Food Scales

hennaj22
hennaj22 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Something that really irritates me about this site is that whenever I look at a post about someone not losing weight quickly enough somebody (more likely lots of people) lecture the poster about how they NEED to have a food scale in order to accurately track what they are putting in their body. Well, I am here to tell you that I am living proof that you don't actually NEED a food scale. I use my measuring cups and spoons to measure what I'm eating and it works. It works really well. I've lost 22lbs since 2/25/14 without a food scale. I do exercise as well which I know is a big part of it (but if you're really serious about weight loss you should be exercising along with eating a healthy diet anyway). If you actually follow serving sizes, have a calorie deficit, drink enough water, and incorporate some cardio and strength training into your week then you should be losing weight. If you still aren't, be patient. You didn't gain the weight in a week, you won't lose it in a week. You don't need to spend extra money on a food scale or an HRM or any other fancy miracle gadget in order to be successful.

End rant. :)

Replies

  • skinniestminniest
    skinniestminniest Posts: 26
    The reason why people suggest a food scale is because sometimes a 'cup' of cottage cheese, for example, weighs more than the actual serving size on the package. Therefore, you're eating more than a serving size and more calories.

    I used to feel the same way. But then I stopped losing weight... two month stall. So I caved and bought a food scale and I've dropped 7 lbs since the end of March.

    I think it also depends on how much weight you have to lose. When you have to lose a lot, being a little looser with calories will still get you results. The smaller you get, the more accurate you need to be.

    I'm all for food scales, though. So that's just my two cents.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Congratulations. I'm glad that you found what works for you, I really am. And I lost the bulk of my weight without a food scale as well.

    But when someone posts because they're stalled or gaining, then making sure that they're using accurate numbers, be it a food scale or a heart rate monitor, is necessary advice. You would be amazed at how many people don't measure properly (use heaping cups) or are just eyeballing portions and hoping they're close enough.

    And as people get closer to maintenance and the deficit gets smaller then measuring can be a bigger problem. I recently measured and then weighed a day's worth of food. The difference came out to more than 200 calories, even with very careful measurements. For someone trying to lose only half a pound a week, that's basically maintenance.

    it's not necessary for everyone, but it is good advice for some.
  • Dozer561
    Dozer561 Posts: 50 Member
    my food scale was 20$ or under IIRC, and it is all about desire for accuracy and fine tuning. what someone thinks is a handful of chips could be 2 servings. (that is just an example).. when i first started out another example, a slice of cheese on my wrap turned out to be 1/2 a serving of what i was logging. how do you measure your meats with cups and spoons? example: a chicken breast is 7-8oz raw, and 4-5oz cooked, but you need to log the raw weight. so you can see how it is easy to overeat and possibly UNDEReat. Its just a tool. and even if it is just a temporary tool it can put portions and servings into a much better perspective.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    The reason people jump on the "Buy a food scale!" bandwagon is because people like you, who can properly using measuring cups and spoons, are not the ones posting, "I eat 1,200 calories a day! Why aren't I losing!?!"

    If you can lose weight without a food scale, awesome. Don't change anything. Keep the course. But if users can't figure out why they're gaining weight/not losing weight, it's probably because they don't know exactly how much food they're putting into their bodies. That, or they're way overestimating their workouts.

    Usually, someone starts adamant that they log accurately using measuring cups. Then, someone sees something in their diary like, "1 oz butter 3 slices toast" or "Grilled Cheese 1 gram of cheese" and it becomes clear that the user is probably consuming more than they realize.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Yup you can lose weight without one...but...

    I will wait to see how you do on the last 10...when accuracy really matters or at maintenance.

    I lost weight without one too but I lose more consistently with one.

    As well do you know how many times I have seen on this board...."how big is a cup?"

    Not everyone is used to those standard measurments that are common in North America.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    I need mine because I am terrible eyeing portion sizes and always eat too much. I have guessed what I thought was a serving of chips, and then weighed it, and it's been 2 and a half servings. Some people don't need one, and that's okay too! But it can be the difference between losing no weight and losing weight.
  • hennaj22
    hennaj22 Posts: 30 Member
    The reason people jump on the "Buy a food scale!" bandwagon is because people like you, who can properly using measuring cups and spoons, are not the ones posting, "I eat 1,200 calories a day! Why aren't I losing!?!"

    Good point. I've tried the whole 1,200 calorie thing and I am so hungry and have such little energy that all I can do is lay in bed. And I guess that works if you don't want any muscle but I would like to have some of that as well haha
  • hennaj22
    hennaj22 Posts: 30 Member
    Yup you can lose weight without one...but...

    I will wait to see how you do on the last 10...when accuracy really matters or at maintenance.

    I'm not so much going by what my exact weight is so that last 10lbs isn't going to bother me. I'm basing my success on how I feel/how I look.

    And I just want to say that I'm not saying food scales don't work or if you have a food scale you're wasting your time/money. All I'm saying is that you don't need one. It obviously isn't any of you that responded to this that are irritating me. It's the people that insist that you need to get a scale in order to lose any weight. I'm sure they're helpful and everyone loses weight differently.

Categories