Weighing vs measuring food

mulderpf

Why are people so stubborn?

Every day on here, there's someone complaining that they aren't losing weight. Immediately the first thing I do, is check their diaries - and time and time again it becomes clear - they are counting the calories, but in imprecise measures. Cups, slices, "1 small fruit", "1 small onion". When anyone says anything, people tend to become quite defensive and again today, it was said that "a cup" is a standard measure...well...

A cup of grated cheese has a very different weight to a cup of finely grated cheese. Measuring 1/3 cup of cheese leaves you open for HUGE mistakes. Every 20g difference means a 100 calorie difference!

I tried this today with an onion - I took what I considered to be a large onion. I put that into MFP - 63 calories. I then peeled and chopped the onion and it fit easily into my measuring cup - MFP calories: 67. Cool. But then I weighed the chopped onion and it was 283g - 119 calories - almost double the initial estimate based on the description of a large onion!

Then I decided to try it with rice. I often see fractions thrown about, so I measured half a cup of brown rice. I filled it exactly to the 125ml line of my measuring cup - 342 calories according to MFP if I use the measure of "half a cup". But I weighed it at the same time and it was actually 110g - that's 407 calories. Almost 60 calories more!

Did the same with peanuts (luckily the result was the other way around for me - and then I ended up eating them all too!). Counted 20 peanuts (MFP = 117 calories), weighed them, 12g = 70 calories.

What I'm getting at is that these "small" things which seem insignificant and probably won't make a difference may make a huge difference at the end of the day. In just four foods I tried, the difference was around the 260 calorie mark - for many people, the difference between maintenance and losing weight. (May I also add - for those who say, "but I've always done it like this and lost weight" - as you start off, these calories are insignificant in the bigger picture, but as you lose weight, the calories become a larger and larger proportion of your diet and that's when it becomes more important to be accurate).

I use the "imperfect" measures for the times where I'm out and I simply don't have my scale close to me. Otherwise EVERYTHING is weighed out - and it's worked without a hitch.

"Roughly" weighing things (or simply not adding things because they are healthy - e.g. tomatoes) could make huge differences. If it passes your lips and it has any type of calorie content, LOG IT ACCURATELY!!! Only then can you definitely rule out diet...

cmriverside

Weigh to go. Great post.

ndfaninaz

I have an awesome digital food scale that I use all the time. If a food is solid, I weigh it. If it's liquid, I measure it.

I don't carry it around with me though. I only use it at home.

Another food that is so important to weight vs measure is cereal.

Chief_Rocka

Great post. I learned this lesson when I bought a food scale.

I still get a little teary-eyed when I weigh out 32g of peanut butter, and remember what I used to call 2 tablespoons.

Muddy_Yogi

I my food scale.

LoggingForLife

I agree that sloppy measuring stalls progress. But, I think you are comparing weight vs. volume. If I understand your post, you can't compare the two when weighing solid food. Also, many of the entries in the food database are added by members and can vary significantly. Sometimes I double check with CalorieKing.com.

xxnellie146xx

Food scales are a must

CM9178

This makes a lot of sense and I'm definitely going to try this to see if my calculations have been wrong.
That being said, the reality is that most people have to estimate their measurements, and don't always have access to a measuring cup or a scale. Yes, when we're home and can do it, that's great, but out and about in life, it is a little unrealistic.

rockerbabyy

i agree! i my food scale, though im looking to get a better quality one.
ive also found that the kids cereal lasts longer when i weigh out servings instead of just pouring it into the bowl, or using a measuring cup. yay for saving money.

bhisken

Thank you for the info!! I really needed that. I also go back and forth on which is better. Now I know.

TheNEWMonicaB

I agree 100%! Whenever I am home, I use my food scale religiously. I love when the nutrition labels give both measurements (i.e. 2 tbsp or 32g = 190 calories on my almond butter label) and when it does, i will always use the weight measurement. People can "pack" a lot more food into a measuring cup and still say they ate the correct portion. Way too much room for error.

zebisis

Weigh to go. Great post.

I see what you did there.

Acg67

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

BlackKat75

Amen!! It was quite a shock the first time I weighed 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats and found that I was eating 191 calories rather than the 150 calories I thought! Always, always, always use weight rather than volume if you possibly can is my motto.

stephanie1133

Totally agree! Those little things can add up quick, especially with calorie dense foods like cheese, nuts, etc. It can definitely be the difference between being in a deficit, and not! When people get stubborn about things like that and they aren't willing to change, chances are they won't be seeing a change either.

AnnaVee84

thanks for sharing, my food scale has just been ordered!

mulderpf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

I should've just posted that rather than weigh stuff and eating the peanuts I weighed!!!

Tilran

One groin protection cup for some guys does not equal the same cup for others....so I know what you mean!

Di3012

Why are people so stubborn?

Every day on here, there's someone complaining that they aren't losing weight. Immediately the first thing I do, is check their diaries - and time and time again it becomes clear - they are counting the calories, but in imprecise measures. Cups, slices, "1 small fruit", "1 small onion". When anyone says anything, people tend to become quite defensive and again today, it was said that "a cup" is a standard measure...well...

A cup of grated cheese has a very different weight to a cup of finely grated cheese. Measuring 1/3 cup of cheese leaves you open for HUGE mistakes. Every 20g difference means a 100 calorie difference!

I tried this today with an onion - I took what I considered to be a large onion. I put that into MFP - 63 calories. I then peeled and chopped the onion and it fit easily into my measuring cup - MFP calories: 67. Cool. But then I weighed the chopped onion and it was 283g - 119 calories - almost double the initial estimate based on the description of a large onion!

Then I decided to try it with rice. I often see fractions thrown about, so I measured half a cup of brown rice. I filled it exactly to the 125ml line of my measuring cup - 342 calories according to MFP if I use the measure of "half a cup". But I weighed it at the same time and it was actually 110g - that's 407 calories. Almost 60 calories more!

Did the same with peanuts (luckily the result was the other way around for me - and then I ended up eating them all too!). Counted 20 peanuts (MFP = 117 calories), weighed them, 12g = 70 calories.

What I'm getting at is that these "small" things which seem insignificant and probably won't make a difference may make a huge difference at the end of the day. In just four foods I tried, the difference was around the 260 calorie mark - for many people, the difference between maintenance and losing weight. (May I also add - for those who say, "but I've always done it like this and lost weight" - as you start off, these calories are insignificant in the bigger picture, but as you lose weight, the calories become a larger and larger proportion of your diet and that's when it becomes more important to be accurate).

I use the "imperfect" measures for the times where I'm out and I simply don't have my scale close to me. Otherwise EVERYTHING is weighed out - and it's worked without a hitch.

"Roughly" weighing things (or simply not adding things because they are healthy - e.g. tomatoes) could make huge differences. If it passes your lips and it has any type of calorie content, LOG IT ACCURATELY!!! Only then can you definitely rule out diet...

Excellent posting and I couldn't agree more!

I would also like to say that if anybody is going to use cups to measure foods, they have to make the effort, put the exact amount of food in that they wish and then pour it back out to use, eat or cook it. Exactly the same amount of effort is used when using scales, the difference is however, that the scales are tons more accurate. May as well use that effort for the scales if you ask me.

caseythirteen

I'm guilty of this and I really should order a better scale ( have a non-digital one now). I looked them up the other day and they really aren't that pricey. Just need to get around to buying one.

WendyTerry420

I am still considering a food scale, but I have had success in using measuring cups simply by rounding up instead of down. (or slightly over-estimating) It is pretty low on my priorities list. But at the same time, I believe this is a very valid point. I think there are people who don't stop to consider the issue. I also use Google a lot to convert ounces to grams because the food I buy is measured in ounces, but it's mostly in grams in the database.