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

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Replies

  • anberlingasm
    anberlingasm Posts: 177
    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
    Captian_Dathon Posts: 73
    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
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    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
    VanillaBeanSeed Posts: 562 Member
    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!! :D
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    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
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    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
    PokerChris Posts: 120 Member
    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
    dbratton87 Posts: 55 Member
    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
    dbratton87 Posts: 55 Member
    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
    krist3ng Posts: 259 Member
    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.
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    It's not OCD to want to be as accurate as possible when you're counting calories to lose weight.

    Not everyone knows what proper portion sizes look like, and getting a food scale is a great way to learn.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    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.

    The fresh chicken in the meat section of the grocery has labels on it. For the fruit and veggies I was talking about the precut and pre washed fruit in the packages.
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    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.

    Usually the digital ones have an option for zeroing out the scale, which allows you to measure multiple things into the same container. Like if you were making pancake batter, put the bowl on the scale, weigh ingredient 1, zero out the scale, add ingredient 2, zero out, and so on

    They also can switch between metric and imperial units sometimes.
  • C00lCountry
    C00lCountry Posts: 282
    Okay so I bought me one for all the praises it was getting.
    I have to wait and see if it really helps.
  • Jeyed
    Jeyed Posts: 87 Member
    Bed Bath & Beyond - 'Biggest Loser' digital scale; very accurate and at $19.99 you can't go wrong.
    I use mine almost every day & it's a must when putting recipes together. I also use it to split up bulk foods ie - plain yogurt, pasta portions, etc.
  • Silver_Star
    Silver_Star Posts: 1,351 Member
    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.


    Thanks!! this cleared things up for me. Knowing 225 grams is 1 cup helps a ton! (pun unintended!) :)
  • dhencel
    dhencel Posts: 244 Member
    I am obsessed enough with MFP..
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    I think I would obsess too much if I had one.

    It would be nice to see the amount of ounces of my meats though. Just once to validate my beliefs and then I can go back to guessing.
  • Silver_Star
    Silver_Star Posts: 1,351 Member
    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.


    I wish i could! i have an old dinosaur of a scale... it does the job but pretty much sits there and looks at me with the oz weight :huh:
  • acrego
    acrego Posts: 84 Member
    It would not be a for ever thing, scales really help with portion control.

    Once you have used them for a while you get used to what things approximately weigh.

    ^^This^^

    I only recently started using one. I might use it the first time I use an ingredient, maybe a couple times, but then I get an idea what an ounce looks like, and can guesstimate with more confidence. Like the initial post said, you could be WAY off with your guesses if you never check!

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