Holy food scale!

DanniB423
DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I bought a Taylor brand digital food scale from Target at the suggestion of a fellow MFPer. Oh my there really is a difference!!!! I weighed cereal in grams vs my cup measure and my cup measure put me 5 grams over. That will add up. Thank to all who recommended one and I am really glad I got it! Feeling way more accurate now!

Replies

  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
    i <3 my scale, too. huge difference!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Sometimes it will work to your benefit - sometimes not - but either way being accurate is so beneficial!
  • WFBspantran
    WFBspantran Posts: 59 Member
    Accuracy is a big deal, but the fact that you are even bothering to measure is the biggest step! It is amazing how "eyeballing" portions is so far off.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    Oh I always used cups and spoon measures! I thought that was okay until I saw so many people using a scale. I was still losing fine but I have a LONG journey ahead and I want to do this right:) Im working too hard to short myself or eat more than I think I am.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    DanniBuchanan1 wrote: »
    I bought a Taylor brand digital food scale from Target at the suggestion of a fellow MFPer. Oh my there really is a difference!!!! I weighed cereal in grams vs my cup measure and my cup measure put me 5 grams over. That will add up. Thank to all who recommended one and I am really glad I got it! Feeling way more accurate now!


    I have a Taylor scale as well. Love it! I've had it close to a year and the battery has never run out, and it hasn't broken from daily use.
  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 311 Member
    Cups measure volume, scales measure mass. Learned it in first grade. You'll get more grams of cereal into your cup the more tightly you pack it. That's why scales are more accurate for squashable things.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
    I love my food scale. I initially bought it because it was near impossible to estimate the weight of meat to log it, but I love using it on everything now for its accuracy. Mostly you'll notice was you were underestimating and therefore overeating, but you may be surprised by a couple of things you get more of through weighing than you did with measuring cups (i.e., some frozen fruits).
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Great job getting the scale.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    Cups measure volume, scales measure mass. Learned it in first grade. You'll get more grams of cereal into your cup the more tightly you pack it. That's why scales are more accurate for squashable things.
    Yes I understand it's first grade knowledge. Thanks. But when the cereal uses a cup measurement on the label (yes I know it says grams too) I assumed I was safe using the cups. If I was a pure genius at this getting healthy thing I would have been healthy long before age 27. Glad I am learning the ropes now.
  • nataliebordeauxx
    nataliebordeauxx Posts: 94 Member
    Hell yeah, food scales, ftw! B) I have one at home & one at the office. People think I'm crazy for weighing my food, but the proof is in the pudding!
  • jadior
    jadior Posts: 191 Member
    I have one but never use it! I think I better start!!! Thanks for the push!
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    YAY! I have a Taylor food scale, too. Best purchase ever! Definitely an eye opener. Nope, I can NOT estimate many foods at all, either (even with cups and spoons, Imma gonna heap that stuff and pack it in tight, lol). I'm greedy ;) Keeps me honest and accurate. Bonus--less dishes to wash when you don't have a zillion little measurement tools in use.
  • jequirity
    jequirity Posts: 37 Member
    DanniBuchanan1 wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    Cups measure volume, scales measure mass. Learned it in first grade. You'll get more grams of cereal into your cup the more tightly you pack it. That's why scales are more accurate for squashable things.
    Yes I understand it's first grade knowledge. Thanks. But when the cereal uses a cup measurement on the label (yes I know it says grams too) I assumed I was safe using the cups. If I was a pure genius at this getting healthy thing I would have been healthy long before age 27. Glad I am learning the ropes now.

    I did too until this moment!

    Honestly, I used a measuring cup or my scale depending on how lazy I was that day when it came to measuring food in the past. Thanks for pointing out what a big difference it makes. I own a scale but I never really sat down and thought about it until you pointed it out and now I know better. :D

  • cyndit1
    cyndit1 Posts: 170 Member
    I have a Taylor also and do use it regularly and love it.
  • Lauren5280
    Lauren5280 Posts: 67 Member
    I had the same moment when I switched from cups to scale. Yes we all know the logic in the back of our minds but to see it in black and white really makes it hit home. I started using the scale when I started baking. What a huge difference! Congratulations on your new purchase!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Yeah I was enlightened too. It's still funny to guess though. I used a tablespoon to scoop out some almond butter the other day, and weighed it after... close to a 2 tbsp serving! Yikes! If I haven't weighed it I would have been 160 calories over. Definitely adds up...
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yeah I was enlightened too. It's still funny to guess though. I used a tablespoon to scoop out some almond butter the other day, and weighed it after... close to a 2 tbsp serving! Yikes! If I haven't weighed it I would have been 160 calories over. Definitely adds up...
    Happened to me this morning with cream cheese!
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I absolutely love my food scale <3 It made a huge difference for me
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    I have a Taylor scale too. I use it for every meal and snack.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited January 2015
    ..
  • joneallen
    joneallen Posts: 217 Member
    I can't tell you the difference my logging made when I started weighing everything out by the gram instead of the cup size. I was definitely over on my tracking.
  • jwedebro
    jwedebro Posts: 17
    I'm planning to get one from Target whenever I get my next 5% pharmacy rewards card...probably in about a week or two. Glad to hear it's really helpful. I'm used to weighing things on a scale in lab and know you can't rely on eyeballing, but didn't realize food scales were affordable! I guess since you don't need to weigh sub-mg samples they don't need to be made as precise.
  • denielle715
    denielle715 Posts: 101 Member
    I'm planning on getting mine tomorrow. :)

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