Do you use a food scale?

BaconMD

I weigh everything.

Why dirty measuring cups when I can use one plate or bowl with the tare function, and be actually accurate at the same time?

I've also found that almost all of my liquids and sauces work out to very close to 1g per 1mL, despite not being pure water. So, that rule is close enough for me, and all of my liquids get weighed too.

Scales are fast and easy once you've done it a few times.

BunkyBumBum

Best purchase I've ever made. I love mine, I weigh chips and stuff because a serving size of 1oz or "about 7 chips" is never "about 7 chips". I also use it in baking because it's more accurate for dry ingredients (1 cup of flour can vary quite a bit depending on how you scoop it, so it's best to go by weight).

I have a cuisinart, I think I spent $40 for it 4 years ago, it still works great, it's easy to clean, and I use it all the time!

holothuroidea

My food scale and notepad have purchased real estate on my countertop and nothing else is allowed to live there. I love weighing everything, but I was a chemist before I was a stay at home mom and maybe I am just being nostalgic.

As far as accuracy in calorie tracking goes, though, a digital food scale is the most important thing in the world, even if you think it's a PITA. Get one and use it for everything.

wibutterflymagic

As with everyone else, a food scale is a must!! Along with measuring cups. I measure and weigh everything, meat, pasta, rice, veggies, oils. You'll find that what you think is a certain amount is actually way more then reality.

Amanda21202

A scale is a must. I love mine.

jc1961AA

I do, I have got a digital one, and takes only a bit of time to measure and write down for later enter on the MFP site.
JC

FitN50s

I weigh almost everything. I've used my digital scale so much the batteries are going out. I've been totally stressed this week hoping that it wouldn't quit on me completely before I could get them replaced. I removed them this morning and will get new ones after work today. It's amazing how "off" you can be when you are eyeballing your portions. Every little bit makes a difference.

dalgal26

Yes, I do use one. I weigh all my proteins.

shannonahenderson

Absolutely!!! I use it to prepare all of my meals...it's a necessary tool to make sure you have the appropriate serving size and to calculate your calories based on the serving size.

Get one today! LOL!

Derpinaaa

I bought a food scale to measure more accurately. I weigh my meat, cereal, cheeses, anything that doesn't come already portioned out. You'd be surprised. I found out that my "1 cup" serving size of cereal carried almost twice the weight the serving size was for.

If you want better accuracy, invest in the scale. Even the digital ones are fairly cheap.

salsera_barbie

I love mine. It makes my regular recipes more consistant. If i were just using a measuring cup/spoon I'd somehow manage to "add" a little extra.

Plus like most everyone else here has said, it really is an eyeopener on something. Some foods are under and some are ridicously over stated.

I weight everthing, except for some veggies. Spinach for example doesn't have much calories so i don't always weight it unless i'm trying to get an accurate nutrient count.

Invest in one. I got mine on amazon for very cheap and it's well worth it.

trainguy917

Just to speak for the loyal opposition, I have never used a scale and never plan to. I have no trouble staying within my limits and find the idea of weighing everything I eat to be just plain horrid. It would take all the joy out of eating for me. It's just too legalistic for me. If you must use a scale, that's up to you, but I am proof that it absolutely not a must.

Linda_Darlene

The best $24 I have spent was for my digital food scale.

fuhrmeister

I love my digital scale it measures in grams, pounds and ounces. I particularly use it to weight my meat and cheese as you can easily underestimate both if you eyeball it. I also use it for things like M&M's

I use a measuring cup for rice and paste.

I eyeball my steamed veggies b/c their calorie content is so low and nutrients so hig so a litte extrea never hurts.

AmyMgetsfit

Yes, and I am glad I do, or I would be eating way too little. Who knew 3oz of chicken was so much food. I figured I was eating 3oz's because I was full after eating it plus the sides. I finally bought a scale one day and weighed it. I was eating half that weight. Since I can only eat so much at one time, I have to eat my dinner in shifts, so I can eat a good amount. My tummy just doesn't hold a lot of food at once and I hate the really full feeling. It is so uncomfortable. I do better eating small amounts 5 or 6 times a day. Although I don't count it that way.

Melissa22G

I have my food scale at home, and measuring cups at work.

My coworkers give me stares as I measure out my take-out Chinese food- but I'm down 33lbs and they aren't.

kcrxgirl

I for sure use it to weigh meat. Since it's the most calorie dense part of my meal, if I'm off by an ounce it makes a big difference. I usually use measuring cups for my sides like vegetables and rice.

Definitely worth the few extra bucks to get a digital scale.

Lifting_Knitter

I weigh everything and i now weight when i do recipes. Well worth the money.

rachelprogress

Food scale is an absolute must for me! Living in Europe now, most measurements are in weight (grams), as opposed to back home in the States where the measures are volumes (TB, cups, etc). It has really opened my eyes how much volumetric measurements can vary. Classic offender is peanut butter - a serving is 15g by weight or 1TB by volume. Take a TB PB casually and weigh it... mostly you'll find you're at almost 20-30g already with just one TB! That can be a difference already of 100 cals, 4g carb, 8g fat, etc... !

Also I found that I really over estimated in my mind how much chicken I was eating. I'd think I was eating a a couple hundred grams only to weigh and find out I was only in the 70-90g range... so I wasn't actually meeting my protein macro!

In short - it's cheap, and really opens your eyes to portion sizes, and it's very exact, as opposed to volumetric measure which is prone to small errors (which add up in time!)

TrailRunner61

I already had one that I used for cooking before I started losing weight. Out of curiosity, I decided to weigh my 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal that was also supposed to weigh 40 grams. It weighed nearly 50. It wasn't a huge difference but big enough that if it happened all day long, it would make a difference in my progress. Now I weigh nearly everything and wish the database had the calories per gram for every food. A lot of food packages have it listed, so I use it first.

thisismeraw

Weigh all food... using measuring cups is not accurate.

BlackEyedPanda

Just to speak for the loyal opposition, I have never used a scale and never plan to. I have no trouble staying within my limits and find the idea of weighing everything I eat to be just plain horrid. It would take all the joy out of eating for me. It's just too legalistic for me. If you must use a scale, that's up to you, but I am proof that it absolutely not a must.

My thought exactly. I don't mind if my calorie count is not 100% accurate. With my calorie deficit amount of 500 calories per day even if I am not accurate, I am still unlikely to be eating over my calories. Just couldn't bother weighing everything I eat.

JosieRawr

PB
shredded cheese
biggest eye openers for me..

I strongly suggest a food scale.

drefaw

yes, we have a digital food scale, and I use it occasionally ....

mainly for cuts of meat, to get the calories close ....

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I had a shock when I weighed 2 ounces of tuna. I never realized how much 2 ounces was. Now instead of eating 2 ounces, I have 1 - 1 1/2 ounces, which makes a big difference when you are counting calories.

I weigh everything I put into my mouth, even the mix bag lettuce.

2 ounces of tuna is only 50 calories......

Lmbo I eat the whole big can in one sitting!

I do, too! Well, the 5 oz can, which is really 3 oz after you squeeze all the water out. I weigh my peanut butter, too (weigh my banana or apple, hit the Tare button, then plop my peanut butter on the plate and weigh it). With my measuring cup, a level 1/2 c of dry oatmeal weighs over 50 g, and the serving size is 40 g. I use the scale for everything, except small things like spices. I also edit the foods I use in the database so that the serving size in grams is first, with the measuring cup amount in parentheses. It's easier for someone who isn't weighing their food to figure it out than for people who weigh for accuracy.

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think?hl

Sam3622

I use a scale very often. I used to use one every day for a long time but now I have a pretty good eye for the measurement of food without the use of scales. I definitely recommend weighing and measuring your food. Milk was a big one for me, what i thought was a only 50ml or so was about 150ml! But now I know! Good luck on your weight loss xo

Sizethree4Ever

I use mine many times a day. I weigh my veggies, meats, pastas, treats like chocolate and crisper thingies... I weigh them all.

You may be underestimating your calories by quite a bit, and over time, that adds up!

Invest in a scale! I use a digital scale now, so much more accurate!!

This !!! I bought my digital food scale on sale only $ 10.00 it was the best investment ever. I thought I was pretty accurate with my food logging, but after I got the scale, I was shocked ..

thebroiler

I weigh everything also. On the weekends I'll make little snack bags to take to work, weigh some almonds, cashews, grapes, strawberries, or whatever. and put each serving in a little ziploc bag. That way when I leave in the morning I can take some single serving bags to work with me.

CharityGC

I weigh everything. I feel that gives me a much more accurate calorie count overall.

EvilWabbit

Measuring cups and a food scale are my best buds. I measure everything I eat!