No food scales

Bought one early on. Used it twice. For me, not worth the bother.
I use this chart:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f9/d9/96/f9d9968e354d39de9feade7557d750d7.jpg

Works very well for me. Lost over 160#, and have kept it off for almost 3 years.

Whatever works for you and will be sustainable for the long term.

I've lost fine without scales. I always over calculate my food in MFP to make up for any discrepancies.However, I DO own a scale, but only use it for meats and high calorie foods.

I've lost 22 pounds since July 15 of this year. I'm about 15 pounds to goal. I've never owned a scale. I also don't use a measuring cup or measuring spoons -- I eyeball everything and read labels. Is this inaccurate? Of course it is.

I can see how a scale would benefit someone who ate a more complicated diet or wanted to hit certain macros.

My kitchen is being worked on and it is a hassle to use it. I also eat simple food with little prep and eat the same range of food over and over (I'm a widow and don't have to make food to please a family). I know about how much I should eat. My food also addresses some problems my doctor brought up. I'm not starving and am losing weight without problem.

I've lost 190+lbs and have not used a food scale that much. I use it for some things, but I guestimate some stuff, and have gotten pretty good over the past year or so in knowing what I eat at least when I make things myself at home. i do use it from time to time when I'm making or eating something new, but usually after a while I am pretty good at knowing what I am putting in my body.

I also exercise quite a bit to give myself some buffer room on any gaps I may have by not measuring/weighing every single thing.

It works for me, but may not work for others. Just gotta find what works for you.

I could say alot about this topic, but I will try to keep it short (ish)

I dont count calories, or measure my food in any shape or form.

When I started my journey back in early July, I started to count calories. It didnt take long before I realised that this was nothing I could see myself doing for the rest of my life, or even for a short period - for many reasons.

Some reasons;

- It would take away my freedom to truly eat what I want.
- I wanted to see food as food, not see food as numbers.
- It would create an addiction to food - fuelled by emotions. Feeling guily about having too much to eat, too little to eat and etc.

Its just not a way I want to live.
So how am I doing with my weight loss project? Pretty good. Ive lost 13 kg in 13 weeks.


I do think its important though, for everyone that want to lose weight permanently, to think of it as a life long commitment. Its not something that you will do for x amount of time. So each and everyone should have a plan as to how to reach whatever goal you have, and then how maintain that goal.

And whatever means you are using to get there: Do it in a safe way, and dont make it harder than it has to be.

Life happens everyday. Dont use that as an excuse.

So seeing a few of your post, my comment is directed at the conglomeration of them all. The effort you put forth will drive the results. You may find it difficult to achieve certain goals without a bit more accuracy. People can easily lose weight without a scale. But getting something like abs, may be a lot more difficult. Ultimately, the path you chose, the exercise you do, and the calorie/macronutrient composition should all be in line with what you are trying to achieve. I recognize external factors come into play, but you cannot expect the results you want to achieve, if your plan is not supporting that. At the very least, you can give this method a try and evaluate your progress after 4-6 weeks. If at that point, you are not seeing the progress you are expecting, you can modify it.

SezxyStef wrote: »

yes people lose weight all the time without using a food scale...

even following IIFYM...

I own food scales and find it easier to be accurate and prefer the accuracy to the 5mins in my week I might lose by using a food scale.

Agree with all of this, but I think using my food scale saves me time in the kitchen vs. measuring cups, which I was using before. Less to wash, fewer steps when cooking, etc. I didn't really realize what a PITA estimating was until I didn't have to do it anymore.

Also agree with all the others who say it matters how big your deficit is. Small deficits require greater precision.

I hit 2 pounds a week pretty perfectly without scales. I think some people are good at eyeballing and some people just aren't...and you can't know which you are without trying. If you can't eyeball though, you have to be willing to switch courses.

I don't use a scale and I've lost 31 pounds in a about 4 months. I just log food the best I can and try to over estimate. It works for me. At least right now. I now have a better idea of how many calories are in what I eat and what is healthy and that's good enough right now.