weigh & measure out of the house?

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thegreatmd
thegreatmd Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering if anyone is using a pocket food scale and/or carries measuring cups/spoons with them? I'm thinking about it... Suggestions welcome.
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  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    I'd suggest just making your best estimate and making up for any mistakes by eating more or less while at home.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    It's your decision. Personally I leave it at home as it feels weird to be doing something like that in public.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I haven't really thought about it since I bring my lunch to work with me every day and I don't eat out that often.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I do my best to estimate. I'm not going to carry a scale with me wherever I go. If you're going to a restaurant, ask if they have the calorie and nutrition info available, either there or on their website. Most of them do now, and you can see where their portions fall in the scheme of things.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    eyeball and estimate on the high side
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
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    No, but I've been know to divide out half my meal and put it into a take-home container right away. Or I order something I'm familiar enough with to know what a portion should look like.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Nope - I follow the 80/20 rule. If 80% of the time I'm on track I don't worry about the other 20. So if I weigh 80% of my food at home - I'm not going to worry too much about when I'm out and about and not using my scale.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    No. I'm not whipping out a scale in public or in someone else's home. There's a line between "out of the ordinary" and "over the top" and for me, bringing a food scale to someone else's house falls into the latter category.

    If it will help you, though, go for it!!
  • thegreatmd
    thegreatmd Posts: 30 Member
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    Yeah, the issue I'm having with eyeballing/estimating is that I'm pretty social, so I'm eating out (or with friends) 6ish times/week... Also, due to life circumstances, I'm not in control of the kitchen where I live, nor the meals that are served. I was thinking if I measure accurately, then maybe it would compensate for not knowing ingredients exactly?

    Just throwing around ideas...
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    If you're eating out a lot, look at the restaurants you and your friends like to go to and see if you can plan your meal ahead of time. Look at what the calorie counts are for things that you can, and make a point of only ordering what you picked out ahead of time. If you share an appetizer, just write it down right then so you can log it later. After a while, your brain will start to recognize what a portion is and it'll be easier to estimate.
  • HikeCyclist
    HikeCyclist Posts: 153 Member
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    I def don't have it in me to do that haha I rarely go out to eat, so when I actually DO, I want to enjoy the lack of having to weigh. I do try to mentally calculate what I'm eating, but w/ restaurant food that doesn't have nutritional info available, it's EASY to overestimate calories by the hundreds if you don't get your veggies steamed, no sauce, grilled protein sans sauce, etc.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    thegreatmd wrote: »
    Yeah, the issue I'm having with eyeballing/estimating is that I'm pretty social, so I'm eating out (or with friends) 6ish times/week... Also, due to life circumstances, I'm not in control of the kitchen where I live, nor the meals that are served. I was thinking if I measure accurately, then maybe it would compensate for not knowing ingredients exactly?

    Just throwing around ideas...
    If you don't know the ingredients, a perfect knowledge of the weight probably wouldn't do much good.

    Are you just going to ask for an extra plate to tare and then move everything onto another plate to eat? Weighing food for which you don't know the ingredients?

  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
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    A photo of your plate might help if you have to log after you eat, especially if you're sharing appetizers or are picking lots of components to customize an order.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    thegreatmd wrote: »
    Yeah, the issue I'm having with eyeballing/estimating is that I'm pretty social, so I'm eating out (or with friends) 6ish times/week... Also, due to life circumstances, I'm not in control of the kitchen where I live, nor the meals that are served. I was thinking if I measure accurately, then maybe it would compensate for not knowing ingredients exactly?

    Just throwing around ideas...

    If the cook didn't measure ingredients, there's no real point in having a scale with you. Load up on vegetables, order lean protein, and stop eating out so much if you start maintaining your current weight. Suggest different and more physical activities you can do with your friends.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I do what BBQ sauce above suggested. I order a lean protein such as chicken, after 4 months of weighing food I can pretty well eyeball 4ounces of chicken breast, a 1/3 cup of rice, and 2/3 cup of veggies. When eating out, which we do maybe 1x a week on average, I try to order some sort of chicken based salad, that way I dont have to deal with sauces, otherwise I will order something that is super common like enchiladas, then go through MFP and just put in the higher end of the average calories.
  • holly55555
    holly55555 Posts: 306 Member
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    I always take home leftovers, because restaurant portions are too much food. Then I weigh the leftovers and math out the portion I ate. It's still very estimated, but it at least gives you portions.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I carry a pocket scale with me when I go out to eat. I have no qualms about using it. I've been told by a few MFPers that I have disordered eating because of it, but these same people also tout weigh and measure all food. Apparently, you're only supposed to do that in the privacy of your own home.

    It's up to you if you want to use one in public. If you don't, you can go by eating half of what is served to you or only take half of what you'd usually take. For me, unless it's a food I'm wanting, I'll just not eat.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    nope…

    IMO that is going a little overboard. You need to find a good balance between being accurate when you can, and also realizing that there are times when you cannot, and that is OK too.

    I am going out to dinner in a bit and I will just guestimate what I have. Will it be accurate, no; does that bother me, no.

    If you can accurately track everything about 75 to 85% of the time and not worry about the other 15% you will do fine.

  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    I carry a pocket scale with me when I go out to eat. I have no qualms about using it. I've been told by a few MFPers that I have disordered eating because of it, but these same people also tout weigh and measure all food. Apparently, you're only supposed to do that in the privacy of your own home.

    It's up to you if you want to use one in public. If you don't, you can go by eating half of what is served to you or only take half of what you'd usually take. For me, unless it's a food I'm wanting, I'll just not eat.

    I don't think that is anything to be ashamed of, but it isn't really all that practical. At home you know the ingredients, how they were cooked,etc. when you are out and about you don't know what is in the sauce, how it was cooked etc. so the weight doesn't mean quite as much.
  • MondayJune22nd2015
    MondayJune22nd2015 Posts: 876 Member
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    I'd do it when eating alone & I'd prefer to still do it, when I am not as well; it'd depend upon the company I'm with. While I am currently single, I'm only interested in men; that aren't easily embarrassed. So then, when dating; this shouldn't be a problem. I'm trying to become a healthy weight & it's my prerogative, how I do so; as long as the methods I implement aren't dangerous.

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