Newbie here. Any tools/tricks to avoid guessing portions?

Measure, measure, measure -- weigh ... and measure some more!

Does anyone have suggestions for kitchen tools or tricks that help them not accidentally (or subconsciously) cheat? So far I already know I need a kitchen scale. When I'm running out of calories for the day I know that without it I will convince myself that my 8 oz. of chicken is only 5 oz! Are there any other useful tools or methods you use to quickly and accurately measure portions?

kirchen scale, measuring spoons and measuring cups.

A scale is the one thing I don't have. Geez- I'm glad I read this thread. I will have one by the end of the week.

Definitly a kitchen scale, pay the extra few bucks for a digital one for sure! Get 2 set of both measuring cups and spoons so that you are not constantly washing, leads to less cheating!
Both my husband and I who have been trained to eyeball portions (from being in the resturant industry) measure EVERYTHING!!
Good luck!

I just bought myself a digital Cuisinart scale at Bed, Bath & Beyond the other day. It is AMAZING and by far one of the best purchases (as related to weight loss) that I've made.

If you register online at B,B&B, they'll e-mail you a 20 % off coupon, that's what I used to buy mine.

It's a small little silver one, it's bowl also doubles as a lid/cover. =]

I also bought two sets of measuring cups and table spoons each. Mine always seem to get dirty rather quickly. Lol.

I agree with all the comments and would add one more. Not really a tool but has been one of my most effective "tools/tricks" for living the MFP lifestyle: Buy small plates to use instead of the traditional larger ones for dinner/meals. I found some square, white salad plates at World Market that are perfect. The food looks wonderful with the white and due to the small square shape my meals looks like full dinners and not a "diet meal." There have been several studies and the size of our plates, especially in restaurants, has been growing over the years just as the American public has been growing. Tonight I had a baked chicken breast stuffed with some ham & cheese and one yellow squash steamed. It filled the salad plate and looked like a lot more food than it actually was. The one yellow squash filled half the plate. Just a thought for what it is worth.

bump

Yes! hit up the dollar store.. get some measuring spoons and cups and I got a small scale from Target for like $10. It's really small.. a 16 oz capacity and is a Taylor brand. it's really compact and stores easily. The container is removal and also acts as a storage unit with lid!. I found it very useful for measure EVERYTHING!

I have this scale also and I love it. It is really small and I adjust it to whatever conatiner I am using. It does come with a container and a lid but I set my other tupperware on it and zero it so I can just add my food right into the containers I will use that day. It has grams and ounces on it too and I use it almost everyday.