Huge difference after you started weighing food?

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amtru2015
amtru2015 Posts: 179 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, looking into getting a food scale.....wondered if anyone noticed a huge kickstart to weight loss/fat loss after they started weighing their portions. I've lost 20 lbs and am restarting with a new goal but it seems to be going so slowly no matter what I do. I'm wondering if Im way over my calories but just don't know it. Thanks

Replies

  • Vartyyo
    Vartyyo Posts: 1 Member
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    Do you know why you weigh food? You understand macros?
  • amtru2015
    amtru2015 Posts: 179 Member
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    lol yes I understand macros and I understand that weighing your food helps with balancing your nutrients. Not sure if you're being sarcastic or what
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
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    Yes! I love my food scale. It's a great way to be more precise with calorie counting. It's one of my most important tools. Get one, you won't regret it!
  • 1bellringer1
    1bellringer1 Posts: 55 Member
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    ok, I'll bite. I have no idea why I weigh my food other than to make sure my 4 oz chicken breast is in fact, 4 oz's and I have no clue what a macro is. Let's just start from there and go forward. :D
  • RNGRZulu
    RNGRZulu Posts: 3,964 Member
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    I'm no pro, but I do the food scale thing.

    Very quickly after you get a scale you have a much better idea of what 1oz of chicken breast looks like. Or top sirloin, or pork tenderloin, or flounder. What I do is cook up a week's worth of protein on the weekend, weigh it up, cut it into 1oz pieces (which also makes it easier to heat up at work), and put it in freezer bags. Sometimes 4 oz per bag, sometimes put it all in one bag, but then you have to worry about it freezing together. I also either grill or dry bake my proteins to avoid adding fat.

    I don't really weigh out carbs because they are almost always veggies. Oatmeal I measure by volume. Those are the only "carbs" I eat except bananas (which I measure sorta). I do get carbs from things like yogurt and soy milk, but those are generally on the label.

    I don't deliberately add fats, but I am probably going to have to be better at including them. In that case, we're talking teaspoons.

    So for me, it's mostly about proteins. But once you have the 1oz of protein picture in your head, it's easy to get an idea of what 4 or 6 or 8 oz cuts are like. I'm assuming you cook your own food. I take the steak, weigh it out, and if it says 12 oz, I cut it in 12 pieces.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    weighing your food simply provides for greater accuracy...calorie counting is all about accuracy. The less you have to lose, the more narrow your margin of error is.
  • RNGRZulu
    RNGRZulu Posts: 3,964 Member
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    1bellringer1 wrote: »
    ok, I'll bite. I have no idea why I weigh my food other than to make sure my 4 oz chicken breast is in fact, 4 oz's and I have no clue what a macro is. Let's just start from there and go forward. :D

    Macro = macronutrient = Protein, Fat, or Carbohydrate

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I weigh all my solid foods, measure liquids, because I want to be accurate on what I am eating, not estimating on what I am eating, that way if I have room to fit in a cookie or ice cream I can. ;)
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
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    I just bought one and realized I was totally underestimating on a lot of things, particularly meat, so I think it will help me be more accurate with calorie counting. I also just ordered a heart rate monitor so I can have more accurate calorie burns as well. Hopefully that will help me get the last 15 pounds off! Now I just need the motivation to stick to eating well and under my calorie goal!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    When I first started losing, I didn't weigh my food and lost-but I also had a larger amount of weight to lose and just eating less in general allowed me to shed a few pounds. If I had not started weighing food eventually, I definitely would have stopped seeing progress as I got closer to goal. I like the accuracy, it's key (especially on my mini 250 cal deficit). Also, after you start weighing food you have such a better idea what an ounce of everything looks like, it's easier to eyeball and log when you go out to dinner.
  • ohmystarz3
    ohmystarz3 Posts: 1
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    do you weight the food raw or after it is cooked? For instance, rice or pasta, chicken breast or ground beef (which loses water and fat when it is cooked).
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    ohmystarz3 wrote: »
    do you weight the food raw or after it is cooked? For instance, rice or pasta, chicken breast or ground beef (which loses water and fat when it is cooked).

    yes raw on meat and pasta
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    ohmystarz3 wrote: »
    do you weight the food raw or after it is cooked? For instance, rice or pasta, chicken breast or ground beef (which loses water and fat when it is cooked).

    Before
  • joshuajguyer
    joshuajguyer Posts: 21 Member
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    Hi Ash! You're welcome to add me of you'd like. I'm always happy to make new friends and build a support group :)
  • amtru2015
    amtru2015 Posts: 179 Member
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    thanks everyone for your thoughts
  • ajhaeb
    ajhaeb Posts: 4
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    Thanks for asking this question! I was debating on getting a scale or not.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    A huge kickstarter ? No.
    Using a scale and a heart rate monitor simple allows me to accurately track my calories in -calories out.
    If you are accurately tracking then you should be able to use some simple math to accurately predict your rate of fat loss.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I've been at this for years now and could never figure out where I should be to lose the weight. Between overestimating my burn and underestimating my calories consumed I could not move the scale with any predictability.

    I weigh most of my food. And I'm losing and can dial in my macros if I so choose. A scale is worth the money.

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