Do you use a food scale?

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  • allisonlane61
    allisonlane61 Posts: 187 Member
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    I have a Cuisinart digital food scale and I love it. I measure everything. Contrary to most posters, I was overestimating my portion sizes, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was eating less calories than I thought, especially with things like blue cheese and peanut butter.

    For me, weighing has become part of cooking and the whole process is now very relaxing (unless I'm in a rush, then it sucks). My scale combined with my Vitamix makes me feel like I'm taking good care of myself, lol. I guess a large part is psychological.
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
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    I use one found a nice stainless steel one at Target with a removable bowl on top. I can do it by eye now, It is great for doing your veggies & sweet potatoes,, and cooked protein,
  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523
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    As we don't use measuring cps here in the UK my scales are a lifesaver!

    Always measuring my grams of veg, pasta, rice, meat , you name it.

    Anyone who hasn't go one I seriously suggest you get one and test it on your morning breakfast cereal. You are in for a shock!
  • Establishedn1986
    Establishedn1986 Posts: 306 Member
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    I use a food scale for EVERYTHING. You use it to, well, measure your food. For example: 1 oz of cheese, 3 oz. of carrots, 4 oz. of pork etc. etc. You will be surprised at how easy it is to overestimate the serving size of foods. I've gotten good at eyeballing items but I still throw them on the scale to double check.
    Definitely this!
  • harleenarang
    harleenarang Posts: 174 Member
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    I use a food scale for EVERYTHING. You use it to, well, measure your food. For example: 1 oz of cheese, 3 oz. of carrots, 4 oz. of pork etc. etc. You will be surprised at how easy it is to overestimate the serving size of foods. I've gotten good at eyeballing items but I still throw them on the scale to double check.
    Definitely this!

    Yes Yes Yes - We are estimating way over the actuals. You should invest in one - and they are not expensive. There is one from Eat Smart on amazon for $25 and it gives you weigh it multiple units (grams, ounces, kgs, etc) check it out :smile:
  • benflando
    benflando Posts: 193
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    Everyday! You gotta be accurate.
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
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    I use one found a nice stainless steel one at Target with a removable bowl on top. I can do it by eye now, It is great for doing your veggies & sweet potatoes,, and cooked protein,


    I have the same one :drinker:
  • Nette_54
    Nette_54 Posts: 265 Member
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    I use my food scales every time I eat if needed, mine are digital scales that I put the bowl or plate on then set the scale to zero each time so less messing around because I can use any dish I like, I can even weigh one lot of food then reset to zero again when I want to add something else. My daughter bought my scales for me from Curves the ladies gym
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    I use mine frequently...not every day, but often. Its also very useful if you do any baking....baking is a science, while cooking is an art.
  • drusilla126
    drusilla126 Posts: 478 Member
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    I would be lost without my food scale. Best investment I ever made. I have one at work and one at home. I'd rather weigh my food religiously than weigh my body too often and try to understand the fluctuations in weight there that can be due to anything.
  • chelledawg14
    chelledawg14 Posts: 509 Member
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    Yep, definitely use a food scale every single day. It's especially useful for when you're baking or cooking. It's a shock when you start weighing your food vs using what the packaging labels say. I have an Eatsmart digital red scale that I love. Got it on Amazon last year.
  • Patovader
    Patovader Posts: 439 Member
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    The short answer is yes.

    Also, don't blindly follow the calories / nutrition information on this site as there are many errors. I have spent a large amount of time correcting the errors as I come across them. Many food companies put calories etc in large writing on packaging and then in tiny print put per serving...
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
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    I was using measuring cups/spoons for a year and got a scale about a month ago.

    I found that I was overestimating tablespoons - when I measure out a tablespoon of honey/peanut butter/olive oil, I'm really only getting about 2/3 to 3/4 because I was being overly careful not to overfill and also because of the amount left on the spoon after I put it into my dish. I was overestimating protein because I was using the grocery store raw meat/chicken sold weight, but then entering it as cooked food/not eating bits left in the pan. I was underestimating carbs. Cereal has broken down in the package and 3/4 of a cup frequently is the weight of one cup according to the package. Also, when a package says serving size "12 crackers" or "5 cookies", it's almost always fewer pieces than it says on the package.

    So, the scale has helped me realize that I need to eat more protein & fat and much less carbs.
  • nicoleknapp754
    nicoleknapp754 Posts: 53
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    I have a digital scale that I use that can be set grams or ounces. It comes with a book that gives you codes for different foods and will give you not only the weight but calories, carbs, fiber, protein, etc. I use my scale for meats, nuts, vegetables . When I buy meats I divide up the meat into meal size servings - 8 oz as I am freezing the portions in zip lock bags. Once you enter an item on myfitness pal you can adjust the serving size up or down . Just remember to indicate the ounces of your serving size you entered.
  • mrsburghart
    mrsburghart Posts: 166 Member
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    I just bought this scale not too long ago and I love it!
    http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365088992&sr=8-1&keywords=food+scale

    You should definitely consider getting one. Eyeballing and using measuring spoons/cups just didn't cut it for me! This works SO MUCH better. I love knowing close to exact the number of calories I'm eating per day.
  • Thyme4change
    Thyme4change Posts: 46 Member
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    Use it everyday, every leaves the counter...I agree...food scale over the wt scale.

    Tip...
    When wanting to weight a serving and it is in a bag or jar..like mayo.
    .. I just put the jar on the scale BEFORE turning it on!
    ..it says zero.
    ..then I remove what I guess to be a TBL of mayo. Remove the mayo and spoon from jar while it is still on the scale.
    ..then once the mayo and spoon is removed it should read .5 oz or 14g if I guessed right. it will show as a minus for obvious reasons.

    I find this is more convenient when I I just want to grab a few nuts, or following/making up a recipe. .Plus when when I put a big dinner plate on my tiny scale I cant read the numbers.

    It is also how I have learned to be a pretty good judge of my food servings when I am out and can wt anything...

    Good Luck which ever you decide...
  • petercruzs
    petercruzs Posts: 8
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    RELIGIOUSLY! I got mine for about $16 on Amazon. My family thinks I'm going a little overboard by measuring everything, but it's soooo worth it.

    I have one question though: Do you guys measure things raw or cooked?
  • anupama1234
    anupama1234 Posts: 10
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    even i am gonna buy d scale....do u get it easily
  • mrsfrosty61
    mrsfrosty61 Posts: 4 Member
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    I use a food scale daily...for everything! I really like the XXOO brand that I got from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's very accurate and easy to use.
  • fabry12
    fabry12 Posts: 32 Member
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    I use it on daily basis for pasta, rice, flour, any snack food, nuts, oil. It is hard ti guess on the exact portion size. I do not use for veggie since they are very low in calories anyway.

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