You don't use a food scale?

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?si=JYItqUTc53pCuzHB

If anyone has any other infographics or videos that are pro-food scale, add 'em!

Replies

quiksylver296

gagirl115 wrote: »

Hi - I’m brand new to logging my info and to a new healthy eating plan with my Mom. We are going to Italy in early Sept. and want to look much cuter in our photos! We started our healthy eating 3 days ago. I just ordered a food scale earlier today after reading y’all’s posts. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
I’m a bit clueless about something and I apologize if it’s an obvious answer. If you want to stay at or under 1200 calories/day, I’ll enter each item by searching for it by detailed description. Such as, 1/2 green pepper. Are y’all saying that this is when I need to use the scale? When you find out how much something weighs how do you then input that info to find out the calories it then equals?
I appreciate your help and advice!

You use the scale by putting the green pepper on the scale and noting its weight in grams. Then you find the food entry in your MFP food diary, and use the drop down arrow to find the gram entry. Then type in how many grams your green pepper weighed.

Does that make sense, @gagirl115 ? Also, I've never purchased premium (member since 2013) and I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.

quiksylver296

Bump

samhennings

Ive never weighed anything, other than to portion out museli. Turns out my idea of a portion is about twice what the packet says, so I weigh portions into sandwich bags to be safe.

Otherwise Ive never weighed a thing.

I always use the barcode scanner if its convenient (IE single items like sausages) but otherwise guesstimate with the meals on the listing. Ill type "Shepherds Pie", look at the list and pick one that has a larger more conservative number. Never the smallest.

I found I lost weight exactly on schedule so must have been doing something right...

For me the idea of weighing and measuring everything was just too much, I would never have been able to stick to such a routine. Far too much time and effort, it would have stressed me out.

I post this only because, in my opinion of course, weight loss is a "horses for courses" type thing. What works for one wont work for all, so an alternative view is worth posting.

kimny72

@samhennings Absolutely! Lots of people lose weight without using a food scale. But as the OP says, if you are logging the right amount of calories and NOT losing weight, the food scale is the surest way to figure out where you are going wrong.

samhennings

Not arguing against that at all. I always choose the higher value options as a means to guard against under-recording, but of course weighing would be a very sure way of knowing what you are eating.

And Im well aware while the idea of weighing everything sounds like hell to me, to others there is real pleasure in the control and certainty.

As I said, horses for courses, I just wanted to offer an alternative view.

LisaTenn

yall convinced me .. I just order a food scale and weight scale from amazon (will be here in 2 days)

SueSueDio

just_Tomek wrote: »

LisaTenn wrote: »

yall convinced me .. I just order a food scale and weight scale from amazon (will be here in 2 days)

First thing to do. Weight peanut butter. Second, your serving of cereal

Third, cheese.

auburngirl06

I’ve been weighing my peanut butter for nearly 7 years. I STILL cannot eyeball 32 grams as a serving.....I try and it’s more like 60 🤦‍♀️ Why why why do I have to love peanut butter so much!

whmscll

I weighed my peanut butter several times and 1 Tbsp weighs exactly what the label says. So I use Tbsps for peanut better (scraped across the top with a knife so it is not a rounded Tbsp). I find it quicker and easier.

whmscll

Fourth thing to weigh...nuts.

try2again

whmscll wrote: »

I weighed my peanut butter several times and 1 Tbsp weighs exactly what the label says. So I use Tbsps for peanut better (scraped across the top with a knife so it is not a rounded Tbsp). I find it quicker and easier.

Except for the transferring of the pb from the TB to whatever, usually involving a finger (for me), and the washing of the TB. With a scale, a person would just have to put the jar of pb on the scale, tare it, and use the negative weight of whatever they scoop out with their utensil.

quiksylver296

try2again wrote: »

whmscll wrote: »

I weighed my peanut butter several times and 1 Tbsp weighs exactly what the label says. So I use Tbsps for peanut better (scraped across the top with a knife so it is not a rounded Tbsp). I find it quicker and easier.

Except for the transferring of the pb from the TB to whatever, usually involving a finger (for me), and the washing of the TB. With a scale, a person would just have to put the jar of pb on the scale, tare it, and use the negative weight of whatever they scoop out with their utensil.

Yep. PB jar on scale, scoop out with knife or spoon, til I get 32 g. No extra dishes FTW!

Neightyre29

I never used to use a scale and when I did realised I was estimating way too low :< No wonder I was hungry...

LisaTenn

eye balling = does not equal the same. lol ... cereal for a true serving is to dang small .. hahha

Gisel2015

dogWalkerTX wrote: »

Food scale is 100% necessary. Best money spent on weight loss.

Make salad. Google calories. Weigh. Tare. Next item. Tare. Next item. Tare,... till done.

Particularly useful for calorie dense items.

A food scale is a very useful tool (and a good recommendation), but not 100% necessary to lose wt. There are many people in MFP, myself included, that have lost weight without one.

cmriverside

Gisel2015 wrote: »

dogWalkerTX wrote: »

Food scale is 100% necessary. Best money spent on weight loss.

Make salad. Google calories. Weigh. Tare. Next item. Tare. Next item. Tare,... till done.

Particularly useful for calorie dense items.

A food scale is a very useful tool (and a good recommendation), but not 100% necessary to lose wt. There are many people in MFP, myself included, that have lost weight without one.

While this may be true - and it was for me for quite a while - I find I eat enough food with the scale, as well as not too much.

I lost the first 40-50ish pounds without a food scale. I eyeballed everything, used cups for cereal, guessed on meat. Tablespoons when I felt like it, etc. A "medium" apple was close enough and I lost weight with not much difficulty when I had a lot of weight to lose.

When I got to within 20 pounds of my goal that stopped working for me and my tendency started to be to restrict even more, which led me to getting pretty sick - hair loss, fatigue etc. It's every bit as important to me now, 12 years into maintenance, for that same reason. I want to eat as much as I need to keep my energy up and stay healthy and I don't do that well at all if left to my own devices. Without a food scale I swing too wildly between all or nothing. I need the accuracy...well, most of the time. I still go out to eat and eat at peoples' houses and just guess, but it's not that often.

katiesmom_99

I got my scale yesterday and used it for the first time today, and very quickly realized why I've been able to drop 5 pounds so easily in the last month. I was vastly overestimating the amount I was eating. No wonder I was hungry all the time. I've been tired and had chronic headaches. Now I'm looking forward to being able to see accurate - and adequate - amounts on my plate.

Gisel2015

cmriverside wrote: »

Gisel2015 wrote: »

dogWalkerTX wrote: »

Food scale is 100% necessary. Best money spent on weight loss.

Make salad. Google calories. Weigh. Tare. Next item. Tare. Next item. Tare,... till done.

Particularly useful for calorie dense items.

A food scale is a very useful tool (and a good recommendation), but not 100% necessary to lose wt. There are many people in MFP, myself included, that have lost weight without one.

While this may be true - and it was for me for quite a while - I find I eat enough food with the scale, as well as not too much.

I lost the first 40-50ish pounds without a food scale. I eyeballed everything, used cups for cereal, guessed on meat. Tablespoons when I felt like it, etc. A "medium" apple was close enough and I lost weight with not much difficulty when I had a lot of weight to lose.

When I got to within 20 pounds of my goal that stopped working for me and my tendency started to be to restrict even more, which led me to getting pretty sick - hair loss, fatigue etc. It's every bit as important to me now, 12 years into maintenance, for that same reason. I want to eat as much as I need to keep my energy up and stay healthy and I don't do that well at all if left to my own devices. Without a food scale I swing too wildly between all or nothing. I need the accuracy...well, most of the time. I still go out to eat and eat at peoples' houses and just guess, but it's not that often.

This proofs that we are all different. I only had about 12 lb to lose when I joined MFP. And I, like you, also used tablespoons and cups, and I even searched and used "generic" items (OMG, the nerve!!!), and estimated values when eating out. I lost 14 lb. slowly but surely, and I didn't care. I only got a food scale almost 9 years ago when I reached maintenance because I wanted to keep better track of my macros.

I am not a very precise logger anymore, and I use the scale loosely when cooking at home. Maybe it helps that I am not a volume eater. Who knows?

Bottom line is that I don’t ditch the use and benefit of using a food scale, but I just don’t believe that using a food scale is the only way to lose weight. It may be the faster and more accurate, but not 100% necessary. That is my opinion and only based in my results, so just take it with a grain of salt.

By the way, congratulations on your 12 years in maintenance. Way to go!

rajjivahaloh

Did a search here for "plateau", watched the first two videos above. THANK YOU!!!!!!

Azurite27

quiksylver296 wrote: »

try2again wrote: »

whmscll wrote: »

I weighed my peanut butter several times and 1 Tbsp weighs exactly what the label says. So I use Tbsps for peanut better (scraped across the top with a knife so it is not a rounded Tbsp). I find it quicker and easier.

Except for the transferring of the pb from the TB to whatever, usually involving a finger (for me), and the washing of the TB. With a scale, a person would just have to put the jar of pb on the scale, tare it, and use the negative weight of whatever they scoop out with their utensil.

Yep. PB jar on scale, scoop out with knife or spoon, til I get 32 g. No extra dishes FTW!

I weight whatever I'm putting the PB on and then weigh again after I spread the PB and take that as the weight of the PB (or Nutella or Jelly or butter).

quiksylver296

Packing my food scale for my work trip next week. I hope it does ok in the suitcase. I'm driving, not flying, so it should be ok, right?

Gisel2015

@quiksylver296
I have no idea. My scale never leaves the kitchen countertop. Just in case, remove the battery and keep it in another place away from heat and make sure that is a new one and not corroded. Good luck with your trip!

SueSueDio

*bump*

quiksylver296

Bump

zebasschick

unless you're using measuring cups and spoons, you have to be lucky if your tablespoons and teaspoons actually hold a measured tablespoon or teaspoon. we have two sets of flatware, and none of the spoons are accurate - in one set, the spoons are well under; in the older they're over.

Danp

zebasschick wrote: »

unless you're using measuring cups and spoons, you have to be lucky if your tablespoons and teaspoons actually hold a measured tablespoon or teaspoon. we have two sets of flatware, and none of the spoons are accurate - in one set, the spoons are well under; in the older they're over.

Even if you are using measuring cups and spoons your measurements are lucky to be accurate. This is why you'll see it repeated over and over again on this forum to use a scale to weigh your food and only as a last resort for liquids turn to volume measurements. But, even liquids you're better off doing by weight if you can.

Pickle107

I've got away with minimal weighing so far- 14lbs down- I think ice cream is the one thing I do weigh so I don't over do it. However, things are slowing down a wee bit for me- last 20lbs- so I'm on the brink of hitting the scales hard. If I keep losing, I'll keep as I'm currently doing but first sign of a stall I know I need to hike my trousers up high and face the truth of the food scale.

glovepuppet

My confession...

Although I join in the chorus, telling struggling noobs to weigh, I've never done it myself. I don't even measure. I don't own scales. It just seems like far too much faffing around

kimny72

glovepuppet wrote: »

My confession...

Although I join in the chorus, telling struggling noobs to weigh, I've never done it myself. I don't even measure. I don't own scales. It just seems like far too much faffing around

It is absolutely true that some folks are just naturally able to eyeball portions. Like those *kitten*s who never get lost, they just always know which direction to head in. But like Pickle above you, I bet you will know if you stop losing weight and your numbers seem right that your first troubleshooting stop will be upping the accuracy for a couple of weeks and see if you can find the problem!

I can get lost in a parking lot and can't eyeball portions for the life of me; I wonder if they are genetically related skills lol.

Hungry_Shopgirl

Pickle107 wrote: »

I've got away with minimal weighing so far- 14lbs down- I think ice cream is the one thing I do weigh so I don't over do it. However, things are slowing down a wee bit for me- last 20lbs- so I'm on the brink of hitting the scales hard. If I keep losing, I'll keep as I'm currently doing but first sign of a stall I know I need to hike my trousers up high and face the truth of the food scale.

As I read this I heard a slow clap mounting to a standing ovation in my head. This is exactly the point of it all. If you can lose without weighing, great. But if not, weigh.

Well done, internet stranger. Well done.