Because I am that idiot.....

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jaga13
jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Maybe this is common knowledge, but I wanted to spare anyone who has been reluctant to use a food scale...

At first, I assumed I had to tediously weigh every food item separately, directly on the scale (weigh food, remove and wipe it clean, weigh 2nd ingredient, wipe it clean, etc). It took me a while to realize that I am an idiot....

Turn the scale on. Set it to grams. Put your bowl or plate directly on the scale. Zero it out. THEN put the first ingredient. Zero it out and add the next ingredient, repeat. I can't believe I didn't understand this immediately--so literally all you have to do is hit the zero/tare button before adding each ingredient. Nothing to clean. No extra steps since you're already adding in ingredients to your plate/bowl anyway. It's THAT easy.

I hope I have spared someone from this shame. :'(
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Replies

  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    Oh you poor thing, lol!!

    I even go so far as to leave a plate on my scale at all times and place a container or whatnot on that plate - thus eliminating pretty much all cleaning of the scale.

    ~Lyssa
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    If I can change one poor soul's life, it will be worth it. hahaha.
  • JohnBarth
    JohnBarth Posts: 672 Member
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    I even weigh pans and serving dishes, so I can net the calories for a recipe without transferring to a new container. Big batch of taco meat, for instance. Pan weighs 1450 grams. Entire batch of meat + pan = 3000 grams. Because it has 8 servings, 3000-1450=1550/8 = 194g/serving
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    Lol. I posted a thread not too long ago about a grain of rice messing with my food weights for the period of about a week or more. It was stuck to the bottom and causing uneveness - which means I was weighing my food at 1/2 weight every time. -___- If I'd thought about turning it over to make sure it was clean and on a level surface, this wouldn't have happened.

    Lesson learned: Having a food scale is good. Knowing how to use it properly is better.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    JohnBarth wrote: »
    I even weigh pans and serving dishes, so I can net the calories for a recipe without transferring to a new container. Big batch of taco meat, for instance. Pan weighs 1450 grams. Entire batch of meat + pan = 3000 grams. Because it has 8 servings, 3000-1450=1550/8 = 194g/serving

    I do this, & I stand a tin of beans on if it stops me seeing the display.
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
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    Hahahahaha Jaga.... well, I'll join you in that idiocy. :blush: Until VERY recently I was doing the weigh-one-thing-at-a-time routine. sigh... Yes, this "new" way is much better.
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
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    Ha! The tare function is the best! Glad you've seen the error of your ways. B)
  • victoria863
    victoria863 Posts: 7 Member
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    I used to do that when I baked cakes (back when I ate cakes lol). Then the penny dropped, I felt like a right plonker x B)
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    Took me forever to work that out myself. Don't feel bad.
  • amillenium
    amillenium Posts: 281 Member
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    HAHAHHAAH! Oh wait...I'm that idiot too! And when I had my AHA moment, it felt like sheer genius.
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I didn't realize people thought that. We've always had a food scale around for cooking, so using one wasn't new to me. I guess it explains some people's reluctance to use a scale, haha. It's actually easier than measuring cups!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    LOL - I am sure you weren't the first, and I am sure you won't be the last. Definitely much easier once you figure it out.
  • ThatLadyFromMN
    ThatLadyFromMN Posts: 301 Member
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    I am hoping to get a digital scale so this thread was super helpful, because I would've been right there measuring every single thing. Lol.
  • NinaSharp
    NinaSharp Posts: 101 Member
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    jaga13 wrote: »
    Maybe this is common knowledge, but I wanted to spare anyone who has been reluctant to use a food scale...

    At first, I assumed I had to tediously weigh every food item separately, directly on the scale (weigh food, remove and wipe it clean, weigh 2nd ingredient, wipe it clean, etc). It took me a while to realize that I am an idiot....

    Turn the scale on. Set it to grams. Put your bowl or plate directly on the scale. Zero it out. THEN put the first ingredient. Zero it out and add the next ingredient, repeat. I can't believe I didn't understand this immediately--so literally all you have to do is hit the zero/tare button before adding each ingredient. Nothing to clean. No extra steps since you're already adding in ingredients to your plate/bowl anyway. It's THAT easy.

    I hope I have spared someone from this shame. :'(
    *facepalm* Thanks for posting this. I usually avoid weighing because I think it takes too much time. Didn't even think about zeroing out between items. I always grab separate containers. Feeling like an idiot.
  • greaseswabber
    greaseswabber Posts: 238 Member
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    JohnBarth wrote: »
    I even weigh pans and serving dishes, so I can net the calories for a recipe without transferring to a new container. Big batch of taco meat, for instance. Pan weighs 1450 grams. Entire batch of meat + pan = 3000 grams. Because it has 8 servings, 3000-1450=1550/8 = 194g/serving

    I do this but take it a step further. Set the number of servings for the recipe to 1550. Then when you serve out a portion, weigh out the number of grams and enter that as the number of servings. Perfect portion, every time.
  • lovematthewchristopher
    lovematthewchristopher Posts: 147 Member
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    This idiot has just joined the group. I was weighing everything, one at a time as well. Dont feel bad, i think sometimes, things just dont dawn on us, even though it is probably common sense! Making life easier is what it is all about!!
  • trying4real
    trying4real Posts: 113 Member
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    So funny, I was just thinking about this today. Thanks for the post. lol
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
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    greaseswabber wrote: »
    JohnBarth wrote: »
    I even weigh pans and serving dishes, so I can net the calories for a recipe without transferring to a new container. Big batch of taco meat, for instance. Pan weighs 1450 grams. Entire batch of meat + pan = 3000 grams. Because it has 8 servings, 3000-1450=1550/8 = 194g/serving

    I do this but take it a step further. Set the number of servings for the recipe to 1550. Then when you serve out a portion, weigh out the number of grams and enter that as the number of servings. Perfect portion, every time.

    But how do you know exactly how many calories are in each of those 1,550 servings? Or in any recipe for that matter? Let's say I make one of my family's favorite recipes, Cuban picadillo.... ground beef, stewed tomatoes, olives, raisins, spices, served on rice. Do I have to weight every single ingredient before I put it in the pan? Then add all that up to get the calories for the entire recipe? I hate to cook so much that this would be a deal breaker for me. ugh... It's bad enough that I have to do the cooking anyway.

    Last time I made this recipe I just took the calories listed in MFP for a cup of cooked ground beef and added 100 or so more for the calories in the olives and raisins. Yeah, not accurate. But since I'm still on the beginning of losing weight -- meaning I have quite a bit to lose -- I'm just going with it as it is. If [when?] I reach a plateau I might rethink the recipe counting. Or, I might stop cooking "mixed up" recipes and stick with mean/veggie/starch. lol

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