Food - Weight it or Measure it?

lknmomma
lknmomma Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 30 days in and doing fairly well. However, I have seen many comments saying you should weight everything rather than using measuring cups. I do have a scale and I do weigh some items (mainly meat) but I wouldn't mind weighing other items. However, some items in the food database seem to only have 'measuring cup" measures...for example the sauteed mushrooms in my lunch. How do I work around that? Am I missing something?
Thanks in Advance!

Replies

  • katro111
    katro111 Posts: 632 Member
    See Stef's thread about getting an entry with accurate weight.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • eyecandyrayce
    eyecandyrayce Posts: 260 Member
    I weigh solids and measure liquids.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I'm 30 days in and doing fairly well. However, I have seen many comments saying you should weight everything rather than using measuring cups. I do have a scale and I do weigh some items (mainly meat) but I wouldn't mind weighing other items. However, some items in the food database seem to only have 'measuring cup" measures...for example the sauteed mushrooms in my lunch. How do I work around that? Am I missing something?
    Thanks in Advance!

    there are generally multiple entries for any particular item. also, just type in whatever kind of mushroom you are eating followed by usda..servings will come up in grams. you can do this with pretty much any food.
  • JaxNole82
    JaxNole82 Posts: 21
    I use to only weigh meats as well, but have seen a pretty decent change by weighing everything. I have found that it is more accurate to weigh than a mesuring cup. If you have time, test it with maybe some fruits or rice. Measure half a cup and then weigh it in grams.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    A lot of entries don't have weight listed, but your package has the weight, so you can figure it out that way.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    A lot of entries don't have weight listed, but your package has the weight, so you can figure it out that way.

    You can also google it. How many oz are in a 1 cup? or grams. ... etc
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    Are you not losing or losing at a slow pace? Then I recommend weighing for a while.

    Some people weigh everything and weigh it forever.

    I weigh what I feel like I need to weigh.

    But I don't really recommend that if you are struggling to lose. I'm not and I also only have 12 lbs to go.

    Once you weigh for a while, you kind of get used to what 1 cup of rice looks like. I personally have a sporadic life and don't bring my scale with me everywhere I go, so after weighing for a while, I eyeballed. I mostly weigh meats and heavy carbs now.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I personally find that using the "tare" feature on the scale and weighing most things--even liquids, teaspoons ,etc. is more precise and easier than using measuring cups. I weighed the water I put in my rice cooker and wrote it one the recipe, along with the weight of the rice. In the recipe book the amounts were in cups (European cups to boot). Now I just put the pot on the scale,weigh out the rice, hit TARE, use any glass or cup I want to put in the water--done. Takes about 1/5 the time I used to spend using measuring cups. I even use it for things like peanut butter.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    generally weighing is better, but it depends on what the item is, and practicality. Sometimes you just need to eyeball it, and geusstimate high...and hope for the best. But use your food scale whenever you can. It really does help.
  • lemur_lady
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
    I weigh everything unless its a liquid that needs to be measured. I cant understand the idea of measuring the volume of a food and dont know how anyone actually uses this method. It just seems like a weird thing to do.
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
    Bump
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
    Bump
  • susie3g
    susie3g Posts: 267
    I weigh my meat and produce and use the usda listing, as someone else mentioned. I don't weigh things that come in single serving sizes such as loaf bread, yogurt, sliced cheese, etc. I use measuring cups for liquids.
  • lknmomma
    lknmomma Posts: 6
    Thank you for the super informative post and to all who responded. Just to clarify, I have no problem weighing,,,I'm just OCD enough to enjoy it and I have an amazing weight watchers food scale! :-) The post was more about how to enter my foods in weights rather than measures in my diary. The post was pretty clear. I learned A LOT that I wasn't aware of. Thanks again to all.

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