Why is everyone so scared of weighing their food?

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?

Because a lot of things work. Starting with something that you see a chore, or are scared of (?? seriously :huh:), seems silly.

I lost without weighing food. I see weighing everything I eat forever as impractical as giving up wine forever. So I did neither while losing weight because I wanted to form lifelong habits.

I'm in the "not weighing your food" camp, but I admit to being a little conflicted about it.

The reasons I don't weigh:

1- All parts of the deficit equation are estimates. Your BMR/TDEE are estimates. So are your calorie burns. How much precision can really be gained by attempting to be accurate with only your food intake?

2-The manner in which I'm trying (and slowly succeeding) to lose weight is to adopt the habits I intend to keep for the rest of my life. I don't see weighing every morsel of food to be a desireable habit for the long term. I'm trying my best not to have to resort to that.

3-Laziness. And this also goes for measuring with cups and spoons, too. I don't want to make extra dishes that have to be washed. If I can eyeball my portions, then I don't have to wash the things I used to measure or weight them with.

4-Admittedly shallow, but I'm a little embarrased to be seen weighing my food.

Hmmm.

1-So, because you are going to have (let's throw out a wild-*kitten* guess) ~20% variance in your calorie allowance estimates anyway, it's a good idea to not try to limit that variance as much as possible because you can never get it to 0%? I disagree. If you are as accurate as you can be (i.e. confident) with your intake, it would make it easier to identify where other estimates might be off and know where to make adjustments.

2-Weighing some food doesn't mean weighing all food. Many people who weigh only do it at home, and some only weigh certain foods. I don't bother weighing lettuce, for example. I also don't weigh at restaurants. Obviously, weighing is probably not terribly practical if you almost always eat out.

3-Psst - one big reason to weigh is because you get precise measurements for a dish without having to dirty more dishes. I love to bake and a scale is a godsend for consistent results. Just weigh into one bowl. I guess if you don't do mise en place and are putting ingredients into a pot/pan on the range that's an issue.

4-Yeah, I can see this one.

Basically, it's a personal decision and can be a useful tool. But, only if using it doesn't drive you away from moving towards a better diet.

I like it because I know how much I can eat and because I R a scientist and like to be as precise as possible. Helps me to know that yesterday's fluctuation is just that and not a sudden fat gain OR loss and I am on target.

Ok, I get it, you can lose weight without a scale and without logging... I'm just wondering how sustainable it is long term?

Everyone I know who lost weight that way still think that eating a cookie or ice cream will mess up their diet. I can't imagine how that would be sustainable long term. I mean... I'm sure if I never ate sweets I wouldn't really need to weigh my food to lose weight either... but that wouldn't be much fun and frankly, me being me... I'd probably gain the weigh back later.

I guess we'll see how it works out (but yeah, he's a man, he got that on his side).

Newsflash: You are you and other people are not you. Leave your poor husband alone. Gah.

i dont have one for these reasons;
-my meals are prepared for my whole family not just me, weighing wouldnt give me a much more accurate calorie count than volume/estimating since its all prepared in one big batch
-i think for many people getting a scale is what would push them over the line into the stereotypical "health-nut" category
-weighing food for the rest of my life seems much less sustainable then learning how to eyeball appropriate portion sizes
-i wont always be able to access a food scale
-estimating/volume measuring has worked very well for me so far

All these reasons are why I don't weigh my food, too. Not to mention the extra time involved with weighing everything first.

I think people who have never used a kitchen scale don't realize how user-friendly they are, so it just seems like an extra hassle. I also think they think it's a tedious and unnecessary process and that the discrepancies between weighing and whatever method they're currently using would be negligible. Of course you don't have to weigh your food to lose weight, but once you start you realize *not* weighing it is far more tedious as it forces you to base everything off trial and error..

I have to admit, I just started. Only because I live in a hick town, and hadn't gotten around to the 45 minute drive to buy one. I stopped losing at 24 lbs though so I knew I had to. I Do find it a little time consuming, as I work crazy hours and have to make 5 meals ahead on Sunday evening so, measuring it too is a bit tough. But....If you want some things to change, you gotta change some things. So far, I still don't measure things like kale and spinach. I am a work in progress

When you go to a restaurant or someone's house you can't take your scale.

I asked a few weeks ago for the simplest way to figure out the calories for a serving of soup I made. I was told to weigh each ingredient and count all those calories then weigh the whole thing and count all of the calories up by grams. Then take a serving and measure it in grams. Then divide the calories I took and divide it by the total calories.... On and on....

Very daunting. I just bought a scale and then I made a salad. I forgot to weigh each ingredient before I put it in the salad. I said awwww screw this and guesstimated on it ..like I did before I had the scale

Some people simply don't have to use a scale to meet their goals. I always said that if I started stalling or if I was having trouble meeting my goals, I would use one. I have surpassed every goal I have set without one and I maintain without logging at all. You do you and leave your husband alone. It is just a tool and some people need/want to use it and some don't.

I think I was motivated and committed even though I didn't weigh my food or log 100% of the time...

When you go to a restaurant or someone's house you can't take your scale.

I asked a few weeks ago for the simplest way to figure out the calories for a serving of soup I made. I was told to weigh each ingredient and count all those calories then weigh the whole thing and count all of the calories up by grams. Then take a serving and measure it in grams. Then divide the calories I took and divide it by the total calories.... On and on....

Very daunting. I just bought a scale and then I made a salad. I forgot to weigh each ingredient before I put it in the salad. I said awwww screw this and guesstimated on it ..like I did before I had the scale

All the more reason to be as accurate as possible when you can.

I think the OP's husband needs to get a new wife rather than a foos scale. One that won't belittle his attempts to lose weight behind his back on a public Internet message board...

Everyone must lose weight the same way or there will be chaos. :-)

Keep the things that work,
change the things that don't.

The simpler and easier to follow,
the more likely it will become a habit.

My choices are based on being 52 years old with a life expectancy based on family health profiles of living to be 73. That means about 21 years of eating. That means approximately 23,000 meals to weigh, measure, log, and eat. If I spend just an additional 3 minutes on each meal weighing and cleaning the scale, I will spend the equivelent of 48 days of my life weighing food. As it is if I continue to log everything I eat for 20+ years I will be spending months of my life just logging. Everything has a cost and a benefit. I am going to continue to estimate, along with a once in a while calibration check, as long as it is working.

Weighing my food actually helps me to enjoy it more because I know exactly how much I'm eating. I can weigh it out and make my plate and enjoy it without wondering how many calories I'm eating or if my portion sizes are off.

I actually just have the scale next to me during dinner with a little piece of plastic wrap on it. I put things on the scale, log with my mobile app, put on my plate, and enjoy! I find that weighing really only takes a minute or two per meal.

But...I'm Type A and I work with numbers for a living. I enjoy statistics and research design, so weighing food is interesting and enjoyable for me. I'm fortunate that my husband isn't bothered by it at all. I don't care if he doesn't weight his food. I'm just worrying about me right now.

Weighing can be a real hassle and is tough to deal with eating when away from your scale.

Estimating works just fine too, especially once you become well practiced at it.

Exactly! I weigh my food at home but it is a pain in the neck for sure, and when I eat at friend's house or in a restaurant, then I have no choice than estimate and use generic entries.

Bottom line is not that people are scared, is that they don't just want to do it. That's all.

I'm in the "not weighing your food" camp, but I admit to being a little conflicted about it.

The reasons I don't weigh:

1- All parts of the deficit equation are estimates. Your BMR/TDEE are estimates. So are your calorie burns. How much precision can really be gained by attempting to be accurate with only your food intake?

2-The manner in which I'm trying (and slowly succeeding) to lose weight is to adopt the habits I intend to keep for the rest of my life. I don't see weighing every morsel of food to be a desireable habit for the long term. I'm trying my best not to have to resort to that.

3-Laziness. And this also goes for measuring with cups and spoons, too. I don't want to make extra dishes that have to be washed. If I can eyeball my portions, then I don't have to wash the things I used to measure or weight them with.

4-Admittedly shallow, but I'm a little embarrased to be seen weighing my food.

Hmmm.

1-So, because you are going to have (let's throw out a wild-*kitten* guess) ~20% variance in your calorie allowance estimates anyway, it's a good idea to not try to limit that variance as much as possible because you can never get it to 0%? I disagree. If you are as accurate as you can be (i.e. confident) with your intake, it would make it easier to identify where other estimates might be off and know where to make adjustments.

2-Weighing some food doesn't mean weighing all food. Many people who weigh only do it at home, and some only weigh certain foods. I don't bother weighing lettuce, for example. I also don't weigh at restaurants. Obviously, weighing is probably not terribly practical if you almost always eat out.

3-Psst - one big reason to weigh is because you get precise measurements for a dish without having to dirty more dishes. I love to bake and a scale is a godsend for consistent results. Just weigh into one bowl. I guess if you don't do mise en place and are putting ingredients into a pot/pan on the range that's an issue.

4-Yeah, I can see this one.

Basically, it's a personal decision and can be a useful tool. But, only if using it doesn't drive you away from moving towards a better diet.

I like it because I know how much I can eat and because I R a scientist and like to be as precise as possible. Helps me to know that yesterday's fluctuation is just that and not a sudden fat gain OR loss and I am on target.

Ok. I absolutely see all your points. Can't dispute a single thing you said. (And the glacial pace of my weight loss seems also to argue for a change of philosophy.)

I'm ashamed to say it never occured to me to use the same bowl / plate to weigh everything. (duh) I could just put my empty dinner plate on the scale, zero it out, then add my steak and get the weight, then add my potato then get the cummulative weight, etc. Is that what you mean? I think even I could manage that.

Consider me converted. I guess I'll check out the food scales at Walmart the next time I go.

PS: Re baking: In all my life I've never seen a recipe with the ingredients given in weights, although that makes a great deal of sense. My mother taught me to run flour through a sifter, then carefully spoon it into measuring cups in order not to compact it and then use a straight edge of some sort to level it off. Conversely, brown sugar is supposed to be pressed into the measuring cup (although how hard to compact it is somewhat arbitrary and a matter of experience.) I learn something everyday!

Can definitely understand your point of view! I talked myself into buying a food scale because I thought it would help me get a better handle on what I was eating.

Until I bought a scale, I guesstimated all the things I consumed for my food journal. After my food scale, I was shocked at the amounts I was REALLY using. Previously, I had always logged my coffee as having 2 TBSP of cream and 2 small teaspoons of sugar (I know how bad that it -- I'm slowing reducing the amount of each ingredient with a goal to drink it black!). The truth of the matter is I was using 2 OUNCES of creamer. That's 4 TBSP! Twice what I thought. And sugar? I was loading my coffee with 15 grams per cup.

Pasta? Rice? Potatoes? Cooked hamburger? Steaks! Chicken! Sauce! Toppings! Oh, my. I couldn't even believe how wrong I was about my calculations.

My food scale seems a little obsessive even to me, but I'm so grateful for it now. Definitely gave me a reality check about how much I was really eating. I'd recommend one to anybody!