Why do people weigh their food?

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ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

This is totally fine, and a lot of people do this. But, if you ever stall out on your weight loss, or if you aren't getting the results you want, then you need to start weighing and measuring more accurately. But, if you're happy with the results, then it's no biggie.

Typically, as people get closer to their goal, it becomes more critical and it's very difficult to get that last 10 lbs or so by guessing.

But, I think it would be nice to just be able to do it this way without worrying about it. I just don't think I can because I lie to myself. I can't deny what the scale says, though.

Yup, I did measuring cups and eyeballing for the first 20 lbs. Then I had to get more accurate.

Holly_Roman_Empire

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

I'm curious to know where you are in your weight loss, just because I know the closer you get to goal, there is less room for error when it comes to counting your calories.

I wish I could buy wild salmon here. :grumble:

SezxyStef

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

I'm curious to know where you are in your weight loss, just because I know the closer you get to goal, there is less room for error when it comes to counting your calories.

I wish I could buy wild salmon here. :grumble:

Ditto here and as well when I cook it's for 3 adults...2 grown men and me...and I eat more than my husband.

We buy pork chops in a package (cheaper then butcher cut) I can't weigh before cooking because I don't know which one I will get...

I cook all 4 pick one weigh it, log it as "cooked pork" bam...accuracy.

As well when I got my scale I did the "test" how much am I off...

wow...underestimating meat/over estimating carbs..I was off so much that it caused 1/2 a week less loss...that means I underestimated 1750 calories...that is only 250 a day...75 a meal...see where I am going here...

On the other side of the coin 125g is a serving of cottage cheese...that's more than 1/2cup (I was cheating myself...):sad: :sad:

odusgolp

Sometimes you just have to know how big the burrito really is. I mean, they SAY it's as big as your head... but is it really?


A decent burrito is at least 1.83lb, just so you know...

rockmama72

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

I do a little of all three--weighing, measuring and eyeballing. I've been successful at losing weight a few times before and I didn't have a food scale at all (nor did I journal), so it's not like it's THE key to success for everyone. My challenge is to retrain myself to know what the right portion looks like so I can always do it.

I do measure my wine and I really hate how small 4 oz. looks. Who do I see about this?

odusgolp

I do measure my wine and I really hate how small 4 oz. looks. Who do I see about this?

This would crush my soul *LOL*

DrMAvDPhD

Frankly it's the only accurate way to judge serving sizes.

Think of chips: I could get a lot more crushed chips into a cup than I could whole chips, but 5 crushed chips weighs the same as 5 whole chips.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

I do a little of all three--weighing, measuring and eyeballing. I've been successful at losing weight a few times before and I didn't have a food scale at all (nor did I journal), so it's not like it's THE key to success for everyone. My challenge is to retrain myself to know what the right portion looks like so I can always do it.

I do measure my wine and I really hate how small 4 oz. looks. Who do I see about this?

When you find out let me know, I've got a thing to two to say about a serving size of cereal.

Joehenny

nooob

WhoIsAmber

There are several food items that say on the label "About 1 cup" or "About 10 Chips" - If you weigh it, it could be a lot less (or sometimes more) than what you assumed it was.

I remember using my food scale for the first time and weighing out a bowl of cereal to where I usually fill the bowl to... I thought I was eating about 2 servings, I was eating closer to 4. That was probably 200 calories that were going unaccounted for.

ashleyisgreat

Frankly it's the only accurate way to judge serving sizes.

Think of chips: I could get a lot more crushed chips into a cup than I could whole chips, but 5 crushed chips weighs the same as 5 whole chips.

This is *exactly* why I bought a digital scale. I was measuring out everything and one day this happened to me--with chips! I realized that I was stuffing in a bunch of little ones and justifying it by saying "well, it's still half a cup" or whatever the measurement was. Food scale: totally accurate. No cheating.

4daluvof_candice

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

I do a little of all three--weighing, measuring and eyeballing. I've been successful at losing weight a few times before and I didn't have a food scale at all (nor did I journal), so it's not like it's THE key to success for everyone. My challenge is to retrain myself to know what the right portion looks like so I can always do it.

I do measure my wine and I really hate how small 4 oz. looks. Who do I see about this?

When you find out let me know, I've got a thing to two to say about a serving size of cereal.

definitely disappointed in my serving size of Honey Bunches of Oats

kelly_e_montana

Mostly because they can't take the time to learn visual measurements for portion control or they have made calorie counting into a hobby with accompanying behaviors and accoutrements. Compulsive weighers can sometimes lose the ability to eat out or go to a family member's house because they are so obsessed with accurate calorie counting that they can't enjoy the meal without precision. I think it's good to weigh things you're unsure of or a good training tool for a while til you get the hang of things, but there becomes a point where how you track your food can limit your ability to make good choices outside of a highly controlled situation.

I can lose weight and maintain without counting calories at all by developing intuitive eating skills and making healthy food choices. I have. Calorie counting and weighing are good training tools to learn how to eat intuitively and with balance, but making them more than that is either lack of confidence or knowledge or fear of loss of control.

4daluvof_candice

Frankly it's the only accurate way to judge serving sizes.

Think of chips: I could get a lot more crushed chips into a cup than I could whole chips, but 5 crushed chips weighs the same as 5 whole chips.

This is *exactly* why I bought a digital scale. I was measuring out everything and one day this happened to me--with chips! I realized that I was stuffing in a bunch of little ones and justifying it by saying "well, it's still half a cup" or whatever the measurement was. Food scale: totally accurate. No cheating.

I had some HEB BBQ chips the other day. The serving was I think 32g or 12 chips. with measuring it seemed i got more.

maggierda

Accuracy.

What you think is 28 grams is usually not.

I asked my hubby to take one serving of M&M's (28 grams). He did. I weighed it and instead of 28grams (1 serving) he had 3.5 servings!

You can't trust "eyeballing" it. That just gets you into trouble and confusion as to why you're not losing weight.

CountryGirl8542

Weighing food is the most accurate and easiest way to measure the calories that you eat.

ashleyisgreat

Frankly it's the only accurate way to judge serving sizes.

Think of chips: I could get a lot more crushed chips into a cup than I could whole chips, but 5 crushed chips weighs the same as 5 whole chips.

This is *exactly* why I bought a digital scale. I was measuring out everything and one day this happened to me--with chips! I realized that I was stuffing in a bunch of little ones and justifying it by saying "well, it's still half a cup" or whatever the measurement was. Food scale: totally accurate. No cheating.

I had some HEB BBQ chips the other day. The serving was I think 32g or 12 chips. with measuring it seemed i got more.

Now I want BBQ chips...

Fullsterkur_woman

Mostly because they can't take the time to learn visual measurements for portion control or they have made calorie counting into a hobby with accompanying behaviors and accoutrements. Compulsive weighers can sometimes lose the ability to eat out or go to a family member's house because they are so obsessed with accurate calorie counting that they can't enjoy the meal without precision. I think it's good to weigh things you're unsure of or a good training tool for a while til you get the hang of things, but there becomes a point where how you track your food can limit your ability to make good choices outside of a highly controlled situation.

I can lose weight and maintain without counting calories at all by developing intuitive eating skills and making healthy food choices. I have. Calorie counting and weighing are good training tools to learn how to eat intuitively and with balance, but making them more than that is either lack of confidence or knowledge or fear of loss of control.

I have been that person who whipped out her pocket scale, picked apart her restaurant meal and weighed it ingredient by ingredient. Now I don't do that anymore.

But I do weigh everything at home (even liquids, using density conversion), so that I have the precision I need to allow for the "slop" that happens when I eyeball when dining out.

How do you "learn visual measurements" without weighing the portions out for a decent period of time?

And then once you get into the habit of weighing, why would you switch to a less precise method? That makes no sense to me.

Achrya

Because eyeballing things is how I got fat.

Duh.

in_the_stars

Mostly because they can't take the time to learn visual measurements for portion control or they have made calorie counting into a hobby with accompanying behaviors and accoutrements. Compulsive weighers can sometimes lose the ability to eat out or go to a family member's house because they are so obsessed with accurate calorie counting that they can't enjoy the meal without precision. I think it's good to weigh things you're unsure of or a good training tool for a while til you get the hang of things, but there becomes a point where how you track your food can limit your ability to make good choices outside of a highly controlled situation.

I can lose weight and maintain without counting calories at all by developing intuitive eating skills and making healthy food choices. I have. Calorie counting and weighing are good training tools to learn how to eat intuitively and with balance, but making them more than that is either lack of confidence or knowledge or fear of loss of control.

Agreed. I also believe a lot of overweight people just don't "listen" to their bodies and continue to eat after they've had enough.

Fullsterkur_woman

Mostly because they can't take the time to learn visual measurements for portion control or they have made calorie counting into a hobby with accompanying behaviors and accoutrements. Compulsive weighers can sometimes lose the ability to eat out or go to a family member's house because they are so obsessed with accurate calorie counting that they can't enjoy the meal without precision. I think it's good to weigh things you're unsure of or a good training tool for a while til you get the hang of things, but there becomes a point where how you track your food can limit your ability to make good choices outside of a highly controlled situation.

I can lose weight and maintain without counting calories at all by developing intuitive eating skills and making healthy food choices. I have. Calorie counting and weighing are good training tools to learn how to eat intuitively and with balance, but making them more than that is either lack of confidence or knowledge or fear of loss of control.

I just really dislike the way you've lumped us into the same category as obsessive and compulsive behaviors because we prefer a scientific approach to tracking. Some of us are just scientists by nature. We want to measure and quantify. If that's obsessive-compulsive, well, then I guess that's what it takes to put human beings on the moon.

Also, it's much easier to do IIFYM correctly if you weigh your food. If I need 7 more grams of fat, and 2 T of peanut butter has 16 grams of fat, how do I go about measuring out 7/16ths of 2 T of peanut butter? If I just go ahead and say, oh, well, I'll just eat 1 T, I might be overeating by 15-20%. Those 30-40 calories add up over time. It's better to just measure out 14-15 grams of peanut butter and then the error is probably 1/10th as much.

I'd rather decrease my error by an order of magnitude. But if your way works for you, party on.

pps7

I'll be the dissenter here. I approximate and don't weigh. I'm sure I'm off by a little bit. But I'm trying to learn how to do this on a long term basis and I don't see myself weighing food long term. I've only been using MFP for 6 weeks and so far so good.

Someone asked how do you do meat/produce without weighing? Most meat and produce is weighed when you purchase it at the store. For example, When I buy wild salmon, I ask for 1lb. I split this into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. DH eats the bigger piece and I log the 1/3 lb. as 5.5 oz. Sure I'm eyeballing the 1/3&2/3 so I may be off by a little bit but I figure that will average out over time.

I'm curious to know where you are in your weight loss, just because I know the closer you get to goal, there is less room for error when it comes to counting your calories.

I wish I could buy wild salmon here. :grumble:

Only 2lbs to go before I start maintenance! Part of it maybe that a lot of food that I eat doesn't need to be measured: eggs, sausage (calories are listed per link) etc. I do measure one cup of cereal bc I think that's an easy place to overeat, but I don't measure the milk. I guess I feel logging everything I eat is compulsive enough. And it's working so far, I'm losing 1/2 lb. per week. Hey, to each his own. I just wanted to chime in that some people can do it without measuring. Plus I travel a lot and eat out often- I need to learn how to do this without a scale.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Because eyeballing things is how I got fat.

Duh.

:laugh: Love this answer.

Fullsterkur_woman

Mostly because they can't take the time to learn visual measurements for portion control or they have made calorie counting into a hobby with accompanying behaviors and accoutrements. Compulsive weighers can sometimes lose the ability to eat out or go to a family member's house because they are so obsessed with accurate calorie counting that they can't enjoy the meal without precision. I think it's good to weigh things you're unsure of or a good training tool for a while til you get the hang of things, but there becomes a point where how you track your food can limit your ability to make good choices outside of a highly controlled situation.

I can lose weight and maintain without counting calories at all by developing intuitive eating skills and making healthy food choices. I have. Calorie counting and weighing are good training tools to learn how to eat intuitively and with balance, but making them more than that is either lack of confidence or knowledge or fear of loss of control.

Agreed. I also believe a lot of overweight people just don't "listen" to their bodies and continue to eat after they've had enough.

A lot of our bodies don't "tell" us when they've had enough. We have to tell our bodies when they've had enough. And our bodies continue to argue back. Therefore, at least for myself, I would like to get the maximum bites of food I can fit in and still meet my macros. Are you saying there's something wrong with wanting to be able to eat as much as possible?

MyChocolateDiet

It's more accurate than volume measures like cups and stuff. To give you an example a cup of these nuts



will weigh different and have different cals than a cup of these nuts

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[/img]

because of the spaces in between in the measuring cup.

Make sense?

Even though both are "almonds" the way they take up space in the cup is different and thus you'd be eating a different amount even if you had "a cup" of each.

Francl27

Mostly because they can't take the time to learn visual measurements for portion control or they have made calorie counting into a hobby with accompanying behaviors and accoutrements. Compulsive weighers can sometimes lose the ability to eat out or go to a family member's house because they are so obsessed with accurate calorie counting that they can't enjoy the meal without precision. I think it's good to weigh things you're unsure of or a good training tool for a while til you get the hang of things, but there becomes a point where how you track your food can limit your ability to make good choices outside of a highly controlled situation.

I can lose weight and maintain without counting calories at all by developing intuitive eating skills and making healthy food choices. I have. Calorie counting and weighing are good training tools to learn how to eat intuitively and with balance, but making them more than that is either lack of confidence or knowledge or fear of loss of control.

Agreed. I also believe a lot of overweight people just don't "listen" to their bodies and continue to eat after they've had enough.

And that's exactly why I use my scale. I'd never be able to just listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry. I'd be totally miserable. I don't know how people got here, really. But I did because I love eating, I think about food a lot, and I have cravings often. The scale is just another tool to keep me in line and stop me from overeating... I'm guessing it's easier for people who don't mind eating 'clean' though. I do mind... a lot.

I'm not a slave to my scale by any means though, thank you. I'm totally fine going out and guessing when I have to.

albayin

MFP database says "1 large Apple (~100 grams) 120 cal". I bought a few "large apples" the other day and just for my curiosity, I weighed one of these "large apples", it weighed 225 grams...No wonder I was not losing weight; I counted it as 120 cal instead of 240...

GothicaAdore

Insanity. Obsession. Weakness.

Because its easier than weighing a cat.

Flab2fitfi

I'm in to see how many people are going to keep answering an answered question. 2 pages and counting...

I'd just like to know why the OP thought she could count calories without weighing.

Ditto