weighing vs measuring food

drabbits3

So there is a lot of discussion about weighing food. I have 20 pounds to lose, I have lost 10 since June 30 by logging here, exercising a lot more than I ever did (it's summer, I'm a teacher, so I have the time right now), cleaning up my diet and measuring everything. I have been using measuring cups--whatever the portion size is, that's what I'm having, or half of that or whatever. Now, my question is--what's wrong with that? Lots of folks here seem to use a food scale. If the portion size printed on the box (cereal for example) says 2/3 of a cup = 90 calories (for example), and I scoop out two of my 1/3 measuring cups full-like, evenly full, not heaping--what would be better about weighing? I am perfectly willing to go buy a food scale--someone recommend a good one, reasonable cost and pretty user friendly--happy to do it--but is weighing that much better than measuring out portion sizes?

GrammyPeachy

I measure too, but I'm getting a scale for meat portions and things not so easily measured with measuring cups and spoons.

ellew70

Measuring is generally better for liquids ... think about it... a cup of milk takes up the full cup. When you pour in cereal, its not really a cup, because there is air between the pieces of cereal, or it might round up at the top or dip down. The amount of difference isn't probably a big deal, but think about bigger things. How do you measure a "cup" of chicken breast. or broccoli florets? The only way to know is to weigh it. It's really not that hard when you get used it it.

And estimating? Right out.

troublemaker47

Very good question. I measure things the same as you and I would like to know why they think weighing is better too. I can see weighing meat but if the portion size on the containers are cups etc, whey change it? I have heard that the measuring cups are not always accurate but neither are scales that aren't calibrated every day- I am a nurse! and we calibrated the scales in our office every morning.

La5Vega5Girl

I weigh everything on my little handy kitchen scale. honestly it's probably not a huge deal, but i'm a bit of a freak about exact amounts. if I go over by .1, I will take out half a pecan. LOL

I think as long as you are measuring in some way, that is probably good enough. just be honest

*edited to change spelling

Kalikel

It just depends on how much work you wish to do. The theory behind weighing is that the calories listed for a cup of Fruity Pebbles may not be accurate. If you weigh the cup, it may weigh more than the box indicates a cup will hold. People are just trying to get the most accurate calorie numbers they can.

If you're stalled and you think weighing will help, go get a scale and get to weighing! If it doesn't work, you change again.

If you don't want to bother with it, just eat a little less, exercise a little more or both!!

There is no right way. Everyone must do what works best for them.

FoxyLifter

Weigh all solids with a kitchen scale.

Measure only liquids with cups and spoons.

ETA: I even weigh out individually wrapped product. They can be off by 25%. It may not sound like much, but it adds up and it doesn't take a lot of time.

glasshalffull713

This topic irks me because many on this site are so fanatical about it. I personally measure or eyeball, but some of the time I weigh AFTERWARDS to test my accuracy, and I would say 90% of the time I am right on. In reality, I think it is better to learn to estimate because who carries a food scale all the time? If this is a lifestyle change, then we need to adopt practices that can actually be maintained, forever, and I don't plan on weighing everything for the rest of my life.

The argument is that measuring can be a lot more off than we think it is, but I have not found that personally. If I am unsure and it is a situation where I am without a scale, I just estimate that it is a little more food than I think it is to be on the safe side. So far, so good.

trogalicious

better? That's up to you.
more accurate? probably so.

lemurcat12

I don't think weighing is necessary for a lot of people, but if you are stalled and think you should be losing at your goal it's worth trying. But more often I think the issue is stuff like assuming that one chicken breast equals a serving size when it may well be nearly two or using a raw entry for cooked meat or a wishful thinking entry.

I was losing fine when I bought my scale, but just figured it would be easier, and it is. No messing with cups and spoons and the vast majority of what I personally eat didn't work well with them anyway. How many green beans or asparagus in a cup? What about meat? Do I really want to measure out a half cup of cottage cheese in a cup when I could scoop up an appropriate amount for my meal on my plate, weigh, and log that, without worrying about making it precisely half a cup (113 g) if I don't want. That it lets me weigh my eggs when I make an omelet or plum or other items that vary in size is just a perk.

Seriously, if I was measuring I'd find this such a pain, but weighing is no trouble at all and I even kind of enjoy it.

aqualeo1

If you're losing at a good rate I wouldn't worry about it right now. When you get closer to your goal, and then in maintenance, the accuracy becomes more important so I would suggest a food scale for sure at that point. Good luck.

levicrouch

For me, weighing solids (even some liquids) in grams is easier and faster. When weighing cereal, for example, it is simpler for me to put the bowl on the food scale, zero out the weight of the bowl then pour the amount of cereal I want, then enter the grams into MFP, and have the correct amount of calories by how many grams of cereal I consumed. Sometimes i don't eat an exact serving that the calories are based off of.

The real kicker for me was when i verified a volume measurement of peanut butter. 1 tablespoon (32g) of peanut butter is 180 calories, when i used spoons to measure out tablespoons, i ended up with double the grams (64g) so i was consuming 180 calories than i was logging, do that for a long enough period and you start to wonder why you aren't losing like you expect.

For food scales, bed bath and beyond have a good selection. I recommend a food scale that can handle more that 3-5 pounds and one that does both grams and oz.