food scales...necessary or obsessive

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  • RachyLovesRattys
    RachyLovesRattys Posts: 143 Member
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    I just bought a food scale at Bed Bath and Beyond for $15. It was $19.99 and I had those typical 20% or $5 off $15 or more coupons. Best thing EVER!!

    I weigh meat, pasta, grains (like oatmeal), cheeses....and peanut butter!! I realized I had been allowing myself a whole extra tablespoon without logging (using the "ping-pong ball" measurement method). Definitely helps for foods like that where a little extra can make a HUGE difference.

    Also, if your baking as been sub-par in the past (like mine---*sigh*) scales help greatly for things like flour and sugar! Also, some even switch back and forth for fluid ounces also--though I didn't spring for that model.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
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    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.

    I just couldn't see myself doing that. but sashimi is low calorie, so if i over estimate...i figure I am in the clear.
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
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    I don't have one right now, but the one I want is sitting in the shopping cart on Amazon for me to purchase next week when I get paid. Obsessive? Not when a label tells you a serving is 2 ounces and you have no other way to measure it accurately and it affects your daily calorie count.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
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    Same as a lot of the above, I weigh everything.
    It's not obsessive or hard, just set a plate on it put item a on it hit the tare function place item 2
    etc etc.
  • SuperCrsa
    SuperCrsa Posts: 790 Member
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    Necessary!!!!!
    Before I got mine I was waaaay off with my guestimations!
  • Yolanda4160
    Yolanda4160 Posts: 170 Member
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    I use my food scale to weigh my meat portions because there is really no other way to determine if you are eating and logging the correct amount. In the beginning of my journey, I measured EVERYTHING. Now, I ballpark it if necessary. I try not to obsess amount measuring to the exact amount as much. :smile:
  • loriq41
    loriq41 Posts: 479 Member
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    I think it is necessary in general but I may have gone a bit overboard the last time I visited my inlaws an hour away and brought it with me and put it on the table..I am going there this weekend and I am debating weighing out the turkey...I am surely crazy...
  • lt3ag4s
    lt3ag4s Posts: 835 Member
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    When I am able to cook for myself, I weigh just about everything. I am an idiot when it comes to estimating serving sizes. Due to varying densities of food, I find that mass will be more accurate.
  • monisiaczeq
    monisiaczeq Posts: 131 Member
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    i measure everything. meat, veg, yoghurt (i buy large pots), veg, grains, cold meats, fruits even bread (not all slices are equal!) i love my kitchen scales and i dont care if people think it is obsessive. i like to know exactly how much i eat.
  • jamielr84
    jamielr84 Posts: 545
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    Necessary for the obsessive.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I use one for foods like avocados because they are always different sizes. I weigh cheese too.
  • hikezilla
    hikezilla Posts: 174 Member
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    When I am making pizza-dillas I always use the scale for the cheese and meats....other wise in my mind a 4 oz serving of cheese will melt on a 10 inch pizza 1/2 inch thick. If I am making soup from scratch I weigh and write it down...that way if the concoction is really good, I can make it again. When I make my rice-veggie mix I definitely weigh the rice because I am diabetic and rice is carb heavy but so much better for you than doughnuts.
  • Zelinna
    Zelinna Posts: 207 Member
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    Necessary! I don't use mine for everything, but It is essential for things I know I can eat a lot of.
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
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    to answer the topic question, "yes." *cackles*

    when I first got mine, I was OBSESSED! I weighed my fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, EVERYTHING. it was fun, and really helped open my eyes to how much of stuff is how many calories. I'm getting better at eyeballing measurements (I know EXACTLY what half a cup of chopped broccoli looks like!), but I still double check with the measuring cup. this helps ensure that I'm not cheating myself on my calories.

    it helped a lot with my peanuts and almonds, etc. I had initially read the label as "40 peanuts = 1 serving" so I was doing 20 peanuts to get a half serving. well, it turns out 20 peanuts is more like .3 of a serving, not .5. so, lesson learned there. GIMME DAT PROTEIN! :p

    they're fun and educational. I got mine for about $20 at the wal-mart. :)
  • mdhummel
    mdhummel Posts: 201 Member
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    I used a food scale to weigh meat and cheese the first few months of my diet. After a while I just eyeball my portions, but I think a food scale is a great way to see what an ounce of cheese or 4 ounces of meat really looks like.

    I don't whip out the scale for every meal now that I have my portions in check, but every now and then I whip the scale out to double check that I'm not overeating.
  • wyocoke
    wyocoke Posts: 8 Member
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    When you are eating out of a can, or box, single egg etc., those numbers are already tallied for you. I use mine because I can't tell by looking how much an avocado weighs, or how many ounces of meat in a serving until I weigh it. If you are trying to lose weight & hit a plateau it really helps. It is easy to compare what I would like to eat to what is an actual portion by using the scale.
  • grillnchill
    grillnchill Posts: 772 Member
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    My food scale really put things into perspective...What I thought was 4 or 6 oz was more like 9-10 or more! *gasp* Talk about miscalculating my intake.
  • Peppah7
    Peppah7 Posts: 64 Member
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    Love my food scale, but doesn't seem necessary for you.

    Related question (well sort of): I just recently realized that meat after cooking (especially grilling) weighs much less than the packaged raw meat. If I am cooking the meat I am having & it has nutrition info on the packaging for the raw meat, I use that, but if not I use the MFP data base - should I use the scale measurement before or after cooking?? thanks!
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
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    Everything that has 'per 100g' on the label, I weigh. If its 'per 100mL', I measure. All fresh fruits and vegetables are measured in grams, because what is a 'medium' apple really? I dont weigh eggs. I dont weigh if I am not eating at home, though. I try finding the calories in a database or on the restaurant website, but if I cant find it or dont know how much I ate, I 'eyeball' and basically write that meal off in my mind.

    I have a cheap scale that measures per gram, but not decimals. It works for me.
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
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    Love my food scale, but doesn't seem necessary for you.

    Related question (well sort of): I just recently realized that meat after cooking (especially grilling) weighs much less than the packaged raw meat. If I am cooking the meat I am having & it has nutrition info on the packaging for the raw meat, I use that, but if not I use the MFP data base - should I use the scale measurement before or after cooking?? thanks!

    If you measured out the meat raw, use the uncooked calorie count. If you're measuring it out cooked, use the cooked calories. The only problem with that is the database might not take your method into consideration added oils, fats skimmed off, water added, spices with calories, etc.

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