What to do during dinner at friends/family's house--is it rude to bring my food scale?
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I don't think it would be rude to bring your scale, but unless you have fellow MFPers in your family circle, they'll probably think it's a bit odd. When I'm out I usually eat light and estimate. That or just write the experience off as a cheat day. However, I don't frequently enjoy large meals away from home. If I did, I might just risk my relatives dumbfounded looks and bring along my scale.1
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you can always ask them beforehand if they would mind you bringing your scale with you.personally i would take a small piece of meat ,and lots of veggies to fill my plate.or you could ask the hosts for a small plate to eat your food in,instead of a regular size .0
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It would be horribly gauche but perhaps not rude.1
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If you go over you limit for one day, nothing will happen to you. And if you gain a pound, so what?0
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I think it would be cringey to whip out a scale at a friend's bbq! Not sure if it's rude, but if instinctively feels anti social and anti fun!3
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boomboom70 wrote: »I think it would be cringey to whip out a scale at a friend's bbq! Not sure if it's rude, but if instinctively feels anti social and anti fun!
You wouldn't get a lot of dirty looks. But you would get a lot of funny looks. And people would be talking about you in their cars on the way home.2 -
As somebody who is used to using a food scale, if I was a host I would not have a problem with anybody bringing theirs and using it. However, you have to acknowledge that a lot of people don't use one habitually, and they would find it at least odd, if not rude. You have to weigh up (lol) how close you are to the host, how much you think they'll notice/mind, and how much you think you need to use it.
As an aside, my MIL refuses to eat eggs that haven't come from a supermarket, and we use eggs from my mother's free-range, pet chickens. It absolutely drives me insane when the MIL demands to see the packaging before she'll consider eating an egg at our house, and if I don't produce any she won't touch anything with eggs in. Some people would see bringing a food scale in the same light.1 -
ericatoday wrote: »I think food scales are ridiculous anyway for losing weight. I do think it would be rude or weird. I just make my best estimate and i just make a small plate.
Yeah... no. Your blanket statements make you sound ridiculous.
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As somebody who is used to using a food scale, if I was a host I would not have a problem with anybody bringing theirs and using it. However, you have to acknowledge that a lot of people don't use one habitually, and they would find it at least odd, if not rude. You have to weigh up (lol) how close you are to the host, how much you think they'll notice/mind, and how much you think you need to use it.
As an aside, my MIL refuses to eat eggs that haven't come from a supermarket, and we use eggs from my mother's free-range, pet chickens. It absolutely drives me insane when the MIL demands to see the packaging before she'll consider eating an egg at our house, and if I don't produce any she won't touch anything with eggs in. Some people would see bringing a food scale in the same light.
My MiL only drinks bottled water. She once took a bottle of water out of my fridge and declared how much better it was than tap water. I refrained from telling her that I hang onto empty water bottles and fill them from the tap so I always have a supply of cold water.0 -
BruinsGal_91 wrote: »
My MiL only drinks bottled water. She once took a bottle of water out of my fridge and declared how much better it was than tap water. I refrained from telling her that I hang onto empty water bottles and fill them from the tap so I always have a supply of cold water.
Nice one! I love when people make fools of themselves without knowing.
I do recycle old egg boxes, but she's so insistent about knowing the origin of these eggs, and I can't actually lie to her face about them. It drives me nuts, I just cannot see how supermarket eggs are better than homegrown ones.
If she didn't ask I'd serve her "real" eggs and I'm sure she wouldn't complain. *eyeroll*
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That's just taking it too far, it's time to start to learn about portion size. I use my scale all of the time at home, and that has helped me guestimate what I'm eating when I'm going out, or at somebody elses house.0
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It depends on the people and how you handle it if it is rude.
You know what your friends and family are like. Are your family or friends very sensetive or hostile people about weight loss or food? Do they know it is not a judgment of them if you ask for their recipe or measure out your own portions?
I'd just estimate personally if it was an occasional meal but if you are eating there pretty often I'd talk to the host about it in advance and quickly use the scale in the kitchen not at the table. Practice measuring foods at home and learn what portions of food look like. Don't make a big deal about it.2 -
It's one meal. Not worth having people think I have an eating disorder over that...2
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I wouldn't do it, I'd just choose appropriate portions and make a best guess. If I was the host I'd take other people's dietary requirements into consideration (e.g allergies, diet-related health issues or veganism/vegetarianism), and provide a lower calorie option if I knew someone was on a diet (e.g sauces on the side), but if they want to double-check everything I've cooked I'd rescind the invitation.1
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I don't get all the people saying it would be rude, when most of us use one ourselves. You know your family/friends better than we do, are they the type of people that would consider it rude?
I, for one, wouldn't mind in the least if a friend (or even just an acquaintance) needed to weigh their food before eating. I don't think of it as any different than someone needing specially prepared food for an allergy or a medical condition.
Exactly! If you're worried about causing offence - let them know in advance and explain your reasons.1 -
BruinsGal_91 wrote: »If a guest in my home whipped out a food scale and started weighing the food I had spent hours preparing, you can bet your bottom dollar they would never be invited back.
All of this.0 -
I don't think it has to do with being rude, I think it has to do with being "that person" it's like trying to shove your weight loss in peoples face. Just go and enjoy yourself, and if you feel you went overboard readjust the rest of your days.0
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I wouldn't bring a scale out of my house, but maybe this guide will help.
Not necessarily as much as you want on veggies but the deck of cards for meat can be helpful.1 -
As somebody who is used to using a food scale, if I was a host I would not have a problem with anybody bringing theirs and using it. However, you have to acknowledge that a lot of people don't use one habitually...
A lot of people don't use one habitually? How about 95% of people have never used one and/or never seen one?
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As some one with severe food allergies I would not be upset or offended if someone needed to bring a food scale/special plates/special food etc with them. I always have to bring my own food, even when family tries to accommodate me, I can't take any chances.
You are there to socialize. If they make a huge deal over you bringing a tool that you use to benefit your health (lose weight), I'd say they are being the rude ones.
Maybe politely ask the host of it would be that weird?1 -
I dont get it. In a site that tells everyone they should use a food scale people say they wont invite a person back for using one? Saying that its rude? TF.3
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BruinsGal_91 wrote: »If a guest in my home whipped out a food scale and started weighing the food I had spent hours preparing, you can bet your bottom dollar they would never be invited back.
^^This!
Rude. Out of the ordinary. Non-social. Odd.
Turn the dinner invite down if you feel you must bring your scale.
One meal, and one meal alone - is not going to derail the train or prevent you from reaching your end goal. Eat small enough portions, load up on the items you know are lower calorie, and then log what you ate once you get back home. In fact - once you achieve your goal and hit maintenance you will get pretty good at doing this. Your memory and knowledge of foods, and the calories within, will continually improve so you can survive social eating.4 -
OP do you take the scale to a restaurant too? What is the purpose of taking a scale if as you said, don't know how the meal was prepared? You are going to estimate the whole count any way.
Exactly. Knowing how much something *weighs* means nothing if you don't know what's in it, how it was prepared, and how much of the total prepared dish your weight measurement represents. And if you're going to whip out a food scale and interrogate the cook... well, as many have said, you don't want to be that person. Estimates are enough unless you are together constantly.
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »As somebody who is used to using a food scale, if I was a host I would not have a problem with anybody bringing theirs and using it. However, you have to acknowledge that a lot of people don't use one habitually...
A lot of people don't use one habitually? How about 95% of people have never used one and/or never seen one?
Everyone I know must be in the 95% then. We all use food scales - for baking and cooking long before I ever thought to use one for portion control. FTR, I estimate portions when I'm not doing the cooking, but I've never had a problem losing that way. If I had, I may have decided to cart one around.
OP, I have no idea why so many would be offended if you weighed out food they prepared (odd, yes - it'd definitely be unusual). It's not a comment on the quality of the food or the company, after all. But since it seems to be a fairly widespread opinion, I'd clear it with the host first if you want to take one.
Personally, I'd have thought it would have more offensive to have a guest that barely takes any of the food that the host spent hours preparing because they're afraid to take too much, but I guess I'd have been wrong.1 -
I dont get it. In a site that tells everyone they should use a food scale people say they wont invite a person back for using one? Saying that its rude? TF.
This is an interesting point. I wouldn't feel put out unless the person was making a big deal about it or making comments on other people's portion size or exclaiming about how fattening things are. It isn't the scale that is rude but how they go about bringing it out and using it.
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Since nonexistent is pretty rare I don't worry about it when it happens.0
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If you want to alienate yourself from your friends/family, go ahead bring the scales.
Or you could just estimate. And round up, rather than down.0 -
Like the title says, do you think it would be rude to bring a food scale with me to weigh my food when I go over to a friend or family member's house for dinner?
They're making pot roast, and I'm not sure how useful it would be to weigh the food anyway--I won't know exactly how they've prepared it or what amounts of stuff they added.
What's your routine for eating over at other people's houses? Do you just write it off entirely as "no way to tell", make your best estimate, or bring your food scale with you and ask them questions about proportions and ratio of the ingredients?
food scales are a great tool, but too many people get wrapped up and borderline OCD in everything being exact and having to weigh every little thing. I think it would be ridiculous to bring a food scale to someone's house or BBQ or whatever...just eat sensibly and don't eat all of the foodz and have a good time.6 -
It's just one meal. Leave the scale at home. Unless you have a specific reason for asking (e.g. food allergy, vegan) don't ask a million questions. Eat reasonable portions and log as best you can. As others have said, try to fill your plate with veggies as much as possible, as long as they don't have a high calorie sauce and aren't fried, even if you under-log it's not going to be a huge issue. Seriously, enjoy time with your friends and/or family, you have to live.3
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