Do you weigh your food?

i always use my scale and weigh my food after it's cooked. I weigh my protein in oz and my carbs in grams. The only thing i use a measuring cup for are liquids and my kashi cereal.

I agree with the above posters...a scale with g/oz is the way to go. Mine even has fl oz and ml on it and I paid less than $30. I weigh everything I can now. Before, it turned out I was eating less than I thought when it came to things like fruits and chicken/meat (which I weigh out after I cook it)...yet the supposed 3/4 c. serving cereal I was measuring out with the measuring cups was way more than the equivalent 30g serving size the box gives. Talk about over eating that stuff :noway: Live and learn

If you can weigh something without feeling like an idiot, then do it. Things like rice, cereal etc.

I won't bother with some things that have fairly definable sizes, like 'a chicken breast'. Small, medium and large work for things like that.

Sure, you can lose weight without weighing foods, but if you cannot, I highly suggest you start. You're more than likely eating more calories than you expect.

I personally weigh everything and have been highly successful doing so.

The scale really opened my eyes to how much I was eating.

This. It's amazing to see how big portions you sometimes eat when not weighing. I was having 2 or 3 times the amount of cereal, pasta, rice etc that I should be having!

I didn't weigh my food at first, but since we eat at home more than go out...I finally started weighing things the past couple of weeks to be more accurate.

Ive done food diaries before knowing they work (notebook style before MFP) and I used measuring cups more than a scale then. I still use measuring cups more than the scale but I do use the scale now and then.

I find when I stop using these tools- thats step 1 in going back to bad behavior- when I give myself permission to 'eye' out a serving - my eye lies! So cups are close at hand always- scale is on the counter- it takes a second to get it right.

As it happens, I just bought a scale this past week. Wow, am I glad that I did. My estimates were way off. It’s also made life a little easier. Now I can weigh out various items like nuts, put them in baggies, and have premeasured treats handy. I bought mine at Amazon for $15. I could have spent less, but I liked the stainless steel body and overall design. The scale is easy to use and clean, and you can choose ounces or grams. I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about their diet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CG469E/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

i weigh / measure everything pretty much.

if it's something with the nutrition info on the package, like one slice of bread or 6 crackers, then i know what to put for the calories. but things like milk, shredded cheese, pasta, etc, i weigh or measure with measure cups so i know exactly how many servings i am using.

i was completely surprised at the HUGE difference in when i 'estimated' a serving vs actually measuring one out.

At the beggining I just tried to guess. When I started to measure I was surprised. I underestimated a lot. I use my scales a lot, but I know my genereal stuff now, so I don't measeure everything. Mostly I eat what I prepare, and I really like to have a good overwiew.

Yes. All the time!
I actually love seeing how much my food turns out to be in cals/grams.
Definitely helps put the idea of portion control in better perspective.

The biggest shocker like most have said has been with cereals, especially granola!

I have scales and do weigh some things. I also measure my food at home. However we do eat out a lot so I can't always measure my food. I just make good choices when we are eating out.

I have not invested in a scale. I have lost 37 lbs since January so I figure it's not necessary. I do use measuring cups for most things like milk and oats but often estimate those realy low cal things like cucumber and broccoli. I use the palm hand rule for my meat portions if there is not info of amount of servings on the package.

As long as you are being honest with yourself I think you can "guess" with reasonable accuracy. As I get closer to my goal weight I do realize measuring may become a possibility though.

I usually weigh out the amount of meat I plan on eating then I look it up online and get an estimate for calories based on the type of meat. For example, I may be looking up flank steak or sirloin steak and I figure out my best guess. The weighing is to know if it's a 4 ounce steak, 6 ounce or if I accidentally picked a 12 ounce steak which needs to be cut in half. I think once you sorta see the size of the steaks based on weight, you'll be able to pick out that amount. The other option is talk to the butcher and tell him the type of meat you want and ask him to cut it by a certain amount of ounces. He can probably set it up so you can individually freeze them when you get home.

Not all processed foods are bad. If you go to an organic stores you'll find some great cereals which are healthy and not junk laden with sugar. Also, some processed foods at the organic store have fewer chemicals. The only way to know is to look at the ingredients. Sometimes it's nice to have a dish in the freezer for a night when you're tired or you have a headache.

Monica

P.S. I agree with everyone here - a scale is critical to weighing foods such as meats. Oh, I also keep measuring cups and tablespoon measurements for everything from jam to coffee creamer.

I think i'm an obsessive food scale user, lol. I weigh everything. I usually try to use the gm setting for most things, but sometimes I need to switch and use oz. I even weigh my milk when I pour it, just to make sure it's exactly 1/2 cup.