Is a food scale worth it?

libaroni
libaroni Posts: 8 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I am thinking about purchasing a food scale but I'm wondering is it practical to use when I eat and cook with another person who isn't watching their calories? Any and all above/suggestions are welcome.

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Absolutely. It was a game changer for me. Absolutely practical when cooking for yourself, or for others as well.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Just got a new one for christmas, yes, definitely worth it!
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    I use it all the time. When I make a meal for both of us so I know how big my portion can be.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Yes! Get a digital one and learn how to use the TARE button. Absolute eye opener!
  • deanaferrari
    deanaferrari Posts: 18 Member
    I'm relearning how to use it (haven't weighed/measured food since I was at Weight Watchers as a teenager--it's been 30 years since then). I love it -- it helps keep me honest in food measurements. I want to eyeball an item and say - meh, it works but when I measure it, it turns out to be 3 ounces more than I thought, that kind of thing. Very handy!!
  • deanaferrari
    deanaferrari Posts: 18 Member
    Oh - and about eating with someone who isn't counting their calories -- if you're the one preparing the food, they don't really need to know you're measuring their food too and you may end up helping them eat healthy too.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    An overwhelming YES. I even use it while in maintainance. It's also really good for baking when you have to be accurate on measurments.
  • libaroni
    libaroni Posts: 8 Member
    Does anybody use a scale to cook with their significant other? Does it make quick weekday dinners more challenging and time consuming to weigh everything out? Or do you get faster at it?
  • krmsotherhalf68
    krmsotherhalf68 Posts: 122 Member
    Absolutely worth it! I bought one back in the Fall and haven't regretted doing so. Although I don't measure everything (i.e., lettuces, green beans, and the like), it comes in handy to control my protein and starch portions. After awhile, I've become a little confident in being able to eyeball amounts; however, I still use the scale to keep my portions in check. Didn't pay a lot for the model I bought either. It runs on battery and has a small removable plastic container that is washable and this container fits/can be attached to the top of the scale. Perfect! Bought on Amazon:
    Etekcity 11lb/5kg Digital Kitchen Food Scale, Volume Measurement Supported
    by Etekcity
  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
    libaroni wrote: »
    Does anybody use a scale to cook with their significant other? Does it make quick weekday dinners more challenging and time consuming to weigh everything out? Or do you get faster at it?

    I don't use it for everything... mainly meats and random fruits/veggies that aren't easy to measure by volume (sweet potatoes and apples are much heavier than you'd think, for example). But if I use a cup of chopped onions, I just log the volume, not the weight.

    I have a small white board on the side of my fridge for grocery lists, etc, so I just jot the weight on that for logging later. The weighing doesn't take me nearly as long as the logging, so if you're already doing that, it probably isn't going to slow you down much.

    I was surprised at how much I was underestimating my portion sizes (i.e. eating more than I thought) when I first started using a scale. Totally worth it for me.
  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
    Also... I used to not weigh my husband's potions, but he's recently started logging too, so now he's on board with me :-)
  • Runfaster14
    Runfaster14 Posts: 90 Member
    Yes! Yes! Yes!
  • JLG1986
    JLG1986 Posts: 212 Member
    Yes - absolutely worth it. I use mine to prepare lunches for the week, and as a mental tune up on portion sizes. I don't use it all the time for dinner, but I find it helps to check myself on at least some of the calorie dense ingredients.
  • Runfaster14
    Runfaster14 Posts: 90 Member
    libaroni wrote: »
    Does anybody use a scale to cook with their significant other? Does it make quick weekday dinners more challenging and time consuming to weigh everything out? Or do you get faster at it?

    You will get faster at it. My SO does not weigh food/portions so will keep my food on one side of the pan and his on the other. Usually works out pretty well. Just have to find the processes that work for you.
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,055 Member
    YES, YES, and YES.

    My wife does most of the cooking, but I track her recipes and weigh my portions. Wife and kids may be done eating before I sit down if its a new one.
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 650 Member
    Yes. It is worth it. I cook for my husband and two boys every night. They help themselves to what I make and I weigh out my portions. For example, we had fish tacos last night. I weighed my fish, cheese and rice. They dished up as they desired.

    You can still cook and weigh out portions.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    I do most of the cooking, so i weigh everything out and then just take my serving, and i cook for my husband and 2 tweens, who verge on underweight lol
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
    Very much worth it. I was underestimating calories, food scale set that right.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    You get quicker. I usually keep a pen and one of those tiny pads of paper and write down measurements then log while it cooks usually. If you measure the whole dish at the end you can figure out how much your portion can be.
  • absoluttalent
    absoluttalent Posts: 40 Member
    I bought one. It helped me understand amounts (100 grams of almonds looks like this, etc)
    But in all honesty, I haven't used a scale in a few weeks. then again, I have 2000+ calories to play around with daily. So there's some leeway for me
  • kaylajane11
    kaylajane11 Posts: 313 Member
    Yes, it's definitely worth it! I honestly resisted getting one for so long, because I thought I would hate it, but it turns out I love it. It takes all the guess work out of logging (What is a "medium" apple? How do you count out 17 chips when they're all different sizes?). I even found there were a few things that I was underestimating a portion of and could actually eat more of.

    A food scale and heavy lifting have been the biggest game changers in my fitness journey.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    sherbear702 wrote: »
    Yes. It is worth it. I cook for my husband and two boys every night. They help themselves to what I make and I weigh out my portions. For example, we had fish tacos last night. I weighed my fish, cheese and rice. They dished up as they desired.

    You can still cook and weigh out portions.

    That's pretty much what I do, too.
  • wearmi1
    wearmi1 Posts: 291 Member
    I use a scale when I cook for both of us, I only weigh my portions for example a chicken thigh I'll stab it a couple of times before I put it in to cook so I know the one with marks in it, that's the one I weighed and it's for me etc... this is my approach for most meats I cook. Same concept applies for baked potatoes or whatever, somehow I mark the foods meant only for me and don't worry about what he's eating. I also weigh everything and then use the recipe builder to create the entire recipe and then take my portion from say a casserole or whatever. Good luck I know it's a challenge!
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    I find it is very helpful for snacking. If I buy a bag of nuts, I will sit with the scale and pre portion the entire bag in to ziplocs. That way, I can just grab a baggie and know that I'm eating exactly the right portion. Definitely worth it! I've even thought about getting a portable one for dining out and things like the occasional fries.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    edited January 2016
    Its not too difficult it just takes some planning. If I'm cooking for more than myself what i do is.

    1. Make a recipe with all the ingredients I'll be using. You 1 serving for my number of servings in the recipe.
    2. Cook it up
    3. Weigh the final product. Lets say it weighs 100 grams for simplicity sake
    4. Weigh out my portion. Lets say 50 grams.
    5. Log my portion in MFP as .5 servings (50/100 = .5) for that recipe.

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