Do you weigh your food?

NeuroticVirgo
NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
When I first started I didn't. I actually thought weighing your food was pretty unnecessary ... and I was losing even though I was only eye balling my servings. So I wasn't in a hurry to start weighing my foods. BUT I finally jumped on the scale band wagon...and holy cow was some of my stuff off!!

For one, just because the bag says a serving is 4 oz....and everything looks like its pre-cut into 4oz servings....does not mean it really is. I did this with chicken, and when I bought a scale...found out most of what I thought was 4 oz...was really 8 oz. And potatoes...don't get me started on what a "small" potato is. I buy the 5lb bags, so I assumed unless the potato was abnormally large, (since they are mostly the same size)...that 1 potato = 1 serving. Pft...got my scale and realized some of the potatoes I thought were 1 serving, were really like 2 or 3 servings...and they weren't all that big.

Its worked the opposite too. 1 tsp of some stuff looks like WAY more than I would have put when I weigh it (like 5 grams Parmesan cheese, or mustard).

I think my food scale was probably one of the best purchases I've made so far while trying to lose weight. Just wondering if anyone else out there started out like me, but now weighs their food.
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Replies

  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    Yes, I do weigh my food, and you're exactly right. Once you start weighing your food, you'll be surprised how much smaller an actual serving size is!
  • Aid_B
    Aid_B Posts: 427
    Yep, I weigh almost everything, bought some electric sclaes and some measuring cups ! :o)
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
    I am addicted to weighing food!!!!!!
    :smile:
    And I TOTALLY agree on the potatoes! Publix says one medium potato is 5.3 oz... more like two sometimes three potatoes weigh that!
    Realized sometimes I was under estimating and sometimes way over estimating. Gives me good piece of mind :)
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    I totally guessed until about a month into this and then I started measuring and weighing everything and I'm so glad I did because I was overestimating before!
  • purple_punk
    purple_punk Posts: 174 Member
    yup i weigh all my food with a digital scale its helped me loads :)
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    I measure everything out into portions right now but as soon as I move, I'm getting a scale to start weighing out my meats and stuff. I KNOW I usually go over when I eat red meat especially, but I do make sure to only eat it on days I do intense workouts and even then I leave some calories open for error.
  • bethabeeg
    bethabeeg Posts: 63 Member
    I do too... I have the old school scale yet though. I'm asking for a nicer one when we put out our registery for our wedding. Until then the old cheap one works just fine :)
  • jjclem07
    jjclem07 Posts: 127 Member
    I weigh everything now!!! I have got to learn to eat correct portion amounts. I was much like you and assumed I was eying in correctly and was completely wrong as well!!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    I agree completely. I got a good digital kitchen scale early on, upgraded it to one that was even better after a few months. It was the best purchase I have made. Very quickly you discover that while the bag lists one slice as a serving, if you weigh it you find it is often much more than the weight of a serving. It is much more precise to weigh than anything else. Always remember that food makers can be fined for shorting something, but not for being over. That means pretty much anything you buy that is pre-divided into servings will have those servings be a little bit (sometimes a lot) bigger than a serving.
  • KidP
    KidP Posts: 247 Member
    If i'm at home then i weigh most stuff or use measuring cups. I am convinced that is a big part of what has helped me. More than anything else, it's teaching me about portion control. I have noticed that as a result of measuring stuff, my estimation skills have improved. The best part is that a food scale does not have to be an expensive purchase. Mine was less than 20 bucks.

    I personally think that along with a Heart Rate Monitor, a food scale & measuring cups are crucial to tracking everything properly.
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
    Yes I do weigh my food. I have a digital scale which makes it easier to weigh food in a plate or bowl. I just put the dish on the scale then push tare and it 00's out the I put the food in. I love it!!

    Very important to weigh your food!!
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    For the first 3 months, I was eyeballing my food also. When I finally got my food scale, I realized that I was logging in more of what I was actually eating. Now that I have a scale, I weigh everything that I can. I started eating potato chips -according to the package it says about 11 chips per serving..well that was wrong..it was more like 6 chips (28g). Buying a food scale has been one of my best purchases as well.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Yes In the beginning I weighed everything. Now that I have been doing it for so long I am getting good at eyeballing but if I question myself at all the scale comes out.
  • Airliner
    Airliner Posts: 54 Member
    Absolutely correct! The other thing is, when you weigh the amount you are actually eating, you can adjust the serving size as you record it. For example, today I wanted a little more dressing on my salad than the "2 tablespoon" serving. So it's easy enough to just change the number of servings to "1.5" and use 3 tablespoons.

    This, to me, is the best and most reliable way to get the most out of MFP.
  • sezp
    sezp Posts: 69
    Yeah I agree - weighing food is a real eye-opener. I now weigh everything that I can't judge by sight alone (for example, I know what an ounce of grated cheese is without getting out the scale). The biggest surprise for me was cereal - the first time I measured a 'portion', it was about a third of what I would've normally poured out for myself...
  • Niveous
    Niveous Posts: 294 Member
    Yes, I absolutely weigh everything for accuracy. It makes measuring out quantities of beans, rice, and pasta a whole lot easier too and it really takes very little time to do.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    I was also surprised when I started weighing my food, but for the opposite reason. Especially with meat, I was WAY OVERESTIMATING. As a prime example, I was registering 2oz of pork chop as 4oz. Way to gyp myself! I could've eaten double! I also LOVE my measuring cups.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    I weight it all.. now... when I was working with a dietician I didn't have the scale at that point and was manually tracking my foods (pen and paper) and I never managed to lose weight while working with her... now that I've been using a scale, and tracking my caloric intake, well I'm 15 lbs lighter than I was when I started with the dietician and it's almost exclusively from proper portion control.
  • Genie30
    Genie30 Posts: 316 Member
    I'm a weigher too. Like many people I need that to moderate my portion sizes or they'd creep up. I especially always weigh cereal because if I didn't I'd have twice as much and convince myself that was one portion!
  • capricorn144
    capricorn144 Posts: 335 Member
    :happy: yes yes yes....

    i have to keep doing it to keep honest with myself!

    sometimes you actually save your day with weighing your portion!
  • RuthRW
    RuthRW Posts: 247 Member
    I measure most things (don't eat potato's so that isn't an issue, lol!) with kitchen implements but I don't have a scale. Pasta and cereal were the big eye openers for me!
    I don't have a scale because most of meat that I have to "eyeball" is boneless skinless chicken breast and I could use more lean protein in my diet anyway.
    I use measuring cups and spoons every day and that has helped me tremendously! If my weight loss plateaus then I would consider getting a scale but for now I am happy with my progress.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    For the first 3 months, I was eyeballing my food also. When I finally got my food scale, I realized that I was logging in more of what I was actually eating. Now that I have a scale, I weigh everything that I can. I started eating potato chips -according to the package it says about 11 chips per serving..well that was wrong..it was more like 6 chips (28g). Buying a food scale has been one of my best purchases as well.

    The other week I had chips, and mine was the opposite. It said about 17 chips, and I had more like 30 chips after weighing it. I think it was because sometimes the chips in the bags get broken. I was excited to see how full my plate was! haha
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Meant to put in the original post... I weigh everything, and the scale makes it easy... for my protein smoothies I put the cup on and zero the scale, add yogurt to the weight I want... zero the scale... add frozen berries to the weight I want... zero.... add protein powder... zero... add juice if I want more of a drink than a spoon required item.... blend and drink. Cereal is add the bowl... zero... add the cereal... zero... add the berries.... enjoy... don't dirty any additional cups or spoons by adding it all straight to what its being eaten from.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    Nope. I agree with what you said, in fact I think I have a food scale somewhere. may just pull it out when cooking.........mmmmmm

    On the other hand years ago when I lost 60 lbs on WW I never weighed my food either. For me I think it's just the attempt at portion control makes all the difference in the world. Couple that with the fact that I am eating more frequent, smaller meals and I no longer feel the need to pile a bunch of food on my plate means I've cut down considerably. I also have always been a bit of an amateur foodie so I can eyeball tsp & tbsp pretty accurately.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    I was also surprised when I started weighing my food, but for the opposite reason. Especially with meat, I was WAY OVERESTIMATING. As a prime example, I was registering 2oz of pork chop as 4oz. Way to gyp myself! I could've eaten double! I also LOVE my measuring cups.

    I think a lot of people do this too. I would do this a lot with stuff like grated cheese, or like taco meat. I look back and think "no wonder I was so hungry!" lol.
  • jaelwoman
    jaelwoman Posts: 81
    I weigh everything! I have to. The nutrition counselor was very specific in how much food I was supposed to eat. I weigh everything in grams and yes, the portions are SMALL!!!
  • anna_b1
    anna_b1 Posts: 588 Member
    I'm an oddball I guess. I don't weigh my food. I have an older scale and keep meaning to purchase a digital, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm still losing - albeit I suppose I'd lose more if I were to weigh my food.

    As someone else said before me, it's helped me to be more mindful and moderate. Snacking on empty calories has stopped and that's helped me as well. Moreover, I'm exercising now and I never did before. It truly is a life change for me.

    However, I do have to invest in a scale - sooner rather than later. :)
  • PirateJenny
    PirateJenny Posts: 233
    I don't weigh my food, but I do measure some. The measuring has given me some insight on portions (I was disappointed to see how little cereal is actually in a cup) and what I should be aiming for.

    Added oils, sauces etc. I measure by a conventional set of spoons, making sure not to overfill.

    I measure dry and wet ingredients by cup measures. My breakfast is almost always cereal, almond milk and berries. All of it is measured but not weighed. I use bulk Greek yogurt and just divide the container into rough portions, knowing that I am over or under on some servings.

    Honestly, I do not weigh or measure or weigh most of my fruits and vegetables, and they constitute a large portion of my diet. I know that if I have a piece of pita bread (or an apple or a zucchini) and the estimate count per serving is 100 calories, I could be getting plus or minus, since they are not uniform in size. This has been okay for me since I have a tendency to over-estimate (I know the literature says people underestimate, you'll just have to trust that I don't) my calories.

    I completely understand why people measure and weigh and I wholly support their choice to do so. For me, to do so would lead to obsessive behavior with negative consequences since I have struggled with eating disorders. NOT weighing and measuring (controlling) every piece of piece of food that I put in my mouth is actually a healthy step for me. Otherwise, I would be counting out alfalfa sprouts one by one or shaving little pieces of carrots until I reached a "perfect" weight.
  • Grumpelina
    Grumpelina Posts: 56 Member
    Oh yes!

    I like egg and chips as an easy dinner - I started weighing the oven chips. According to the bag one serving is 125g. That's about 6 chips (fries)! I now have a 300g portion and I still think it's measly.

    Boooo!

    (I was pleased to see though that my idea of a decent sized protion of pasta was only 100g compared with the suggested 75g. Phew!)
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
    I weigh and measure my food, yes.
    At first, I thought it was a big pain but now I'm rather addicted.

    I find I can have more food like frozen fruits and veggies if I weigh them rather than go by the cup measurements.

    I've also found that the portion sizes listed on food packaging (like fish fillets) is not the size of the actual portion.
    For the trout fillets for instance, the portion size is 120 g but I've yet to find one that isn't over this.
    I've been pleasantly surprised however, by how much shrimp I can have.

    I like weighing and measuring. It appeals to my anal side.
    Take that however you wish. :bigsmile:
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