Do you ever stop measuring and weighing?

ChristinWrites

I am very diligent, perhaps even anal about counting everything - and that's fine and good for now. I've been doing this for a few months and I am wondering do you reach a point where you feel comfortable that you can actually "eyeball" a proper portion? or do you feel like you may have to weigh/measure almost everything for life?

For me, that's the part that seems daunting. I'm fine doing it most of the time and sometimes, like if I have to eat on the go, I simply have to do my best guesstimate, but I am wondering when/if I will be able to "let go" of some of the measuring/weighing or if it is something you really have to continue to do for good? I can see myself exercising permanently, eating healthier foods etc. but the notion of having to record, weigh and measure every tiny thing doesn't seem all that realistic to me for a lifetime.

Any thoughts / experiences? how long did it take to get confident in your ability to know a proper portion without the tools?

StaciMarie1974

I'm on the fence here. I do feel more comfortable estimating some things - mainly things I know to be fairly low in calories anyhow. (Whether I add 30g or 50g cucumbers to my salad, it won't make a big difference.) But almost 6 months in and I still try to weigh as much as possible.

sullus

I'm experimenting with that right now. It's working out well, actually. I decided to stop logging (the explanation is in my profile), and just try to go by feel moving forward.

But you're right .. you cannot measure/log everything for life.

ETA - it took 2 years of obsessive measuring and logging to get to this point.

Mr_Bad_Example

I will never stop. If I do, I will regain the weight. This is how I live now, and that's okay with me, because I like where I'm at.

TheStephil

There are some things I'll never feel comfortable not weighing; meat, peanut butter, nutella, etc. but there are some things I've gotten pretty good about eye balling and putting the right amount on the scale; nuts, jerky, trail mix, etc.

I use the same small tupperware container for my nuts and trail mix and I know what one serving looks like in the tupperware. However it takes just as much time to pour nuts into a container or bag on the counter as it does to put the container on the scale and pour the nuts. It takes literally two extra seconds max so I don't mind doing it.

mommyrunning

When I am at or close to a maintenance weight I do not measure or weigh all my food. I do regular weigh ins to keep on track and go by how I look and feel. Then if I start to see negative changes I go back to being more strict.

nilbogger

Yes, and then I gain weight back.

0somuchbetter0

I don't intend to ever stop weighing, measuring, and logging. I'm happy to do it if it means keeping my weight under control.

laurie04427

Mm that's why I'd been avoiding purchasing a food scale. Really don't want to do that long term. What I am doing now I could do long term, which is portion things out with measuring cups (yeah I know that's not accurate for solid food) and eyeballing tablespoons.

And assuming the fruit I eat is average. Has worked so far.

And when I hit maintenance I expect my weight to fluctate a bit because I wing it in this way. I'm okay with that.

accelerashawn

I started counting and weighing in February. I thought it was amazing how quickly the results come when you actually eat right. I still weigh pretty regularly but I will guess when it comes to vegetables because I just aim to be within 1-200 calories of my goal.

Sweet potatoes i can almost go by feel now. I am also fairly accurate with meats and liquids (milk, fruit juices) but i still try to measure just so that I keep my accuracy. That way when i'm out on the road I will have a good idea of how bad i'm doing...haha.

Iwishyouwell

I use to calorie count way back in the day, when I first started trying to lose weight. Hated it.

I don't calorie count and I don't weigh. I've lost none of the 100+ pounds I have calorie counting. I didn't when I first lost and maintained for 5 years.

It was good to be educated about calories, and to get a good idea of how many calories are in what kinds of food, but once that basic knowledge was set in I didn't need it to lose.

YMMV. Other people seem to require it to lose and maintain.

SezxyStef

To be frank when I first got my scale I estimated before I weighed...now I don't do that.

The scale has made me a bit lazy in that respect. It's on my counter all the time and 2nd nature now...

Do I want to get to the point where I don't need it...eh I don't care really.

Should I get to that point ...probably...but will I....not in the forseable future.

Jim_G10

I am trying it just now.
Over the month of June, not logging to sanity check if what I have learned has actually worked.

So far so good!

Pirate_chick

I weigh and measure everything, but I am anal like that. Once I get to maintenance. (I have a very long way to go) I'll probably ease up.

rpmtnbkr

My first go around (before MFP) I logged and weighed everything for about 2 years religously. I finally started slacking off and not recording or weighing... I was fine for 10-11 months... My weight started to increase a little partly due to the time of the year, partly due to my eyes deceiving me... I starting weighing and logging again and found I was over estimating. After a few months of diligent logging I was back under control....

Personally I've found that I have a good eye regarding portion size etc and just listen to my body. I don't stress if I end up over by a lot or a little.

When things start sliding the wrogn way I tend to get back on track and start weighing and logging until it gets back under control...

Branstin

I don’t weigh or measure any of my foods because I use portion control and it has been working. However, if I ever get stuck, I will weigh and measure my food. If I have to, I will do it for the rest of my life. It is a small price to pay for achieving weight loss and maintaining good health. Personally, I don’t have a preference between eye-balling, portion control, or measuring and weighing as long as the person meets their macros and weight loss goals in a healthy manner. At the end of the day, it’s about finding an option that works best for you.

cwolfman13

I'm a much better judge of things these days, having been at this for around 2 years now and having maintained for a bit over a year. I don't stress when I can't weigh something out exactly...like I said, I've learned to eyeball most things pretty well and I can compare serving sizes to other objects like my fist, palm, etc...

The key is to still remain mindful of what you're doing; you don't want to start just mindlessly putting plates of food together. I have certain serving spoons, etc that I use routinely for certain things that I know through experience is going to more or less get me a proper serving size.

Weighing and measuring everything is a great way to get a grasp on portion control, but really you should ultimately be able to visually do much of this. That said, I still weigh out things like pasta and nuts for which I have a propensity to see a serving size as something bigger than it really is. There are a few other things I weigh out namely to ensure that I'm not shortchanging myself. But like I said, ultimately you want to be able to handle life and food and what not without having to weigh and measure every little thing...and without having to log it all meticulously. BTW, I've been maintaining for over a year without logging...I'm just mindful of what I'm doing at all times...and I rock the ****z out of my fitness.

abatonfan

I am currently trying to learn how to eyeball my portions. Most of the time, I do weigh and measure my foods, but it is near impossible for me to do that in a restaurant setting (especially for one that does not provide nutrition information). In a restaurant setting, I tend to compare it to a competitor's item that I do know the nutrition for. For example, I can get a chocolate dessert at my favorite Italian restaurant and compare it to being half the size of a Chili's molten lava cake.

I am a diabetic and usually have a way of determining whether my estimate of a serving of something is equal to a weighed serving of an item. If I go up into the 200's after eating and taking insulin for that item, I know that my serving size was greater than what I carb counted for. If I go below 70 after eating, I know that my serving size was smaller than what I carb counted for.

1911JR

I am very diligent, perhaps even anal about counting everything - and that's fine and good for now. I've been doing this for a few months and I am wondering do you reach a point where you feel comfortable that you can actually "eyeball" a proper portion? or do you feel like you may have to weigh/measure almost everything for life?

For me, that's the part that seems daunting. I'm fine doing it most of the time and sometimes, like if I have to eat on the go, I simply have to do my best guesstimate, but I am wondering when/if I will be able to "let go" of some of the measuring/weighing or if it is something you really have to continue to do for good? I can see myself exercising permanently, eating healthier foods etc. but the notion of having to record, weigh and measure every tiny thing doesn't seem all that realistic to me for a lifetime.

Any thoughts / experiences? how long did it take to get confident in your ability to know a proper portion without the tools?

This seems to be more a trust issue in ones self, for some people. Almost everyone, including myself, eats more than what they think they do. The, oh, that steak was a 6 oz. when it was really 8 or 10. If your a big eater, its easy to mis or leave off the small stuff. Like sticking your hand in the chip bag. Another example, I eat plain walnuts, a 1/4 cup is 200 calories. Which is no more than a small handful, but I always measure. I could eat 2,000 calories of those easy watching a movie! So you have to be carful with some things.

Grapes, I always pull off 10 at a time.

I don`t weigh everything anymore, mainly because I eat almost the same things everyday. So, if I eat more than 2 cups of raw broccoli a couple times a day, no harm done. I do always weight out my turkey and meats and everything that's non raw veggie. But it has become a habit for me that I don`t find troublesome.

sfbaumgarten

I can't imagine not weighing and measuring... It's just the norm for me now.

Meerataila

I think I'm okay with guesstimating on things like onions, peppers, and garlic, but estimating dried fruits and nuts is a bad idea for me. If I like it too much, my eyes will play tricks on me.

_KitKat_

I think in the future there will be times I do and times I don't. I was never a big eater, I gained my weight snacking, and being less active. I am also in the minority that when I started weighing my food, I actually got to have more...like bacon Yum! I always plan to track my weight and be aware of my body composition, so this will not happen again (never has before). I plan on always wanting to improve and that is where the sometimes weighing/logging will come in in the future. Cut/bulk cycles I will need to. Otherwise I will check new foods and probably log days outside the normal, just to have a clear picture of any damage done.

Everyone is different, if I had distorted portion control, I do with broccoli & guacamole, with most foods then I would need to keep weighing/logging because even if I learned I could see it easy to slip and not notice. I would also continue if I had started at a higher weight or had always had a weight problem. Medical issue people most likely need to continue also.

The logging is a habit now, so that may continue regardless.

It really is an individual thing, just like the weight loss. Also a quest for health does not end with a number on a scale, if someone thinks the journey ends then...they are setting themselves up for trouble.

ChristinWrites

Thanks for all the amazing replies and stories everyone. It really does help to see the perspective from others with this. I can see for sure how I'd have to always measure some things - like nut butters for example, because a little over is a lot of calories. It is good to know though that I may be able to relax a little in time. I'm definitely honest enough to know I am not at that place yet - but it does help knowing others are doing it with success.

BigT555

some people are just good at eyeballing. im lucky enough to be one of those people, ive gotten away with no food scale for the past 60 lbs, and i dont really have plans to get one unless i hit a lasting stall that isnt to blame on me knowingly going over my calorie count (happens almost every weekend). i will be counting (estimating?) calories until im an old man though

on a side note i know a few people here have mentioned that a food scale has helped greatly in their ability to eyeball proper portion sizes so they were able to stop consistently weighing and maintain their weight loss