To anyone who doesn't have a food scale. . .

babygurl48

I have one, but I only use it for about 1/4 of the stuff I eat. Calorie counts are always going to be an estimate, anyway...

this

coconutbuNZ

Thanks for that, I'm still trying to be correct in my portions and yes it is hard to do this without scales, which are more accurate - digital or the normal food scales?

51powerski

Thanks, but if I got to the stage I was measuring everything I ate, I would consider myself to have an eating disorder. I have managed to lose all the weight I wanted to without one.

> joins calorie counting website
> says people who count calories have a disorder

Nice logic

nutandbutter

+1. Got the Taylor Biggest Loser one from Wally World with the glass top. Useful for portion control of high cal beverages like milk and wine, cereal, protein powder and other supplements. Mostly dry goods and ingredients for recipes go on it and it looks good in the kitchen too. TIP: buy some wax paper for the top so you aren't having to constantly clean it.

I just put my plate on the scale.

nutandbutter

I have a question.

i have been using a scale, but the problem i have is...say I weigh out some chicken ( 8 oz) , when i type chicken into the food database to look it up...all i get are measurements in cups or grams.....do i just assume that 8 oz is 1 cup and log it in as 1 cup?

sorry... i know its a stupid question..im just getting used to the whole weighing things out before eating. :blushing:

Can you change the units on your food scale? Mine does oz, g, and kg just by pushing a button.

rahmyers

I love my food scale. I found I was way under estimating my meat! I was so worried about going over I wasn't getting enough protien. Which explaines some other things. Also, I found even though I was measuring my cereal, the real portion of cereal by weight was about 1/3 less then the 1 cup stated on the cereal box. oh yeah, I got mine on ebay

Gorussell

I just started using this site this week and I have purchased mostly frozen dinners but I only want to use them for emergencies when I'm hungry and don't want to cook. This should prevent me from just grabbing anything. Anyway I am going to invest in a scale because although I am a really good cook I normally don't cook using any measurements and I cook according to taste and eyeball. I have a feeling that depending on how hungry I am a 4oz chicken breast when eyeballed by me in hungry mode will certainly be 8ozs. I am looking forward to getting my scale thank you for the advice.

suziecue66

I love my digital scale too. I used to use it to measure my carbs when a low carber. Now I use it for everything.

ConcordPhil

Thanks, but if I got to the stage I was measuring everything I ate, I would consider myself to have an eating disorder. I have managed to lose all the weight I wanted to without one.

I have to agree...I would get OBSESSED with the thing and not dare eat without it;) I know myself all too well!!!

To each his/her own. But there is a difference between being obsessive and being informed. For me having a scale was an eye-opener. And studies have shown that most people are way off on the high side when they try to guess how much a serving size actually is.

ctychick

My first post here!

I just started MFP and had been planning on buying a food scale for ages. After reading this I went right onto Amazon and ordered this one. With those reviews, how can I go wrong?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CM6TVI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A37RGE1MLU3I6K

LReneeWalker

We bought one from the dollar store for about 3 bucks... nothing fancy but gets the job done! I like using it cause I dont want to overeat trusting my eyes or under eat cause I want ALL my food lol

elenathegreat

Thanks, but if I got to the stage I was measuring everything I ate, I would consider myself to have an eating disorder. I have managed to lose all the weight I wanted to without one.

I have to agree...I would get OBSESSED with the thing and not dare eat without it;) I know myself all too well!!!

this completely...I have been doing pretty well guesstimating everything...I think logging food has mainly made me more aware of not putting crap into my body mindlessly and paying more attention to my " full" point...I would get nuts if I started weighing my stuff...would I carry the scale in my purse?

Barribomb

I agree helped so much! I found two really good brands at ROSS, cheaper than they were on amazon!

Raivynsblood

i plan on buying one thursday .. stupid question tho: do u weigh your meats before they're cooked, or after??

DannyMussels

Thanks, but if I got to the stage I was measuring everything I ate, I would consider myself to have an eating disorder. I have managed to lose all the weight I wanted to without one.

I kinda agree here.

For the most part, I can guess what my 1/3C to 1/2C oats is. Pretty much anything I eat is in a small enough amount, I'm not too worried about the calories.

The only things I look into are restaurant dishes, by checking online.

Weighing things is for the birds.

dls06

I always say, " if you wonder why you are not losing, Get a food scale"!

AllTehBeers

I have a question.

i have been using a scale, but the problem i have is...say I weigh out some chicken ( 8 oz) , when i type chicken into the food database to look it up...all i get are measurements in cups or grams.....do i just assume that 8 oz is 1 cup and log it in as 1 cup?

sorry... i know its a stupid question..im just getting used to the whole weighing things out before eating. :blushing:

I would use the facts on the package. The next time you buy some fresh chicken breast, pay attention to the labels because you'll notice different brands have different calorie counts for the same amount of chicken depending on how lean the cut is. So if your package says 200 g is 150 caloires, that would be more accurate then just 'raw chicken breast' from MFPs database.

I don't have scales and I'm completly lazy when it comes to cooking or measuring food so almost everything I buy is prepackaged at a single serving. Fresh fruits and veggies, soups, salads, snacks ect. It does cost more but I figure its worth it for convenience rather then swinging through the nearest drive thru.

At this point I'm big enough that just switching from burgers and tacos to chicken breast and fresh veggies will work for me so a 50-100 calorie difference isn't going to hurt me as much.

MsJenny813

I got mine at Aldi for $10. It's very accurate and has never given me problems. Once you do it for a while, you'll start to know what a serving is on your own. No, I don't weigh EVERYTHING out, but definitely meat.

Becky_Boodle

I love my digital food scale!!!
I like to know exactly how much I'm consuming...
especially with fish, chicken and fruits and veggies
scales and measuring cups are so worth the little amount of money!!!

81Katz

I could not imagine eating or preparing food without a food scale now. It's very easy to eyeball something and 'guess'timate and it's almost always way off. Even portions that say 1 cup for example yet it also gives a gram, I find you can actually eat more of some foods, mainly dry foods, if you weigh by grams or ounces than their recommended serving marked as '1 cup'.

anberlingasm

Thanks, but if I got to the stage I was measuring everything I ate, I would consider myself to have an eating disorder. I have managed to lose all the weight I wanted to without one.

I have to agree...I would get OBSESSED with the thing and not dare eat without it;) I know myself all too well!!!

To each his/her own. But there is a difference between being obsessive and being informed. For me having a scale was an eye-opener. And studies have shown that most people are way off on the high side when they try to guess how much a serving size actually is.

QFT. Using a food scale regularly (read: daily) doesn't necessarily = an eating disorder. My portion sizes (especially with things like cereal and potatoes) were WAY off. There's definitely a huge difference between being obsessive and having a better idea of your consumption.

Captian_Dathon

We recently added one to our kitchen. It helps a ton, especially since a certain family member who likes to cook full meals for her family thinks 12oz is actually 2 oz. Its becoming helpful, but we don't rely on it for everything. We NEVER measure fruits and veggies- actually, we don't count calories from fruits and vegetables. We don't want to associate the good food with any negative thoughts!
Just about everyone in my family has been losing weight, which is very good! We were ALL overweight, and now it's a race to see who can get to the healthy BMI first!

81Katz

One could say anyone who logs up at a food tracking site and logs in multiple times a day to type in all their food ... might have an eating disorder. *rolls eyes*

:huh: :noway: :grumble:

VanillaBeanSeed

Really thinking about getting one! Not sure where I would find one around here tho :[ but im gonna have a look next time im out shopping!!

chevy88grl

I lost all my weight without a food scale or a HRM. I just learned to eat less, eat better and move more. I guess I don't think they're an absolute necessity in weight loss journey. And honestly? For me, it would make me WAY too obsessive.

saragato

I don't cook my own food, but the one that does the cooking has been cooking long enough to know measurements when they're done by eye and uses the proper tools when they can't so I trust their judgment. I don't do anything personally food-wise that would warrant one. If I'm off by 20 or 200 calories, I leave enough room at the end of the day to have it not really matter.

PokerChris

Though it's probably not a necessity for everyone, I LOVE my scale! I use it all the time for things like meat and fruit. I mean there is a big difference in calories between a small pear and an extra large one. If we're going to be tabulating calories -- the basis of MFP--we may as well be as accurate as we can.

dbratton87

I have a question.

i have been using a scale, but the problem i have is...say I weigh out some chicken ( 8 oz) , when i type chicken into the food database to look it up...all i get are measurements in cups or grams.....do i just assume that 8 oz is 1 cup and log it in as 1 cup?

sorry... i know its a stupid question..im just getting used to the whole weighing things out before eating. :blushing:

I would use the facts on the package. The next time you buy some fresh chicken breast, pay attention to the labels because you'll notice different brands have different calorie counts for the same amount of chicken depending on how lean the cut is. So if your package says 200 g is 150 caloires, that would be more accurate then just 'raw chicken breast' from MFPs database.

I don't have scales and I'm completly lazy when it comes to cooking or measuring food so almost everything I buy is prepackaged at a single serving. Fresh fruits and veggies, soups, salads, snacks ect. It does cost more but I figure its worth it for convenience rather then swinging through the nearest drive thru.

At this point I'm big enough that just switching from burgers and tacos to chicken breast and fresh veggies will work for me so a 50-100 calorie difference isn't going to hurt me as much.

I have never bought fresh/raw meat, fruit, or veggies with a nutrition label. That's the main reason I got a food scale.

Food scales should include grams as well as ounces so you should be able to find an MFP entry that has at least one or the other.

dbratton87

Mine was $8 at Kroger. It's not digital. What's special about the fancy, expensive, digital ones? I may want to upgrade later if there is a significant difference.

krist3ng

aagh, I'd hate to know I was eating too much. I know how to eyeball cereal (I measured 1/2 cup and saw where it goes up to on my cereal bowl) but with other things I just guesstimate.