how much you can overeat by not weighing things!7
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TimothyFish wrote: »
The pasta in your picture looks like it has been cooked. 1 cup of dry pasta makes about 2.25 cups of cooked pasta. So the cup that you are saying is 289 calories is more like 100 calories.
Sorry, but it is indeed dry pasta. It's called campanelle. Let me take another picture for you since I have some in the cabinet. I stand by my weighing, my math, and my calculations. I have no reason to create an image that's a lie. Do you need me to take new pictures of the cup on my scale from multiple angles so you can see that it is indeed a level cup that weighs 81 grams and is indeed 289 calories?
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JaydedMiss wrote: »just had this with my bread, 40g is the 1 slice serving....every single slice in the pack weighed 65-68 g
You know I typically weigh everything but bread is something that I never thought to weigh for what ever reason.
*goes to kitchen to weigh a slice of bread*
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You know I typically weigh everything but bread is something that I never thought to weigh for what ever reason.
*goes to kitchen to weigh a slice of bread*
I bought low cal bread. 50 cals a slice. And while I didn't weigh every single one, the ones I weighed were close to what the label said, and 1/3 thinner than a normal slice, hence the lower calories.2 -
You know I typically weigh everything but bread is something that I never thought to weigh for what ever reason.
*goes to kitchen to weigh a slice of bread*
Yep, bread slices, tortillas, English muffins, crumpets, sandwich thins... sometimes it can be really depressing because they are frequently over.
ETA: Granted, it's usually a bigger discrepancy from the heavier denser breads.0 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
I bought low cal bread. 50 cals a slice. And while I didn't weigh every single one, the ones I weighed were close to what the label said, and 1/3 thinner than a normal slice, hence the lower calories.Wynterbourne wrote: »
Yep, bread slices, tortillas, English muffins, crumpets, sandwich thins... sometimes it can be really depressing because they are frequently over.
ETA: Granted, it's usually a bigger discrepancy from the heavier denser breads.
I tend to use dense whole wheat lots of grains kind of bread, so I will definitely have to weigh a representative sample slice from each loaf from now on.0 -
I tend to use dense whole wheat lots of grains kind of bread, so I will definitely have to weigh a representative sample slice from each loaf from now on.
each slice can be a different weight though. I learned that the hard way0 -
To weigh your food. Simple.0
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Wynterbourne wrote: »
Yep, bread slices, tortillas, English muffins, crumpets, sandwich thins... sometimes it can be really depressing because they are frequently over.
ETA: Granted, it's usually a bigger discrepancy from the heavier denser breads.
Toast it! It takes out the calories!
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cmriverside wrote: »
I wish, it just takes out some water and now the same amount of calories are in a lighter object. Always weigh before you toast. 
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I use the scale now all the time. Even for cereal. If it says grams, ounces, etc., I'll weigh it.1
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Drussander wrote: »I use the scale now all the time. Even for cereal. If it says grams, ounces, etc., I'll weigh it.
Especially for cereal! It's one of the worst offenders for a single serving size looking all sad and lonely in your bowl. Right up there with ice cream.5 -
Especially for cereal! It's one of the worst offenders for a single serving size looking all sad and lonely in your bowl. Right up there with ice cream.
I've not figured out how to weigh ice cream and compare to the ml on the label.
So I just assume it has no calories.8 -
I LOVE THIS!!!! SO TRUE!0
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Tacklewasher wrote: »
I've not figured out how to weigh ice cream and compare to the ml on the label.
So I just assume it has no calories.
I bought a #8 food scoop just for ice cream. It's equivalent to 1/2 cup serving.
Canada, despite being part of the metric-only crew, still uses cups and, this part burns my donkey, uses millilitres for semi-solids.6 -
You summed it up perfectly. Can't say anymore0
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Tacklewasher wrote: »
I've not figured out how to weigh ice cream and compare to the ml on the label.
So I just assume it has no calories.
my ice cream has a g measurement on it - interesting on the ml2 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
I've not figured out how to weigh ice cream and compare to the ml on the label.
So I just assume it has no calories.
My scale weighs in grams, ml, ounces, fluid ounces. I weigh my food per package instructions.
I have a question about weighing dry pasta though. How do you figure this out when cooking for a large family?
I'm fortunate that at this point I have a fair bit of wiggle room in my deficit, but that will decrease as time goes on. Will I be needing to weigh my portion and cook it individually?
(I hope I don't sound dumb!)0 -
MizMimi111 wrote: »
My scale weighs in grams, ml, ounces, fluid ounces. I weigh my food per package instructions.
I have a question about weighing dry pasta though. How do you figure this out when cooking for a large family?
I'm fortunate that at this point I have a fair bit of wiggle room in my deficit, but that will decrease as time goes on. Will I be needing to weigh my portion and cook it individually?
(I hope I don't sound dumb!)
I weigh the pasta dry and put 4 servings in (or whatever number), then weigh it cooked and divide by 4 to see how many grams a cooked serving is. Bit more work, but if you cook the same brand the same amount of time every time, it always comes down to about the same number (120ish grams for me, so when I'm lazy I just weigh it cooked and assume 120g a serving).2 -
Thank you! Makes perfect sense once it's explained.0
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Wynterbourne wrote: »
Sorry, but it is indeed dry pasta. It's called campanelle. Let me take another picture for you since I have some in the cabinet. I stand by my weighing, my math, and my calculations. I have no reason to create an image that's a lie. Do you need me to take new pictures of the cup on my scale from multiple angles so you can see that it is indeed a level cup that weighs 81 grams and is indeed 289 calories?
No, that's fine. With the second picture I can see that it that it is dry. I'll even agree with you that it weighs 81 grams. But can you prove that it is 289 calories?
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TimothyFish wrote: »
No, that's fine. With the second picture I can see that it that it is dry. I'll even agree with you that it weighs 81 grams. But can you prove that it is 289 calories?
Are you serious?
The label says 1 cup (56g) = 200 calories.
81g ÷ 56g = 1.45g
1.45g x 200 calories = 289 calories.
On food labels, the volume is a given to be an estimate while the weight is the more accurate measurement. And yes, we know that the calories on food labels are allowed to have up to a 20% discrepancy, so while I can not *prove* that it may not be exactly 289 calories it does prove that a volume measured serving for this pasta is indeed a 44.5% caloric increase from the labeled weighed serving size.21 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
I've not figured out how to weigh ice cream and compare to the ml on the label.
So I just assume it has no calories.
Weigh the whole tub of ice cream. (If you're really worried about the weight of the cardboard, weigh an empty tub at some point and adjust your weight accordingly.) That tells you how much the volume listed on the tub weighs. Then calculate the weight of a single serving. Or find an entry in the database where somebody else has done this for you. If there isn't one, make your own and you never have to do the math again.
e.g. A tub of Ben and Jerry's is 500 mL (~2 cups). One serving is 125 mL (~1/2 cup), so one serving is 1/4 of the tub. The whole tub weighs ~420 grams. 420*(1/4) = 105 grams. So, one half-cup serving weighs ~105 grams.
This happens to be true for all of their flavours that I like, and the numbers are similar for other rich dense ice creams like Haagen Dasz and Marble Slab. Fluffier ice creams like Breyers weigh less per half cup and have fewer calories because of that - but their calories-per-gram are pretty similar.2 -
You know I typically weigh everything but bread is something that I never thought to weigh for what ever reason.
*goes to kitchen to weigh a slice of bread*
I had a brand i really liked of rye that was always perfect but this ones "40g per slice/serving" and EVERY piece was 65-67g (at 100 cals per 40g thats a big difference) so im assuming their liars or the mchine was somehow messing up? no clue.1 -
Wynterbourne wrote: »
Are you serious?
The label says 1 cup (56g) = 200 calories.
81g ÷ 56g = 1.45g
1.45g x 200 calories = 289 calories.
On food labels, the volume is a given to be an estimate while the weight is the more accurate measurement. And yes, we know that the calories on food labels are allowed to have up to a 20% discrepancy, so while I can not *prove* that it may not be exactly 289 calories it does prove that a volume measured serving for this pasta is indeed a 44.5% caloric increase from the labeled weighed serving size.
Yes, I'm serious. You are willing to reject the information on the label because the weight per cup doesn't match what they claim. Why should you turn around and accept the information on the label at face value concerning the number of calories? Have you stopped to think why they would list it as one cup is 56 grams if one cup is actually 81 grams? Why would the weight of a cup at the manufacturer be less than one in your home?2 -
TimothyFish wrote: »
Yes, I'm serious. You are willing to reject the information on the label because the weight per cup doesn't match what they claim. Why should you turn around and accept the information on the label at face value concerning the number of calories? Have you stopped to think why they would list it as one cup is 56 grams if one cup is actually 81 grams? Why would the weight of a cup at the manufacturer be less than one in your home?
I'm not rejecting the information on the label. I'm favoring the information that has been stated "by the industry" to be more accurate. The volume measurement is a manufacturer acknowledged estimate because it can vary depending on size and settling of product. The weight is the accepted standard and doesn't change no matter what size the product (broken pieces) or how much it may have settled (dump a box of spaghetti in bag, shake it up, and see how much physical space it's taking up now...). The weight does not change, but the volume can. That's why you always go by the weight.22 -
Wynterbourne wrote: »
I'm not rejecting the information on the label. I'm favoring the information that has been stated "by the industry" to be more accurate. The volume measurement is a manufacturer acknowledged estimate because it can vary depending on size and settling of product. The weight is the accepted standard and doesn't change no matter what size the product (broken pieces) or how much it may have settled (dump a box of spaghetti in bag, shake it up, and see how much physical space it's taking up now...). The weight does not change, but the volume can. That's why you always go by the weight.
^^ This is correct.
For solids, such as dry pasta, the Calories and nutrition information on the Nutrition Facts label is specified by weight, not by volume. The volume measurement provided on the label is an approximation.
US manufacturers follow the US FDA Guidelines for Food Labeling as published in Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 101. They must comply with multiple requirements for volume and weight reference amounts on the label for certain food items as detailed in Table 2—Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed Per Eating Occasion: General Food Supply (21 CFR 101.12).
In addition, 21 CFR 101.9 prescribes the volume increments for cups to be specified in 1/4 or 1/3 cup increments, the weight of solids to be specified in grams, and the volume of liquids to be specified in milliliters.
In this instance, the manufacturer choose the reference amount weight from Table 2 for "Pastas, plain" of 55 grams. The manufacturer then needed to determine the closest volume associated with that weight. The manufacturer determined that 56g of that particular shaped pasta as packaged was best approximated by volume as 3/4 cup, as opposed to the smaller choice of 2/3 cup or the larger choice of 1 cup.
Since the nutrition information is determined by weight for solids, the Calories per serving of this pasta would be determined by the weight of the reference amount, not the volume.
Reference:
21 CFR 101, US Government Printing Office, https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=180974239ef9b4b85a6a1d2741ff331e&mc=true&n=pt21.2.101&r=PART&ty=HTML24 -
TimothyFish wrote: »
Yes, I'm serious. You are willing to reject the information on the label because the weight per cup doesn't match what they claim. Why should you turn around and accept the information on the label at face value concerning the number of calories? Have you stopped to think why they would list it as one cup is 56 grams if one cup is actually 81 grams? Why would the weight of a cup at the manufacturer be less than one in your home?
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Wynterbourne wrote: »
Sorry, but it is indeed dry pasta. It's called campanelle. Let me take another picture for you since I have some in the cabinet. I stand by my weighing, my math, and my calculations. I have no reason to create an image that's a lie. Do you need me to take new pictures of the cup on my scale from multiple angles so you can see that it is indeed a level cup that weighs 81 grams and is indeed 289 calories?
THIS is great pasta--bronze cut too. Most durum grain pastas weigh about the same--dry. Barilla for 81g is 290.79 cal so your calculations are dead on--sorry Fish.4 -
Wynterbourne wrote: »
I'm not rejecting the information on the label. I'm favoring the information that has been stated "by the industry" to be more accurate. The volume measurement is a manufacturer acknowledged estimate because it can vary depending on size and settling of product. The weight is the accepted standard and doesn't change no matter what size the product (broken pieces) or how much it may have settled (dump a box of spaghetti in bag, shake it up, and see how much physical space it's taking up now...). The weight does not change, but the volume can. That's why you always go by the weight.
What if I were to tell you that the weight of pasta does change?0
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