Weighing vs measuring food

danigrl8
danigrl8 Posts: 22 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Is it more accurate to weigh one cup of popcorn or to measure it in a measuring cup? Should I only be weighing food? Sometimes I measure and don't which is more accurate representation of the calories.

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Weigh, whenever possible.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited October 2015
    If you use a measuring cup, there will be all sorts of air spaces between the popcorn pieces. The same is true of most solids measured in a cup. The amount of space between the pieces will vary each time you do a measurement.

    That's why it's always more accurate to weigh solids.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited October 2015
    Weighing is more accurate.

    Who knows how much you or i put in a cup.
    the entrees made here in MFP are done by users
    You dont know if i put my cup totally full or a bit full or over the top full
    You use that entree to log your popcorn but the calories can be totally different.

    Weighing in grams on a digital scale is more accurate

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  • RogerToo
    RogerToo Posts: 16,157 Member
    Hi
    I also believe that weighing is more accurate. If in doubt regarding calories and nutrients look on the internet. I type in a search string such as
    Red Potato skin on nutrition
    or
    Black Walnuts Nutrition
    FWIW Black Walnuts are a source of Omega 3 Fats, a healthy fat and very tasty too
    Example 28Grams are 173 Calories so we see why weighing is important. Also use a digital scale that you can put the plate on, turn on and it zeros before You add the food for simplicity. Avoid the mechanical spring scales.

    Good Luck
    Roger

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  • pembr0ke
    pembr0ke Posts: 54 Member
    Weighing in metric is best for liquid and solids. 250ml of water weighs 250grs. This holds true with most thin liquids.
  • danigrl8
    danigrl8 Posts: 22 Member
    Thank you! I'll stick to weighing only!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I weigh solids and measure liquids.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Weigh it all and of course measure liquids The only thing I will do is for a quick breakfast out the door is stick the 1 cup in the cereal box and put it in the zip lock bag and out the door I go..

    Other than that, I weigh everything..
  • pembr0ke
    pembr0ke Posts: 54 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    I weigh solids and measure liquids.

    Try weighing the liquid, you may be suprised how close ml are to kg. I was a chef for 25 yrs and it works for most liquids (Thomas Keller recommends this in one of his cookbooks???)
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    Weigh! :)

    I love popcorn. I had a HUGE amount the other day and it only came to 200+ calories for around 150g (and popcorn is light so you can imagine how big my portion was ;)) But definitely weigh!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    pembr0ke wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I weigh solids and measure liquids.

    Try weighing the liquid, you may be suprised how close ml are to kg. I was a chef for 25 yrs and it works for most liquids (Thomas Keller recommends this in one of his cookbooks???)

    yeah ive been known to weigh liquids just for quickness lol
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    pembr0ke wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I weigh solids and measure liquids.

    Try weighing the liquid, you may be suprised how close ml are to kg. I was a chef for 25 yrs and it works for most liquids (Thomas Keller recommends this in one of his cookbooks???)

    yeah ive been known to weigh liquids just for quickness lol

    Isn't a ml of water equal to a gram which is equal to a cc of water? If a liquid has a specific gravity close to water a ml will be close to a gram.

    To the OP: Let's do a test. measure your popcorn in your measuring cup and then weigh it. Do this several times and sii if there is a difference and what that diffencnce is. THIS will answer your question better than anyone can here.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited October 2015
    pondee629 wrote: »
    pembr0ke wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I weigh solids and measure liquids.

    Try weighing the liquid, you may be suprised how close ml are to kg. I was a chef for 25 yrs and it works for most liquids (Thomas Keller recommends this in one of his cookbooks???)

    yeah ive been known to weigh liquids just for quickness lol

    Isn't a ml of water equal to a gram which is equal to a cc of water? If a liquid has a specific gravity close to water a ml will be close to a gram.

    To the OP: Let's do a test. measure your popcorn in your measuring cup and then weigh it. Do this several times and sii if there is a difference and what that diffencnce is. THIS will answer your question better than anyone can here.

    No it wont, i am sorry

    There is another factor in this
    When she uses the entry's here in MFP, who says that the entry she uses is exactly the same as the amount she puts in a cup.
    Like i said that entry can be made by me who did the cup 3/4 full or so full that the popcorn roll off....she dont know that.
    When she makes her own entry yes she would approx know.

    Now for some popcorn meh who cares...its popcorn lol More is always good :) I eat a huge bowl every night.
    But for some calorie dense food like oats it can be a lot
    Adding up to hundreds of difference

    look at this short video of weighing oats or measuring

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY




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