Who has lost a lot of weight without using a food scale?

nooshi713

First off, I am a big fan of the food scale. I have always measured my food using measuring cups but learned how much more accurate a food scale is. The reason I ask the original question is my mom. She thinks a food scale is too cumbersome and claims that people have been losing weight for a long time without using a food scale and that it isnt necessary. She has a lot of weight to lose. For those who have lost a good amount of weight without a food scale, how did you do it?

janejellyroll

A food scale is just a tool. Many of us find that more accurate logging makes it easier to hit our calorie goal consistently. But you can reach a deficit without a food scale -- people lost weight before food scales were invented, people even lost weight before they knew what a calorie was!

At the end of the day, all you need to lose weight is a deficit. If someone is able to do that while eyeballing foods or using measuring cups, they'll lose weight.

ap1972

I have only just started using scales, in the past I've lost 30 pounds and 10+ before I started using them this time. If you are eating processed food it's not a huge issue in my eyes, one slice of bread is likely to be similar to another for example. It does require you to be good at estimates though and if you are off then it's much easier to overeat. Generally I use exercise as well and only eat back part of my calories so that also gives me a buffer.

L1zardQueen

If your mom doesn’t want to use a scale, she doesn’t have to. It’s a little more accurate with a scale but not essential. If she is losing weight just fine, she must be in a deficit but if her weight slows or stops, she could lower intake another 100 calories off her day. My 2 cents.

jemhh

I lost my first 30 something pounds without using a food scale. It's definitely possible. I would still suggest keeping a food log and being very honest about what you're eating if you go this route. It will make it easier to cut back further when your loss starts to slow.

Momepro

My mother in law doesn't use a scale, and lost over 100 and has maintained for a couple years. Her secret was basically to not have much variety in her diet, and stick with what she knows is low cal. That's cool and all, and works fine for those times when I am just to low on energy/motivation/*kitten* to care for a few days. But just doesn't help me personally long term.

cwolfman13

I didn't start using a food scale until I was down to my last 10 or so pounds and I wasn't losing weight. Even then, it was primarily calorie dense things and meat...I didn't weigh everything and I never weighed things like a slice of bread...I just went off the package.

MonkeyMel21

I did but I also exercised multiple times a week and did NOT add those calories back in to my intake to make up for any discrepancies. I also chose the bigger calorie count for foods in the database rather than the smallest.

Fitwithsci

I have. I just used a very rough estimate of portions/servings and tried to maintain a few hundred calorie deficit. That being said the more precise you are with your measurements and calorie counting the greater your likelihood for success. At least I would certainly think so.

dsboohead

How successful has your mom been never using a food scale?

mutantspicy

I lost my first 15 without a scale or logging my diet, just started exercising again. Stalled a little. But since I started logging and using a food scale again, I lost another 7, looking for 7 more.

nooshi713

dsboohead wrote: »

How successful has your mom been never using a food scale?

In the past she lost weight by exercising 2 hours a day and eating "whatever she wanted". Lately she hasn't had any success. She keeps thinking that by just eating less, that she will lose weight. I suspect her *less* is still too much. She is also older now and cant exercise as much as she did in the past. In fact, she rarely exercises so I suggested she focus more on her diet and have been trying to get her to log her food, but she says it is too much work. * sigh*

KelGen02

I lost 75lb without owning a food scale. In the beginning I would measure out things like a .25 cup of granola or a cup of yogurt or quinoa but as I got a feel for what that looked like I stopped doing even that. I did however, leave 200-400 calories on the table every day in order to account for any error in my non measuring/weighing and I seldom ate my exercise calories back, and if I did, it was never more than 50% of them. I consistently loss weight so I personally dont see a need for a food scale. HOWEVER, if I was not seeing any results or I began to stall at any time, I would probably have started to weigh my food to get a handle on it. I logged my "eyeballed" portion and always used the highest calorie count entry in the food journal. You will have some that swear life cant go on without a food scale, others who never used one nor care to use one. It's all a personal preference...

angmarie28

I did. I started here 6 years ago at 172, and I hit my goal weight or 136lbs 1 1/2 years later (only really trying the last 9 months or so) and never touched a food scale. I have since had a 4th kid and gained it all back and working on losing it again, I have a scale now, and I use it, but I dont measure everything, thats pretty hard when I cook for 6, but I weight a lot of my food.

minstrelofsarcasm

Going from eating whatever she wants to weighing everything she eats while switching over to eating a caloric deficit might be a bit too much for her all at once. Have her implement little changes here and there. Suggest she eat off of smaller plates, eat slower, drink more water, etc. Pushing her towards a food scale immediately is a bit much.

mebelfanti

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

I did but I also exercised multiple times a week and did NOT add those calories back in to my intake to make up for any discrepancies. I also chose the bigger calorie count for foods in the database rather than the smallest.

I've lost about 70 pounds by doing pretty much this. I try to stay under my daily limit just as a buffer and I don't log my exercise calories on here so I'm not tempted to eat everything back. It's very doable without a food scale and just measuring cups, etc.

donnadeannuntis1

A food scale does not make you lose weight. Keeping active on a daily basis and watching my carbs is what helped me lose. I'm not one for food diaries and scales, but I think it's a personal preference. I know that eating a hard boiled egg or a piece of turkey is not going to make me gain weight. Now a piece of cake or a cookie will. I never understood the food scale thing!! Consistent walking and watching carbs got me back into shape, and I lost over 100lbs!

nooshi713

minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

Going from eating whatever she wants to weighing everything she eats while switching over to eating a caloric deficit might be a bit too much for her all at once. Have her implement little changes here and there. Suggest she eat off of smaller plates, eat slower, drink more water, etc. Pushing her towards a food scale immediately is a bit much.

Well she has tried that but eating less doesnt help her lose weight because she is still eating too much. Then she gets frustrated with lack of weight loss and just eats everything causing her to gain. She has been in this cycle for a few years now. Thats why I thought she should start logging her food.

janejellyroll

donnadeannuntis1 wrote: »

A food scale does not make you lose weight. Keeping active on a daily basis and watching my carbs is what helped me lose. I'm not one for food diaries and scales, but I think it's a personal preference. I know that eating a hard boiled egg or a piece of turkey is not going to make me gain weight. Now a piece of cake or a cookie will. I never understood the food scale thing!! Consistent walking and watching carbs got me back into shape, and I lost over 100lbs!

It sounds like you found two tools that were useful for you in creating a calorie deficit (raising your activity level and limiting carbohydrates). People who are weighing food so they can more accurately log are just using another type of tool for the same end result (a calorie deficit).

No tool will inherently result in weight loss, they're all just things to assist with creating a deficit. Just as a food scale, in and of itself, won't make one lose weight, neither will more walking or limiting carbohydrates.

janejellyroll

nooshi713 wrote: »

minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

Going from eating whatever she wants to weighing everything she eats while switching over to eating a caloric deficit might be a bit too much for her all at once. Have her implement little changes here and there. Suggest she eat off of smaller plates, eat slower, drink more water, etc. Pushing her towards a food scale immediately is a bit much.

Well she has tried that but eating less doesnt help her lose weight because she is still eating too much. Then she gets frustrated with lack of weight loss and just eats everything causing her to gain. She has been in this cycle for a few years now. Thays why I thought she should start logging her food.

I mean, she probably *should*, but moms are going to do what they want. We can't control their behavior.

nooshi713

janejellyroll wrote: »

nooshi713 wrote: »

minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

Going from eating whatever she wants to weighing everything she eats while switching over to eating a caloric deficit might be a bit too much for her all at once. Have her implement little changes here and there. Suggest she eat off of smaller plates, eat slower, drink more water, etc. Pushing her towards a food scale immediately is a bit much.

Well she has tried that but eating less doesnt help her lose weight because she is still eating too much. Then she gets frustrated with lack of weight loss and just eats everything causing her to gain. She has been in this cycle for a few years now. Thays why I thought she should start logging her food.

I mean, she probably *should*, but moms are going to do what they want. We can't control their behavior.

Exactly. Lol.