Estimating food intake?

genevievesagesmommy · February 2015

So, I ordered a food scale and am waiting for it arrive in the mail. In the mean time are there any good rules of thumb for estimating how much I am eating?

avotarian · February 2015

I don't have a lot of experience with this (always had a scale), but I will share a couple of ideas since no one else has yet

Use measuring cups/spoons to measure volume (until you can more accurately measure weight). There are often multiple entries for the same item in the MFP database. For example, measure out a quarter cup of cheese with a measuring cup and find that cheese in MFP that is measured in cups instead of ounces.

An even less precise method of measurement is to google image search "one ounce of cheese" and eyeball it.

(Those are two random and separate examples--a quarter cup of cheese is likely a lot more than one ounce!)

I hope your scale gets there soon! Good luck!

phogbear · February 2015

If I'm eating out (restaurant or someones house) I'll snap a pic with my hand. I try to be discrete about it. Also, I only do it with people who know me. I generally feel its a bit rude, but I'm trying to stay on track. Most people think I'm crazy, so they just roll their eyes. Then when I get home I do my best to estimate it.

Now that I'm writing this, it has occurred to me that I should snap pics of meals at home so I have a database. Wish I had thought of it before.

Sometimes, I'll ask for a recipe too. That will give you a better idea, but its not always practical. I also eat light during the day so I have extra calories. I did both last night. One so i would have an idea and two because I really liked the one dish.

TCO76 · March 2015

I would just wait for the scale and not worry too much about eyeballing or guessing. It never works. If you make it a lifestyle you'll realize that it's not a race.

Estimating food intake?

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