Food scale??

xcbballuver
xcbballuver Posts: 186
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey so i'm debating whether to buy a food scale. To all you people that have one, do u think its a good investment? is it worth buying it?

Replies

  • ninja250
    ninja250 Posts: 26
    I don't use it personally. i just estimate how much i ate
  • ktc33
    ktc33 Posts: 249 Member
    I use mine to measure chicken, beef, and pasta, but that's pretty much all I use it for.
  • DonnaMaas
    DonnaMaas Posts: 69
    Yes, I would recommend one and it doesn't have to be an expensive one. I think I bought mine at Walmart probably 7 years ago.
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
    you should totally get one, and make it digital... so much easier to deal with, you 0 out your container add your food to your plate, say meat, 0 out again and add your veggie... etc. what you use it for kinda depends on the data you have, some stuff is measured in cups for calorie count in the database, some in oz and some in grams. the oxo brand I have does grams and ounces and its readout pulls out from the stand so you can easily see the numbers if your conainer is large.
  • mytmom
    mytmom Posts: 29
    I love mine! I've had it for years and use it a lot. When my 14 year old son who was severly overweight decided to start loosing it really helped him to use it and be able to actually SEE what 1 oz of potato chips was, etc.
  • Shawna35
    Shawna35 Posts: 65
    I think they are really helpful in the beginning. Eventually you will be able to eye things pretty accurately.
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
    Yes, I'd recommend it, I bought the cheapest model which was only like $7 and does the job. I don't use it for everything but it's helpful for measuring out snacks or weighing meats/poultry.
  • SweetPandora
    SweetPandora Posts: 660 Member
    I bought one about a month ago and at first I was very diligent about weighing everything and then I got lazy and thought I could eyeball the sizes.

    I need to start doing it again, portion control works for me.

    Karen
  • Steelytop
    Steelytop Posts: 145 Member
    Escali is the brand I selected. I can weigh a bowl first, then zero it out and weight what's in the bowl only. Works like a charm. It was cheap too. I don't use it religiously because I don't do anything religiously. :D Have a wonderful day!
  • abatres7
    abatres7 Posts: 146
    I bought a small digital one at target ($29.99) and I did use it a lot at first to get used to how much 4 ounces of chicken or meat is...eventually you learn what that looks like. However, its there when you need it. So I use it less now...but still need it every so often. Its worth it.
  • mlipsey
    mlipsey Posts: 34
    I would recommend buying one. It comes in handy when making home made food. But I warn you, you may get addicted about weighing everything. I had to put the scale up for a couple of days because I was weighing EVERYTHING.
  • sanrog
    sanrog Posts: 68
    you should totally get one, and make it digital... so much easier to deal with, you 0 out your container add your food to your plate, say meat, 0 out again and add your veggie... etc. what you use it for kinda depends on the data you have, some stuff is measured in cups for calorie count in the database, some in oz and some in grams. the oxo brand I have does grams and ounces and its readout pulls out from the stand so you can easily see the numbers if your conainer is large.


    I love love love my digital scale and would recommend everyone to have one. It is worth the small investment. I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 29.99 less 10.00 coupon. 19.99 and well worth it.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    We bought a cheap digital one YEARs ago and its still kicking, just like everything else, your sucess is accuracy, can you measure by eye balling the difference between .75 and 1 oz of this or 1/2 cup vs 1/3 cup, that chicken breast was it 4 oz or 6oz.. how will you know to logg accurate calors if you dont?
  • Sumatra
    Sumatra Posts: 181
    I love mine! I've had it for a long time. I use it to weight meats, nuts and pretty much everything, oh and especially cheeses. I love cheese and refuse to eat fat free cheese that tastes like plastic to me, but full fat cheese has so many calories, so I want to make sure I know how much I'm eating. We have a Soehnle. It is digital, does ounces and grams and can be zeroed out at least a few times to add more weight without having to remove the first item or bowl, etc. and it goes up to 9 lbs I think. Love it!
  • Aid_B
    Aid_B Posts: 427
    I bought one in April and have used it ever day until tuesday when the batteries died.

    Go for the digital ones there much easier to use, i'm lost without mine

    It wasn't expensive either about £6 (UK)
  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
    Definitely worth it! I got a Biggest Loser digital scale from Bed Bath & Beyond (not because of the show, because it was the cheapest, only $20) and I love it. And definitely get a digital one, much easier to use.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Definitely worth it! I was suprised to find out how much my estimates were off on serving sizes. I weight almost everything now - make sure you get one with a "Tare" function, which lets you add things to a dish, then zero it out with the dish still on there, and add something else (which is useful for salads or dishes where you have various ingredients like that).

    This is the one I got: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285338226&sr=8-1

    $25 off Amazon.com, free shipping. Very simple (only 2 buttons!) and works like a charm. Runs off of AAA batteries and I've used it for over a year, and the batteries are just now needing to be replaced.

    One thing I liked about that scale over many of the others is that it has a higher weight limit - 11 lbs, which is useful if you want to use heavier bowls to weight some things in (like some of my glass mixing and salad bowls).
  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
    Definitely worth it! I was suprised to find out how much my estimates were off on serving sizes. I weight almost everything now - make sure you get one with a "Tare" function, which lets you add things to a dish, then zero it out with the dish still on there, and add something else (which is useful for salads or dishes where you have various ingredients like that).

    This is the one I got: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285338226&sr=8-1

    $25 off Amazon.com, free shipping. Very simple (only 2 buttons!) and works like a charm. Runs off of AAA batteries and I've used it for over a year, and the batteries are just now needing to be replaced.

    That might be my only complaint about mine, the battery life. The scale I have uses those little batteries that look like watch batteries, and I've had to replace them twice already. I wish it used regular rechargable AAA batteries.
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
    It's worth it! I couldn't live without mine. It's so easy to underestimate. What's the point of counting calories if you don't know exactly how much food you're getting?
  • snakehead
    snakehead Posts: 22
    Most of the food I use in cooking has both volume and weight information listed for the serving size and I always go with the weight information. Measuring anything but a liquid by volume is pretty inaccurate. Loose ingredients tend to settle alot. The size of the cut on vegetables will make a huge difference as well. So for me, my scale is the only way to go.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I don't think you can get an accurate calculation of your calories without one. For example, I had a half a chicken breast last night, and I had preplanned my dinner based on the chicken weighing 150 grams. When I actually weighed it, it weighed 200 grams. The difference between those is 55 calories. That is an entire serving of veggies!!

    I weigh my pasta, my meat, and anything that is cut off of or taken from a larger item (ie: salami, chunk of cheese, chips, etc). I count my almonds and measure liquids and cereals. But the scale is definately vital to accuracy.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    If you think you would use it, then it would be a good idea. I'm more of an estimater myself, and I've thought about getting one, but glad I didn't . I know it would be one of those things, that the first week I would use it like mad, and then it would end up in our cabinet never to be used again. lol
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
    It's an EXCELLENT investment. Most of us tend to underestimate food quantities. Even if you don't use it ever time you prepare a meal, using it occasionally (either because you're eating something unusual, or just to double check) keeps you more honest. I'm still using one I bought from Weight Watchers in the 1970s. It still works (9 US pennies weigh 1 oz. in case you want to test one) and it keeps me on track. I don't take it to restaurants with me--there I still "guesstimate"--but if I were eating at home without weighing and measuring I can imagine that I would be overeating on a regular basis, and then wondering why I wasn't losing any weight.
  • messyhare
    messyhare Posts: 366 Member
    I sell on ebay a lil bit each month and I'm using my digital scale that I use to ship my packages. It works awesome and was super inexpensive (bought it off ebay too, brand new!). I highly recommend weighing your food. I was shocked to see what true portion sizes are. ESPECIALLY when I wanted just 1 oz of spaghetti noodles - what I thought would be close was actually 3 oz's! If I were just eyeballing it I'm sure I would not be losing weight as my eyeballs don't tell the truth...
  • runrgrrl
    runrgrrl Posts: 37 Member
    I bought a great food scale for 20 bux...its all you need to measure your ounces and grams, i love it and highly recommend it. I use mine quite a bit for meat and veggies...
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I bought mine 18 mos ago and still use it almost every day. It's not only good for me, it keeps everyone from overfeeding the dog as well.

    Digital scale with grams, ounces and a "tare" feature, with a larger capacity (I would say at least 7 lbs). The only thing I would have done differently with mine is get one where I could see the display more easily when I have a larger container on it.

    There is no way I could have achieved my success without it.
  • Bryan190
    Bryan190 Posts: 54
    I use my digital with tare function every day on all foods who's serving size is expressed in grams or oz. I keep a calculator handy to quickly compute number of servings:

    number of servings = weighed amount / serving size
  • angieskia
    angieskia Posts: 152 Member
    I LOVE my scale. It is VERY useful for WW cuz WW gives you the options of diff't sizes (oz & Grams). MFP not so much. If I input food by cup it usually more pts than if I used the ounces or Grams. At 1st I thought I'd never use it but now I use it all the time. I'm never sure If I'll get used to measuring by site so I'm glad I got it
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