Is a CUP a cup?

trejon
trejon Posts: 203
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
There is 8 ounces in a cup I fully understand this. I have been measuring my food based on measurement cups. Now using the scale it seems that I am getting much more food. Just want to make sure that I have not found a way to cheat the system? A cup of cut cantaloupe versus 8 ounces on the scale - double the portion size by sight. Yes I understand there is air and space in the cup. Just a double check :tongue: .

Replies

  • Mom_To_5
    Mom_To_5 Posts: 646 Member
    Personally, i just weigh everything, that way i know it s accurate.

    HTH
  • kcdrake
    kcdrake Posts: 512
    Going by weight is much more accurate than using the measuring cups. Don't worry about it. :)
  • luly727
    luly727 Posts: 202 Member
    Major confusion for me too...I weigh meats on the scale for 3 oz..but when it comes to pasta , veggies etc i use the measuring cups that i bought..so IDK which is better..
    I guess experiment and weigh the stuff , then compare it to the cup size..I gotta try that tonite
    :)
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    I tend to measure liquids with measuring cups and solids with my scale, but that's just my way:flowerforyou:
  • LoveMy4Kids
    LoveMy4Kids Posts: 231
    Very interesting!!
  • kcdrake
    kcdrake Posts: 512
    Major confusion for me too...I weigh meats on the scale for 3 oz..but when it comes to pasta , veggies etc i use the measuring cups that i bought..so IDK which is better..
    I guess experiment and weigh the stuff , then compare it to the cup size..I gotta try that tonite
    :)

    I measure anything that has a weight listed on the nutrition labels. I've found that veggies have HUGE discrepancies between the cup size and the weight. I think it's because veggies aren't uniform. Sometimes my 85g of baby carrots is only 8 or so, and sometimes it's closer to 12. It all depends on how big they are.

    Like I said, I weigh everything I can. But I'm interested in getting as much food as I can for the calorie count. I love my food. haha
  • lisajuly
    lisajuly Posts: 240 Member
    i actually go by the scale more than a measuring tool (cup/spoon). especially for cereal. i found that 1 cup of kashi go lean crunch weighed much more than a serving size (53g) and i was probably eating at least 50 cals worth more. so for cereal, i go by grams now.

    Oh and peanut butter and almond butter, i go by grams instead of the tablespoon. Seems i can pack a heck of a lot more into the tablespoon than they i can, lol.
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
    I weigh as much as I can!
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    There is 8 ounces in a cup I fully understand this. I have been measuring my food based on measurement cups. Now using the scale it seems that I am getting much more food. Just want to make sure that I have not found a way to cheat the system? A cup of cut cantaloupe versus 8 ounces on the scale - double the portion size by sight. Yes I understand there is air and space in the cup. Just a double check :tongue: .
    There's a difference between ounces measuring weight and ounces measuring volume. Measuring cups are for volume (fluid ounces), and scales are for measuring weight. Sixteen ounces in weight always equals 1 pound, and 16 ounces of fluid always equals 2 cups, but 2 cups of something isn't likely to weigh 1 pound. If it does, it's purely coincidence.
  • imarlett
    imarlett Posts: 228 Member
    I have had this dilema too. From what Jill said: measuring cups are for liquids and scales are for solids. That makes sense. Speaking of which, time to measure out a big bag of almonds for this weeks snacks. Thanks for the info!
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    I agree. Weighing is the best options. If it says 2 tablespoons, it is debatable. If it says 2 tablespoons/32g, then 32 g is going to be WAY more accurate!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Like I said, I weigh everything I can. But I'm interested in getting as much food as I can for the calorie count. I love my food. haha

    Meeeeee tooo! :laugh: I have found that I can usually have MORE vegetables by weight (what I would call a "large" carrot is usually lighter (i.e. lower in calories) than the database says it should be. Of course, for the calorie-dense foods like nuts and cheese and pasta, it usually means I get less. Sigh. Oh well. I guess I would rather not fool myself into thinking that I only ate a tablespoon of peanut butter when it was really 20+ grams (or 1.5-ish tablespoons according to the nutritional content)!
  • trejon
    trejon Posts: 203
    I did the scale thing today with Cherrios and just did not have the heart to eat that much. My gosh 8 ounces is a ton outside the cup Measurement. Still do not trust it. However thanks for all the insight. Been losing tons of weight and not hungry. Afraid to now over do it.
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
    I weigh everything...I don't use my measuring cups any longer. They are too inacurate, and too easy to just slightly overfill at times, or smoosh stuff into...if you weigh it's always going to be right,. provided you have a good scale. I've used cheapy ones that give inacurate readings as well.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    I did the scale thing today with Cherrios and just did not have the heart to eat that much. My gosh 8 ounces is a ton outside the cup Measurement. Still do not trust it. However thanks for all the insight. Been losing tons of weight and not hungry. Afraid to now over do it.
    That would have been a LOT of Cheerios! A serving of Cheerios by volume is 1 cup and by weight is 28 grams (1 ounce). That's why you need to be really sure which kind of ounces you're talking about. Eight ounces of Cheerios by weight would have been eight cups by volume. :noway:
  • sweetoblivion314
    sweetoblivion314 Posts: 55
    you cannot measure 1 cup on a scale. A cup is a volume measure not weight. If it says: cup, pint, quart, gallon, or any piece of one of those (1/4 cup for example) you need to use the measuring cup not the scale.
  • jlallen
    jlallen Posts: 42 Member
    ok im very new to this weighing concept so what kind of scale would I need to get and where would I purchase one???
  • trejon
    trejon Posts: 203
    I use the SALTER got it from Bed Bath & Beyond. Mine has a 5lb/2kg Max and 1/8 oz/1g/2g Minimum. They are not very expensive. Digital Reading
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    I use the SALTER got it from Bed Bath & Beyond. Mine has a 5lb/2kg Max and 1/8 oz/1g/2g Minimum. They are not very expensive. Digital Reading
    Highly recommend this brand too from BBB! With a coupon it was less than $20, haven't looked back:wink:

    Becca:flowerforyou:
  • recipe4success
    recipe4success Posts: 469 Member
    Liquid measuring cups are for liquids (like your glass measuring cups) whereas dry measuring cups (usually plastic) are for dry solid goods. However, it is way more accurate to weigh dry goods if they don't fit well into a cup measure (i.e. nuts, fruit, veggies, pasta etc).
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