Overestimating: Am I the only one?

thursdaystgiles

I got a great food scale for under 4 bucks on amazon!

JassiBear

Amazon is just the best for everything! lol I got this awesome bejeweled phone case for 3.99, regular 25 bucks at the mall kiosk!

eslcity

I used a scale for a few months when i first went on my diet... but after a while.. I could eyeball it with more accuracy..

However, now that i'm near the end of my diet.. I'm finding it harder time getting the last 5kg off so i'm back using my scale.

fredgiblet

I pretty much always do that. I over-estimate my food, and round-down with my exercise calories. I know for a fact that it's inaccurate. And that might be hindering me from losing quite as quickly as other people do. But I'm really not concerned about that at all.

This. Except I don't even count my exercise calories, I only lift 2 sessions a week so it's not that big of a difference.

blu182

I do this as well, I'd much rather end up a little below my budget than passed it.
I also set my budget slightly lower then my actual goal. That way to also protect myself from going over.

Vailara

I mix it up and sometimes I'll weigh very accurately (this helps me to judge portion sizes), and other times I'll estimate and use volume, or even just eyeballing a portion. Like you, I've found that I've sometimes been overestimating and entering more calories than I've actually eaten, but sometimes it goes the other way too.

The truth is, this is a change for life and it's difficult to weigh every little thing. For instance, I cook meals that aren't just for me, and I take out a portion of that meal by size. To be more accurate, I'd have to weigh every ingredient, and then weigh the finished dish, and then weigh my portion. That's much too fiddly for me, so I'll serve myself what looks like a third or a quarter or whatever.

I know it's not accurate, but if it works (you lose weight steadily) you're OK. Weighing isn't 100% accurate anyway. For instance, water in foods is quite "heavy" but has no calories, so if you weighed food that had had water evaporate, or had absorbed water, you could be underestimating or overestimating the calories.

Spiderkeys

I've always over-estimated too, it's better to overestimate than under estimated, but my over estimating is a bit of problem now ive switch to maintance, I can't stop losing weight, the needle continues to creep very slowly downwards.

SezxyStef

how do you know you are over esitmating?

If you have never used a kitchen scale and gotten an eye for how much something is?

Even measuring cups don't match the weight.

I lost weight without a scale too...3/4lb a week when I should have been losing 1lb a week and if I had continued this way my last 15 would still be on my body.

I weigh everything in grams...not ounces. Grams are more finite then oz.

ETA: yes it may work for now...but at some point people should understand that if they stall or are at maitenance and are still losing it's time to do something aobut it...

sijomial

So what I mean by overestimating is this: I'm logging my food... I don't always use measuring cups, say a sprinkle of cheese.. or a tablespoon of peanut-butter. I just kind of visualize and approximate, but when I log it, I always log a larger amount than I think I actually used just to be on the safe side calorie-wise and not go over my goal...because I heard that most people eyeball larger portions than are actually the proper portion size. This is mostly just laziness on my part and lack of measuring cups lol...

Also I just use an 8oz foam drinking cup to measure out my cups, half cups, 1/3 cups, and so on... is that okay and does anyone else do this? I also just use a leveled out table-spoon (never heaping) to measure out a tablespoon. Am I the only one that does any of these things?

So you don't eat back exercise calories (how this site is designed) and you guess how much food you are eating.
Wish you all the luck in the world but you are making this a lot harder than it needs to be!
The "laziness" part alone should be a red flag! How many people got fat through laziness? How many people lose weight and keep it off successfully through laziness?

I've always over-estimated too, it's better to overestimate than under estimated, but my over estimating is a bit of problem now ive switch to maintance, I can't stop losing weight, the needle continues to creep very slowly downwards.

That's a huge contradiction, how can it be "better" to end up unable to eat at maintenance calories once you have hit goal weight?

GiveMeCoffee

You can't be sure you are overestimating as you don't know what the accurate measurement is. When I started I didn't use a food scale but I also had a lot of weight to lose so yes it worked, now that I've gotten closer to my goal and my deficit is very marginal, if I am not as accurate as possible I don't lose. Most of the time these inaccuracies are the reason the next thread people post is I'm eating 1200 calories and I'm stuck at a plateau or some other bs.

The only time my weight loss has stalled in 18 months, is when I got lazy with my logging and went back to eyeballing portions. My eyeballed portion of peanut butter or gelato well are very generous.

Sherryjane

I do it too sometimes...lazy also because I do cook all the time and have ever measuring gadget made, but I still eyeball it sometimes. But when you cook 3 or 4 meals a day for years your pretty good at eyeballing measurements. You will probably be fine1

paperpudding

You can't be sure you are overestimating as you don't know what the accurate measurement is. When I started I didn't use a food scale but I also had a lot of weight to lose so yes it worked, now that I've gotten closer to my goal and my deficit is very marginal, if I am not as accurate as possible I don't lose. Most of the time these inaccuracies are the reason the next thread people post is I'm eating 1200 calories and I'm stuck at a plateau or some other bs.

True, you cant be sure you are over estimating if you don't measure - but if you are steadily losing weight you can be sure that what you are doing is working.

I do weigh some things - but I happily confess I don't weigh or log as meticulously as some people on here
But I still managed to steadily lose weight doing that and have managed to maintain for around 7 months since doing it.

I agree that if people are not seeing progress or reaching their goals, logging more accurately is then called for - but that doesn't seem to be the case here, or the case for everyone.

islander029

I was very strict in the beginning with measuring and weighing. Now I can pretty much eyeball it and can get a good guesstimate. So long you are making your goal, you are probably ok!

rjmudlax13

So what I mean by overestimating is this: I'm logging my food... I don't always use measuring cups, say a sprinkle of cheese.. or a tablespoon of peanut-butter. I just kind of visualize and approximate, but when I log it, I always log a larger amount than I think I actually used just to be on the safe side calorie-wise and not go over my goal...because I heard that most people eyeball larger portions than are actually the proper portion size. This is mostly just laziness on my part and lack of measuring cups lol...

Also I just use an 8oz foam drinking cup to measure out my cups, half cups, 1/3 cups, and so on... is that okay and does anyone else do this? I also just use a leveled out table-spoon (never heaping) to measure out a tablespoon. Am I the only one that does any of these things?

I do this sometimes if I'm in a rush or out to eat. However, overestimating is a double edged sword. I get why you want to overestimate the calories, but you are overestimating the macros as well. So, you will be thinking you're getting more protein than you actually are. The best bet is to be accurate as much as you can.

healthygreek

Amazon is just the best for everything! lol I got this awesome bejeweled phone case for 3.99, regular 25 bucks at the mall kiosk!

Amazon is great but I have caught them overcharging by quite a bit on some items!
It pays to comparison shop!

DeeBerning

As long as you are consuming AT LEAST 1200 real calories every day, you should be okay. You just want to make sure you get enough calories in.

I estimate when I am out but when I am at home I try to measure, measure, measure.... it keeps my logging more accurate so I am aware of what I am eating, etc. and it also helps me with accurate guessing for those times I cannot measure.

Good luck in your journey!

mmerry5

I used to eyeball or use regular measuring utensils, but after watching the video on how inaccurate it was, I decided to get a scale. I LOVE my scale. It makes things so much easier and much more accurate. I was definitely off with my guestimations and now I simply like to be more accurate. Nut butters were the biggest eye opener. It’s amazing how small one tablespoon of almond or peanut butter is! I am at maintenance and there just isn’t as much wiggle room at maintenance. As someone else posted, I don’t sweat the low cal stuff, but when it comes to the calorie dense foods I want to be as accurate as possible.

On a side note, I’ve just started to look up gram equivalents for common recipe items (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder etc..) so that I can start using my scale for baking. It’s just so much more accurate and saves dirtying measuring utensils if you simply just place your bowl on the scale and measure ingredients right in a bowl. (The Tare button is your friend!) I’m thinking the more accurate I am with these measurements the better and more consistent my end products will be. I won’t have some batches turn out differently because my 3 “cups” of flour was really 3 ½ because I over filled, or it was somehow more packed down etc…

LSinVA

I do a little of both. I try my best to weigh and measure as much as possible when I cook (which is most meals). Definitely invest in a food scale and as another poster said, use the gram function as often as possible.

If you go out it's kind of a wildcard, you don't know what they're putting in your dish. You can try to look it up online but not every restaurant posts their nutritional information, especially local places. You're kind of forced to eyeball but if you do, overestimating can't hurt. That's what I do. I break down the dish and put in each component individually rather than using the "generic" options in the database. I feel it's at least *slightly* more accurate.

If you hit a plateau, tighten up the measuring and weighing.

porscheparcher

I actually use a program that has portion control involved in it so it was a really nice wakeup call! I think measuring accurately is important. Are you staying in line with your goals? We definitely eat more than we should a lot of the time!

_Resolve_

No I don't, I weigh everything I eat.