You don't use a food scale?
Replies
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jsalazar8714 wrote: »
Tonight will be my first time weighing my food got a food scale reccommended by America’s test kitchen for accuracy, but I’m nervous I don’t want to get stressed out and quit I want the results and to give it my all the macro thing seems so difficult though I gave in and ordered some protein powder because apparently I have to eat a whole rhinocerous to meet my protein goal I’m doing 35 30 35 carbs fat proteinquiksylver296 wrote: »We have many new members who have been around for about three weeks now. And there are lots of posts saying "I've been doing this for three weeks and haven't lost any weight!" Many responses to those threads tell the member to use a food scale. This video illustrates why a food scale is such a powerful tool for most people's weight loss. (Although I wish it used peanut butter instead of oatmeal.
)
https://youtu.be/XpHykP6e_Uk
If anyone has any other infographics or videos that are pro-food scale, add 'em!
Hitting your macros takes practice! Don't be too hard on yourself at first. You learn to tweak your meals and snacks to get there, but it does take time and practice.2 -
Monday bump3
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I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.12
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I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.
The point is, if you think you are eating the right calories and not losing weight, a food scale will most likely clear that up. If you eyeball/measure portions correctly, that's great, and no one is saying otherwise.
I don't really understand why folks who don't need to use the food scale feel the need to put down people who do, but that's fine. I'm a detail oriented person, and if you need to consider me OCD and feel sorry for me, that's your prerogative. I ate out frequently when I was losing weight and never struggled with it. I weighed out whatever I could and it took a lot of the pressure off worrying about guessing. And I am much better at eyeballing portions now that I know what a serving looks like from using the scale.18 -
I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.
The point is, if you think you are eating the right calories and not losing weight, a food scale will most likely clear that up. If you eyeball/measure portions correctly, that's great, and no one is saying otherwise.
I don't really understand why folks who don't need to use the food scale feel the need to put down people who do, but that's fine. I'm a detail oriented person, and if you need to consider me OCD and feel sorry for me, that's your prerogative. I ate out frequently when I was losing weight and never struggled with it. I weighed out whatever I could and it took a lot of the pressure off worrying about guessing. And I am much better at eyeballing portions now that I know what a serving looks like from using the scale.
OCD isn't the right terminology, but I do get mocked for 'being obsessive' with weighing.
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I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.
The point is, if you think you are eating the right calories and not losing weight, a food scale will most likely clear that up. If you eyeball/measure portions correctly, that's great, and no one is saying otherwise.
I don't really understand why folks who don't need to use the food scale feel the need to put down people who do, but that's fine. I'm a detail oriented person, and if you need to consider me OCD and feel sorry for me, that's your prerogative. I ate out frequently when I was losing weight and never struggled with it. I weighed out whatever I could and it took a lot of the pressure off worrying about guessing. And I am much better at eyeballing portions now that I know what a serving looks like from using the scale.
I'm not putting you down. I said "I couldn't imagine living my life like that" , it is way too obsessive for me. Everyone is different and by all means you do you. But I don't see weighing every little thing as being sustainable for life, at least not for me. And obviously you agree with that as you eventually learned correct portion sizes as well (learned from using a scale). I just skipped that step. This thread I feel was created against people who don't weigh, so you could say it's putting down people like me who don't weigh. It can be daunting for a new person who comes on here and is told you MUST weigh every little thing you eat. Where do you draw the line? Do you take your scale with you to restaurants and rip apart your food?7 -
I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.
The point is, if you think you are eating the right calories and not losing weight, a food scale will most likely clear that up. If you eyeball/measure portions correctly, that's great, and no one is saying otherwise.
I don't really understand why folks who don't need to use the food scale feel the need to put down people who do, but that's fine. I'm a detail oriented person, and if you need to consider me OCD and feel sorry for me, that's your prerogative. I ate out frequently when I was losing weight and never struggled with it. I weighed out whatever I could and it took a lot of the pressure off worrying about guessing. And I am much better at eyeballing portions now that I know what a serving looks like from using the scale.
I'm not putting you down. I said "I couldn't imagine living my life like that" , it is way too obsessive for me. Everyone is different and by all means you do you. But I don't see weighing every little thing as being sustainable for life, at least not for me. And obviously you agree with that as you eventually learned correct portion sizes as well (learned from using a scale). I just skipped that step. This thread I feel was created against people who don't weigh, so you could say it's putting down people like me who don't weigh. It can be daunting for a new person who comes on here and is told you MUST weigh every little thing you eat.
We have many new members who have been around for about three weeks now. And there are lots of posts saying "I've been doing this for three weeks and haven't lost any weight!" Many responses to those threads tell the member to use a food scale. This video illustrates why a food scale is such a powerful tool for most people's weight loss. (Although I wish it used peanut butter instead of oatmeal. )
Which part of this OP is putting down people who don't weigh their food?6 -
I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.
The point is, if you think you are eating the right calories and not losing weight, a food scale will most likely clear that up. If you eyeball/measure portions correctly, that's great, and no one is saying otherwise.
I don't really understand why folks who don't need to use the food scale feel the need to put down people who do, but that's fine. I'm a detail oriented person, and if you need to consider me OCD and feel sorry for me, that's your prerogative. I ate out frequently when I was losing weight and never struggled with it. I weighed out whatever I could and it took a lot of the pressure off worrying about guessing. And I am much better at eyeballing portions now that I know what a serving looks like from using the scale.
I'm not putting you down. I said "I couldn't imagine living my life like that" , it is way too obsessive for me. Everyone is different and by all means you do you. But I don't see weighing every little thing as being sustainable for life, at least not for me. And obviously you agree with that as you eventually learned correct portion sizes as well (learned from using a scale). I just skipped that step. This thread I feel was created against people who don't weigh, so you could say it's putting down people like me who don't weigh. It can be daunting for a new person who comes on here and is told you MUST weigh every little thing you eat.
Did you read the OP? This thread is directed at people who aren't losing the weight they expected to, who often think there is no reason to weigh out portions when it's suggested.quiksylver296 wrote: »We have many new members who have been around for about three weeks now. And there are lots of posts saying "I've been doing this for three weeks and haven't lost any weight!" Many responses to those threads tell the member to use a food scale. This video illustrates why a food scale is such a powerful tool for most people's weight loss. (Although I wish it used peanut butter instead of oatmeal. )
We don't say you have to use food scale to lose weight, or that there's something wrong with people who don't. But if you are not losing the weight you expected, a food scale is the way to find out why.
I don't know how "I can't imagine living like that" and "that's too obsessive for me" could be anything other than putting a behavior down, but perhaps it's the way I read it.13 -
Thank you for this thread and for keeping it current with your diligent bumping. I think you may have saved my sanity.
I found this thread about a month after starting my journey (six months ago). In those first critical weeks I had very lethargic losses, and it was more than a little disheartening. I was convinced it was due to my hypothyroidism, but I picked up the digital weigh scale. That's when I discovered the significant differences between my measuring cups and the weighed amounts and between my eyeball estimates and the weighed amounts.
I still cannot reliably eyeball the servings after six months of consistent measuring and weighing. Without the scale, I consistently short myself on protein, including cheeses, by at least 25%. This turns to my favour since I have to add more after weighing it. But with baked items, grains, rice, and pasta? Oy! The serving size on those just escapes me. Maybe I'm being deliberately obtuse. I always start with 150% of a single serving and have to remove to get to the single serving. <sigh>6 -
PloddingTurtle wrote: » Thank you for this thread and for keeping it current with your diligent bumping. I think you may have saved my sanity.
I found this thread about a month after starting my journey (six months ago). In those first critical weeks I had very lethargic losses, and it was more than a little disheartening. I was convinced it was due to my hypothyroidism, but I picked up the digital weigh scale. That's when I discovered the significant differences between my measuring cups and the weighed amounts and between my eyeball estimates and the weighed amounts.
I still cannot reliably eyeball the servings after six months of consistent measuring and weighing. Without the scale, I consistently short myself on protein, including cheeses, by at least 25%. This turns to my favour since I have to add more after weighing it. But with baked items, grains, rice, and pasta? Oy! The serving size on those just escapes me. Maybe I'm being deliberately obtuse. I always start with 150% of a single serving and have to remove to get to the single serving. <sigh>
So nice to hear! Thanks!1 -
Digital scale is just faster. Zero out whatever you're weighing it on, put the food on, put the number of grams into the app. As opposed to "Hmmm.. is this chicken 1 1/2 deck of cards or 1 3/4 deck of cards? Is this fish fillet larger than my checkbook?" If I eat out or eat with family I estimate and don't stress on it. An occasional few hundred calories one way or the other isn't going to kill me or seriously impede my progress if it happens every once in a while. I control what I can control, and be exact when I can to avoid compounding the same errors over and over (which will impede my progress).
Analog scales are a pain in the butt. A cheap digital one makes things easy.2 -
However, for the person who doesn't want to go out and buy a food scale for whatever reason, you can make a diet work with the measuring cups and spoons that you probably already have in your kitchen. In the past, I've lost 30-40 pounds using them. One has to keep in mind that 1 cup (etc) means 1 LEVEL cup. Be sure there's no heaping going on, stay consistent, and the extra weight will come off.5
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I've been looking on Amazon for a food scale but can't seem to find one that is Bluetooth that will autopopulate MyFitnessPal. Please advise and list scales if you have found one and direct me to the app connectivity info. Also looking for more friends, especially tall folks, who hit the weights and cardio hard and who measure their food and/or meal plan.1
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aWildFlowere wrote: »I've been looking on Amazon for a food scale but can't seem to find one that is Bluetooth that will autopopulate MyFitnessPal. Please advise and list scales if you have found one and direct me to the app connectivity info. Also looking for more friends, especially tall folks, who hit the weights and cardio hard and who measure their food and/or meal plan.
I've never seen such a creature. The scale wouldn't know what you are weighing, so you would have to input that information anyway. It's just a few extra taps to add the weight.9 -
I weigh about 90% of my food. Something I just eyeball if I use very little and it's low in calories (5 spinach leaves on my sandwich - does not get weighed, I'll just add a few calories to another food that is weighed, generally by rounding up), also from experience the light & fit cheesecake yogurt flavor weight is really exact to pacakge weight, so I no longer weigh it.
I also bulk weigh for foods that I am the only one that eats, like my sourdough bread. I weigh the whole loaf minus heels (saved for making bread crumbs), divide by the number of slices, in the end it'll average out.2 -
I don't use a food scale, 20+ pounds lost and on my last pound. I couldn't imagine living my life like that, way too strict and OCD for me. I prefer to make my food, and then eat it. I think it's important to listen to your body and understand what a normal sized portion looks like... either that or you are stuck weighing your food forever. I also don't struggle when I go to a restaurant or freak out unlike some scale dependent people because I know what a normal serving looks like.
The point is, if you think you are eating the right calories and not losing weight, a food scale will most likely clear that up. If you eyeball/measure portions correctly, that's great, and no one is saying otherwise.
I don't really understand why folks who don't need to use the food scale feel the need to put down people who do, but that's fine. I'm a detail oriented person, and if you need to consider me OCD and feel sorry for me, that's your prerogative. I ate out frequently when I was losing weight and never struggled with it. I weighed out whatever I could and it took a lot of the pressure off worrying about guessing. And I am much better at eyeballing portions now that I know what a serving looks like from using the scale.
I'm not putting you down. I said "I couldn't imagine living my life like that" , it is way too obsessive for me. Everyone is different and by all means you do you. But I don't see weighing every little thing as being sustainable for life, at least not for me. And obviously you agree with that as you eventually learned correct portion sizes as well (learned from using a scale). I just skipped that step. This thread I feel was created against people who don't weigh, so you could say it's putting down people like me who don't weigh. It can be daunting for a new person who comes on here and is told you MUST weigh every little thing you eat. Where do you draw the line? Do you take your scale with you to restaurants and rip apart your food?
I'm also a non-weigher and I'm trying to learn how to manage my weight without logging altogether, but if someone is trying to lose weight and is having trouble, using a food scale to figure out what the correct portion sizes look like is helpful! I still whip my scale out from time to time to make sure I'm still aware of what a serving of cashews looks like for example. like the videos posted on the first page illustrated, eyeballing can be really misleading. In one of the videos, the guy laid on two identical looking days worth of food, one was 1700 and the other was 2900. They looked almost exactly the same!4 -
I'm only planning on tracking my food for the first month, more or less. I want a baseline... I weigh some of it, or rely on what the packaging says. Other things I eyeball. I do have to eyeball everything I eat out (I maybe eat at a chain restaurant which does post their servings, about once a month, as I really don't like any chains other than Panera's or 5 Guys).
I'm especially finding the tracking useful for noting my fiber intake, although I am looking at the rest of it, too. It will also be useful to return to after this month is up, to look at some specific foods I don't eat regularly.
I don't weigh eggs, slices of bacon, or foods that always come in the same size, ie grape tomatoes.
I did have to track sweet potatoes as raw, although I wanted to track their nutrition once steamed... unfortunately that was only measurable as volume of sweet potato, instead of by weight.
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aWildFlowere wrote: »I've been looking on Amazon for a food scale but can't seem to find one that is Bluetooth that will autopopulate MyFitnessPal. Please advise and list scales if you have found one and direct me to the app connectivity info. Also looking for more friends, especially tall folks, who hit the weights and cardio hard and who measure their food and/or meal plan.
How exactly would that work?!? How would the scale or MFP know what food you had placed on the scale??? :frown:1 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »aWildFlowere wrote: »I've been looking on Amazon for a food scale but can't seem to find one that is Bluetooth that will autopopulate MyFitnessPal. Please advise and list scales if you have found one and direct me to the app connectivity info. Also looking for more friends, especially tall folks, who hit the weights and cardio hard and who measure their food and/or meal plan.
How exactly would that work?!? How would the scale or MFP know what food you had placed on the scale??? :frown:
Maybe they just want the thing to Autpopulate the weight? That could be a cool feature, but not something I've ever heard of.
Scan/ Locate item, place on scale, weight shows up in MFP. Save. Tare, Next item. That would be cool, because then we wouldn't have to remember and add the weight manually. But that would only work if there are the correct measurements available... and we all know that finding a thing that is in grams can be a PIA. (Like my cereal that only showed up in milliliters)0 -
I weigh and/or measure, depending on what it is Im making. Some recipes call for you to measure but not necessarily weigh. I've tried guessing and eyeballing isn't easy. Try this test at home:
Fill a cup with water.
Take out a cereal bowl, ball up some paper towel, and stick it in the bowl.
Pour water into the bowl to the amount YOU think equals 1 tablespoon.
Remove the towel and squeeze it into a measuring tablespoon.
Does your spoon runneth over?
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