Food scale or no food scale?

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Blossomforth13
Blossomforth13 Posts: 41
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read a lot of the threads, and I think I'm doing well on trying to make this a real lifestyle change as opposed to a diet, and being able to have my diary perused by my friends' list keeps me from fasting, or 2-4-6-8-ing. I've been considering investing in a food scale as the one guide suggests, but I have a history of eating disordered behaviour, though I was never in the BMI-range to be diagnosed as anorectic. I'm concerned that having something like a food scale could tip me into obsessive weighing of everything, and push me back toward the unhealthy things I used to do in the past, especially since I realise that I'm still the same person who is/was obsessive about food and weight, albeit attempting to eat more healthy, and At the same time I do realise it is the most accurate way to get a read on calories taken in.

I'm unsure, so I turn it out to you guys, who have always given me good advice in the past. Are nutrition guides and MFP's database enough, or should I take the risk and spend the money to buy a scale?

Replies

  • chelstakencharge
    chelstakencharge Posts: 1,021 Member
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    I always use my food scale
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Honestly I'm hesitant to advise you given your history with disordered eating. Are you being seen by a counselor or psychologist? If not, do you have that option available to you?
  • Blossomforth13
    Blossomforth13 Posts: 41
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    No, I'm not currently being seen by anyone. I don't have health insurance at the moment, and when I did, my psychologist felt that I was stable enough to not need to see him any longer. However, in getting "okay" I my weight ballooned, and I'm now trying to get healthy as well, because a BMI of 39 is just not good.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    No, I'm not currently being seen by anyone. I don't have health insurance at the moment, and when I did, my psychologist felt that I was stable enough to not need to see him any longer. However, in getting "okay" I my weight ballooned, and I'm now trying to get healthy as well, because a BMI of 39 is just not good.

    Well, in that case I'd say that only you know whether it's going to push you into dangerous territory.

    With the amount you have to lose you'd probably be okay without weighing food, at least for awhile. If I were you I'd probably try just logging and see how that goes.
  • Blossomforth13
    Blossomforth13 Posts: 41
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    Thanks. :)
  • AlmightyAce
    AlmightyAce Posts: 35 Member
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    I have another 100lbs to lose and I'm using my food scale for everything. It's really opened my eyes to how much I had been eating.
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    Honestly, I have never used a food scale and I never will. I wanted to do something, that I knew I would do for the rest of my life. I don't see myself wanting to weigh food everyday. I just make sure to eat smaller portions and it has worked for me.
  • paigebeverly
    paigebeverly Posts: 46 Member
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    I haven't been using a food scale either. So far I'm just about 12 weeks I have lost 24.2 pounds. Losing it slow and steady here. Happy with the progress I have made so far.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
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    I bought a scale and pretty much all I use it for is meats and peanut butter.
    When I started logging I put a lot of thought and common sense into estimating what the volumes/mass of some of the burger-chicken-steaks weighed. Boy was I way off, sometimes high sometimes low! I got the scale at wally world and I think it was maybe $20, it was money well spent.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    Food scale, just don't obsess over it. If a serving of cereal is 28g and you pour in 30, who cares?

    Same with my chicken. If I'm supposed to eat 14oz but it comes out to 13.93 that's good enough.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
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    Food scale, just don't obsess over it. If a serving of cereal is 28g and you pour in 30, who cares?

    Same with my chicken. If I'm supposed to eat 14oz but it comes out to 13.93 that's good enough.

    Agree 100%, common sense MUST be used at all times!!!!!!
  • Meushichan
    Meushichan Posts: 82 Member
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    I say try it if you feel like you need one. Pretty small investment, but it could pay off. Even if you don't do it for EVERY SINGLE food (weighing PB, really? >_> ), it could be a good way to get your portions in check. Like, the first 2 or 3 times you have granola cereal. That 4th time you should have a pretty good idea of what a true serving is. Same with meat. Start with the calorie dense foods, and see how you do. And if you don't get obsessive, and THEN you want to weigh your PB and your fruit, then go for it.

    Also, congrats on getting over your eating disorder and for learning to eat better. :) I've been on the other end, with binge eating disorder, and it can be a long and painful road.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Well, I see both sides here.

    With the scale, yeah you can obsess about weighing everything, but you know exactly what you're eating. So you learn portion control better, and you don't have to obsess if you have a treat, as you know exactly how it fits in your day (and quite frankly... the logging part is worse IMO, if you have tendencies to obsess about things, than the weighing itself).

    Without a scale, you have to guess. So you never know how much you're really eating. You can obsess about whether or not you're eating too much, and end up eating way too little to make up for it (or way overestimating or underestimating what you're eating).

    I guess you have to pick what's healthier for you. For me, the scale wins by far. And I weigh every single thing... but at the end of the day, I'm not worrying about whether I went over too much.

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