NOT Weighing Food?

amusedmonkey

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

How does that work for something like a casserole or stew? Do you weight the casserole dish or pot, then weigh the whole thing again after it's done cooking, ten enter all the ingredients in the MFP recipe section and make the number of servings the number of grams the whole weighed, then zero out your plate and weigh the portion you are going to eat, and enter that you ate X servings where X = what the portion weighed in grams?

For recipes such as these, I usually use the about.com recipe calculator. It usually lists the total weight of the whole recipe. I then just make a rough guess how much water may have evaporated, then I weigh in whatever portion I feel like eating. It's actually much more flexible. Rather than having to stick to a certain number of portions I can have anywhere between 1 and 3.277 of a portion without needing to restrict myself to a certain size.

jacautxe

If you have trouble estimating food, then a food scale can train your eyes about portion size. But if it is working for you, then don't do it.

I have to measure some things, like nut butter, meat, etc., because my eyes still can't estimate very accurately.

ive worked in hospitality for 13 years now, i just recently started counting calories and watching portion sizes, luckily ive been around food so much and worrying about weight and such i can generally hit the nail on the head with eyeballing. So i would assume after using a scale for so long you would get use to just about everything like quoted above~

bcattoes

:laugh: at the "won't use a scale, but hey I use measuring cups/spoons!!! :laugh:

With the exception of this comment which is rude and unhelpful, this thread has been informative and eye-opening to see the different approaches and what works for different folks. I don't use a scale, but can see the benefit in some instances especially for calorie-dense foods like cheese, nuts, etc. I use a measuring cup as a scoop for cereal, for example. I use little plastic medicine cups for things like salad dressing. I use the package weight for meats (someone commented how do you measure chicken with a cup--cut it up into little pieces and shove it into a measuring cup?)

It's encouraging to see that folks are finding a variety of ways of "measuring" their foods, be it eyeballing and learning portion sizes or weighing to the gram. Thanks to the OP for opening up this topic for discussion.

But...chopping up chicken into small pieces and shoving it into a cup is more mess, more time consuming, and less accurate than placing a whole piece of chicken on a plate on a scale.
Also, package weights for meats are typically not accurate--they always say serving size 1 breast (4 oz) or something along those lines, but if you had a scale, you would see that the breast is typically 6-8oz (or bigger).

If you're using measuring cups, you should use a scale. Measuring cups aren't even close to accurate for anything solid, they are more time consuming, and they are more wasteful.

If you're eyeballing and losing weight at the rate you want and aren't hungry, then obviously a scale wouldn't be beneficial to you.

Many people cook from recipes. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of chopped chicken, then they are going to measure out one cup with a measuring cup to get the recipe right. Then weighing the chicken would be an additional step.

And for things like grains, the correct mix is usually listed by volume not weight in the US. So again, it would need to be measured with a measuring cup for volume, so weighing would be an extra step.

Not everyone cooks this way, but these are just a couple of examples of when you would be wrong.

If you look closely at your labels, you'll notice the serving size of everything solid (including grains) may have volume as a serving size but then the weight is listed in parenthesis next to it. I never paid attention to that before I started weighing my food either, but it's there. Eg, white rice serving is 1 cup (95g). My measuring 1 cup will be different than your measuring 1 cup and therefore we will be eating different amounts of calories.

If someone is following a recipe that calls for 1 cup of chicken (for whatever reason), all you do is put your cup on a scale and hit tare (which takes 2 seconds), chop your chicken and put it in the cup, and see what the scale says that weighs. The "extra step" is 2 seconds.

I wasn't talking about serving sizes, I was talking about ingredients and mixing proportions (for grains). I've never seen grains that said "add 2 cups water (X grams) and 1 cup rice (X grams).

Also, not talking about the method used for weighing. I was simply responding to the derisive post saying that using measuring cups was an extra step by providing examples where the scale would be the extra step.

jpolinisse

I don't weigh food.

eddiesmith1

You do realize that it is much easier and quicker to use a food scale than it is to use measuring cups, right? It's actually more sustainable, as well. But to each their own. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I don't realize this because it's not a hard and fast rule. It's a lot easier to use measuring cups when I make rice or use chickpeas or shredded carrots or any number of foods. Am I supposed to weigh ingredients when I'm making a cake or is it ok to use measuring cups for flour?

You realise baking is the one area that weight based cooking is almost mandatory for recipes to work properly. Pick up any professional baking cookbook, it will either give weights or more frequently proportions that require weights to implement. Baking is as close to science as cooking gets. a cup of flour will vary in weight for a myriad of reasons which is why there are standards for what they weigh. I had a kitchen scale long before this specifically for baking (And I baked for a living for a while)

♦ All-purpose flour 1 cup = 4.25 ounces

♦ Bread flour 1 cup = 4.5 ounces

♦ Cake flour 1 cup = 4.0 ounces

♦ Sugar (both granulated and brown) 1 cup = 7.0 ounces

SezxyStef

You do realize that it is much easier and quicker to use a food scale than it is to use measuring cups, right? It's actually more sustainable, as well. But to each their own. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I don't realize this because it's not a hard and fast rule. It's a lot easier to use measuring cups when I make rice or use chickpeas or shredded carrots or any number of foods. Am I supposed to weigh ingredients when I'm making a cake or is it ok to use measuring cups for flour?

You realise baking is the one area that weight based cooking is almost mandatory for recipes to work properly. Pick up any professional baking cookbook, it will either give weights or more frequently proportions that require weights to implement. Baking is as close to science as cooking gets. a cup of flour will vary in weight for a myriad of reasons which is why there are standards for what they weigh. I had a kitchen scale long before this specifically for baking (And I baked for a living for a while)

♦ All-purpose flour 1 cup = 4.25 ounces

♦ Bread flour 1 cup = 4.5 ounces

♦ Cake flour 1 cup = 4.0 ounces

♦ Sugar (both granulated and brown) 1 cup = 7.0 ounces

I wish more recipes did it by weight in Canada...I have yet to find a cookbook with weight.

It would make my life so much easier...put bowl on scale add flour by weight tare, add powder by weight, tare..and lots less dishes...

For me all the cookbooks I have do it by cups...although the assumption is flour is all purpose unless specified.

Strokingdiction

You do realize that it is much easier and quicker to use a food scale than it is to use measuring cups, right? It's actually more sustainable, as well. But to each their own. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I don't realize this because it's not a hard and fast rule. It's a lot easier to use measuring cups when I make rice or use chickpeas or shredded carrots or any number of foods. Am I supposed to weigh ingredients when I'm making a cake or is it ok to use measuring cups for flour?

You realise baking is the one area that weight based cooking is almost mandatory for recipes to work properly. Pick up any professional baking cookbook, it will either give weights or more frequently proportions that require weights to implement. Baking is as close to science as cooking gets. a cup of flour will vary in weight for a myriad of reasons which is why there are standards for what they weigh. I had a kitchen scale long before this specifically for baking (And I baked for a living for a while)

♦ All-purpose flour 1 cup = 4.25 ounces

♦ Bread flour 1 cup = 4.5 ounces

♦ Cake flour 1 cup = 4.0 ounces

♦ Sugar (both granulated and brown) 1 cup = 7.0 ounces

All-purpose flour 1 cup = 4.40 oz = 125g = 455 cals

Bread flour 1 cup = 4.83 oz = 137g = 495 cals

Cake flower 1 cup = 4.83 oz = 137g = 496 cals

Sugar, granulated1 cup = 7.05 oz = 200g = 774 cals

Flours unsifted.

Strokingdiction

You do realize that it is much easier and quicker to use a food scale than it is to use measuring cups, right? It's actually more sustainable, as well. But to each their own. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I don't realize this because it's not a hard and fast rule. It's a lot easier to use measuring cups when I make rice or use chickpeas or shredded carrots or any number of foods. Am I supposed to weigh ingredients when I'm making a cake or is it ok to use measuring cups for flour?

You realise baking is the one area that weight based cooking is almost mandatory for recipes to work properly. Pick up any professional baking cookbook, it will either give weights or more frequently proportions that require weights to implement. Baking is as close to science as cooking gets. a cup of flour will vary in weight for a myriad of reasons which is why there are standards for what they weigh. I had a kitchen scale long before this specifically for baking (And I baked for a living for a while)

♦ All-purpose flour 1 cup = 4.25 ounces

♦ Bread flour 1 cup = 4.5 ounces

♦ Cake flour 1 cup = 4.0 ounces

♦ Sugar (both granulated and brown) 1 cup = 7.0 ounces

I wish more recipes did it by weight in Canada...I have yet to find a cookbook with weight.

It would make my life so much easier...put bowl on scale add flour by weight tare, add powder by weight, tare..and lots less dishes...

For me all the cookbooks I have do it by cups...although the assumption is flour is all purpose unless specified.

Check out different European cookbooks online and you'll manage to find quite a few that do recipes by weight. I have several French cookbooks that are like this. However, you could also just use the ones you have now. Measure the ingredients, weigh it and then write the number in your book. Adjust weight as necessary until you have the exact taste/consistency that you prefer.

weird_me2

You do realize that it is much easier and quicker to use a food scale than it is to use measuring cups, right? It's actually more sustainable, as well. But to each their own. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I don't realize this because it's not a hard and fast rule. It's a lot easier to use measuring cups when I make rice or use chickpeas or shredded carrots or any number of foods. Am I supposed to weigh ingredients when I'm making a cake or is it ok to use measuring cups for flour?

You realise baking is the one area that weight based cooking is almost mandatory for recipes to work properly. Pick up any professional baking cookbook, it will either give weights or more frequently proportions that require weights to implement. Baking is as close to science as cooking gets. a cup of flour will vary in weight for a myriad of reasons which is why there are standards for what they weigh. I had a kitchen scale long before this specifically for baking (And I baked for a living for a while)

♦ All-purpose flour 1 cup = 4.25 ounces

♦ Bread flour 1 cup = 4.5 ounces

♦ Cake flour 1 cup = 4.0 ounces

♦ Sugar (both granulated and brown) 1 cup = 7.0 ounces

I wish more recipes did it by weight in Canada...I have yet to find a cookbook with weight.

It would make my life so much easier...put bowl on scale add flour by weight tare, add powder by weight, tare..and lots less dishes...

For me all the cookbooks I have do it by cups...although the assumption is flour is all purpose unless specified.

If you find you aren't getting the results you want with your recipes, you could use the NI from the packages to calculate weight > cups. If the flour says 1/4 C weighs X grams, then 1 C should way 4X grams. Same for sugar, etc. You would only have to calculate this once and then just write the info somewhere you can reference it easily.

Kita328

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 am right there with you!!! I will log my calories to the best of my abilities but I REFUSE to weigh my food. I like to rely on intuitive eating and commonsense when it comes to things like pasta or dining out at a restaurant or someone's house.

do you really think we take our scale to a resturant or a friends house????

too funny.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Kate

I use both .Generally, if it's a solid I weigh, a liquid I measure.

suremeansyes

I LOOOOOVE my food scale. I was shortchanging myself so often.

It's super easy to use too, I just weighed my cereal and milk in the bowl on my food scale. No extra dishes. It's also beneficial when I am making dinner. Last night I made stir fry, weighed carrots, tare, weighed other veggies, tare, blah blah. Then dumped the whole thing into the pan.

For me, it's sustainable, I love the information. I love numbers, I love stats. So it's actually not a bother to me at all, it's interesting.

Rawr1978

I love my scale, 6 months after not picturing myself using one. However, I have a really cool digital one and I find it fun to weigh stuff.

suremeansyes

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

How does that work for something like a casserole or stew? Do you weight the casserole dish or pot, then weigh the whole thing again after it's done cooking, ten enter all the ingredients in the MFP recipe section and make the number of servings the number of grams the whole weighed, then zero out your plate and weigh the portion you are going to eat, and enter that you ate X servings where X = what the portion weighed in grams?

When I am splitting up a dish (which I basically do nightly since I cook for the household) I weigh the total weight of what I made and divide that by the number of portions I'm dishing out. Then I put that amount of grams on each plate or tupperware (we eat leftovers for lunch). It's honestly extremely simple, and even if I am inputting an entirely new recipe for the night, it generally doesn't take "extra" time, as I do it while things are cooking.

Platform_Heels

I go on and off of weighing and measuring my foods. In all honesty after a while I've gotten real good at being able to eyeball serving sizes and have been pretty spot on with how much it weighs.

I personally don't foresee myself weighing my food forever, only if I feel myself going off track.

RachNRoll

I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I've been slowly losing weight since January and have never measured my food. I make an estimated guess. My thoughts are the same as yours regarding a lifelong choice, and I don't want to be tied to a kitchen scale.

me too. I never weight the food, because it's such a hassle to be tied up to a scale all the time. I measure by scoop, cup... and most important: reasonability

sweetpea03b

I guess if you're losing without weighing... great.. keep it up. Me, I was barely losing 1/2lb each week until I started weighing... now I notice that I can eyeball my servings a lot better. I'm sure I won't weigh forever... once I am close to my goal and I've really learned what a "serving" looks like... I'll probably stop weighing.

SezxyStef

I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I've been slowly losing weight since January and have never measured my food. I make an estimated guess. My thoughts are the same as yours regarding a lifelong choice, and I don't want to be tied to a kitchen scale.

me too. I never weight the food, because it's such a hassle to be tied up to a scale all the time. I measure by scoop, cup... and most important: reasonability

hmmm so you will dig out multiple measuring implements dirty them and be "tied" to them but you wont use a kitchen scale...eh whatever works for all of you.

I am just surprised at the misconception people have about food scales and what it means to use them.

Yes I can estimate my cheese now as long as it's cracker barrel as their blocks are a certian size...but any other brand no.

Can I estimate 150grams of chicken...pretty close...the one I had today without the bone was 140...but pasta or rice or potatoes...no...I can't do it. I always put too much on my plate.

As well I have found cups have short changed me lots as well...1/2c of cottage cheese is not 125...it's way less yet I was logging it as such and missing out on calories for chocolate..I mean that's just not right. :sad:

To be frank I have lost weight without one as well...not as quickly as I have this time nor as consistently...

Will I always use it...for the foreseeable future yes...then when I don't want to anymore I wont...but at that point I will be watching the other scale...bathroom one and making sure my skinny jeans feel right and when it goes up and the jeans get tight it will be used again because if that happens I obviously am mis estimating too much.

Here is a question for those who refuse, don't understand, hate the idea, or don't believe it makes a difference if you use a kitchen scale...how often do you weigh yourself? and how often do you believe that scale? and does that one make a difference? or do you just go by tape measure or BF%....????

120by30

I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I've been slowly losing weight since January and have never measured my food. I make an estimated guess. My thoughts are the same as yours regarding a lifelong choice, and I don't want to be tied to a kitchen scale.

me too. I never weight the food, because it's such a hassle to be tied up to a scale all the time. I measure by scoop, cup... and most important: reasonability

hmmm so you will dig out multiple measuring implements dirty them and be "tied" to them but you wont use a kitchen scale...eh whatever works for all of you.

I am just surprised at the misconception people have about food scales and what it means to use them.

Yes I can estimate my cheese now as long as it's cracker barrel as their blocks are a certian size...but any other brand no.

Can I estimate 150grams of chicken...pretty close...the one I had today without the bone was 140...but pasta or rice or potatoes...no...I can't do it. I always put too much on my plate.

As well I have found cups have short changed me lots as well...1/2c of cottage cheese is not 125...it's way less yet I was logging it as such and missing out on calories for chocolate..I mean that's just not right. :sad:

To be frank I have lost weight without one as well...not as quickly as I have this time nor as consistently...

Will I always use it...for the foreseeable future yes...then when I don't want to anymore I wont...but at that point I will be watching the other scale...bathroom one and making sure my skinny jeans feel right and when it goes up and the jeans get tight it will be used again because if that happens I obviously am mis estimating too much.

Here is a question for those who refuse, don't understand, hate the idea, or don't believe it makes a difference if you use a kitchen scale...how often do you weigh yourself? and how often do you believe that scale? and does that one make a difference? or do you just go by tape measure or BF%....????

For real! I really am baffled by all the people who think it's so much trouble to use a food scale. It's a piece of cake!

Booksandbeaches

OP you're not alone. I don't weigh my food and haven't ever done it.

I've lost most of my weight without having to get that detailed, but if it works for others, great, but not owning a food scale is working for me. Why change it when it's not a technique *I* personally need?