Food scale - important?
jomamacita7
Posts: 31 Member
I'm still 1-2 months pre-RNY, but wondered how important it is to weigh foods with a scale. Do you have a scale and do you feel that estimating is just not accurate enough? I don't have a scale currently and money is an issue for me. So, I'd love to get peoples thoughts on this and maybe even suggestions for an affordable scale.
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I like having one, especially to measure solid protein pre and post op. That way you know how much you're getting.
I bought the cheapest electronic one they sold on Amazon Prime. It got really good reviews. No complaints. Cost about $15.0 -
I love, love, love my food scale. I use it every single day to measure everything - even stuff like shredded cheese - so much easier to control portion size. I use the "tare" function a lot - put my plate/bowl on the scale and hit 'tare" after each item added. No extra dishes get messed up.
And it works great for pre-portioning individual servings into Tupperware containers. I also think it's difficult to accurately track by just eye-balling.
I, too, got a cheap scale on amazon a few years ago - I don't think it was more than $15-20 and it has lasted me a long time without even having to change the batteries. Definitely a good investment!0 -
I am 3 years out (gastric sleeve) and I still weigh and measure my food for accuracy. Truth is, most of us cannot just eyeball a portion correctly. Expecially if eating out of a bag of popcorn or a box of crackers (because these kinds of carbs don't give the full feeling like protein does). So yes, having a good food scale is key to maintaining proper portion control.
The other thing I really love and use almost daily are the 2 cup bowls with twist on lid by Ziplock. Cheap, buy them in the grocery store and they have a one cup measure line on the side. I use these to measure out a cup of yogurt for breakfast or a cup of homemade soup for lunch. Also great for holding a cup of lettuce in one with the weighed and chopped chicken or turkey for a salad in another.
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I am 2 weeks pre-op. I bought a scale during my 3-month supervised diet and it made a world of difference. I really had no idea how much an ounce of turkey was or an once of cheese (which is not very much cheese at all!). It made my calorie counting much more accurate. I also use the "tare" feature often and find it very helpful.
I have this one from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GS8E2PW/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=10 -
Weighing and measuring food is probably one of, if not THE most important, things I do every day to help keep me on track. Accuracy is critical when you are losing and maintaining weight, and it's very easy to be off on calorie counts if you are just eyeballing your portions, and even being off by small amounts can hinder weight loss or even ultimately cause gain. Weight loss surgery is a tool to help you be successful, think of a scale as another tool.0
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Yep it sits on my counter and is used every day. Mine was around $15 at WalMart.0
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Thank you all! I think I'm going to order me one from Amazon!0
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I have the biggest loser food scale. I use it to measure absolutely everything.0
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I weigh and measure when I am at home. At work I take care of portion control by eating a lot of frozen meals. But it really is eye opening to find out what a serving size is. I got my scale on amazon. It was $20 I think. I keep it on my island for easy access.0
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I am a firm believer in weighing almost everything. It is very hard to be accurate when eye-balling things and most of the time people are WAY off.
I only measure a few things because even measuring cups and spoons vary. The only time I don't measure things all the time are when things are super low calorie. Such as certain veggies that are super low calorie. Lettuce, spinach, and other greens, cucumbers, cabbage, mushrooms, and berries. Really, at almost 9 month out I can still eat very little, so I am only eating usually 5-20 calories, so I just estimate. Although, sometimes I do weigh these things out.
I highly recommend getting one now so you can start to get in the habit of using it. I have actually been doing it for years. Way before I even considered surgery. It can be annoying to get used to doing it, but it really does get easier and a normal part of plating up your food.
I have a digital that I got from Target for $25. I love it. Make sure you find one that you can use your own plate or bowl if you want. It makes it easier. You just put your plate on it, zero it out, add a food item, take note, zero it out, add another food item, take note, and so on. People often don't stick to it because it is "hard" and doing it this way vs using a container built into a scale makes it so much easier!
Good luck during your pre-op process and upcoming surgery!0 -
YES! Food scale! It's so much more accurate than measuring with cup measures. The scale more accurately reflects the actual serving size. Take oatmeal for example. A serving of oatmeal is 40 gms or 1/2 cup. Now, I've actually done this. I've measured out a half cup. Now, I actually took a knife and ran the flat edge along the 1/2 cup measure to the scrap the extra off. Most people wouldn't have done that, so their "1/2 cup" would have been rounded. When I weighed it, it was over 50 gm! That's almost an extra 1/4 serving over if I had weighed it. That's something like an extra 35 or 40 calories. And that's just one example. I haven't even tried it with cereal, crackers, or something like that.
So, yes, if it's a solid food, I'll weigh it. I only measure liquids, as a FL OZ is not the same as an OZ.
Make sure it's a digital scale, and don't feel bad about splurging on it. You'll use it enough to make it worth while.0
