Food Scales

cyoung0317
cyoung0317 Posts: 31
in Food and Nutrition
What scale do you use? Do you find that it is really that helpful after all?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Beckboo0912
    Beckboo0912 Posts: 447 Member
    I use the biggest loser one...I feel it helped and still does at time but when I started I used it all the time and now I can usually eyeball it but I still check at times
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
    When I first started losing weight it was critical in really evaluating what and how much I was eating. I found it a real eye opener that say my bowl of cereal was actually 2 servings. Now I cook and bake almost all of my own foods so I use it a lot in my cooking. I got a cheap digital scale at k-mart and it works great.
  • BigMech
    BigMech Posts: 472 Member
    I have a Sharper Image scale that I bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 29.99. I wanted one with a digital display.

    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Sharper-Image-reg-Food-Scale/1017490583?categoryId=12105

    It's been good so far, and actually weighing the amount of food you are eating is enlightening to say the least. Measuring by weight is much more accurate than by volume as well, which is how I was doing it before. I don't weigh everything, but use it off and on to keep myself honest on portion sizes.
  • BeckyLF05
    BeckyLF05 Posts: 115 Member
    YES! I triple love my new digital food scale (I have the Biggest Loser one, too). I highly recommend getting one if you do not have one!:flowerforyou:
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    Target has a good one for $22.

    Not only are scales very helpful at home, but if you use it regularly it will help you to better estimate accurately when you are eating away from home.
  • miadhail
    miadhail Posts: 383 Member
    I got mine from Costco. Love it. Just make sure that when you buy one, it has the Tare feature and you have the option to measure in g or oz :)
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I bought a $10 scale at CVS that measures only grams and ounces. No toggling through measurements I don't need.
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    I use the biggest loser one...I feel it helped and still does at time but when I started I used it all the time and now I can usually eyeball it but I still check at times
    I have this scale too. I use it all the time. it weighs in ounces and grams very helpful. Bought it at walmart, pretty cheap. you can put your plate on it and then zero it after each item , then put another item on the plate and weigh it,
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
    At home I use a "Perfect Portions" scale, which really is overkill for how I use it. At work I have a postal scale. Both allow measurement in grams and ounces. I stick with grams when I can.

    Does it make a difference? ABSOLUTELY! Weighing your food is more accurate than anything else. A large egg, medium banana, small artichoke, medium chicken breast (you get the point) are only guesses. I want to know exactly what I've eaten, not an approximation. I weight my cereal in the morning, even though it says 1 cup (56 g) on the box. It's easy to go over with one cup, but more difficult to go over if you weigh out 56 grams. :)

    Yesterday we had fish for dinner. It came frozen in little bags for each piece. The bag said that each piece was 100 calories (about 60 grams I believe). But, when I put them on the scale none of them came close to the 60 g serving size. This is a perfect example of how easy it is to not know exactly how much you are consuming.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    I've just got a cheap n cheerful digital scale, which you can set to Imperial or metric or fluid oz which I never use - I use metric. I weigh everything - I'll even weigh a slice of bread, then weigh it with the butter on to know exactly how much butter I've put on! It's amazing how much your eye lies and tells you you're eating a half or a quarter of what you like to think! The scales don't lie.
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
    I have a Sharper Image scale that I bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 29.99. I wanted one with a digital display.

    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Sharper-Image-reg-Food-Scale/1017490583?categoryId=12105

    It's been good so far, and actually weighing the amount of food you are eating is enlightening to say the least. Measuring by weight is much more accurate than by volume as well, which is how I was doing it before. I don't weigh everything, but use it off and on to keep myself honest on portion sizes.
    YES!!!
  • Samuraiko
    Samuraiko Posts: 180 Member
    I use a "My Weigh 300-Z" food scale. It works nicely for me at my desk when I'm measuring out stuff, and my husband and I used it religiously when we were much more inclined toward cooking.
  • GardenGirlie
    GardenGirlie Posts: 241 Member
    I have a Salter stainless digital scale and although I do not have to use it constantly....I use it often enough that I am really glad I have it! It was a gift a few years ago but if I did not have it I would have bought one when I got serious here in July.
  • Ejourneys
    Ejourneys Posts: 1,603 Member
    The food scale on top of the cheddar at lower right. I've had it since the 1970s:
    130218-pantry.jpg
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
    I love my food scale,and it only cost fifteen bucks on amazon! It's by the Ozeri brand and it's easy to use and accurate. http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Elegant/dp/B002IR6OP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383089166&sr=8-1&keywords=ozeri+food+scale :happy:
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    The only tools you need for weight loss are a scale and measuring cup/spoons (in my humble opionion). I just recently bought a new scale. I had been using a simple ounce one for awhile, but this one weighs grams.

    Doesnt matter the brand I think mine was Eat Smart and my last one was portion something. They work great. I even bought a little gram scale for my purse, but that things a pain to use and balance.
  • TdaniT
    TdaniT Posts: 331 Member
    I've lost my weight through estimating calories in and out. I am getting down to the part where it is harder to lose. I decided to get a Pampered Chef food scale since my friend was having a party. I am waiting for it to come in.
  • sunman00
    sunman00 Posts: 872 Member
    I never eat or drink without weighing first :)
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    I just thought I'd say, for those who are unsure about why a set of scales is worth it - I made myself toast and jam for breakfast today.

    In the MFP database, you can find home made toast butter and jam, 2 slices worth 344 calories. I've logged that before now, for speed. You'll find similar things on all kinds of calorie databases.

    Today (and usually) I weighed my bread (2 slices cut from a loaf, 101g, 237 cals).

    Weighed the butter I spread on my toast (17g, 125 cals)

    Weighed the jam I spread on top (28g, 69 cals)

    Total 431 calories. That's a difference of nearly 100 calories. Well worth the minuscule effort of weighing and noting the numbers I think.

    I've noted similar differences between my guestimates and actual weights. Even if I have the same things regularly, what I think is 20g can vary enormously and the calories with it.
  • ChrisS30V
    ChrisS30V Posts: 157 Member
    I just use a simple Taylor food scale that I bought at Target for like $25. I've been using it for a few months and it seems to work great. I know that it was very interesting to see how an actual serving size looked, after weighing it out, compared to what my perception of a serving size of that particular food was. I found that before the scale, I was eating double and sometimes triple the real serving size, which, spread throughout the day, could end up being hundreds of calories unaccounted for. It's been an invaluable tool for my while I'm maintaining.

    Now, I don't weigh food as much as I used to, I don't even worry about weighing whole fruits and veggies anymore. I do still weigh out servings of calorie-dense foods (beans, nut butters, homemade desserts, etc..). It may seem excessive to some, but it helps to keep me accountable.
  • chellycakes
    chellycakes Posts: 347 Member
    I use a kitchen aid one for ~$22. It helps me REALLY see how much I really do eat, and I love it!
    I also love that I can use it to measure ingredients as im cooking because I keep losing the measuring cups ha.
  • lilred806
    lilred806 Posts: 195 Member
    I bought one and loved it until it died a few months later. Well it didn't die it just stopped measuring correctly. It wouldn't go back to 0. It would jump around all over the place. I changed the batteries and that didn't help either. It was a Weight Masters. So that is one to avoid. I will be watching this thread because I want to get another one. I found a scale to be very helpful. I understood portions much better.
  • kynara
    kynara Posts: 5
    I've been using my digital postal scales I already had for my ebay business. I just put a plate or bowl on it and hit the "tare" button then add my food. They'll do oz or g. One is a little one I bought from Walmart ($15-$20). Royal brand I think. I've had it for years. It works for most things. I had to use the bigger one earlier to weigh a crockpot of chili. It's a weighmax, and they're really good scales. It has a flap that comes up that I can lean stuff against that may be too wide to set on the top. :smile:
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    I have one I got a wal-mart I think.. It's got a digital display and does oz, grams, and kg (and I think 1 other measurement?) I discovered I was over estimating meat esp fish and underestimating veggies! I'm getting pretty good at eyeballing it now, but it really really helped me eat proper portions.

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