Why is everyone so scared of weighing their food?

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Replies

  • Guinness80
    Guinness80 Posts: 39 Member
    I figure tracking my calories by estimation is better than not tracking at all (which was where I was at previously). As long as my estimation is working, I'm happy and don't want to add more hassle to an already hectic life. I'm not out for fast weight loss, but gradual weight loss over long term while enjoying the good things in life. So far I'm getting that with my estimations and so why would I change it? I like to keep things simple.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    Lots of people are against it who don't have a lot to lose and should be weighing..

    Lots of people are against it because it can seem excessive and it could also be triggering compulsive habits. Not everyone should be weighing.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Because we're men.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Men in tights?
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Because we're men.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Men in tights?
    Tight tights!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I have never used a scale and I've done pretty well so far, though I think perhaps as I have less and less to lose I will need to be more accurate with my logging and will need to start doing so at some point.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    I think that people don't want to know how much they're eating of calorie dense things. Weighing makes you accountable. People want to believe that they can just do one small thing and then fix all of their problems. Just look at the diet industry. 21-day fix. 7 day juice cleanse. People want someone else to do all the calculating and then just sit down at the table and eat.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Because we're men.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Men in tights?
    Tight tights!

    We roam around the forest looking for fights!
  • Singlejules
    Singlejules Posts: 55 Member
    My husband is the same.
    So to show why it was best to weigh things I asked him to cut me 30g of cheese. So he cut it and onto the scales it went. 110g. He was gutted. I said and that is why I weigh everything as what you may think is the correct amount probably isn't. I take my scales away on holiday (OK you may think SAD COW) so I can still weigh things. If I was good at judging the weight I wouldn't bother but i'm useless.
    Hope whatever you do that it works. Good luck :-)
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    My husband has decided to lose weight, but he doesn't want to weigh his food (or log his food really). He said if he stops losing, he'll consider it.

    I don't get it... Why not start with something that works if you're really determined to do it?

    just break up.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    I think that people don't want to know how much they're eating of calorie dense things. Weighing makes you accountable. People want to believe that they can just do one small thing and then fix all of their problems. Just look at the diet industry. 21-day fix. 7 day juice cleanse. People want someone else to do all the calculating and then just sit down at the table and eat.

    Yay for oversimplifications and generalizations. So awesome.
  • nomad1000
    nomad1000 Posts: 206 Member
    This is my H too. He is losing but slowly. He also doesn't log but "keeps track of what he has eaten in his head." And then he complains that he isn't losing fast enough.

    I figure when he is ready to really get serious about losing the weight, he will start weighing and logging and actually checking the serving size and calorie counts of things instead of guesstimating. I can't do anything to change his attitude.

    I weigh/measure and log about 95% of the time and have lost more than double what he has in the same amount of time so he knows weighing/measuring and logging do work.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
    I think my husband thinks I'm a bit obsessed with weighing food. The reality is, if I don't weigh, I don't loose weight.

    He also thinks he can just cut out a few bad foods & the weight will drop off. This approach was OK in my 20's, but the older I get the harder I have to work at losing weight.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    This might seem odd, so bear with me. Some people actually don't have to weigh their food and that's fine. I actually had a habit of overestimating portions.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    I think that people don't want to know how much they're eating of calorie dense things. Weighing makes you accountable. People want to believe that they can just do one small thing and then fix all of their problems. Just look at the diet industry. 21-day fix. 7 day juice cleanse. People want someone else to do all the calculating and then just sit down at the table and eat.

    Yay for oversimplifications and generalizations. So awesome.

    i think she's right. not about people on MFP, but people as a "whole". the sheer yearly revenue of the fad/gimmick diet industry seems to support her argument.

    i even saw a weight watchers commercial the other night that proudly proclaimed that there was "no weighing. no counting." IIRC.
  • AllieMarie2244
    AllieMarie2244 Posts: 106 Member
    My husband has decided to lose weight, but he doesn't want to weigh his food (or log his food really). He said if he stops losing, he'll consider it.

    I don't get it... Why not start with something that works if you're really determined to do it?

    if he's already losing weight not doing it why fix something that isnt broken?
    why push him into something he doesnt want to do?
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    I think that people don't want to know how much they're eating of calorie dense things. Weighing makes you accountable. People want to believe that they can just do one small thing and then fix all of their problems. Just look at the diet industry. 21-day fix. 7 day juice cleanse. People want someone else to do all the calculating and then just sit down at the table and eat.

    Yay for oversimplifications and generalizations. So awesome.

    i think she's right. not about people on MFP, but people as a "whole". the sheer yearly revenue of the fad/gimmick diet industry seems to support her argument.

    i even saw a weight watchers commercial the other night that proudly proclaimed that there was "no weighing. no counting." IIRC.

    It's still an oversimplification and generalization, IMO. There are a lot of reasons why people aren't comfortable weighing their food. It doesn't all boil down to laziness and/or a lack of motivation. You don't have to weigh to lose weight.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    1. Not as critical for those with a lot to lose. Margin of error is significantly higher.
    2. If he's losing fine, let him be.
    3. Let him be the master of his own body and stop micromanaging him.
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    Weighing my food has made me much better at estimating portions and calories when I'm away from my food scale.

    I don't have to dirty a bunch of extra measuring cups or spoons.

    I feel like I can eat more because I'm not constantly guessing how many calories I'm consuming.

    Most weight loss programs out there focus on providing you with portion controlled meals (21 day fix, nutrisystem, jenny craig, slimfast)--why pay extra for that when I can portion everything I want myself?

    Oh sorry, to answer your original question, I think a lot of people don't realize how easy and not-time consuming weighing food is.
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
    Maybe it's because he prefers to exercise more rather than giving up his indulgences. I tend to guesstimate. I find measuring every little thing to be tedious and time consuming. If you can do it, more power to you.

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