food scales...necessary or obsessive

rosemary98

I personally don't have one...yet. I read all the time that it is nearly essential in getting an accurate calorie count. The food I eat, typically, is as follows: almond milk (cup measure); soup (I just eat the entire can); frozen plain vegetables (I eat the pre-packaged container); popcorn (100 calorie bag); tomatoes (I count them); sashimi and vegetable sushi rolls (restaurant items I can't weigh). Eggs (70 calories per egg).

I guess if I purchased a scale, how would i use it? do you weigh the items listed above? I also fear I would seem too food obsessed by my pizza, cheese loving husband. on the other hand, i want accuracy. does anyone get any grief from family about their food scale?

BrettWithPKU

The only thing I measure is meat. And I count almonds and other nuts.

It's silly to measure out vegetables--especially leafy ones. With soup, eating the whole can is fine.

If you're going to buy a scale, you don't need to splurge. I sell a bit on Ebay, so I just use my small shipping scale in the kitchen.

howardheilweil

If that's really all you eat, you don't need one.

jillianbeeee

I love my food scale. But I would consider it obsessive if I took it to restaurants with me....:)

ldula88

absolutely necessary for CERTAIN things. For instance, I never measure out my exact amount of spinach in a salad. I count one handful as one cup, etc. But when it comes to meat and cheese, I always weigh. I was shocked when I first started weighing things how much an ounce of one thing was a huge difference in apparent volume from another (I.E. 4 ounces of venison looks much more compact and smaller than 4 ounces of bottom round steak meant for stir fry, etc.) I also measure out and fruits I eat by grams, because I find the idea of counting something as "1 large apple (approx 2 per pound)" rather silly... I mean, does that include the weight of the core? I'd rather just slice the apple up and weigh it out to know exactly what I'm eating. It has made a huge difference in the size of my servings than from when I was just eyeballing and using cup measurements.

However, it seems you eat a lot of processed, prepackaged items that let you know the calorie content. I would just caution you to be careful how much stock you put in the label. Once, I found out that an actual 1/4 of shredded cheese was almost 15 grams lighter than the 28 grams listed as the weight of the 1/4 cup serving. In this case, that worked in my favor, but it often works the other way around. Keep an eye on it!! Good luck!

Greenrun99

I measure everything I make with my food scale... I have learned my idea of 3 oz is really 9 oz

Holly_Roman_Empire

I only weigh things if I'm not eating the whole container. For example, if I'm eating chili with my hot dogs, I put the hot dog on the scale, zero it out, and add chili. Ta-da! Now I know how much chili I'm going to eat instead of estimating. Same thing with my meats, coffee creamer, french fries, etc.

If I'm eating a bag of popcorn, and I know I'm going to eat the whole thing, I just scan the bar code and add it to my diary. I don't eat a lot of fresh produce, so I just estimate on those.

I'm lucky my husband is understanding and doesn't give me grief about weighing. I know not everyone is that way, but he loves seeing my results, so he's happy to be supportive about anything I want to do for weight loss. :-D

jlahorn

In the US, the calorie counts on labels are only legally required to be accurate within a range of 20%. That 100-calorie bag of popcorn could be 120 cal. I've often been surprised by the difference between the "10 almond" calorie count vs the calorie count when I weigh them.

Honestly, I don't bother to weight most things and I get by just fine but sometimes it's interesting to see, and decent digital food scales are actually pretty cheap.

ingraha

I did not start losing weight until I weighed my food. It constantly amazes me how small two ounces of something is. I would not be without my food scale. everyone said I was obsessive but everyone said I wouldnt lose weight too (except my daughter, who turned me onto food weighing and MFP)
It has worked for both of us. Life and outlook changing. Not obsessive. Learning experiences.

bellaa_x0

i measure everything.. well almost everything. i don't think that it's obsessive at all. i measure out everything at home and take it with me. granted if i eat out i am not there with my food scale, but it definitely has given me perspective.

TavistockToad

you're only going to ever eat 7 different items of food.....? if that is the case, then no you dont need one.

i throw everything i eat on the scales first!

clambert1273

I weigh everything.... and I mean everything at the same time, I can also let it go and have days where I just eat and don't care (just did that with Thanksgiving but did do estimate logging).

I think it all depends on your mental aspect. I like being accurate (OCD) and that allows me to eat more and not be so strict in my "diet" ...

Serah87

I rather know exactly how many calories I'm eating than over/under estimating what I think I'm eating. Must be doing something right, see ticker below. my scale!! JS :bigsmile:

rosemary98

I can really see the value of a food scale in measuring cuts of meat and cheese. For one thing, the packaging is often difficult to understand. I don't really know what an ounce of cheese looks like. I guess for me, I will probably stick to cup measures/counting...and leave some wiggle room to accomodate the discrepencies. thank you for your feedback.

Collier78

I've found a significant increase in my weight loss since I started weighing...and I weigh everything..even my boiled egg..I have found that no two eggs weigh the same and by recording the grams I am getting an accurate idea of not only my calorie intake but my protein as well.

michellekicks

I measure everything with the scale... except liquids. Then I use a measuring cup.

rosemary98

If that's really all you eat, you don't need one.

for the most part. i will eat some crackers here and there (which I count). and some Peanut Flour (which I measure--but should probably weigh)....but I try to keep it very loose...not compact when scooping.

imhungry2012

I use my food scale for nuts, cereal (it's so sad how little one serving actually is), cheese, meat., and fish. While I use it everyday, I don't think it's obsessive...just being aware of how much I am consuming.

ninerbuff

IF you want accuracy, then you should own one. It's just a tool. Practically everything we use out there today will have an "indicator" of some sort for measurement rather than relying on ones senses. TV's and Ipod's have volume control, heaters have different heat settings, etc. It's not about obsession, it's about concern for accuracy.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

bethiewilliams

Cereal - I always weigh cereal - I know for sure that my 40g bowl is usually 65-70 grams - makes a big difference!
I also weigh meat and cheese and measure dressing otherwise approximate especially green veg and salad. I was horrified to find that the "tablespoon of French dressing was actually 2.5 which made over 100 cals difference just on my salad and I was having it twice a day sometimes - and I wondered why I wasn't losing any weight in the beginning!! If you are losing weight don't worry, however if the weightloss stops and you cant fathom why, try weighing!!

Good luck

JoRocka

why can't you weigh the sushi?

take the scale with you. I'm totally taking mine the next time I go for brazillian- I really would like to know how much I eat- it's all you can eat and it's not like you go get a serving and bring it back to the table- the servers bring the meats on a skewer- so you eat some- then wait- then eat some then wait. you never see ALL the food at once.