Best way to weigh your food

JennaD075
JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What is the best way to weigh your food when using a food scale? I use it with the ounces but I just read on another topic that someone said this is not the way to weigh your food. I'm confused. Please explain how I should be weighing my food. Thanks!

Replies

  • markjacobs1987
    markjacobs1987 Posts: 162 Member
    Well it depends on what you are weighing. I'd say go by whatever my fitness pal uses as a tracker. If it measures what you are tracking in ounces use that. If it uses grams use that. Example: Weigh chicken by ounces, weigh sweet potato by grams.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    I weigh meat in ounces and everything else in grams.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Grams. Always grams.

    An ounce is 28 grams, btw.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    Thank you! What both of you said makes sense. I guess I should weigh more of my food. I don't weigh potatoes. I use the small, large, medium...or if it's mashed I use cups. Do you weigh everything? Or do you use measuring cups also?
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    Perhaps they were referring to the fact that you can be slightly more accurate on a digital scale with grams since there are 28 grams in 1 ounce? I don't think it matters much. I use grams most of the time but will use ounces for meat.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    Grams. Always grams.

    An ounce is 28 grams, btw.

    Thank you! I didn't know that. Why is it better to weigh in grams?
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    Measuring cups are not as accurate as weighing. Someone posted a video once comparing measuring cups with weight, and typically people measured out too much with cups.

    I also like that I don't mess up extra dishes with my food scale. Put the chicken on the plate, tare the scale, put the next item on the plate, etc.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    Measuring cups are not as accurate as weighing. Someone posted a video once comparing measuring cups with weight, and typically people measured out too much with cups.

    I also like that I don't mess up extra dishes with my food scale. Put the chicken on the plate, tare the scale, put the next item on the plate, etc.

    How do I correctly weigh things that have serving sizes in cups? Do I do a certain amount of ounces are in a cup and weigh it that way?
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Thank you! What both of you said makes sense. I guess I should weigh more of my food. I don't weigh potatoes. I use the small, large, medium...or if it's mashed I use cups. Do you weigh everything? Or do you use measuring cups also?

    Weigh everything. No measuring cups for anything.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    If you can do math it doesn't matter if you weigh in grams, ounces, drams, or stones. It's all the same. I prefer to set my scale to grams because that is usually what is on nutritional labels.
  • FireStorm1972
    FireStorm1972 Posts: 1,142 Member
    grams for me.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    If you can do math it doesn't matter if you weigh in grams, ounces, drams, or stones. It's all the same. I prefer to set my scale to grams because that is usually what is on nutritional labels.

    I'm OK with math but I never noticed anything in grams. I will have to learn the equivalent in grams for everything.
  • Megais
    Megais Posts: 28 Member
    I also wondered this, and if scales are always accurate. Is there a brand of scale that's more accurate? Is it better to use grams or pounds depending on the food type?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Measuring cups are not as accurate as weighing. Someone posted a video once comparing measuring cups with weight, and typically people measured out too much with cups.

    I also like that I don't mess up extra dishes with my food scale. Put the chicken on the plate, tare the scale, put the next item on the plate, etc.

    How do I correctly weigh things that have serving sizes in cups? Do I do a certain amount of ounces are in a cup and weigh it that way?

    The nutrition label will usually list the weight (grams) of a serving. Weigh your food out then divide it by the serving. Oftentimes, one serving will actually be less than the cup size.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Thank you! What both of you said makes sense. I guess I should weigh more of my food. I don't weigh potatoes. I use the small, large, medium...or if it's mashed I use cups. Do you weigh everything? Or do you use measuring cups also?
    Measuring cups are for measuring liquids in fluid ounces. Solids like meats can't be accurately measured by volume.

    Also, you should definitely weigh those potatoes. How do you know what size a potato is if you don't know how much it weighs? The physical size doesn't matter - the weight of the potato determines whether its small, medium or large.

    On most nutritional labels it should have the weight in grams in parethesis. Like "1 cup (81g)" for example.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    I also wondered this, and if scales are always accurate. Is there a brand of scale that's more accurate? Is it better to use grams or pounds depending on the food type?

    Good question! I have two different scales and they are slightly off of each other. I would like to know also what food scale people use.
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Weigh everything in grams .... nothing is better than that.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,861 Member
    Have you ever looked up how food companies come up with the number of calories they put on a label? It's really just an educated guess. I use an analog scale and weigh in ounces. My own best estimate is that the calories on labels are no more accurate than +/- 10% at best. So if my goal is 2,000 calories and I'm within a range of 1,800 to 2,200, that's a win!
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    Thank you! What both of you said makes sense. I guess I should weigh more of my food. I don't weigh potatoes. I use the small, large, medium...or if it's mashed I use cups. Do you weigh everything? Or do you use measuring cups also?
    Measuring cups are for measuring liquids in fluid ounces. Solids like meats can't be accurately measured by volume.

    Also, you should definitely weigh those potatoes. How do you know what size a potato is if you don't know how much it weighs? The physical size doesn't matter - the weight of the potato determines whether its small, medium or large.

    On most nutritional labels it should have the weight in grams in parethesis. Like "1 cup (81g)" for example.

    Thank you! You have given me a lot of good information. With everyone's help maybe I can prevent having a weight gain or plateau 3 months from now and I won't have to start a topic asking "Why am I no longer losing weight."
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    Have you ever looked up how food companies come up with the number of calories they put on a label? It's really just an educated guess. I use an analog scale and weigh in ounces. My own best estimate is that the calories on labels are no more accurate than +/- 10% at best. So if my goal is 2,000 calories and I'm within a range of 1,800 to 2,200, that's a win!

    Good point!
  • christullos
    christullos Posts: 89
    I also wondered this, and if scales are always accurate. Is there a brand of scale that's more accurate? Is it better to use grams or pounds depending on the food type?

    Good question! I have two different scales and they are slightly off of each other. I would like to know also what food scale people use.

    Go to Amazon and order a 50 gram weight and use it to calibrate your scale.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    I also wondered this, and if scales are always accurate. Is there a brand of scale that's more accurate? Is it better to use grams or pounds depending on the food type?

    Good question! I have two different scales and they are slightly off of each other. I would like to know also what food scale people use.

    Get a digital scale and stick with it. Doesn't matter which one. Get what you can afford that can measure ounces and grams. Weigh, track, record, wash, rinse, repeat.

    Everything, food scales, heart rate monitors, bathroom scales, what the cardio machines say, fitbit, whatever...they are all best guesses. Some are more accurate than others, but don't spend all your time jumping from this scale or calorie burn trackers to that one. Find something you like, use it for a while, track your progress and if the need arises, make adjustments where needed. Normally your adjustments to calories or exercise will be easiest.
  • mtruitt01
    mtruitt01 Posts: 370 Member
    I bought a i5000 from Amazon and am very happy with it. it has a tare button and different modes.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    I like my digital scale. It has the tare and does grams or ounces. That is good advice to just stick to the one you like. I do that with my weight scale makes sense to do that with my food scale.
  • aggieali04
    aggieali04 Posts: 6 Member
    I also wondered this, and if scales are always accurate. Is there a brand of scale that's more accurate? Is it better to use grams or pounds depending on the food type?

    Good question! I have two different scales and they are slightly off of each other. I would like to know also what food scale people use.

    Go to Amazon and order a 50 gram weight and use it to calibrate your scale.

    A US Nickel weighs 5 grams. Throw on a bunch of nickels to calibrate (I do 10 just to have a round 50 grams).
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    I switch between grams aND ounces. I think grams are a more precise measurement. I've always preferred metrics.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    What is the best way to weigh your food when using a food scale? I use it with the ounces but I just read on another topic that someone said this is not the way to weigh your food. I'm confused. Please explain how I should be weighing my food. Thanks!

    Use a digital scale.
    You'll also want to use grams.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    I also wondered this, and if scales are always accurate. Is there a brand of scale that's more accurate? Is it better to use grams or pounds depending on the food type?

    Good question! I have two different scales and they are slightly off of each other. I would like to know also what food scale people use.

    Go to Amazon and order a 50 gram weight and use it to calibrate your scale.

    A US Nickel weighs 5 grams. Throw on a bunch of nickels to calibrate (I do 10 just to have a round 50 grams).

    Thank you! I will try this.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    I have an Oxo. It is simple and works well. Here are some features I find essential (or at least, nice to have):

    1) The ability to weigh negative amounts. This is absolutely a must have. I had a scale once that reset to zero every time the weight went negative. I HATED that scale!
    2) The ability to switch between English (lbs, oz) and metric (grams, kgs) with the push of a button. My first digital scale required picking it up to flip a switch on the bottom. Inconvenient. (But at least it would weigh negative amounts.)
    3) Ability to arrange things so you can read the display even when weighing large, irregularly shaped objects. On my current scale, the display pulls out. It also has a backlight you can turn on, but I rarely use that.
    4) Ease of cleaning. A food scale should be designed for this, but it is worth considering if all the other criteria are met.
  • JennaD075
    JennaD075 Posts: 43 Member
    I have an Oxo. It is simple and works well. Here are some features I find essential (or at least, nice to have):

    1) The ability to weigh negative amounts. This is absolutely a must have. I had a scale once that reset to zero every time the weight went negative. I HATED that scale!
    2) The ability to switch between English (lbs, oz) and metric (grams, kgs) with the push of a button. My first digital scale required picking it up to flip a switch on the bottom. Inconvenient. (But at least it would weigh negative amounts.)
    3) Ability to arrange things so you can read the display even when weighing large, irregularly shaped objects. On my current scale, the display pulls out. It also has a backlight you can turn on, but I rarely use that.
    4) Ease of cleaning. A food scale should be designed for this, but it is worth considering if all the other criteria are met.

    Thanks Nancy a couple of the items you listed are pet peeve's on my current scale. Maybe I will look at getting a new one. Thanks!

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