NOT Weighing Food?
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I lost 50 pounds without ever using a food scale. I figured out how high to fill my cereal bowl with a serving of my favorite cereal, and things i wasn't familiar with I used my tablespoons and measuring cups for. I still lost weight without a problem. At the time I was eating [what I thought was] 1200 calories, so if the discrepancy between measuring with cups vs measuring with a food scale was 200 calories or something I was still plenty at a deficit even if in actuality I'd been eating closer to 1400 calories on a daily basis. The only time not weighing could really be "harmful" is if you're trying to lose weight but are eating very close to maintenance, for if you're eating more than you think you might just be eating at maintenance and not see the pounds shed off as fast.
But like I said, I was very successful without weighing my foods and I do not think it is as important in losing weight as it is made out to be.0 -
I don't expect to weigh my food for the rest of my life. But I do need to really, REALLY learn what serving sizes look like. The fact of the matter is that I was hugely off on most of my food and sometimes I was cheating myself. I am a cook and I know what cups and tablespoons look like but I do not have any idea about food weight and that is how most solid foods are measured. Weight is very different than volume.
So, yes, this is about being sustainable in the long term.
For the short term, I see my scale as training wheels, not crutches.
This is how I see mine too. I don't weigh or measure everything but I do use it for things where portion control is important, like pasta, meat, and cheese. When i am making a recipe for something like a casserole, I weigh or measure many of the ingredients (low carb veggies get estimated) but don't weigh or measure my serving. I live alone and will be eating all 4 servings, so I divide the dish into 4 the best I can knowing that if one is a little larger or smaller than the other it doesn't matter.
Weighing and measuring really do help with portion control and identifying what really is a portion but i see no need to be accurate down to the milligram.0 -
I personally think everyone has their own opinion. If they don't weigh and lose weight, good for them. If they do weigh and lose weight, good for them. It's crazy how there are so many attitudes on this post (those who weigh vs those who don't) and even (those who weigh with cups/spoons vs those who weigh with scales). My goodness.0
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No weighing for me. I rarely even measure. I just eyeball it. But, I've been cooking for many years so I'm pretty good at eyeballing. If a meal contains a lot of ingredients for which I can't readily find a correct entry in the database, I usually just don't log the meal at all.
I will never understand why people insist it takes so little time for others. I mean, it's cool if only takes a few minutes for you, or if the time it takes seems negligible to you, but not everyone is the same.0 -
I view the scale as a tool to help me lose weight. I use it for accuracy and portion control. By the time I reach my goal weight I will hopefully have learned what a proper portion looks like. I will wean myself off the scale, but if I ever start to put weight on again, I will definitely pull out the scale again.0
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I know that most of the people around these parts are huge advocates of weighing food but I am really reluctant to do so. Am I alone on this?
What I'm doing here is supposed to be a sustainable lifestyle choice and I just can't see whipping out my scale and weighing everything I eat for the rest of my life. It seems like a miserable fate to be tied to that kitchen scale for eternity.
I know that I probably feel this way because I've been seeing results without weighing, maybe if my weight loss stalls out I'll be singing a different tune but right now I'm choosing not to weigh food and I'm happy about it. (I do however use measuring cups and spoons)
Any other measuring cup/spoon lovers out there?
I don't think it is a 'one shoe fits all'. I use both measuring cups/spoons and a kitchen scale but normal cooking and baking not just for weight loss. Of course, I know you are referring to using these tools for weight loss I used both for part of my weight loss at times but not consistently. We eat out a lot and I actually started the weight loss portion of my fitness plan while on vacation so weighing and measuring were not convenient. Once you get a good handle on what a serving size looks like, you can likely stop measuring or weighing as long as the weight is still coming off. I honestly feel that learning what a portion looks like is key if it is going to be a lifestyle change. There are several resources to help you learn what a serving size looks like. If your weight loss stalls then weighting and measuring is likely the best course of action but I don't see it as a long term plan for maintenance especially if you eat out a lot.0 -
I don't weigh my food, or even measure it.
In the VERY beginning of when I joined, I did measure out whatever the box said a serving was because I was curious. And sometimes I counted out exactly 21 chips or whatever the bag said. I think I did that for a few weeks until I felt like I was getting pretty good at eye-balling portion sizes. I had one of those charts on my fridge that showed you portion sizes compared to an inanimate object, like a deck of cards. And I lost weight, even after I decided to stop logging on weekends. I agree that in order for this to be a sustainable, life long way of eating I need to be able to control my portions without being logged in MFP 24/7. Most of my "real life" inspriations of fit, strong, healthy women in my life aren't even MFP members. Fads come and go, including awesome website tools like this one, and one day it may not be here anymore. It is a tool, not a crutch.0 -
For most people, as long as they have a healthy or even okay-ish relationship with food, a food scale is a wonderful tool. I'm not quite there yet, so weighing portions would be counter-productive for me. (I have an issue with "eating by the numbers" and ignoring my hunger cues, so giving me more accurate numbers is the last thing I need!) For me, it's healthier to have the freedom to give myself a more rounded half-cup of whatever if I'm feeling hungrier that day than it would be to measure it by weight.
But here's the thing...I know I'm the exception and not the rule! I wouldn't ever assume that advice would be appropriate for other people unless I had additional information about them. For 95% of the people on MFP, if they're stalled, "get a food scale" is the right answer and the first thing they should try.0 -
I am in recovery from binge eating disorder and I'm not supposed to get too into weighing and measuring. It majorly screws up my brain because I feel restricted and that can trigger a binge. My motto is "close enough" as in "Meh, 1/2 cup chickpeas - close enough."
I've been successful losing with this strategy and haven't engaged in any ED behaviors since I started about 70 days ago.
That is awesome, way to go!0 -
I have successfully lost weight in the past without weighing anything, so I don't think it's totally necessary for everyone. I use one religiously now, and it's allowed me to eat more food than I would have in the past. Fresh mozzarella is a lot lighter than it looks!0
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I know that most of the people around these parts are huge advocates of weighing food but I am really reluctant to do so. Am I alone on this?
What I'm doing here is supposed to be a sustainable lifestyle choice and I just can't see whipping out my scale and weighing everything I eat for the rest of my life. It seems like a miserable fate to be tied to that kitchen scale for eternity.
I know that I probably feel this way because I've been seeing results without weighing, maybe if my weight loss stalls out I'll be singing a different tune but right now I'm choosing not to weigh food and I'm happy about it. (I do however use measuring cups and spoons)
Any other measuring cup/spoon lovers out there?
I'm right there with you. And I only use measuring cups/spoons sometimes. You nailed it with "sustainable lifestyle choice." Also, meals have always been much more to me than just eating. I want to be able to sit down and have dinner and enjoy it....I get it that many people can do this and still use their scale, but not me.
A scale is one tool. A good one, albeit, and it works for lots of people, I won't argue that. But it's not my choice of tools in the toolbox.0 -
The scale actually helps me get "more" of my intake accurate. I'm not gonna weigh the DQ blizzard or even slice of bread like some people do. And if I don't pack my lunch and have to buy it, can't weigh ingredients on that either. Those are all sources of inaccuracy that if I didn't do anything about them, I might as well not log with the intent of meeting a numerical goal.0
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I know that most of the people around these parts are huge advocates of weighing food but I am really reluctant to do so. Am I alone on this?
What I'm doing here is supposed to be a sustainable lifestyle choice and I just can't see whipping out my scale and weighing everything I eat for the rest of my life.
Youa re not alone, but there are very good reasons you see weighing recommended so often. Fact is, most people painfully underestimate portions and calorie intake, and that is a root cause for most gaining weight or not losing weight. So the first, best way to get an understanding of portion sizes and moderation is to, well, moderate everything you eat. that includes weighing.
It is not supposed to be for the rest of your life because once you see what 4 ounces of chicken looks like you can pretty much gauge it, as well as other foods. As long as you stay smart you won't need to break out the scale often.
I rarely weigh things anymore but know I am withing a few hundred calories each day. Some people that might be too much, so weighing is something they will do.0 -
I do it because I'm terrible at estimating portions. My scale is small and has a spot right on my kitchen counter. It's handy to have! Of course I just eyeball it when at someone's home, etc. But, the scale helps keep me on track and has been a great, inexpensive investment.
Do whatever works for YOU. 0 -
What I'm doing here is supposed to be a sustainable lifestyle choice and I just can't see whipping out my scale and weighing everything I eat for the rest of my life. It seems like a miserable fate to be tied to that kitchen scale for eternity.
Any other measuring cup/spoon lovers out there?
This makes no sense. You're willing to use measuring cups/spoons for the rest of your life but not a scale which takes an equal amount or less effort?0 -
Personally, weighing food seems really obsessive and unhealthy to me... like it seems there's an underlying issue if you think you aren't losing weight because your calorie estimate is slightly off...0
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Personally, weighing food seems really obsessive and unhealthy to me... like it seems there's an underlying issue if you think you aren't losing weight because your calorie estimate is slightly off...
When I started out, someone told me that a one ounce serving of almonds was a decent handful for rough estimate...i said, meh...sounds good enough. An ounce of almonds is far less than a decent handful for me...I figured this out when I started using a food scale...I was logging 1 oz of almonds at 160 calories but a decent handful in my hand is about 3 ounces of almonds and 480 calories...so I wouldn't exactly say that is "slightly off". Right there is 320 calories per day...considering my deficit was 500 calories per day...well...you do that math...it pretty much wipes it out.
Add to that I was logging chicken breasts as 4 oz because my packaging said, "serving size 1 breast, 4 oz"...so that's what I logged but the actual breasts themselves were closer to 8 ounces. All of these things I didn't know until I started using a scale. All in all I was underestimating my intake by a good 400 - 600 calories per day which is why I wasn't losing...my 500 calorie deficit was being completely wiped out by being "slightly off" on my estimated intake.
There is nothing unhealthy about learning what a proper portion is. As others have noted, it's not really a forever kind of thing...it's a tool to help teach and show you how much you're eating and/or supposed to be eating. I would add that most of the "real world" would consider logging and counting calories to be rather obsessive and unhealthy as well...but I've found it to be a good tool for losing and putting what I learned into practice maintaining this past year without logging. A scale is just a tool just as a diary and calorie counting is just a tool.0 -
Personally, weighing food seems really obsessive and unhealthy to me... like it seems there's an underlying issue if you think you aren't losing weight because your calorie estimate is slightly off...
I won't deny that weighing can be taken to an unhealthy level, but for some people it's really not a slight difference. There can be a difference of several hundred calories between weighing and measuring depending on the foods someone is eating and the methods they're using.
Do you also finding using measuring cups and spoons to be unhealthy and obsessive? Because you have a whole thread full of people here saying that, for them, weighing is actually easier and less time consuming than measuring. I just don't see the inherent obsession in that.0 -
I'm incapable of guessing portion sizes correctly, apparently.
Not to mention, the nutrition label is often contradictory...if it says a serving is so many cups and so many grams. I find these don't match if I actually weigh it.0 -
I don't weigh my meals because it's unrealistic for me to do.....I stick to what I can do and work it
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Personally, weighing food seems really obsessive and unhealthy to me... like it seems there's an underlying issue if you think you aren't losing weight because your calorie estimate is slightly off...
I venture to say it is no more healthy or unhealthy as weighing your body on a scale. Both are important and very useful tools. Those who are still losing weight and say they don't use a scale, I will be very surprised if they are able to lose all the weight they want and keep it off without ever using a food scale.0 -
Yes...I don't scale and I've lost weight....:D but your right that it is an important tool if you need it...0
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You know, I used to feel this way as well... until I realized that weighing my food is actually easier than using measuring cups/spoons. You just put your plate/bowl on the scale and hit tare after adding each item - simple! No extra dirty dishes
That said, if not weighing is working for you, then that's totally fine. It was working for me too, I just really like knowing exactly how much I am eating. Scales are cheap, you could always try it out... or not, your choice!
Best of luck!
Long thread, haven't read most of it yet, but this.
I decided to get a scale because trying to estimate or measure was kind of a pain and made logging seem a chore. Weighing seemed easier and has proven to be, especially since most of the more accurate entries--as I understand it--have a 100 g option, which means that I don't have to mess with converting one measure to another, but can just see 63 g and stick in .63.
I don't know if I will do this forever (presumably not if I stop logging), and I was losing before I started, but I find it no burden and kind of fun.0 -
I just got a food scale recently. I certainly wouldn't do it for the rest of my life, but since I did not appear to be losing weight at a slight deficit, I needed the accuracy of it.
And I imagine for many things it is much easier than measuring cups and spoons... how are you going to measure a chicken breast? Are you really going to chop it up just so you can measure it in a cup? Seems like less work to weigh...0 -
I see there is talk of "obsessive" behavior in this thread.......... Nah.
We're all "obsessive" here because we log everything we eat into an online database, and on TOP of the time it takes to do that, we're all here perusing the forums and debating on the benefits of weighing/measuring your food for the sake of calorie counting. Honestly, the word "obsessive" is meaningless if you're already on MFP.0 -
Not so much reluctant as lazy in my case. I eyeball it and try to be on the low side. I weigh some stuff with the idea of trying to learn how to eyeball better, but mostly I'm just too lazy to go in on every meal and weigh everything.
It helps that I'm eating mostly prepackaged stuff.0 -
I haven't weighed my food since me and me kitchen scale had a disagreement over what an ounce of grated cheese looked like. I can't say that eye balling works for everyone but so far I'm ok. I got way too obsessed with the numbers and trying to make everything fit, took the joy out of mealtimes and turned me into a psycho in the kitchen :laugh:
Learning portion control is key, who wants to be weighing everything for life eh?0 -
Just want to clarify that I definitely do not think that people who weigh their food are obsessive, just accurate and there's definitely something to be said for that!
It's just not the right choice for me, and may not be right for many people that frequent MFP. I thought maybe this thread would help people that don't weigh their food feel okay about that choice. Since it seems to be a frequent reply in weight loss threads that if you aren't weighing your food you aren't "doing it right" or taking weight loss seriously enough.
I think just the fact that we are all here discussing the reasoning behind our choices is wonderful and I love that there are so many different ways to take the journey towards a healthier lifestyle.0 -
:laugh: at the "won't use a scale, but hey I use measuring cups/spoons!!! :laugh:0
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Wow .. look folks if your system is working and you don't weigh/measure but you are losing weight - then you are NOT the problem. It's the muppets on here who keep asking "Why am I not losing..." but can not possibly know how many calories that they are eating !!
If you do NOT know exactly how much you are eating then there's very little point asking for advice an expecting anything other than folks asking you how much you consume accurately.0
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