Do I really need to weigh food?

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Replies

  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I don't weigh things like slices of Wonder bread or packaged things but I do weigh things like meat, cheese, anything really calorie dense. If I were to stall (and I have) I'd just evaluate if I'm being as accurate as I can be. There are days I weigh vegetables I chop and there are days I eyeball 2tbsp of mayo. You need to collect more than two weeks of data to know what you can and can not get away with
  • LyiannaTameka
    LyiannaTameka Posts: 34 Member
    I would definately recommend weighing your food using scales and measuring your liquids using a measuring jug. I think it's important to realise that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. That being said, I think a lot of time should be invested into perfecting your diet. Measuring your food is crucial. You may think you're eating 1500 cals for example & it turns out your acting eating 2100 cals. I think if you want to track your calories religiously and you want to lose a certain amount of weight weekly (like I do), than weighing your food is essential. However, if you don't mind eventually losing at a slower pace and you're okay with losing a pound or half a pound here & there, then I guess it's fine. It really depends what kind of person you are and how much you want to lose the weight. Hope this helped.

    Good luck ❤️.
  • duddysdad
    duddysdad Posts: 403 Member
    Weighing your food is the #1, best thing you can possibly do to lose weight. We are bad at estimating, even packaged food like bread is just an estimate. It may say 30 grams, but they are allowed to be so much over/under. I'm not saying you have to weigh bread, but for more calorie dense foods, weighing is a must. Scales are cheap, check Amazon. Less than $15. Your entries shouldn't say, for example, 4oz of Chicken, if you weighed it would say something like 3.8oz, or 4.4oz, that is what happens when you weigh. Little variations can have a huge impact on your ability to lose weight.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    SusanMFindlay wrote: »
    purplebirdey8080 wrote: »
    Like if the package says two pieces of bread is 140 calories, do I not believe it? My diary is open, so feedback welcome (please, be kind stranger)!

    The last loaf of bread I bought said 2 slices = 50 g = 130 cals. I weighed one slice. It was 55 g. So, actually, 2 slices = 110 g = 286 cals.

    Packages don't usually lie by that much (and I find bread to be worse for misreporting portion size than most other food), but if you stop losing, you may want to look into weighing your food. If you can lose without weighing then you don't need to weigh.

    I don't eat bread now, but I did weigh it a few times because everyone told me I had to.

    I found out in my case that I didn't really need to. I think each slice was supposed to be 55g. The ones on the ends were 54g and the ones in the very centre (highest point of the loaf) were 56g. The rest were exactly 55g. I kind of figured at that point that over time it would all even out for me and stopped weighing bread.

    At this point in my journey the only times I have stalled, I've known exactly why I stalled (i.e. it wasn't due to imprecise measurements, it was due to flat out eating too much). I'm also of the opinion that weighing is a good tool when one is stuck or has a very small deficit, especially without exercise.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    ugofatcat wrote: »
    If you stop losing it may help. Our eyes play tricks on us and we underestimate portions. Here is a great video demonstrating why weighing is important:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU


    See.. i wouldn't weigh this stuff.. i just wouldn't eat chips or a creamy salad dressing.

    If what you are doing is working, then you don't need to do anything differently. Best of luck and keep of the good work!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    If you're not losing, then it's a good idea. I'm in a maintenance type of phase and I choose not to weigh some of my veg and pre-packaged food now. But if I really want to lose it all gets slapped on the food scale.
  • BeastField
    BeastField Posts: 463 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight as expected then no, you don't have to weigh your food. Weighing everything you eat becomes important when weight loss stalls, plateaus or you gain, but if everything is going along swimmingly, then save the scales for when/if they are needed.

    As for weighing bread.. The info on my loaf of bread says 2 slices equals 83g, but in reality they are 101g, quest bars say 60g, but they usually weigh 65-66g. If i trusted the package info for everything i eat, i would be eating way more calories than i thought..


    For me, this. I have been doing well without weighing/logging. I do weigh out things like peanut butter, dressings, and other small things that can really impact it. But no logging. Having said that, if I find myself going a week without a loss or even a gain, I will absolutely bring out the scale and start weighing. But, this is just me. If it makes you more comfortable or you feel better knowing the exact amounts, I am all for you weighing! Ultimately, its what works best for you. Over time it may change - just part of the journey!
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    If you're not losing, then it's a good idea. I'm in a maintenance type of phase and I choose not to weigh some of my veg and pre-packaged food now. But if I really want to lose it all gets slapped on the food scale.

    ^^^ This is your answer. If you are losing what you expect to lose without weighing, then what is the point? You just happen to be good at estimating.

    If you start to slow down unexpectedly or are losing weight faster than you should, then weighing is the FIRST thing you should do to try to troubleshoot.
  • fatgiraffe2
    fatgiraffe2 Posts: 73 Member
    I don't think weighing food is essential but it is insightful. I only recently started weighing (I don't weigh everything because my partner does half the cooking and he doesn't weigh) but was surprised at some of the things I was getting wrong. For example, on here a hass avocado was around 250g and I would use those stats. I weighed my avocado this morning and it was only 95g. I think if you're close to your calorie count each day it's handy to know if you've logged accurately because you could be eating too much or too little with the stored food details. But I've only just started weighing for my own curiosity and lost weight without weighing, so I think it's all down to preference really.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Using a food scale just increases the accuracy. ..I overestimated some things but I used my scale mostly because I underestimated most things and I wanted to be able to short myself
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
    I don't always weigh, because i get free food at work, so i dont weigh my veggies or cottage cheese, we have portion plates that ive measured only fit half cup.
    But at home, i weigh meat which can be tricky to guess, and also things like chips, the bag says 12 chips, have you ever looked in a bag of lays? some are 4 inches, some are 4 cm wide.
  • BiggDaddy58
    BiggDaddy58 Posts: 406 Member
    My advice is do what works for you. I don't weigh very much of my food. I'll weight meat, steaks, or pork chops, and a very few other things, that I can't tell or estimate.

    Otherwise, I use what it says on the package, or what I find on the net. A medium Apple...80 calories. Good enough for me.

    I also lift light weights in the morning and afternoon. 2 sets each time, 6 different routines and I do not log any of those calories as burned. I think that buys me maybe a couple hundred calories of error in my food logging..

    It has worked for me so far. I like the Keep it Simple method. Others weigh everything.

    Whatever works for you.

    I wish you success on your journey.
  • lissmayer
    lissmayer Posts: 86 Member
    A useful trick if you choose not to weigh your food is to sort of limit the foods you routinely eat. I have a mental list of maybe 7-10 things that I mostly eat. For me, this is because I have small children and can't afford the mental energy to feed myself otherwise- but it also helps with my accuracy over the big picture. (And I eat adventurously at restaurants or when there are two parents home.)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    If you're not progressing, then yes.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    mikevfr wrote: »
    MeganMoroz89 wrote: »
    I know that a lot of people do but I don't. I'm just cognizant that there are going to be times where I'm inputting a meal and I am most likely eating more calories than MFP says that I am. Because of that, I have my activity level set to sedentary (I also work a desk job) and I don't eat my exercise calories back.

    It's worked for me.

    Ditto.

    I do weigh loose stuff but I don't double check packet weights.

    I weigh everything, including pre-packaged items.

    This morning I had a Pepperidge Farm Multigrain Roll. Package said that the serving size was 1 roll (50g). The roll I had actually weighed 60g. It was a difference of 24 calories. Being off by that much would wreak havoc with my day.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I got pretty far without it, and even now I don't weigh everything. However, the more you lose, the smaller you margin of error gets, so it can be very helpful.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    ShogunOfWano wrote: »
    You don't need to but if you want than you can.
    If you want to lose weight than eat not more than 1/3 rd of your stomach and drink not more than 1/3 Rd of your stomach. And don't eat more than 3 times a day. You will be suprised of the results you see.

    Not sure I follow the stomach thing.

    And the amount of times you eat per day has no relevance to weight loss. It all comes down to *how much* you eat, not when you eat it. :)

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