So I finally got a food scale

jhall260
jhall260 Posts: 111 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Some of the foods are shocking, I was WAY underestimating them. I also have the advantage of probably being a bit better at guessing then the average person. I am a analytical chemist and weigh/measure stuff all day.

While I was doing fairly well with out one I am really excited to use it going forward. It really is not that much of a pain. I do most of my cooking from scratch anyways. This way I can also make spot on recipe entries into MFP =).

Just wanted to say thanks to some of the members here that always mention getting a food scale, to others out there questioning if they should get one, you should!


Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I thought a food scale would be a big pain in the rear for the longest time. But once I got mine I found it was generally faster and less messy than my measuring cups had been. Plus, who doesn't want to feel like a mad scientist when they make breakfast every morning?
  • DataSeven
    DataSeven Posts: 245 Member
    The scale is a very valuable tool to me. Especially in weighing stuff like cheese and dry cereal that's hard to measure in cups.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    It really does make things interesting! And the more you use it the better/faster you get :)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    jhall260 wrote: »
    Some of the foods are shocking, I was WAY underestimating them. I also have the advantage of probably being a bit better at guessing then the average person. I am a analytical chemist and weigh/measure stuff all day.

    yuuuuuuuuuup makes a difference (but some people still refuse to believe it LOL)
  • MzShelleRenea
    MzShelleRenea Posts: 64 Member
    I'm most excited to use mine for recipes. I cook primarily at home and still believe I am underestimating my calories with personal recipes. Now that I have my food scale, I can be more accurate and know exactly how much I'm putting in my body. Maybe I'll start losing again, ha.
  • MiltonAFC
    MiltonAFC Posts: 121 Member
    The food scale has been one of the best investments I've ever made.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I am gradually changing my food databank to make everything ounces. For instance, bananas you get a choice of one cup mashed, or the approximate size of the banana. Plus, it could be listed under "Generic" or "Raw" or whatever. I re-did it so it is listed as "Banana by ounce" and filled in all the nutritional information. Weighing food is the best way!
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    I am gradually changing my food databank to make everything ounces. For instance, bananas you get a choice of one cup mashed, or the approximate size of the banana. Plus, it could be listed under "Generic" or "Raw" or whatever. I re-did it so it is listed as "Banana by ounce" and filled in all the nutritional information. Weighing food is the best way!

    Be sure to check if there is a non-asterisked entry before you add another, please. For bananas it would be "Bananas - raw". There are sooooo many entries in that database and we definitely don't need to wade through more, IMO.

    Those non-asterisked entries contain a drop down box of almost any measurement you can think of, including ounces and grams. If you enter the weight in grams you can be much more accurate. All these non-asterisked entries have a 100-gram listing. This is what I always use. So, if my banana weighs 136 grams I just change the serving number on the left to 1.36.

    55835802.png
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    If only more folks would believe this, and *know* that they are guestimating, telling themselves demonstrable lies, and cheating ... only themselves and intentionally sabotaging, via ignorance and denial, the *only* chance they have.

    Good on ya , OP.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Yep. Weighing works. :kissing:
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I love my food scale! Mad scientist mode, indeed!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    sodakat wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    I am gradually changing my food databank to make everything ounces. For instance, bananas you get a choice of one cup mashed, or the approximate size of the banana. Plus, it could be listed under "Generic" or "Raw" or whatever. I re-did it so it is listed as "Banana by ounce" and filled in all the nutritional information. Weighing food is the best way!

    Be sure to check if there is a non-asterisked entry before you add another, please. For bananas it would be "Bananas - raw". There are sooooo many entries in that database and we definitely don't need to wade through more, IMO.

    Those non-asterisked entries contain a drop down box of almost any measurement you can think of, including ounces and grams. If you enter the weight in grams you can be much more accurate. All these non-asterisked entries have a 100-gram listing. This is what I always use. So, if my banana weighs 136 grams I just change the serving number on the left to 1.36.

    55835802.png

    Sorry but I'm not sharing my info, just using it for myself. I can't think in grams.
  • tinascar2015
    tinascar2015 Posts: 413 Member
    I use my food scale every day. My husband is from the UK and we have some of his old cookbooks, which tend to list some dry ingredients by weight (kg) rather than cups. I am, however, gutted to see what one ounce of shredded cheddar really looks like.
  • LessthanKris
    LessthanKris Posts: 607 Member
    I just got one for Christmas. Trail mix was disappointing but I was really underestimating cheese.
  • cosmo_momo
    cosmo_momo Posts: 173 Member
    @sodakat‌ is there a similar function on the myfitnesspal phone app? I've seen mention of asterisk/non-asterisked foods several times here and I do all my logging with my phone. I've not seen something of the same function for the phone app. It would make my life easier to know though! I just bought a food scale and am measuring in grams :)
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    sodakat wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    I am gradually changing my food databank to make everything ounces. For instance, bananas you get a choice of one cup mashed, or the approximate size of the banana. Plus, it could be listed under "Generic" or "Raw" or whatever. I re-did it so it is listed as "Banana by ounce" and filled in all the nutritional information. Weighing food is the best way!

    Be sure to check if there is a non-asterisked entry before you add another, please. For bananas it would be "Bananas - raw". There are sooooo many entries in that database and we definitely don't need to wade through more, IMO.

    Those non-asterisked entries contain a drop down box of almost any measurement you can think of, including ounces and grams. If you enter the weight in grams you can be much more accurate. All these non-asterisked entries have a 100-gram listing. This is what I always use. So, if my banana weighs 136 grams I just change the serving number on the left to 1.36.

    55835802.png

    Sorry but I'm not sharing my info, just using it for myself. I can't think in grams.
    Thank you! I totally get customizing things for yourself, but when people do something like that and then share it so it's in the database for all, it drives me bonkers! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: I wish more users who make personal entries would keep them personal, not public.

  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
    The best £10 I've ever spent, I couldn't believe how little a portion actually was. The scale really helped me understand just how much I was over eating.
  • amandastock
    amandastock Posts: 53 Member
    Yep! Weighed an apple today was 88, normally would have logged a medium size Apple which was only 55.
  • billiebutton
    billiebutton Posts: 49 Member
    I just picked up a digital scale today after some of the comments I was reading on here. I'm so glad I did.
  • kandeye
    kandeye Posts: 216 Member
    Such a great investment!
  • jhall260
    jhall260 Posts: 111 Member
    I actually enjoy it. I usually make my lunch for the next day when I make dinner. I can pre log lunch and know where my caloric goals are for the day!

    I'm excited to try it out when I make a big pot of stew or something. I have a feeling that it is going to be surprising. I tend to freeze many portions of them, now I can freeze them, write the weight on it and calculate it out via my recipe.

    No more excuses. Going to hit my goal of 165 for my marathon on May 9th!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Yeah, I don't understand what people don't understand about this...if you have a 500 calorie per day deficit for example, that's really not that big...it's not a huge margin for error and it's pretty easy to erase that if you're just eyeballing stuff everything.

  • chopsart
    chopsart Posts: 123 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Yeah, I don't understand what people don't understand about this...if you have a 500 calorie per day deficit for example, that's really not that big...it's not a huge margin for error and it's pretty easy to erase that if you're just eyeballing stuff everything.

    How true!
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