Measure or Eyeball it?

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  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
    Weigh and measure. Always.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    I measure some things, like cereal, which is my weight loss kryptonite. When I cook, I tend to eyeball most of the ingredients, but I measure the oil exactly.
  • msbeeblebrox
    msbeeblebrox Posts: 133 Member
    I do best when measuring everything either with a scale or with measuring spoons. I alternate between those based on what I'm eating. I think that a lot of folks tend to overestimate. But if what you're doing is working - keep on doing it!
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    Love my scales! Especially as they are antique and it's great to have them in daily use. I'm getting more used to what a 110/150/200g of low calorie stuff looks like (salad/steamed/roast without added dressings) so once I hit maintenance I'll maybe not bother with those.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    I measure anything that I can. $20 food scale (digital) has saved me from over eating time and time again! Small investment=big return!

    I can eyeball at a restaurant but I'd always weigh it out if I could.

    What can I say, I love math! (and having a healthy body too!)
  • mdhummel
    mdhummel Posts: 201 Member
    I used to measure everything with my digital scale, but now I can eyeball most of my portions. I now skip the scale with meats and vegetables but if I put shredded cheese or salad dressing in a recipe I always measure. When calories are dense it is easier to go over the portion size!
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    A little of both. I don't want to be a slave to the food scale forever, so I really pay attention to what a serving looks like when I measure it - which I most often do. If I'm in a hurry, I eyeball it. Every once in awhile, I eyeball my servings, then measure them. Sometimes I'm right on it, but if I'm off, I'm always off in the "too much" direction.
  • sandra152
    sandra152 Posts: 77
    I just guess my portions so long as they are less than what I used to eat before MFP I think you can be to critical also if you do not eat enough you will only be hungry later when i think of what i used to eat ... doughnuts chocolate crisp sweets and cake so I must be doing something right not counting the exercise.
  • fldiver97
    fldiver97 Posts: 341 Member
    I don't measure/weigh leafy greens, often eyeball fresh green beans to. Low in cals and I have a good idea how much a cup or 2 cups of those are. I try to weigh/measure other foods
  • 1sophiesophie
    1sophiesophie Posts: 67 Member
    It's interesting, because I tend to overestimate when I eat. When I actually measure, I get a lot more food.

    Me too - I've even bought baking "spoons" so I can get my full allocated dose of olive oil...........so good.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    As long as I have access to my food scale and measuring cups, I definitely always measure. If you are eyeballing it, you are going to estimate wrong, no matter how good you think you are at doing that. When dining out, or you don't have access to a scale, then of course you have to eyeball, but otherwise I strongly suggest measuring.
    I plan on having my food scale and measuring cups on the Thanksgiving table with me!
    It is way too easy to overeat and way too hard to lose the weight.
  • MsNewBooty83
    MsNewBooty83 Posts: 985 Member
    i eyeball it, i figure by the end of the day it all even out somehow, lol. i measured everything in the beginning so i have a pretty good idea now :D
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I've been starting to wonder how accurate my eyeballs are....lol.

    I do cook, have general idea what a half cup, a quarter cup, a whole cup, looks like...

    I don't have a food scale. I estimate meat by the package size/weight, and how much of the package I had size the ounces down from there.

    What do most people do, is my question. Measure everything carefully, or estimate?

    I use the packaging for meats also. And for other things, I use measuring cups. For some things like fresh spinach, I just eyeball it. Sometimes, I am stuck where I can't measure, so I Google the food when I get back to the laptop and use the highest estimate on how much that food would normally weigh.
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    I love my EatSmart prescision pro (only $25) - I am sure you can find others even cheaper. Digital with a tare function is key.

    I measure and weigh nearly everything before my meals. My family used to wonder where I was for the first few minutes of dinner!

    When I bring my lunch, I measure/weigh it out the night before and prelog it - wonderful!
  • madworld1
    madworld1 Posts: 524
    I just ordered a food scale from amazon. They have a ton of them for decent prices (as opposed to Target, etc.). I had one a long time ago, but it was glass and it shattered all over the kitchen floor. Ever since it broke, I have been eyeballing portion sizes. Apparently, this hasn't worked for me bc I have gained quite a bit. I am ready for my new scale to come in. I need to re-train my eyes.
  • Cyngen
    Cyngen Posts: 557 Member
    I measure everything. Love the scale, really shocked me when i thought an ounce was really more like 2 or 3.
  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
    I'm an eyeballer. I always see these articles about how to eyeball food, such as a serving of lean meat is a deck of cards, a portion of rice is a golf ball....etc. It's really helped me.
  • killingtheantagonist
    killingtheantagonist Posts: 178 Member
    I started off measuring.
    I did it it for quite a while and I became obsessed.
    Now I just eyeball it and sometimes I use to scale just to check if I've still have the skill.
    I indeed do.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Food scale is a must now that I'm "in the know." I've learned that a package that says it has 2 servings actually only has 1.8-1.9 servings. I've learned that 8oz of chicken is a whole lot more than I thought. I've learned that my food scale is awesome although it wasn't that expensive at all.

    I find that on some foods I get more food than I did just "eye-balling" it, while others I get less.

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