To measure or Not to measure....that is the question!

Losershawn
Losershawn Posts: 152
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
So I find myself measuring everything. From cheerios to sunflower seeds I'm trying to learn what appropriate portion sizes are. Anybody else on this obsessive compulsive kick?

Replies

  • JenniferH81
    JenniferH81 Posts: 285 Member
    no, but I'm pretty sure that's why my weight loss has stalled.. I really need to start measuring.
  • maureak
    maureak Posts: 107 Member
    When I started logging my food, I was under the impression (so wrong) that I was an excellent judge of portion sizes. After all, I've been on so many diets over the years, why wouldn't I know exactly how much is a cup of cereal?

    At the beginning of the year, a fitness guru suggested that you should periodically do a reality check and measure, just to make sure you're not under counting. What an eye opener! I was almost always under estimating. I started measuring anything that's not already portion controlled just so I can see what it should look like. Now I measure things that are high calorie, like meat, and every so often, I will measure other things, to make sure I'm keeping on track.
  • Smilbuta
    Smilbuta Posts: 10
    (raises hand)

    I Measure all, I mean EVERYTHING!

    All meats precook weight , liquids (cup of milk) ECT, chip counts by weight. I measure down to the teaspoon if that's the portion.

    once you start to, you will realize that our diets are totally messed up and our problem as whole is portion.
  • sargent1976
    sargent1976 Posts: 33 Member
    I did at the beginning and now only if it is food i am not sure about. I am still losing so i guess i haven't under-estimated too much.
  • Bigsportygirl
    Bigsportygirl Posts: 20 Member
    I've been guessing most of my measurements but am going to get myself an american sized cup to start measuring more as everything on here seems to be cup sizes. I agree, portion size is everything in weight loss. The only other time I have lost weight I did it by reducing my portions of everything by a third. After a while I just accepted that the smaller portion was nomal, re-learning the way to eat.
  • ChRiStA_1983
    ChRiStA_1983 Posts: 380 Member
    I measure E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!

    I find that if I don't measure, I am a pretty inaccurate "guesser"....I'll say to myself "Oh, that's about a cup of cereal", and then if I measure it, I find that it's a cup and a half! Whoops! TOTALLY under-estimated the number of calories in that serving, then! That was the OLD me....

    NOW, I don't care if the recipe calls for 1/8 of a teaspoon, or four cups, I measure it ALL, and it seems to be working!

    Happy measuring!
  • Vicky14174
    Vicky14174 Posts: 715 Member
    i measure everything when i first started. now that i've been doing it for a while i can eyeball it. when i measure just to check to see if i'm over or under, i'm usually right on the money with my portions. i still measure when i'm make a recipe but for things that i eat or drink almost everyday i don't unless i'm just checking to make sure my eye is not off.
  • Kminor67
    Kminor67 Posts: 900 Member
    I don't measure everything, but I did at first... I still measure a lot because I want to make sure I'm staying on track :)
  • judyfurtado
    judyfurtado Posts: 42 Member
    Yes! I measure everything. My husband thinks I'm nuts. At dinner esp. because I have all my measuring cups and my little scale. I just like to make sure I'm not cheating myself.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    I measure everything. And usually, I weigh anything that would be measured in cups.

    Buying a kitchen scale was a REAL eye opener.
  • ShonzG
    ShonzG Posts: 73 Member
    I have a set of digital scales at home that I use to measure everything I eat at home. I also went and bought the same set for work! I'm a bit obsessed now....

    I must admit, before I started measuring food, I had NO IDEA how big portions were - I was eating far too much!!! Now I'm logging it appropriately and I'm losing weight - this has to be a good thing!

    I guess I'll stop weighing when I can accurately 'guess' what things weigh, but that's a distant ideal at the moment!

    Good luck everyone!

    Shonz
  • octopusami
    octopusami Posts: 87 Member
    I go back and forth.. sometimes I measure everything and sometimes I don't. I do have a scale that I use at home and I tend to follow the portion sizes that are one the sides of the box.
  • saldridge
    saldridge Posts: 125 Member
    I measure everything and always with a scale. Cups and spoons are so inaccurate for anything but liquids. It is so easy to have a scale on the counter - put your bowl or plate on, tare the weight and put your food on. It also saves you from having to wash that cup or half cup measure 10 times a day :-)

    One poster said they misjudged cereal and what she thought was a cup was actually a cup and a half. I am pretty sure if you measure it by weight, you'll probably see it was even two cups!!
  • joaniegray
    joaniegray Posts: 88 Member
    I measure most things - otherwise I would guestimate on the high side. Good luck!
  • captnesshowdy7
    captnesshowdy7 Posts: 61
    MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE! I can't stress it enough!!! I have a food scale, 2 sets of measuring cups AND the WW serving spoons. I got away from measuring for about 3 months and managed to gain 10 pounds. So yea, you're doing the right thing in my opinion! WTG. Keep it up!
  • ChristineM1953
    ChristineM1953 Posts: 135 Member
    I even have a scale that I use to measure foods - there are some things I can estimate now, but I have a collection of measuring cups that I keep in all my cereals, nuts, etc.. for easy access
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