This is why I weigh packaged food!
Francl27
Posts: 26,371 Member
I'm more and more amazed every time I do it...
Today so far - a bagel from Trader Joe's. Serving size is 85g, my bagel weighed 98g = 35 more calories. A snack from Graze - serving size is 40g, it weighed 45g (surprisingly low difference for Graze) = 28 more calories.
So that's 63 extra calories just this morning. I'm not planning on having more packaged food today but if I did, I could undo most of my deficit because of it... The low carb tortillas I use are typically 10 more calories, the bread 10-15 more calories at least for two slices, Quest bars up to 20 more calories... it really adds up.
Bottom line = weigh everything. Some things will be pretty much spot on every time, but some things are always way off, so it really adds up in the end (Graze snacks are always way off, the flapjacks are typically 60+ more calories than what the nutrition info says!).
Today so far - a bagel from Trader Joe's. Serving size is 85g, my bagel weighed 98g = 35 more calories. A snack from Graze - serving size is 40g, it weighed 45g (surprisingly low difference for Graze) = 28 more calories.
So that's 63 extra calories just this morning. I'm not planning on having more packaged food today but if I did, I could undo most of my deficit because of it... The low carb tortillas I use are typically 10 more calories, the bread 10-15 more calories at least for two slices, Quest bars up to 20 more calories... it really adds up.
Bottom line = weigh everything. Some things will be pretty much spot on every time, but some things are always way off, so it really adds up in the end (Graze snacks are always way off, the flapjacks are typically 60+ more calories than what the nutrition info says!).
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I need to tighten up my weighing. I tend not to weigh things that are pre-portioned into servings for me, like frozen turkey burgers or single serving snacks.0
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I've noticed with canned soup, the label says 2 servings, but when I weigh it, it is more like 1 and 1/2.0
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Wow. I have only weighed bulk foods not prepackaged. That can add up VERY quickly!!!!!!0
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I have a local bakery that sells rolls to supermarkets. The NI says 1 roll = 2.6 oz = 90 calories. I weighed the 6 rolls in the package -- 3 were 3 oz, 2 were 2 7/8 oz, 1 was 2 3/4 oz. I took the smallest, but entered it as 1.1 servings (2.75/2.6 = 1.05). I love these rolls, but hate that they're always over!! I also spot weigh my light bread -- most of the time 2 slices is within a gram or 2 of the correct weight, but occasionally it's more (or less --the heel, for example). I notice that the slices are not always uniform.
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My 2 slices of rye bread yesterday were supposed to be 50g, 140 cals. They were 76g, 213 cals. 73 extra cals, almost like I'd actually had 3 slices!
That said, it's a loaf style where the slices are varying sizes. They probably weigh the loaf and divide by slice number. If I ate the whole loaf myself throughout the week, and used 25g per slice, maybe it would average out (I don't know, I didn't weigh the loaf). But I don't eat it all myself, so it matters.0 -
Ugh. I have been trying to avoid doing this. Maybe it's time to start...sad face. I don't wanna weigh my quest bar
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I find with canned tuna it's supposed to be 112gr drained.It's rarely more than 94gr so when protein needs are accounted for it's never really what I think it should be.0
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I weighed a Quest bar once, and it was right on the money. 60g. I haven't weighed them since because I figured they were right. Dang it.0
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Thanks for the information. I would not have thought that makers of pre-packaged foods would be allowed to be that much off the stated nutrition label details.0
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I've noticed a lot since weighing that I was underestimating before. Thinks that said a serving was like 1/4 of something, I would divide up in to four equal looking sections but when I weigh it, it'll be much less than they weight listed as a serving. It makes a big difference when you are limiting calories, without a scale I woudln't know if I has having more or less than a serving and many times I was really short changing myself.0
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breathless575 wrote: »I've noticed with canned soup, the label says 2 servings, but when I weigh it, it is more like 1 and 1/2.
Yes I noticed that too! Tuna too... it's always less.quiksylver296 wrote: »I weighed a Quest bar once, and it was right on the money. 60g. I haven't weighed them since because I figured they were right. Dang it.
I've had everything from 58g to 66g. I always curse when I end up with one that is 66g.I wonder how much this evens out over time. As in, today maybe your bagel was 13g too heavy but tomorrow maybe it will be 13g under. It seems to me this is the argument for a little cardio (or a little more cardio if one already does cardio) even though, and let's all repeat the official MFP heavy lifter chant together, "you don't need to do cardio." It would even out those discrepancies.
That's the thing though - it's almost never under. For bread slices, the only ones that are under are the ends of the loaf, otherwise it's always more. The tortillas I've been eating 5-6 times a week lately, out of 5 packages there was 1 that was under, maybe 5-6 that were the correct weight, and most were 2-3g more - I had a couple at 7g more (normal size is 62g). Good thing they are only 80 calories tortillas...
But yeah, those Graze snacks... gosh. Two days ago I had 270 calories left or something and decided to have a flapjack for dessert (supposed to be 230 calories) and I ended up 20 calories over after I weighed it. So annoying.
Oh and I had a square of chocolate with my coffee. The package says 1 serving is 40g and 4 squares. Except a square is 16g. That is a pretty huge difference when a serving is 240 calories!
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arditarose wrote: »Ugh. I have been trying to avoid doing this. Maybe it's time to start...sad face. I don't wanna weigh my quest bar
IME protein bars are usually pretty spot on, off by maybe a gram. Haven't had Quest bars but I've had some other brands and they've never been all that off from the package! IME most items ARE actually off but there are a few rare examples of items that are actually the same weight as the package states.
Some things that I've had consistently be on the mark +/-1 gram: plain rice cakes, most protein bars, most individually wrapped pieces of chocolate (those I still weigh because calorie dense) and candy, jello packets, canned tuna (based on weight with liquid because draining will never be the same each time)..... I think that's about it actually. Sometimes some of my faux bacon is on the mark but most items are over. Except sometimes my GF blueberry muffins are under by a few g.
Maybe you should weigh it pre-drained because.... you are probably just over-draining it. Never had this issue with two different canned brands.I find with canned tuna it's supposed to be 112gr drained.It's rarely more than 94gr so when protein needs are accounted for it's never really what I think it should be.
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That's the thing though - it's almost never under.
Yeah. When I was in college I worked for a company that makes checkweighers, which are the high-speed scales used in food manufacturing to check the weight of the finished packages.
Having set up scales for a variety of companies, I can tell you that they are super concerned that the package not be underweight, because god forbid somebody weighed their food when they got home and found out the company had shorted them a few grams, which could get them in legal trouble.
If a package is under, it automatically gets kicked out as a reject.
They are a little concerned about the packages being over, because that means they're giving away free food. But they aren't going to reject a package that's over (unless it's way over, which would suggest a foreign object had ended up in the package), because that would be throwing away perfectly good product, and who's going to complain about getting extra food at no extra cost.
The data from packages being over gets sent back to the filling machine so they can't dial it in and stop giving away free food. But the overweight packages still get shipped.0 -
This just means more donut for me. No complainin' here.PeachyPlum wrote: »
That's the thing though - it's almost never under.
Yeah. When I was in college I worked for a company that makes checkweighers, which are the high-speed scales used in food manufacturing to check the weight of the finished packages.
Having set up scales for a variety of companies, I can tell you that they are super concerned that the package not be underweight, because god forbid somebody weighed their food when they got home and found out the company had shorted them a few grams, which could get them in legal trouble.
If a package is under, it automatically gets kicked out as a reject.
They are a little concerned about the packages being over, because that means they're giving away free food. But they aren't going to reject a package that's over (unless it's way over, which would suggest a foreign object had ended up in the package), because that would be throwing away perfectly good product, and who's going to complain about getting extra food at no extra cost.
The data from packages being over gets sent back to the filling machine so they can't dial it in and stop giving away free food. But the overweight packages still get shipped.
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When you look at canned foods, uncle bens rice packets, etc... You'll notice at the bottom they tell you what the "Net Wt." is..... I'm confident many know how to figure out the rest of the equation.........
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This just means more donut for me. No complainin' here.PeachyPlum wrote: »
That's the thing though - it's almost never under.
Yeah. When I was in college I worked for a company that makes checkweighers, which are the high-speed scales used in food manufacturing to check the weight of the finished packages.
Having set up scales for a variety of companies, I can tell you that they are super concerned that the package not be underweight, because god forbid somebody weighed their food when they got home and found out the company had shorted them a few grams, which could get them in legal trouble.
If a package is under, it automatically gets kicked out as a reject.
They are a little concerned about the packages being over, because that means they're giving away free food. But they aren't going to reject a package that's over (unless it's way over, which would suggest a foreign object had ended up in the package), because that would be throwing away perfectly good product, and who's going to complain about getting extra food at no extra cost.
The data from packages being over gets sent back to the filling machine so they can't dial it in and stop giving away free food. But the overweight packages still get shipped.
Me either!
But just some information for the folks that assume it averages out over time with some packages being under and some over. It probably doesn't.0 -
In for being too lazy to weigh pre-packaged fud
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And what would a scientific calorie analysis reveal? Methinks this warrants awareness much more than obsession but to each, it's own :ohwell:0
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Frozen, pre-packaged meals are almost always under. As is canned corn, it says about 3.5 servings, but it's more like 2.5.
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PeachyPlum wrote: »
This just means more donut for me. No complainin' here.PeachyPlum wrote: »
That's the thing though - it's almost never under.
Yeah. When I was in college I worked for a company that makes checkweighers, which are the high-speed scales used in food manufacturing to check the weight of the finished packages.
Having set up scales for a variety of companies, I can tell you that they are super concerned that the package not be underweight, because god forbid somebody weighed their food when they got home and found out the company had shorted them a few grams, which could get them in legal trouble.
If a package is under, it automatically gets kicked out as a reject.
They are a little concerned about the packages being over, because that means they're giving away free food. But they aren't going to reject a package that's over (unless it's way over, which would suggest a foreign object had ended up in the package), because that would be throwing away perfectly good product, and who's going to complain about getting extra food at no extra cost.
The data from packages being over gets sent back to the filling machine so they can't dial it in and stop giving away free food. But the overweight packages still get shipped.
Me either!
But just some information for the folks that assume it averages out over time with some packages being under and some over. It probably doesn't.
Yeah my 6-pack of sugared donuts should weigh 270g total (45g per donut).... and so far the lightest donut I've had was about 48g. I don't see that averaging out any time soon!0 -
pinuprevival wrote: »Frozen, pre-packaged meals are almost always under. As is canned corn, it says about 3.5 servings, but it's more like 2.5.
Canned beans too, because it counts the bean sludge ...er, liquid that most people DRAIN. Probably is counting the liquid the corn is in as well.
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I weighed a 14.5 oz can of green beans minus the juices it was only 7.5 oz's 2 servings not 31/20
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Ya I noticed last week that each slice of my bread was a noticeably different size. One was bigger (by 5g), the next smaller (by 5g), and back and forth. Usually I have two slices a day during work hours so the differences cancel each other out but I will definitely start weighing more pre packaged stuff now. Also, why the heck doesn't big brand mayo or whip cream have portions in grams?? My life would be so much easier if I could weigh all semi solids too!0
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