What's with measuring things in stones?

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2

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  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    Imperial measurements, same as your foot and your inches, at least the money went metric there were 144 pennies in the pound I believe....
    But now when you can make your 'cup' logical you can complain about stones lol!!!!

    hahaha you totally have us there. The worst is the fact that there are 16 ounces in a pound, but only 8 fluid ounces in a cup, I mean wth, right?

    Apparently our own system baffles you, because weight and volume are not even the same thing...so there SHOULD'NT be any logical connection between a fluid ounce and an ounce of weight. And the concept of a cup is simple....it holds 8 fluid ounces....for solids it's basically the amount of the solid that would take of 8 fluid ounces of volume, which is why solids are all different weights per cup, depending on the substance, which is why solids are just easier to weigh.
  • Hollie55
    Hollie55 Posts: 65 Member
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    Just to be different I am in New Zealand & we measure in kgs so I have to convert the Lbs and St into kgs. Except we still measure newborn babies in lbs aswell as grams.
  • fabi8081
    fabi8081 Posts: 232 Member
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    Hahaha I love the responses. I am American and measure in lbs (and cups) but I like stone for workout weight it sounds so much better when you say I've lost 2 stones. Pounds your like ok I've lost pounds. Stones sound so much more heavier like I've lost a lot more.
  • clioandboy
    clioandboy Posts: 963 Member
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    Apparently our own system baffles you, because weight and volume are not even the same thing...so there SHOULD'NT be any logical connection between a fluid ounce and an ounce of weight. And the concept of a cup is simple....it holds 8 fluid ounces....for solids it's basically the amount of the solid that would take of 8 fluid ounces of volume, which is why solids are all different weights per cup, depending on the substance, which is why solids are just easier to weigh.
    [/quote]


    Lol clear as mud! I'll stick to weighing my food rather than ramming as much lettuce as possible into my cup....
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    Apparently our own system baffles you, because weight and volume are not even the same thing...so there SHOULD'NT be any logical connection between a fluid ounce and an ounce of weight. And the concept of a cup is simple....it holds 8 fluid ounces....for solids it's basically the amount of the solid that would take of 8 fluid ounces of volume, which is why solids are all different weights per cup, depending on the substance, which is why solids are just easier to weigh.


    Lol clear as mud! I'll stick to weighing my food rather than ramming as much lettuce as possible into my cup....

    Exactly why I said..."which is why solids are just easier to weigh" :drinker:
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    I drink pints too, but not because I'm British or anything.
  • manorexicmarshmallow
    manorexicmarshmallow Posts: 80 Member
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    I drink pints too, but not because I'm British or anything.

    traitor! I swear its almost as if the War of 1812 didn't even happen. Sheesh :wink:
  • JennCLHowell
    JennCLHowell Posts: 7 Member
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    I just want to say I am loving these replys lol

    I must admit as a Brit I am actually finding it easier to measure in pounds (MFP being the first time I have ever used pounds) rather than stone, but yeah really dont get the whole cup thing.... i actually picture a cup, or a mug that i put my tea in and it just confuses me even more cos if I measured anything with one of my cups id be eating enough for three people haha
  • benodie
    benodie Posts: 231 Member
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    I'm a brit . . .I measure in stones because its the only way I can get a mental picture . .I don't really know how to explain it but I was 21 stone 12lb at my heaviest, which is AWFUL but converting that to 306lbs means nothing to me!! (not sure I've even worked that out right lol!)

    p.s . .the whole american 'cup' thing drives me MAD!! Don't get it lol! ;)
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    To the befuddled Brits...it's simple. 8 oz. of fluid fits into a VERY specific sized object. Has nothing to with drinking cup or a glass or anything of the sort....that argument is like us saying that stones are confusing because it's a rock...which is clearly silly.

    Stones IS part of the imperial measurement system....as well as pints....sigh this is probably a bad use of my time to explain this.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    To the befuddled Brits...it's simple. 8 oz. of fluid fits into a VERY specific sized object. Has nothing to with drinking cup or a glass or anything of the sort....that argument is like us saying that stones are confusing because it's a rock...which is clearly silly.

    Stones IS part of the imperial measurement system....as well as pints....sigh this is probably a bad use of my time to explain this.

    Seems we spend a lot of time explaining things around these parts.. eh? I wouldn't worry about explaining the difference between metric and imperial measure, though. Maybe this will help everyone anyway:

    science.png
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
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    Has anyone else wondered why American people still measure weight in pounds? I could see that this would make sense if a pound was an even 10 ounces or something, but its something like 16 ounces, right? How is it not more confusing and hard to calculate to say I weigh 194 pounds then just to say I weigh 88.18 kg?

    :drinker:
  • xSophia19
    xSophia19 Posts: 1,536 Member
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    Right so i weigh 194lbs, in stones thats 13.12. If a family member asked how much i weigh, if i said 'oh i weigh 193lbs now' they would look at me as if to say 'and exactly how much is that?' soo for us British people, its easier for us just to use stones over pounds.. This website annoys me a little, wen you loose weight, it records how much youve lost in lbs, soo each time i weigh in and lost a lb or 2, i have to figure what that is in stones soo then if anyone says 'blimey soph, youve lost weight how much you lost now?' i can just say 2stone blah blah blah or how ever much it is!! I wish this website would let us choose between lbs and stones for when we weigh in! Cos i find it easier to be using stones :)
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    In Phils, pounds, feet, inches, ounce are used to measure weight, height or in fluids but I would rather weigh myself in kilos than lbs. or in meters than feet. I just use the lbs on my ticker for the sake of MFP. Oh & I don't understand whenever they say 1 or 2 miles, all I know is kms. I dont even know what is a mile to a km. Sorry I was too busy daydreaming in school all day to even know those things :laugh:
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
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    I was born and raised with the metric system. Pounds, stones, ounces, inches, feet, it all confuses me! I love the cup/spoon thing, though, way easier than with a kitchen scale!
  • nickiben
    nickiben Posts: 117 Member
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    Im a Brit, and any American recipe I ever follow in cups never seems to work out?? Why dont you measure stuff???

    Ive got used to pounds now from using MFP, but still have to sit with my calculator when watching Biggest Loser so I know how much people now weigh!!
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
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    Im a Brit, and any American recipe I ever follow in cups never seems to work out?? Why dont you measure stuff???

    Ive got used to pounds now from using MFP, but still have to sit with my calculator when watching Biggest Loser so I know how much people now weigh!!

    Are you using an actual set of measuring cups and spoons? Don't just use any cups and spoons because they're all different.
  • clarech82
    clarech82 Posts: 244 Member
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    Hi im a brit and the only thing I measure in cups is my tea. Like the one I'm drinking at the moment :drinker:
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    What's with living in the dark ages and measuring in pounds and ounces? That always makes me think of my grandma's cookbook from the 1940's!!
  • clarech82
    clarech82 Posts: 244 Member
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    One thing that always confuses me is why do we weigh babies in pounds and ounces but when it comes to buying carseats its in kg?

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