Measure or Eyeball it?

Measure! Or don't be surprised when the scale isn't your friend.... Food scales are pretty cheap and totally worth it.

I measure and weigh all meal ingredients. I add 2 tablespoons fat free half n half to my coffee, though, without measuring. I find I'm pretty close with things like a cup or half a cup but weights are much beyond my ability. I weigh out 3 oz of fish for instance and am always surprised at how much it is.

I finally broke down and purchased a food scale. Best money I ever spent. I know exactly what I'm eating and am better able to track. A plus for me is that some foods I was able to increase the amount as my "estimates" were skimping me a full serving. Buy a scale (my weighs oz or g) Love ,., Love ... Love it.

It is best to invest in a food scale and start properly measuring. I got my digital food scale for $20.

I measure most everything. I know 3 oz of chicken is my palm size so I go off of that. And I know lettuce/spinach is about 1 cup for a big fist full. Everything else I use measuring cups for. Better safe than sorry, at least when you are losing weight. I would hate to underestimate my calories and end up overeating and not seeing results!

scale/measure it. i was the opposite...i was totally underestimating and short-changing myself by eyeballing things. i weigh everything except meats. i've got a pretty good handle on what 100g looks like. plus i get confused with the database on here as i don't know if things are measured raw or cooked. so i measure off a piece that is about the size of a deck of cards as 100g. but when it comes to nuts, cheese/dairy products, chocolate, ice cream...i weigh it all. those are things i need to be exact with.

i've also got a cushion for calories. i am supposed to be at 1800 per day but i have my setting at 1700. this way, i always know, worst case scenario, i've got 100 extra calories. but i usually come in under 1700 anyway.

Measure! I spent close to a year measuring things and thought I had the hang of it. The above posters are right it's way too easy to underestimate with your eyes.

I tried not measuring for a while and I'm back at it again now as it seems I'm not a very good estimator lol

food scale 100%

for everything. I measure 15g of peanut butter, everyday.

correct portions / measurements are definitely helpful.

I measure religiously with a digital scale, down to the very last gram. I'm in the UK so grams is the norm. No idea how anyone can cope with a cup measure.

I agree, cup measurements I find difficult also!

I'm going to go against the grain a little and say some of each. Here's the thing, measuring isn't realistic for the long term or for scenarios like dining out so at some point eyeballing is a skill you want to develop. However, if you're concerned that your guesstimates run a bit high, definitely measure & weigh.

OP, I do the same as you for the most part. I'll measure things if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of this or 1/4 tsp of that or I'll weigh pasta if I'm not using the whole box. But most of the time I eyeball or go by package info but I tend to round up when tracking.

For instance, tonight we're having bone on pork chops. The package was about 1.5 pounds and I'll probably eat two and based on the size of the actual meat, that's about 3-4 ounces of edible per chop. So I pre-logged it as 8oz.

I measure everything to the gram. I figure, if I'm watching what I'm eating, there should be zero guessing.

If you purchase a food scale, for ease and convenience, I suggest getting one you can switch from grams to ounces without have to turn over the scale.

I weigh most things on my food scale, although I do measure liquids. I never "eyeball" anything if I can possibly avoid it.

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?

Definitely measure for awhile. After you've gotten a good feel for what the sizes are of the common foods you eat, then you can go back to just eye balling.

Doesn't hurt to occasionally spot-check your eyeballing with the scale, just to be sure you aren't drifting.

I eyeball it depending on what it is. I'm sure that I'm over on a few things and short on others, but most of what I've been eyeballing is in the 10-30 calorie per serving range (ie, fruit spread on toast) so it's not making a huge difference. For now I'm good with just a measuring cup; maybe one day I'll pick up a scale.

I measure things, and quite honestly, would like to get a food scale.

It's interesting, because I tend to overestimate when I eat. When I actually measure, I get a lot more food.

I overestimate as well, just to be sure. I highly recommend measuring and weighing everything so you can have accurate results. You're cheating yourself if you don't know for certain.