Food Scale -- To Buy or Not To Buy?

cortezpj

I'm been with MFP for a month now and am surprised how easy it's been to track the food I eat each and every day. I've never been one for keeping personal regular logs of anything so this has just enhanced the whole experience. To date I've lost 11 pounds!

Now I find myself carefully monitoring and scrutinizing portion sizes, more so than I ever have before. I know some of the figures in the food database are approximate and when it comes to a meal you prepare yourself at home, you can come pretty close but may not always find the exact match. It's the serving sizes that throw me off. It's hard for me to "guestimate" ounces and grams sometimes. That said, should I invest in a food scale? I've seen some pretty decent ones that range in price from $9.99 to $49.99 (sorry...not paying more than $50 for one of these).

I look forward to your feedback.

Brandicaloriecountess

Buy, it is one of my favorite "fitness" products.

harebearva

Definitely buy one. I use mine ALL THE TIME. Accuracy wins the race. Just my opinion

maricash

Buy! My food scale has been key for successful weight loss. Using it regularly I found that I was seriously underestimating on some items and overestimating on others. It helps even when you eat out and can't use it, since, after using it for a while your portion estimation skills improve.

baptiste565

i got my scale about 2 months ago. and now i cant believe that i lived without one. it helps me with my portion control. i spent $20 at bedbath&beyond.

brynnsmom

You should get one. I got the same one at BB&B for $20 as mentioned in a previous post and it works just fine.

TONYAGOOCH

Definetely get one. You will be amazed at what you eat. Most times when you just guess you either under estimate or over estimate. When you weigh your foods, you will be suprised at the amount you get to eat. Take chips for instance. The NI says one serving is so many grams or this many chips. Weigh them instead of counting them. Lots of times you end up getting more.


Oh and mine is a Weight Watchers one that I got when I joined WW. It not only weighs the food but can give you the points value of said food and had a database of foods as well. Obviously this is only useful if you are doing Weight Watchers though. lol

AngryDiet

A must, IMHO.

Absolute must.

bcattoes

If you feel you need one, buy one. I've never used one, but I cook a lot so I'm pretty good at judging portions.

AngryDiet

In fact, I bought a second small portable scale so I could weigh when I eat out and a work.

Inebriated

You should get one if you want to be completely accurate about what you're eating/logging. After a while, you should get a proper idea of what portion sizes look like and can wean off of using it. I guesstimate my food from time to time and I'm still losing weight consistently. If you feel that you're losing just fine without one though, I'd stick with what you're doing until you run into a problem. They're really cheap though and a good investment, mine was only $20.

vlynnvale

Buy! Losing weight has been better since I've had one. No more guessing the actual weight of what I'm eating.

Navotc

Buy! Buy! My food scale is an indispensable part of my MFP experience. It helps SO much. I think we paid less than $20 for ours, but I use it EVERY day. I think we got ours at Target.
This is actually our second one, because our first one (which we got long before I ever joined MFP) started weighing things funny, and the weight would change when it was just sitting there.

LOVE the food scale! I now get frustrated when MFP database items say "1/3 cup" instead of X grams, or X ounces.

magerum

My food scale and Heart Rate Monitor are the two best tools I've purchased for my goals. Get a cheap one, as long as it measure in grams and ounces you're in business.

robinogue

If you feel you need one. I didn't use one and have been very sucessful without it. I've gotten OCD about my food and portions so I think for me that would only fuel the fire.

zellagrrl

Mine was $30, but I waited for BBB 20% off coupon-- it's useful for food measuring, soap making, all kinds of things. Go for it.

crimsoncat

I bought an super cheap one where I have to manually set it to zero every time. I love that stupid thing. It's really nice for homemade stuff (tiramisu) where there is no calorie count. Pop it on the scale and go find a product on the market which is set by weight. It was nice because I could figure out the rough amount of calories in cake from a local bakery or how much that slab of fozen chicken does weigh.

slainger

BUY! And make sure it does ounces as well as grams. I find most fruits and veggies are in the database by grams. I use mine for just about everything I eat that is not pre-portioned!!!

BrownSugarBritches

wow. i was going to suggest NOT buying one. i cook and bake alot and can almost measure and pour ingredients to an exact amount, so i guess that's why i would say don't. but, if you're looking to streamline everything and ensure that your intake is under control, then definitely buy one. my guess is that a mid-range priced one would be best. you might test it against some items that are premeasured.

izzydino

get one! Its amazing how much we over estimate or underestimate!

DannyMussels

I can't be bothered to be that hardcore.

That's why I'll eat a whole egg. An entire can of soup or tuna.

It's basic math that way, and if I stick to the immediate 10-20 foods, I don't get too far off my estimated calories.

cindyw1eye

I bought a food scale over 4 years ago (I'm surprised the batteries aren't dead), it literally sat on the top of my fridge until about 2 weeks ago when I really started to get serious about MFP. Now I find myself weighting EVERYTHING, including fruit, I dont' round up I use the scale. It's such a habit now that I won't eat anything until I know how much it weighs or I can scan a barcode. Best $10 investment I every bought, to me it's priceless!

rmhand

I love my scale. Use it all the time.

momma3sweetgirls

One of my best investments! I have an inexpensive OXO digital scale I bought at KMart. It's so easy to over/underestimate without a scale. I use mine at least 2 times a day.

PlunderBunneh

20 bucks at my local walmart, and worth every penny. Don't cheap out and get the spring one, do the nice digital one that you can zero a plate out on.

trhjrh06

BUY! I use mine all the time. And I got mine at walmart for under $20.

tinam76

i do so love mine!

LishieFruit89

wow. i was going to suggest NOT buying one. i cook and bake alot and can almost measure and pour ingredients to an exact amount, so i guess that's why i would say don't. but, if you're looking to streamline everything and ensure that your intake is under control, then definitely buy one. my guess is that a mid-range priced one would be best. you might test it against some items that are premeasured.

I bake a lot too but a cup of flour, depending how you pack it can weigh from 4 ounces to like 7 ounces...

A cup of flour should be 4.5 ounces btw

I mine.

A small gala apple is a sucky description of food. (I was going to use a banana as an example but I couldn't word it where it didn't sound sexual). Describing the food by it's size isn't accurate. When I made dinner for my family, I made, what I consider to be a small, salad. They all said it was huge. Ounces and grams (moreso grams) are the way to go!

bjfrezell

Buy it and use it. It was one of the best pieces of advice i received on MFP. I can tell you from using it that I was either over estimatnig or underestimating before. Now, I weigh everything. And it has helped me stay on track!

lunchgirlie

I use mine all the time every day. I would say get one if you're really intent on making sure your portion sizes are accurate. I'm super serious about that stuff, myself.

dorothytd

Buy! I love mine, and it has been a great and fun tool to each my kids about portions of snack foods, ceral, etc. No OCD with it yet... I have an EatSmart one from Amazon - works very well.