Food scales...are they worth using??

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HChic
HChic Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I just started MFP and i was thrilled to have lost 2 lbs in just my first week by dieting and exercising. I count calories by reading food labels, but i can't help but wonder if buying a food scale would help me out even more? does weighing your food really help significantly over eating a decent healthy portion?

If anyone has any success or negative stories using a food scale please share!!
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Replies

  • DwightJenkins
    DwightJenkins Posts: 58 Member
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    We bought a Paula Dean kitchen scale at Walmart for about $13 and use it just about every meal. It's very easy to go 'just a little' over on a serving, and over time it really matters. I don't think it's a total necessity, but it is helpful and takes the guess work out of portion control.
  • donnaleecam
    donnaleecam Posts: 54
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    I have been using one-not daily-for a few months. I lost 30 pounds 7 years ago without one, but I do like it. It is sometimes hard to eyeball small, medium, etc. Since I count calories, it helps me. But, I did fine without one, also. Good luck!
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
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    Yes, they are most definitely worth using.
  • BbNuke
    BbNuke Posts: 82 Member
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    I use mine every day. It's just easier than guessing at amounts, plus it trains your eye to learn what a healthy portion looks like. Like Dwight said - all those little extra dabs & bites can add up very quickly.
  • HChic
    HChic Posts: 2
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    do you know a good food scale that i not that expensive yet accurate?
  • cynditoney
    cynditoney Posts: 90
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    I weigh everything. It helps me know exactly what I am consuming. I recommend using a scale, guess-timating can sometimes lead to eating extra calories without even knowing it.:flowerforyou:
  • resptech97
    resptech97 Posts: 147
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    YES! They are very inexpensive and will help you out with measuring the portions of your food!
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
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    The food scale really helps with things that don't necessarily fit into a measuring cup or things that only provide calories per ounce.
  • hollijensen
    hollijensen Posts: 15
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    Yes!!! I use mine everyday!! It was not expensive at Walmart!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    do you know a good food scale that i not that expensive yet accurate?
    Well, once Dwight mentioned the Paula Dean one that one sounded worth checking out to me! I have one:blushing: um, sorta but it's actually food scale/ebay scale. SO I have to keep moving it back and forth to various rooms. lol

    I'd really like to have one strictly for kitchen use. You could Google and check out some models on Amazon and check out the looks of them and see some prices. Ones I've used in the past have had a plate and bowl feature, which I definitely used. For things like pasta etc.

    Welcome!:drinker: Good to have you here:wink:
    Becca:flowerforyou:
  • epoeraven
    epoeraven Posts: 458 Member
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    I have a food scale that I bought at WalMart in the gadgets isle - it was less than ten bucks. I use it at least three times a week but sometimes daily depending on what I happen to be cooking. Best ten bucks I ever spent.
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
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    I've been using one for months. In my opinion, waste the extra cash to get a digital scale.
  • DanielleCable
    DanielleCable Posts: 5
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    I struggle with guestimating, especially when it come to food portions. So I find a scale very helpful. I strongly recommend buying one. Cheep ones sell at wallmart for about $15.
  • cindyangotti
    cindyangotti Posts: 294 Member
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    I use Weigh Watchers digital food scale.... and I use it for everything! My scale and measuring cups and spoons are used constantly. It's really the only way to know for sure how much you are eating. I think you should definitely invest in one! :)
  • seczneyd
    seczneyd Posts: 25
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    Yes! We bought one that goes up to 2lbs at WalMart for under $5 and it is one of the best things we have added in the past few months to our kitchen. Sometimes I wish we had the 7lb one, but really.... it's rare.

    The small scale allows me to measure the right amounts of food. Most veggie servings are in ounces --- I can't measure that in a measuring cup. Mass ounces are different from fluid ounces!
  • mapnerd2005
    mapnerd2005 Posts: 363
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    I have a digital one (Salter, $20) that I absolutely love. It does both grams and ounces, so you can be as precise as you want to be since most food items are labeled with both (1 oz = 28 g). It also has a zero button that comes in handy when assembling a recipe with dry ingredients. After each ingredient, you can just hit zero and add the precise amount of the next.
  • peggyann47
    peggyann47 Posts: 22
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    Yes, I do think that buying a food scale is definitely worth it. I also belong to Weight Watchers and I think it makes a difference in staying within your calorie (or points) limit. There have been times when I have used too much food and others where I under-estimated the amount. If you go over a little bit each time, that's not going to give you the loss that you are expecting.
  • KarenECunningham
    KarenECunningham Posts: 419 Member
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    I weigh and measure everything. I don't trust myself not to let my portions get increasingly larger. I weigh items like ice cream in grams. I have an older Weight Watcher scale and I use it daily. It has a feature so I can put an item on the scale and then zero it out and add another item. I put my bowl on the scale then zero it out and put my ice cream in the bowl and weigh it in grams. I weigh a lot of items in grams because it seems more accurate. I use measuring cups, measuring spoons, and my scale daily.:smile:
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
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    I find it necessary for portioning out high calorie items like peanut butter, shreaded cheese, and nuts. 200 calories of any of those things isn't very big! Having a scale take the guess work out of it.
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
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    do you know a good food scale that i not that expensive yet accurate?

    I bought a digital Salter brand scale on sale at Kohls for 25$.... I've seen many scales out there in the 15-35$ range that are digital. (I definitely recommend a digital scale)

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