how to measure

glossybl3

Hi everyone...:flowerforyou:

My mom has always been a fab. cook and she never used a kitchen scale for measuring.. and thanks to her that even I didn't feel the need of it while I was learning how to cook (so we don't have one :laugh: ). But I was wondering since i now log in my food, would it be more accurate to actually weigh the foods/fruits before you eat? How many of you actually weigh your food before eating? I'm particularly concerned about fruits like watermelon, melon, papaya that are humongous ? I've just been guesstimating so far...not sure how accurate this needs to be :embarassed:

ThinnerHill

I weigh just about everything that goes into my mouth unless its already portioned out for me (ex. laughing cow cheese wedge 35 calories) I think my family thinks that at this point I'm a little obsessive about it but if its going in my mouth its weighed, counted and logged, I have no freebies. I weigh my fruits like apples and bananas also. I weigh everything!!!!!

aa1440

You need to measure everything that you eat. Everything has a calorie content. If you eat 50 pounds of veggies you will still gain weight. Fruit, meat, candy, veggies... you need to know what you are putting in so you know how much to exercise and how much to eat.

TrishaLeighNelson

I've been wondering about this too. Also how much does a scale usually run, price wise?

moushtie

I weigh most things that don't already have a portion size attached. But I'm ok with having an approximate weight too. Like if I get a bag of apples that are approximately the same size, I'll weigh one, then say all the others are the same weight. It just gets to be a habit. Breakfast cereal is my main one that gets weighed. Every morning, no excuses. I simply cannot judge this one by eye, no matter how many times I do it!

DannyMussels

I only tracked what I ate for about a month before it drove me loco. For the most part, I eat the same things daily, so have a good enough idea of what it is.

I generally group fruits and veggies into the same category, that I'm NOT gonna overeat them, or consume 1000+ calories a day. I might have 2-3 cups combined daily, which is pretty low.

The only things I worry about are the tricky ones...like things cooked with oil, or added fats, which'll generally be higher calorie. Sauces, dips, cream soups, gravies..all that jazz. For the most part, I don't eay any of them. 'plain' this and that is a better bet if you're not sure.

Most things sweetened...you probly don't wanna know the calorie content of.

I'm not too hardcore about it.

chevy88grl

I don't weigh my foods. I did, however, measure out 1 cup of rice or 2/3 cups of peas (or whatever). I know they say you NEED a scale (like you NEED a HRM), but I knew that I wouldn't want to weigh my food for the rest of my life. So, I worked on learning what was a reasonable portion based on the information on the package. I read what the serving size is (4oz or whatever) and how many servings are supposed to be in the bag and I divide it out to figure it out.

For example, Combos (which I don't eat alot, but enjoy occasionally) say the serving size is something like 1oz and there are 7 servings in the bag. So, I dumped the whole bag out and divided them into 7 servings. May not be perfect, but it is close enough for me.

I wanted to lose weight and be healthier, but I did NOT want to turn this into an obsession.

glossybl3

Yeah, I think you guys are right.. Unless I don't measure the exact amount, I wouldn't know how much I'm eating.

@ Trisha: I googled it and they seem really cheap like around $20-25.

glossybl3

@ kiwiburger & chevy88grl: You both have a point as well. Even I wouldn't like to measure the food all the time and especially not in front of others. I'm totally confused whether I really need the scale now..

More advise is welcome.. :flowerforyou:

Chood5

I bought a nice glass kitchen scale at walmart for $19.99. Works and looks great

chevy88grl

@ kiwiburger & chevy88grl: You both have a point as well. Even I wouldn't like to measure the food all the time and especially not in front of others. I'm totally confused whether I really need the scale now..

More advise is welcome.. :flowerforyou:

Go ahead and buy the scale. Weigh your food for awhile until you get the feel for what is a serving size of something (I learned this by using my weird little system... lol). Once you feel more comfortable about it, stop weighing it for awhile and see how you do. I'm REALLY good at eyeballing 1 cup of rice, 1 tablespoon, etc.

barbiebarkley

i got a nice one at target for $ 20.00it work great to!

ElPumaMex

MFP makes it easy enough, so that you don't have to weigh or measure your food.

Only if you go way outside the normal portion size, is when you need to measure.
For example, a chicken breast.

Don't worry too much on food measurement.
It is challenging enough to log in every food you eat, and if on top of it you have to weigh it..., well it will drive you crazy and you will drop the program.

Be sensible on the portions you eat, and you will find the estimate on food portions listed in MFP are close enough to the calorie intake.

Le_Joy

I weigh my food. Even after weighing stuff for two months it s still difficult to tell what 1oz of chips looks like especially since they come in different sizes. And I doubt I will EVER be able to look at ice cream and tell if it is 1/2 cup. I used to use a measuring cup, but it is easier to just set the bowl on the scale... I don't weigh fruit or fresh veggies though, I estimate those. I don't want to be completely obsessive.