Measuring food

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2

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  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
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    I weigh everything. I got a digital food scale off ebay for $10, and it was worth every penny.
  • hollyNhollywood
    hollyNhollywood Posts: 426 Member
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    I'm vegetarian, so I don't measure meat :-)
    But I have bought a scale and I would say -- get one!
    I just decided to use the scale to measure my 2 TBS of 'better n peanut butter'. And what I thought was 2TBS/1 serving was actually almost 2 servings!
    Yikes!
    I love it as it takes the guesswork out of things.
  • medicinemantoo
    medicinemantoo Posts: 160
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    add to this if you want to...

    only fish have scales :wink:

    in response to your question about chicken - i just average the weight i think i eat out of each pack of chicken. sure, some meals may be over or under, but that really doesn't matter. it's the lifestyle of what you eat and "about" how much you eat.

    :bigsmile:
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    I weigh/measure everything on a scale.

    Turns out my measuring cups were way off. My "one cup" (240 mL) was actually only 208 mL, and so on. Yay for scales.
  • medicinemantoo
    medicinemantoo Posts: 160
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm

    maybe a new helmet too? :wink:
  • medicinemantoo
    medicinemantoo Posts: 160
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    i find some of this stuff weird, i.e. if 8oz is a cup, and a bag of lettuce is 12oz and the bag says it has 4 servings of 2 cups; wait a minute! the bag is short isn't it?! what do i have to do? eat the bag too?!

    just eat healthy friends :happy:
  • mamabear0222
    mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm

    See I have no idea what 4/6/8 oz looks like!
    I think I need a scale!
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm

    maybe a new helmet too? :wink:

    lol. I love the Lime Cat- makes me laugh every time I see it!
  • tuiccim
    tuiccim Posts: 689 Member
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    I just got a food scale (they're not that expensive). My question is: Do I measure my meat raw or cooked? A 5oz steak raw ends up being a lot less once it's cooked.

    Great question! I'd like to hear the answer to that too ...

    You should weigh meat BEFORE cooking it. It usually loses some water weight during cooking, but the calories remain the same. Pasta, rice, quinoa, etc. should be weighed dry.
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm

    See I have no idea what 4/6/8 oz looks like!
    I think I need a scale!

    Get a scale- one thing is for sure - You won't regret it!
  • Rayzback
    Rayzback Posts: 73
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    I'm pretty new , but decided to measure... and it's helping with understanding portions. I'm able to make a bowl of cereal in the morning without my measuring cups, but I still use the scale a lot. Add stuff to the plate, hit tare, add more stuff. I started with a cheaper one of ebay($15 shipped), but just bought a nicer one today that was backlit, larger read out, hopefully better quality ($29 shipped).
  • droogievesch
    droogievesch Posts: 202
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    i find some of this stuff weird, i.e. if 8oz is a cup, and a bag of lettuce is 12oz and the bag says it has 4 servings of 2 cups; wait a minute! the bag is short isn't it?! what do i have to do? eat the bag too?!

    just eat healthy friends :happy:

    Unfortunately we use ounces both as weight and as volume. A bag of lettuce WEIGHS 12 oz, but each cup only weighs 1.5 oz despite taking up the volume of an 8 oz cup.

    Also why 1 12oz bag of chocolate chips does not equal a cup and a half :(

    edited: corrected spelling
  • tuiccim
    tuiccim Posts: 689 Member
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm

    See I have no idea what 4/6/8 oz looks like!
    I think I need a scale!

    This website shows you how to use your hand to estimate portions. It is a great tool when you are eating somewhere that you don't have the ability to measure.

    http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/fitness/weight-loss/hand-guide-portion-control_ss1.html
  • Melonhead
    Melonhead Posts: 168
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    I weigh most things now. For example, I was measuring cereal with a cup and tghought I was okay, but then when I'd weigh it, there was much more than the recommended serving size. Not a big deal, unless you're really running close to eating all of your calories every day.
  • mamabear0222
    mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
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    I mostly eye it or do the calculation based on portion size. I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years- I have good idea of what 4, 6, and 8 ounces are. I try and keep my portions at 4 and occasionally 6.

    I have been thinking about getting a scale....hmmmmm

    See I have no idea what 4/6/8 oz looks like!
    I think I need a scale!

    This website shows you how to use your hand to estimate portions. It is a great tool when you are eating somewhere that you don't have the ability to measure.

    http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/fitness/weight-loss/hand-guide-portion-control_ss1.html

    that's an awesome and handy site! thanks!
  • evansproudmama
    evansproudmama Posts: 496
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    The scale i use is actually for umm tobacco? lol I just bought it from a tobacco shop and it measures in grams which i can easily translate into ozs. it has a tare setting that i can put a plastic cup on it, hit the tare button and it will take away what the cup measures than i put my meat, veggies, almonds whatever in the cup and it gives me an accurate reading. Its not the best cause its hard to weigh big things but it was cheap only 10 dollars and its portable so i can take it to work with me or whatever. I am def. a weigher i wouldnt be able to eyeball an ounce ever
  • ABQsheila
    ABQsheila Posts: 46 Member
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    I have a scale and I use it frequently. But here's another angle.....it's important to learn what 4 oz. "looks like" and what 2 cups of salad greens "looks like." There will be many times when you eat away from home....either at a restaurant or at a friend's house...and you need the skill to "eyeball" your food in those situations. Using a scale at home is a great way to learn this.
  • classictoaster
    classictoaster Posts: 197
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    You can get a digital food scale on Amazon for around $10. It's worth the investment, I think.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    just eat healthy friends :happy:

    Cannibalism freaks me out though, and I feel that if I'm eating healthy friends I ought to eat the unhealthy ones too, just to be fair.

    Seriously, though, I'm glad that it works for you to eyeball your food. For me, weighing works well and I'll keep doing it.

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