Food scale: best friend?

kaassiia
kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
edited November 19 in Food and Nutrition
How has a good scale helped or not helped in your journey?

I just bought one yesterday and I love being able to more accurately track my intake. I wish I would've gotten one earlier!
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Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I wish I'd bought mine earlier in my weight loss journey. I found it easier and more accurate than measuring cups and it's a lot easier to clean up after a meal (fewer dishes). Plus, I love feeling like a mad scientist every morning!
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    I have two main tools for success in my fitness journey.

    Heart rate monitor since I workout to reach a heart rate zone.

    Food scale so I have a better idea of what I'm taking in.

    I look at my calorie intake left for dinner and get the portion of meat that keeps me inside my target.

    I found I was a bad estimator...
  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    Major help. That plus actually looking at the labels and understanding what a "Serving" means.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Well since I totally suck at eyeballing, I'd say it's a fantastic tool. My 60+ lbs lost also agrees.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    @natabost YES! According to serving size I always thought I was a family of four
  • JohnBarth
    JohnBarth Posts: 672 Member
    I can't say my food scale is my best friend---because we have 3 of them! I keep one in the kitchen, one in our downstairs kitchen and one in my drawer at work!
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    kaassiia wrote: »
    @natabost YES! According to serving size I always thought I was a family of four

    Ha!

    I underestimated the weight of beef and overestimated fish

    A half pound of steak is tiny, of Cod it is a lot !

    And for sausages... Well a 6" link was the closer to 4"

    Ha!

  • GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS
    GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS Posts: 2,573 Member
    I love my WW digital scales; as well as the measuring spoons I bought from them. I also have another good set of measuring cups and spoons and when I measure by the cup- or spoon-full; I measure my food as being a level one. I think portion control is key in losing weight because you can keep up with the portions better. Sometimes I am surprised at how much of things you can have that have minimal calories in them. Exercise is also key to losing weight as well as getting in the 8 8-ounces of water per day (or more). Posting accurately and not trying to 'eyeball' a service is also important. Understanding labels, too.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    @professionalHobbyist I also use a heart monitor. Polar ft4. Which do you use? It is amazing how different the calories burned show on the cardio machines on comparison to what is shown on the watch. I always have the machines show 70+ calories more.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    @diannethegeek did you find you started to lose more weight after measuring?
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    I have a FT40 and got a Garmin Vivo Smart as a new toy.

  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    kaassiia wrote: »
    @natabost YES! According to serving size I always thought I was a family of four

    RIGHT?!? I also saw the scale move once I started realizing weighing was the way to go.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Well since I totally suck at eyeballing, I'd say it's a fantastic tool. My 60+ lbs lost also agrees.

    Congrats!! 60lbs is quite an accomplishment!
    I suck at eyeballing and am just realizing this!
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    @GRITSandSLUTS did you buy them online? I bought a regular one from target but I heard the WW ones are great!
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    Not just a scale.. but a digital scale - that was the start of the love affair. I had the old fashion type of scales before and they are super unreliable. Try it. Weigh something.. push the scale up and down a few time and it will give a different measure. Those 3 and 5 grams here and there add up fast!

    Same for scoops. A big booooo to scoops. Scoops are liars.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    professionalHobbyist wrote: »
    I have a FT40 and got a Garmin Vivo Smart as a new toy.
    which do prefer? Is the garmin for running? I want to upgrade my ft4.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    NataBost wrote: »
    kaassiia wrote: »
    @natabost YES! According to serving size I always thought I was a family of four

    RIGHT?!? I also saw the scale move once I started realizing weighing was the way to go.

    Awesome! Exacty what I'm looking to hear! I am so excited to start weighing and measuring my foods and are what happens. I have definitely stalled in my weight loss.

  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    The cardio glide at the gym will read my HRM if I don't hold the grips tight on the sensors.

    I use it all as a close guess. I think my metabolism is slow! I always have to estate my exercise calories low.

  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    edited June 2015
    I have never owed or used a food scale even when I was counting calories. I don't use one now to maintain either. I think they can be very helpful for those who really need to monitor all calories that they take in.
  • kaassiia
    kaassiia Posts: 51 Member
    Soopatt wrote: »
    Not just a scale.. but a digital scale - that was the start of the love affair. I had the old fashion type of scales before and they are super unreliable. Try it. Weigh something.. push the scale up and down a few time and it will give a different measure. Those 3 and 5 grams here and there add up fast!

    Same for scoops. A big booooo to scoops. Scoops are liars.

    That's what I need! Measuring spoons!
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    It's helped tremendously. I actually get to eat more of some things than I thought before I had a scale - like proteins and the cereals I like (non sugary). I like how finding that when staying in a weighed serving size, I am not missing out on any flavor and I still make wonderful meals. It made this easy.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    kaassiia wrote: »
    @diannethegeek did you find you started to lose more weight after measuring?

    My weight loss is definitely more consistent with a food scale. And I really like that I feel more confident using partial servings of things. I can throw in a handful of something or use up the last bit in a jar without having to find an appropriate measuring cup for it. And it's been great for produce. MFP and I have very different opinions on the size of a medium sweet potato. Now I can toss it on the scale and know for sure.
  • raechelann21
    raechelann21 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm in the market for a digital scale, do any of you have any recommendations?
  • bbau1977
    bbau1977 Posts: 1 Member
    I love my food scale! I bought the Weighmax Kitchen Scale and use it all the time! It was around $13 on Amazon. I feel much more confident using that than measuring cups. It is much more precise. I definitely want to make sure I am getting all that I am entitled to, but not too much.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I only use mine for a few things, but always for pasta. I always underestimate how much 2 oz of pasta is.
  • Justthisgirl1994
    Justthisgirl1994 Posts: 226 Member
    Yes! Today i realized that one egg weighs a bit more than the carton says it does. Apples weigh a lot more than I thought they did (i was 100g+ off most days), and one scoop of protein isn't exactly 23g..

    I like being percise, so the scale is my best friend <3
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    can't imagine going without one at this point

    maybe in another few years I'll drop it, who knows
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I like knowing how much I'm eating so I use one now (although the battery has just died so I need a new one) but I lost 66lbs after my 2nd baby without weighing everything. I'd weigh things like porridge oats where the amount made a difference in the recipe, but I didn't weigh much else. I've been using a food scale for ages now, whilst pregnant and since losing after my third baby, and my weight loss after baby no.3 whilst using a food scale is no faster than my weight loss when I didn't use one.
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
    I mostly use it to portion out meat and it has helped a lot.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    I have two food scales - one at each of the places I'm currently staying. I was actually considering getting another for work because sometimes we get free food or snacks up here, but I'm changing jobs so I'm going to wait and see if the same issue is occurring at the new job before I get another scale.

    I think that the thing I like most about using a food scale is being able to combine a bunch of ingredients in the same container and still weighing each item. That way I can just write down how much of each thing that I put in so that I don't have to be as precise with measuring cups or spoons. I just measure the number of grams. Also, I like to be able to weigh my fruit and things like rolls that vary in weight because it's so much better than trying to estimate.

    The one drawback to using the scale is that sometimes I don't finish the food or need to split a larger dish with someone else, so that can cause some variations.
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