Poll on Food Scale

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  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I use my digital food scale for everything, except liquids I use measuring cups for that, including peanutbutter and mayo!! Most important gadgets for weight loss is 1. food scale 2. MFP 3. Fitbit ......love all these tools!!!
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
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    You'll be surprised to learn that by not using a food scale you're very (very) likely over-eating. I was surprised how differently peanut butter looks weighed in grams vs. in a measuring spoon, or salad dressing or something like cottage cheese, even cereal.
  • EmilyEmpowered
    EmilyEmpowered Posts: 650 Member
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    My food scale has seriously been more worth it than I ever thought it would be! I wish I had gotten one sooner! So many foods I underestimated or overestimated based on the serving sizes given. They are soooo different when you actually weigh them out. Peanut butter and hummus serving sizes have gotten much smaller since I started using my scale! LOL 2 tablespoons I would have given myself were way over the 28 grams that is an actual serving. Especially with peanut butter, that is a big difference! With meat, I was waaayyyy underestimating the amount that was a serving, and only giving myself about half what I could have had!! That is a lot of missing protein!

    In short, my food scale has made a huge difference!! Now I am getting good, I can eyeball the exact amounts of foods i eat often and then weigh to see if I was spot on or not :laugh:
  • caly_man
    caly_man Posts: 281 Member
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    chew on this.....

    in the order they happened

    1) got fed up of being fat
    2) started eating smaller portions without a food scale, you know b/c im serious now
    3) bought a food scale
    4) weighed my food on scale and said dayum, i've been underfeeding myself for weeks

    my food scale ensures i maximize the amount of food i am allotted every day
  • 424a57
    424a57 Posts: 140 Member
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    I guess I don't count (calories). I have never used a scale and I probably never will. I don't even measure my food usually. I did at first, just to get an idea what 1 cup, or 2 Tbsp looks like. Rather than counting, I guess, I guesstimate. People can say what they want about the importance of accuracy and all that, but you won't obtain absolute accuracy even if you weigh every morsel of food that passes your lips -- because the reported calories are for food that was measured and burned in a bomb calorimeter long before you thought about dieting. Since then, the food manufactures and producers have produced other food, using similar materials and processes, but they are not exactly the same. There is variation in every process, even food production.

    http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-nutritionists-measure-calories.html

    I weigh myself every day and use mathematical formulas (actually apps that apply those formulas to my raw data) so I have a fairly realistic trend of my weight. Since the basic formula about human nutrition doesn't change -- energy in minus energy expended minus waste.

    I recommend you read the Hacker's Diet. At least look at this page:

    http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/rubberbag.html
  • fcevallos
    fcevallos Posts: 44 Member
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    YES YES YES! Get one! I had no idea how much of a difference it would make before I started using one. I often play a game where I try to guess how many ounces are on my plate, then I weigh it and I'm often WAY off.

    Say for example, you're eating a chicken breast....How do you know how much you're eating if you don't weigh it? I often don't eat a whole breast, depending on how hungry i am. I'd much rather be accurate and weigh the piece of chicken, instead of going with an estimate of "1/2 chicken breast".

    Or, say I'm making a side dish that supposedly makes 4 servings. When I go to split it into containers, I weigh the whole thing first, then I know thta I'm splitting it exactly in 4 servings, instead of just spooning it out and eyeballing it.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I use the scale all the time. One reason is most of my foods do not come with nutritional labels. The ones that do are off on their serving sizes. For example, my carrots say a serving size is about 5 carrots or 28g. When you weigh out the carrots it more like 10 carrots.

    If I want to accurate I need to weigh. It's that simple.

    This!

    1/2 cup oats (40g) is more like 1/3 cup oats if you weigh it. So if you're using a 1/2 cup measure, you're eating more than the label says you are.

    Same goes for 2/3c (81g) cut green beans that is 30 calories - in reality 81g of beans is more like 1 1/4 cups! So in t his case if you measure 2/3 cup, you're eating way LESS than the label says.

    What about rice? Do you really cram it into the measure cup, or are you supposed to put some in there and lightly fill it? One way gets you a lot more than the other; if you're weighing it, you know.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    There is variation in every process, even food production.
    The largest variance in the food process is the labeling. Labels will often suggest a number of pieces in addition to the grams or ounces per serving.

    For example a snack item may say 1 serving, 40gms (about 11 pieces) is 200 cals. If you actually weigh the serving you find out that 6 pieces equal 40 grams. If you didn't weigh the food and assume that 11 pieces is in fact a serving, you're consuming nearly double the calories that you think you're consuming. Pile up enough 200 calorie errors every day and eventually you sprout a new "Why Am I Not Losing" thread here on the forums

    It's been a great help to me in learning to control portion size.
  • Nillabee
    Nillabee Posts: 7
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    Thanks so much for all the advice--from every view point! I am convinced to get a food scale now...I have a very funny feeling my portions are a lot bigger, even though I feel like a pro at estimating portion sizes. This should be interesting!!
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
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    I lost most of my weight without a food scale, but I've found that it's helped me learn more about portion sizes. Oddly, I grew up with one and prefer it for baking, but I never bought one until recently.
  • arlenem1974
    arlenem1974 Posts: 437 Member
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    you can measure your food without a food scale but your measurements won't be as accurate. I use mine all the time.
  • PamShebamm
    PamShebamm Posts: 54
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    I use a scale as often as I can. I wont do it for things like bread, bars, and other pre-portioned things.
    But things like cereal, pasta, and fruit - 1 cup can be totally off in either direction, whereas 100g of it will always be accurate.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    does the scale have the calorie, fat, carb, option etc?
    NO way- not needed


    mines a 5 dollar one and it weighs stuff a nd that's it
    I also just use measuring cups
  • papillon71
    papillon71 Posts: 92 Member
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    I swear by my food scale, it's only a simple one that measures the weight and I do weigh EVERYTHING, this made a big difference, I found my guessing at the right amount was WAY off on foods like cereal, vegetables, fruit. So I have a simple counter scale, battery operated with a removable dish and weigh everything - salad, meat, fruit, snacks, cereal etc. I also measure my liquids in a jug like my milk. I believe they are great for weight loss. I have lost nearly 40lbs and started in January this year, lost a bit every week and don't exercise at all due to a back injury. I don't think I would have had as much success without the scales.
  • mookybargirl
    mookybargirl Posts: 165 Member
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    I couldn't manage without mine. It does g, ml, fl oz etc etc, but to be honest, I only ever need the grams setting. I'm in the uk, so cup measurements aren't really a big thing here.

    I use it almost every day for something - cereal, rice, pasta, potatoes, carrot sticks.

    It's the only way to be sure you're actually counting the correct calories. It's a bit of an eye opener when you see how much you get for the calories you're counting.......

    I wouldn't spend much on one, a basic one will be fine. :smile:
  • theoriginaljayne
    theoriginaljayne Posts: 562 Member
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    I don't have one because they cost money.

    From what I've heard, they're extremely helpful, but it is possible to be successful without using one. I overestimate calories when I log, focus on eating only when I'm truly hungry (and stopping before I get full!), and stay active (regular running + strength training + long walks and hikes). I keep an eye on my measurements and try not to stress too much. It's worked out well for me.
  • l0vedim0
    l0vedim0 Posts: 42 Member
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    Food scale is a must until you get so familiar with your ingredients that you can eyeball it, but in the beginning I highly recommend one.
  • JessieePoooh
    JessieePoooh Posts: 27 Member
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    chew on this.....

    in the order they happened

    1) got fed up of being fat
    2) started eating smaller portions without a food scale, you know b/c im serious now
    3) bought a food scale
    4) weighed my food on scale and said dayum, i've been underfeeding myself for weeks

    my food scale ensures i maximize the amount of food i am allotted every day


    Hah! Totally true.
    Before I bought a food scale, the serving size for my ground beef in my spaghetti said 4oz of ground beef = 1 serving, and the WHOLE time.. Literally, I'd eat half a cup of ground beef thinking its 4oz.. It was only 2oz the whole time -.-
    So I definitely was underfeeding my body thinking I was eating the right amount and logging it as 4oz but it was only 2.
    Food scales are also good for everything. If you don't have a food scale, then honestly, you can't log accurately.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    I have a digi one, because I can't trust my eyes to measure properly lol. It's just to double check. makes a huge difference to your overall accuracy
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
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    I know this has been asked a million times before and I have spent quite a bit of the day reading the forums on food scales etc...however, how many of you use one? Do you find it absolutely necessary? Why not just read the food label?
    If you use one, does the scale have the calorie, fat, carb, option etc?

    If you do not use one--why not?

    I'm still on the fence about a food scale...just not sure it's worth the time or really going to make that huge of a difference. I have been looking at a scale that also displays the calories, carbs, and fats based on the weight of the scale (not sure if I even need that).

    Sorry for sounding a little naive, but after a day of researching this I'm still just not sure about it...Thanks for the advice!

    Let me give you an example of why it's important.

    When we started losing weight and trying to make our lifestyle better, I started using a food scale just so I could get an idea on portions when we cooked. I buy 10 lb bags of potatoes and we go through quite a few (5 kids, 2 adults, plus a in home daycare.) One day I decided I was going to make a baked potato. So I flip the bag over and read it...

    Medium Potato (148g) - 110 calories
    Potassium - 620mg
    Total Carb - 26g
    Protein - 3g

    To myself, I go-- that's not bad... lets fish a 150 out, throw some greek yogurt on it, and a bit of cheese, make me a nice 400 calorie bump that I needed.

    I weighed every single potato in the bag. The smallest was 195g. The largest was nearly 400g. I've since went through 4 total bags of potatoes, the smallest in all the bags was 187g. So if you were going by the nutrition label on the bag, you would make the assumption that the potatoes in the bag ranged, small medium large... but by their standard, they're all large. There are no medium or small.

    What you do to calculate (based on the original bag numbers) the accurate ammount is:

    (calories on bag) / (weight on bag) * (real weight) = real calories... same formula works for most other values, so--
    (potassium on bag) / (weight on bag) * (real weight) = real potassium.

    So lets review this one bag of potatoes, bag lists "medium" as 148g:
    Bag says:
    Medium Potato (148g) - 110 calories
    Potassium - 620mg
    Total Carb - 26g
    Protein - 3g

    In reality the SMALLEST potato is, 190g:
    110 cal / 148 * 190 = 141 calories
    620mg / 148 * 190 = 795mg potassium
    26g / 148 * 190 = 33g of carbs
    3g / 148 * 190 = 3.85g of protein

    In reality the LARGEST potato is, 400g:
    110 cal / 148 * 400 = 297 calories
    620mg / 148 * 400 = 1676 potassium
    26g / 148 * 400 = 70g of carbs
    3g / 148 * 400 = 8.1g of protein

    Those numbers are HUGELY different (That's a 31-187 calorie difference from the bag label). now to be fair... I've only seen this kind of discrepancy on fresh fruits, veggies, and berries. Canned food is ~usually~ +/- 5%. The scale is also spectacular for weighing out meats and such to get the right amounts (we buy 5lbs at a time, it's hard to judge 4oz of 5lb without a scale) and of course other things that aren't conveniently labeled. Fresh beans or broccoli or peas or whatever... makes it easy to get calorie values. Also makes cooking a breeze! I have a recipe for curried chickpeas and onions and we usually split it three ways... but rarely do we use exactly same amounts to make it (onion size varies, veggies vary in quantity, etc) by weight its easy to determine the calories... otherwise it would be a completely crap shoot.

    Using a food scale has shown me exactly how much food a portion means... and what foods are extremely calorically dense and which are relatively calorically light and that's something I didn't previously judge well. YMMV but IMO you should absolutely have a food scale and use it regularly.

    Edit: For what it's worth the scale I own is here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SVNEWA/ I love it. It works well, it's cheap, and has tare so i can use whatever container i like without having to subtract the bowl weights manually. It's more than adequate imo.

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