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

Options
1356

Replies

  • piebird79
    piebird79 Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    You can get one at Amazon as well. I have the Escali digital scale.

    On another note, before joining MFP I had no idea people weighed their food for weight loss. It makes sense, it just never occurred to me. I've had my digital scale for a while and primarily use it when I bake cakes and only rarely use it to weigh my foods for weight loss.
  • hazelnut861
    hazelnut861 Posts: 390 Member
    Options
    I've had one for a long time and i thought I'd get too crazy about weighing everything, but I'm more aware of what a portion is. It also came with a little booklet with calories per gram so i can find a more accurate match on mfp.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    Options
    I bought one for a dollar a Woolworths about 30 years ago, and I still use it at work. (I've got a bigger one from the cooking store for home.) We're not measuring cocaine. It's close enough.

    If weighing your food makes you OCD, maybe you'd be better off with Weight Watchers points than with MFP, which is built on measuring calorie consumption to three significant figures. Not everyone is suited to every plan. The MFP people have been pretty clear that they don't intend this for people with eating disorders.

    For me, this works because food is just food and numbers are just numbers, and the app deals with all that, not me. I'm not eating because I'm bored or feel depressed or feel I deserve to eat because I've been put upon. I eat because I'm hungry and I have calories left.

    (It occurred to me recently that people who get OCD from weighing themselves might do better if they switched their digital scales to kilograms or pounds from whatever they use now, just so it isn't triggering memories.)
  • KatFierce
    KatFierce Posts: 252 Member
    Options
    I need to get one my biggest issue is meat and fish portions SO hard to figure without a scale
  • DFWTT
    DFWTT Posts: 374
    Options
    <snip> We're not measuring cocaine. It's close enough.<snip>

    Bwahaahaa. I said $50 fool...measure it again. Nice lol.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
    Options
    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...

    exactly... though I'd use it for less than 1/4.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    Options
    I loved mine until it died last week. Honestly, i'm a little lost without it. I'm getting a new one on thursday though, hopefully it will help me out of the funk i'm in.
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    Options
    To be honest I thought everyone with a kitchen would own a set of kitchen scales.

    But I agree, they are a must, I find weighing out portions helps so much, to be honest before I didn't really care I'd just throw stuff in a pan not caring what portion was, my kitchen scales were only every used for when I was baking cakes or bread but now I weigh everything to control my portions.
  • Silver_Star
    Silver_Star Posts: 1,351 Member
    Options
    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:
  • kstone70
    kstone70 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    My food scale is by far the best investment I have ever made (as well as my HRM). I have a SALTER and absolutely love it. I weigh just about everything. Although I have only been on MFP for a couple months, I have used my scale daily for a long, long time. Maybe I am a little addicted because I want to know exactly how many calories I am eating and burning.
  • Taylerr88
    Taylerr88 Posts: 320 Member
    Options
    got one at canadian tire for like 15 bucks.. its a must have for sure.
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
    Options
    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.

    This is me, too. For meat, I try to remember that a deck of cards is approx. 3 oz. For other things, I visualize 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, etc. cup and fit my portions into those. I wouldn't do well if I had to measure everything I put onto my plate, but that's just me.

    I don't think it's a total necessity, but I think people that aren't seeing a loss with their own estimations might want to consider a scale.
  • Lost_Mermaid
    Lost_Mermaid Posts: 136
    Options
    I got a scale but havent really used it yet because I dont know how many calories are in the meat. Ive tried searching online, but the variances are ridiculous, is 4 oz of chicken 100 calories or 180 calories...i'm pretty confused with it
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
    Options
    I love salads, but it's tough to eyeball 2oz of a baby spring mix. So much easier to measure! Spaghetti noodles are another tough measure because the package always lists a fraction of the package and a weight - not a measuring cup. Broken chips, got to weigh those or I will surely be over generous in estimating what constitutes a whole chip.

    Even if you don't weigh and measure every single time, it's good to use one to calibrate your own settings every once in a while. I find that if I don't measure my cereal into a cup before dumping it in a bowl, over a period of months, that cup will grow to be substantially more than a cup. I say measure, if not regularly, at least weight and/or measure once in a while.
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
    Options
    I agree! Food scales have made my life so much easier. Now I know exactly how much I'm eating :)
  • DFWTT
    DFWTT Posts: 374
    Options
    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:

    That's what I do if the measurement units are not meshing. Most scales switch between oz and grams. Either way, ignoring the density and temperature variables, I would estimate 8oz at 225g (denser than H2O). Chances are you wont be eating anything lighter than water. Some people will say about 240g.
  • alylynn10
    alylynn10 Posts: 44 Member
    Options
    I agree!! I'm in love with my food scale....I can't live without it.
  • entropy83
    entropy83 Posts: 172 Member
    Options
    Digital food scale all the way! I also think it has improved my ability to actually eyeball portions when I can't measure. I love using it for measuring condiments i.e. salad dressing, nut butters, cream cheese. Tablespoons are evil little devices.
  • WittneeT29
    WittneeT29 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    I love my digital food scale! Not only does it help with portion control, it leaves me with less dishes (measuring cups, etc.) to clean. I don't cook anything without it!!
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    Options
    I go through phases with mine...I use it more when i have a lower calorie goal then when I've adjusted mine higher...I change mine every few months to switch things up.

    I'm using mine more now because my husband is back home so I have to cook for two. I find that if I make our things together, i over eat and have way more than i intend...so I weigh my meat out and cook it in a separate pan than his
    Meat is really the only thing that I weigh for the most part...

    Pasta I used to weigh but now I can eyeball it pretty good...every now and then i check myself and I'm .1 or .2 off so not bad.

Categories