Is my scale broken or are serving sizes that out-of-whack?

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sugarstrawberries
sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I put two large pieces of bread on my scale to weigh out peanut butter onto them. The two slices together were 50g, but the serving size for one slice is 43g.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? Did you count by grams or buy another scale? :p
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Replies

  • Derf_Smeggle
    Derf_Smeggle Posts: 611 Member
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    Ahh, welcome to the world of "label claims versus reality".

    This is very, very common, though it typically goes the other way.

    Count by grams.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    Grams! Your scale is not wrong. Serving sizes are not required to be exact. In my opinion, stop looking at serving sizes all together and just make your calories fit in your daily goals.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Depends on the brand, but I've seen huge differences in bread weight versus what the label says. I would go by grams unless you have a reason to think something is wrong with your scale.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    Sounds like it was mis-labeled. I think they meant one slice was 43g.

    I buy small loaves of bread, and the slices are anywhere from 27-38g. The serving on the bag is...I don't remember, but it's not ^that.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Yeah, unfortunately I find bread is one of the products that is notorious for useless serving sizes on the bag.
  • shandy82165
    shandy82165 Posts: 184 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Yeah, that was a surprise to me, too. It even happens with frozen entrees. I had an amy's frozen meal bowl the other night that was fully 10+ grams more than what the box stated. It might have been close to 25 grams more, but I don't remember exactly.
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
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    The bread I use is 42g a serving(2 peices). Are you sure it's 43g for 1 slice or is that for a serving of two slices?
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
    edited June 2017
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Depends on the brand, but I've seen huge differences in bread weight versus what the label says. I would go by grams unless you have a reason to think something is wrong with your scale.

    I read that moving it while it's on can mess up the insides. It's a handheld scale, so I have once or twice accidentally turned it on while transferring it from where it resides to where I wanted it to sit. That's the only reason I'd think it's off-kilter.
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
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    Rebecca0224 wrote: »
    The bread I use is 42g a serving(2 peices). Are you sure it's 43g for 1 slice or is that for a serving of two slices?

    It's just one. It's "country style" or whatever, so wider than a standard sandwich loaf.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    sugarstrawberries wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Depends on the brand, but I've seen huge differences in bread weight versus what the label says. I would go by grams unless you have a reason to think something is wrong with your scale.

    I read that moving it while it's on can mess up the insides. It's a handheld scale, so I have once or twice accidentally turned it on while transferring it from where it resides to where I wanted it to sit. That's the only reason I'd think it's off-kilter.

    No, when you turn it off it re-calibrates/resets. It's just that you don't want to turn it on, move it, then weigh something.

    It doesn't permanently damage it to move it while it's on. :smile:
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    sugarstrawberries wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Depends on the brand, but I've seen huge differences in bread weight versus what the label says. I would go by grams unless you have a reason to think something is wrong with your scale.

    I read that moving it while it's on can mess up the insides. It's a handheld scale, so I have once or twice accidentally turned it on while transferring it from where it resides to where I wanted it to sit. That's the only reason I'd think it's off-kilter.

    No, when you turn it off it re-calibrates/resets. It's just that you don't want to turn it on, move it, then weigh something.

    It doesn't permanently damage it to move it while it's on. :smile:

    Oh, thanks! I've been fretting about that so much ahahaha.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
    edited June 2017
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    sugarstrawberries wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    sugarstrawberries wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Depends on the brand, but I've seen huge differences in bread weight versus what the label says. I would go by grams unless you have a reason to think something is wrong with your scale.

    I read that moving it while it's on can mess up the insides. It's a handheld scale, so I have once or twice accidentally turned it on while transferring it from where it resides to where I wanted it to sit. That's the only reason I'd think it's off-kilter.

    No, when you turn it off it re-calibrates/resets. It's just that you don't want to turn it on, move it, then weigh something.

    It doesn't permanently damage it to move it while it's on. :smile:

    Oh, thanks! I've been fretting about that so much ahahaha.

    You're welcome. The only thing that happens is possible inaccuracy that one time if you've moved it after turning it on - just turn it off, turn it on where you want it to be, weigh the bread. Any scale you use, even body weight scales, depend upon the device's resting place. Each location is slightly different, has differing levels (such as a bump on the table, an uneven counter top, etc.) The scale will compensate for that. :smile:
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    Even allowing for allowed inaccuracies, 50% off is an awful lot.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Is it a fresh loaf or would it have managed to get dried out at all? It seems like that would have an effect on weight as well.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 701 Member
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    I have a multigrain bread that is also 43g per slice. Usually two slices vary between 80-95g. If my scale said 50g for two normal looking slices, I would assume my scale wasn't level, needed new batteries, or was broken.
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
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    Yeah, I'm really questioning why there is such a giant discrepancy.

    It's Arnold brand bread, if anyone else has an opinion on this. :D
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
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    WickedPineapple wrote: »
    I have a multigrain bread that is also 43g per slice. Usually two slices vary between 80-95g. If my scale said 50g for two normal looking slices, I would assume my scale wasn't level, needed new batteries, or was broken.

    Or, the bread was getting really stale and had lost a good amount of moisture :D. I have a loaf of bread that's taken me a while to get through and I've noticed that the slices are getting lighter as time goes on, lol. It could also be an error in how the bread was sliced as compared to how it's *supposed* to be sliced per manufacturing requirements. Either way, as others have said, always go back actual weight of grams that you consume, not what's listed on the bag!
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    sugarstrawberries wrote: »
    Yeah, I'm really questioning why there is such a giant discrepancy.

    It's Arnold brand bread, if anyone else has an opinion on this. :D

    If it's the Arnold multigrain, I'd be surprised if it was that low for 2 normal looking slices.

    I like the Arnold, because it doesn't have HFCS. and it's normally fairly hearty.
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
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    I did buy it from Dollar Tree since it was a few days from its "best by" date, and now it's a few days past. Hmm.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    You could check your scale's calibration. Water is a great way to do this.

    1 fluid ounce of water weighs one ounce or 28.4 grams ; 1 US cup weighs 8 ounces or 227.2 grams.

    1 ml of water weighs 1 gram.

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