Best brand / model Food Scale?

Bemix · April 2015

Hello! I keep reading about the importance of weighting my food and not just using measuring cups. I can already see the need to do this with meats because those are tricky for me to judge my serving size.

Anyone have some suggestions on some brands and models to look into? I don't have a budget so even if it seems a bit pricey, but worth the money, then I'm fine with that.

briandap1 · April 2015

Bought this one: http://smile.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1430314857&sr=1-1&keywords=food+scale

Works great, has a Tare feature, no problems at all.

snickerscharlie · April 2015

Yup, I bought the same scale, except in silver. It was recommended to me by MFPers. Simple, elegant, accurate, inexpensive.

randomworldgirl · April 2015

I have the same scale.

robin52077 · April 2015

things to think about:
-digital is far far superior to a "dial" scale
-need a "tare" function so you can put a plate or bowl on the scale, zero it out, then add food
-need grams and ounces for sure, some even have ml for liquids
- battery type...some have the large button cell batteries that you have to get special to replace and can sometimes be hard to find and about $5 each...some have regular AA or AAA and are therefore way easier to maintain.

I get mine at Walmart. anywhere from $15-$20, with all the features needed. Each one I've bought lasts well over a year with repeated daily use, like ten times a day because i weigh every single thing i eat.

You don't need to spend a lot of money.

Edit to add: just looked at the link above and it is perfect, meets all of my requirements and is cute to match the kitchen. I'd buy it!

jessupbrady · April 2015

This is the one I got:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000U67EI0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It will display nutritional values, allow you to add your own foods, and combine foods for a total nutritional display (not only can you get the calories of the cereal but also the cereal with the amount of milk you add)

snickerscharlie · April 2015

Pu_239 wrote: »

This is the best scale i came across so far.

you can enter the any nutrition info on the label or the nutrtition you find online. For example, you see a box of cereal, it says 110 calories per 58g. You can input that information in to the scale.

You then pour out the cereal, lets say it's 200g, it will tell you it's 379 calories.

Um, if you weigh your food on a regular digital scale and then enter it into MFP, it will do those same calculations for you. Not sure I understand the benefit of this scale. Seems complicated and, well, redundant to me.

shadow2soul · April 2015

I have an Ozeri as well. I just have a more expensive model then the one listed above. Mine takes CR2032 batteries, but I can get them on amazon cheap ($5.95 for 10 energizer or $7.31 for 20 Sony..all with free shipping).

edit: which reminds me, I need to buy more. The last time I bought batteries (a 5 pack) for the scale was in August 2014 and I just used the last out of the pack the other day.

snickerscharlie · April 2015

The Ozeri scale I have uses regular AAA batteries, which is a bonus because they're cheap and available absolutely everywhere.

Bemix · April 2015

Thanks for all the fast replies. I'll put in a scale order now. At that prices it's hard to beat.

snickerscharlie · April 2015

Good luck on your journey, Aaron. Weighing your food is the absolutely best decision you could make.

When I first got my scale, I was astonished at how off some of the food label weights were. Like 1 serving of a certain bread (one slice) was supposed to be 40 grams when it was actually closer to 50. Or 1 cup of cereal weighed at least 10% more than the equivalent serving in grams. It's a real eye opener!

sassysas014 · April 2015

Hello everyone I just weigh myself this morning and im up 2.5 lbs there is no way I am up and my scale was saying 2 completely different numbers when I stepped on. Ive been eating really well and exercising too could my scale be completely wrong?

snickerscharlie · April 2015

sassysas014 wrote: »

Hello everyone I just weigh myself this morning and im up 2.5 lbs there is no way I am up and my scale was saying 2 completely different numbers when I stepped on. Ive been eating really well and exercising too could my scale be completely wrong?

If your scale runs on batteries, check to see if they're low. Also, if you move the scale before you step on it, the first weight may be inaccurate. Always take the second weight. I only weigh myself once a week, and put my scales away in between weigh ins so I'm not constantly tempted to step on them. So when I do bring them out every week, I have to allow it to recalibate for the weight to be accurate.

But failing that, yes, body weight fluctuates daily (and hourly!) based on time of day, monthly cycles, water retention, meals, bowel movements (or lack thereof!) to mention a few.

Afura · April 2015

I use EatSmart Precision Pro scale, it's not fancy but it fit my budget. It has a tare function, and 4 different weight types (oz, kg, lb and g). More importantly it has survived 3 moves over over 2k miles and uses 2 AAA batteries like the Ozeri.

Bemix · April 2015

snickerscharlie wrote: »

Good luck on your journey, Aaron. Weighing your food is the absolutely best decision you could make.

When I first got my scale, I was astonished at how off some of the food label weights were. Like 1 serving of a certain bread (one slice) was supposed to be 40 grams when it was actually closer to 50. Or 1 cup of cereal weighed at least 10% more than the equivalent serving in grams. It's a real eye opener!

Thank you! I'm always learning more and more and it's fun too.

snickerscharlie · April 2015

Sometimes simpler is really all that's needed to serve the intended purpose. Just because something costs more doesn't necessarily make it the most appropriate choice.

Aaron949 · April 2015

We've been using a digital Salter brand for about 10 years now. I just changed the 9V battery for the second time.

Bemix · May 2015

Pu_239 wrote: »

Non_Stop wrote: »

Isn't the most expensive the best one?

That was my initial thought as well... he asked for the best, but looking at the cheapest.

I can't find the one you showed in stock anywhere. I don't mind spending the money, but so many people were praising the less expensive model. I was looking at what people were showing. I just need to get started weighing my food. Hope there are no hard feelings.