Weighing food? Tracking everything?
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I do and I don't. I weigh things at home usually, so much I can guesstimate if I'm out. I now know, almost exactly what a 28g serving of chips looks like. I still weigh at home but I'm sure I get it close when I'm out so I log 1 serving. I know that two handfuls of goldfish is exactly one serving. I like single serve things, like string cheese or yogurt cups. Easier to log. I weigh protein powder every time, because two scoops is never 28g. I use the palm estimation method for meat though, I don't weigh it raw and weighing it cooks screws up everything. I do use measuring cups for rice. I use my brain for pasta - if there are 8 servings in this pot, I can spoon it into four meal containers to save and four bowls equally, and it's all a serving. That's all an eyeball.
I do measure everything in some way, shape, or form, but not always on the scale.0 -
I weigh everything. I use the recipe builder and the meal saver facility a lot, that way I can log quicker and easier - don't have to enter all the ingredients all the time. For example, today I cooked a roast pork dinner. That meal is saved in my meals so I click on it and it lists everything under dinner. I then check weigh my portions when I cook it and it is quick to adjust. I prelog every morning, takes 5 mins, and just adjust when I actually weigh during the meal prep. Once you are in the groove it really is quite quick and avoids xalorie drift - I am reaching the end of my weight loss and every calorie seems to count.1
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I track everything and weigh/measure everything that "needs" to be measured but that's NOT everything that I eat/drink.
I often use generic and general portion size estimates for fruit and veggies (and other things) rather than weigh or measure them precisely.
Has worked well enough for me to lose 44# in 30 months; 6 months in a deficit and 24 months in maintenance.1 -
I purchased a cheap scale for the kitchen and weigh everything. My guessing was way off. I’m finding it beneficial so far and find I can long pretty accurately. I also log everything. A piece of gum is still 5 calories. That way if I’m not loosing I can go back and find out why.0
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Later on down the line, everyone will find a way to keep an eye on their intake that suits them, but I really do think for anyone new to counting calories, starting by logging everything is the best education you could give yourself.2
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For me, it's not only more accurate to weigh everything (when eating at home), it's also easier.
I just do it on autopilot, and use tricks like putting a container (of peanut butter or whatever) on the scale, removing a portion, and reading the negative; or putting a plate on the scale, zeroing, and sequentially adding ingredients (tortilla, read, note, zero; mustard, read, note, zero; cheese, read, note, zero . . . .). I note on a junk mail envelope back, then log en masse later.
If I weighed some things and not others, I'd forget more often than just making it automatic. And I'd have more dishes to wash if I used cup/spoon measures.
Once it's a routine, it adds pretty close to zero time to prep, and a few minutes to log. Works for me, and got me through 50+ pounds of weight loss and 2+ years of maintenance so far.
Other things work for others. {shrug}0 -
I weigh everything, if at all possible. Haven't been to a restaurant since I've started out, and the times I ate at my mom's or at a friend's house, I interrogated them what their recipe contained and then did my best to guess. I'm very, very bad at guessing weights and portion sizes, so without scales, I couldn't do it. I also religiously log everything that passes my lips, except for water/coffee and spices. I find it no hassle at all.0
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I try to weigh and track everything except drinks (coffee and dilute juice) but there will come a time when I will need to. I don't find it too onerous providing the bar code scanner works. I also find it works best for me when I pre plan, if I don't I either don't log everything or end up eating too much.0
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Jackie9003 wrote: »I try to weigh and track everything except drinks (coffee and dilute juice) but there will come a time when I will need to. I don't find it too onerous providing the bar code scanner works. I also find it works best for me when I pre plan, if I don't I either don't log everything or end up eating too much.
I do exactly the same. I can't be bothered to do drinks every time, but I know that I can if my progress stalls.1 -
At the momement I am weighing all the food I cook and prepare. I do most of my own cooking, and we mostly eat/cook from home. Exceptions so far are, when I got takeaway, except I did weigh my pizza, to see how the slices went. When my husband made us burgers, I logged how much mince he used, eg 500g makes four patties, the label of the buns, I know they won't weigh much more than stated, and estimated the sauces and salad. We have had one work barbecue, I guesstimated the bread ( two slices of the bread we get weighs between 75-85g) the bacon (probably over estimated as we don't have it often) and recorded the meat patties as per label.
Not even a dieting thing, I tend to question food. For example, one of my kids is fussy , so I want to know if she is eating a new food. For example a different brand of sausages. Or even myself, I like to know so I can maybe buy the product or make it myself.0 -
I fought the whole log and weigh your food for quite some time. That rakes too much time. I initially was losing weight (stupidly) by eating as little and healthy as possible till I felt hungry. I lost about 25 lbs like this and then my birthday rolled around. I had cake and it was goooood!
The next day I wanted to ensure that I got a grip on this and chose to try this logging business. Not only did I find I could have been eating a lot more than I was and still lose, But I could eat chips and donuts if I had calorie space.
Weighing is really simple and quick when you get the hang of it. It's second nature. One day when I was scooping wet cat food for my furball, without thinking, I held up my phone to the can and was going to scan the bar code!!5
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