Kitchen Scale Necessary?
Replies
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »LyiannaTameka wrote: »It really depends. In all honestly, people generally lose more weight using a scale because it doesn't give them the opportunity to underestimate their portions sizes, hence a scale is more accurate. But sometimes, you don't always want accuracy. You kind of want that little extra bit of cheese without feeling too guilty.
I used to eat 1200 calories a day & track my calories religiously. I was so obsessed with my food scale, body scale and tracking calories though. It became an unhealthy habit. Plus I was losing just over 3lbs a week, when I was barely overweight. It's not healthy. Sometimes we forget that one of main reasons for losing weight is to become healthy. Anyway, I only use a scale occasionally now and I still lose 2.5lbs a week so a scale is not really a necessity, especially if you're already eating quite low cal.
I don't understand what exactly is so "unhealthy" about weighing food. :huh:
Imho, its unhealthy in the sense that it can create many negative emotions, like guilt, failure etc. It can also create destructive/negative patterns.
It can also create positive emotions. It can help provide confidence that you're on track and that you know what you're doing. It can provide comfort that you're not overestimating or underestimating. It can give satisfaction that you know exactly what you're putting into your body.
Yes, any of those *could* be taken too far. But, for most people, they won't.
I do not see how a scale could possibly make you feel guilty. It gives you the chance to change your mind about your portion size before committing to it.
Do a search for "guilty" on this site and you have the answer.
It also lead to some strange behavior for some people. Like "saving calories" to be able to fit in alchohol, and some even promote this idea to others. Thats how drunkorexia became a thing.
Counting calories makes people feel they are in control again, but if you take away the scale and or the app, how much control is left?
But this is a calorie counting site... :huh:
Is it?
Certainly, its an app/site where you CAN log everything if you want to, but its also a site to share thoughts, experiences, make virtual friends, exchange recipes, read blogs, get fitness tips and anything in between.
But this thread is now derailed and off topic. The question was is a kitchen scale necessary?
You input was no.. point taken.
It was not my intention to derail the topic, and for that im sorry.0 -
Im not gonna answer everyone here. I do get that most people on here rely on calorie counting, and its obvious that anyone that does, will defend their way of dealing with weight loss, weight gain or just maintaining.
I can see that it can be a handy tool if you want to track some things that are important, like sodium intake, or if you are building muscles and want to track the protein.
But that dosnt mean you have to track everything down to the gram, always - forever.
Different strokes.
Some people are great at intuitive eating and are fine maintaining their weight without measuring/logging their food.
Others are not so great at intuitive eating and need to monitor what they eat pretty closely to lose or maintain weight.
There is nothing wrong with either approach, and I certainly wouldn't look down on others for doing it either way.
*ETA: this is definitely a calorie-counting tool, first and foremost. The blog and forums are extras that weren't such a large feature of MFP when the app first took off. The majority of people who utilize the app use it for counting calories and/or tracking macros. A pretty small percentage of users actually participate in the forums and blogs.5 -
Thanks everyone! I went and got a scale this morning. It's been really eye opening. I have been really cheating myself out of some things (I guess I don't know what 5oz of meat actually looks like - I've been eating closer to 2-3oz) and other things I was way over on. This has been a great move!
Hooray for more accuracy!
Have you weighed peanut butter yet?
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »LyiannaTameka wrote: »It really depends. In all honestly, people generally lose more weight using a scale because it doesn't give them the opportunity to underestimate their portions sizes, hence a scale is more accurate. But sometimes, you don't always want accuracy. You kind of want that little extra bit of cheese without feeling too guilty.
I used to eat 1200 calories a day & track my calories religiously. I was so obsessed with my food scale, body scale and tracking calories though. It became an unhealthy habit. Plus I was losing just over 3lbs a week, when I was barely overweight. It's not healthy. Sometimes we forget that one of main reasons for losing weight is to become healthy. Anyway, I only use a scale occasionally now and I still lose 2.5lbs a week so a scale is not really a necessity, especially if you're already eating quite low cal.
I don't understand what exactly is so "unhealthy" about weighing food. :huh:
Imho, its unhealthy in the sense that it can create many negative emotions, like guilt, failure etc. It can also create destructive/negative patterns.
It can also create positive emotions. It can help provide confidence that you're on track and that you know what you're doing. It can provide comfort that you're not overestimating or underestimating. It can give satisfaction that you know exactly what you're putting into your body.
Yes, any of those *could* be taken too far. But, for most people, they won't.
I do not see how a scale could possibly make you feel guilty. It gives you the chance to change your mind about your portion size before committing to it.
Do a search for "guilty" on this site and you have the answer.
It also lead to some strange behavior for some people. Like "saving calories" to be able to fit in alchohol, and some even promote this idea to others. Thats how drunkorexia became a thing.
Counting calories makes people feel they are in control again, but if you take away the scale and or the app, how much control is left?
But this is a calorie counting site... :huh:
Is it?
Certainly, its an app/site where you CAN log everything if you want to, but its also a site to share thoughts, experiences, make virtual friends, exchange recipes, read blogs, get fitness tips and anything in between.
Yes it is... everything else is extra. But as it was already said, the topic was is a kitchen scale necessary?0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Thanks everyone! I went and got a scale this morning. It's been really eye opening. I have been really cheating myself out of some things (I guess I don't know what 5oz of meat actually looks like - I've been eating closer to 2-3oz) and other things I was way over on. This has been a great move!
Hooray for more accuracy!
Have you weighed peanut butter yet?
Weighing peanut butter was one of the saddest moments of my scale owning experience.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Thanks everyone! I went and got a scale this morning. It's been really eye opening. I have been really cheating myself out of some things (I guess I don't know what 5oz of meat actually looks like - I've been eating closer to 2-3oz) and other things I was way over on. This has been a great move!
Hooray for more accuracy!
Have you weighed peanut butter yet?
That's part of why I don't weigh anything.... Or log anything
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I don't like peanut butter... *runs and hides before pitchforks*2
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »LyiannaTameka wrote: »It really depends. In all honestly, people generally lose more weight using a scale because it doesn't give them the opportunity to underestimate their portions sizes, hence a scale is more accurate. But sometimes, you don't always want accuracy. You kind of want that little extra bit of cheese without feeling too guilty.
I used to eat 1200 calories a day & track my calories religiously. I was so obsessed with my food scale, body scale and tracking calories though. It became an unhealthy habit. Plus I was losing just over 3lbs a week, when I was barely overweight. It's not healthy. Sometimes we forget that one of main reasons for losing weight is to become healthy. Anyway, I only use a scale occasionally now and I still lose 2.5lbs a week so a scale is not really a necessity, especially if you're already eating quite low cal.
I don't understand what exactly is so "unhealthy" about weighing food. :huh:
Imho, its unhealthy in the sense that it can create many negative emotions, like guilt, failure etc. It can also create destructive/negative patterns.
It can also create positive emotions. It can help provide confidence that you're on track and that you know what you're doing. It can provide comfort that you're not overestimating or underestimating. It can give satisfaction that you know exactly what you're putting into your body.
Yes, any of those *could* be taken too far. But, for most people, they won't.
I do not see how a scale could possibly make you feel guilty. It gives you the chance to change your mind about your portion size before committing to it.
Do a search for "guilty" on this site and you have the answer.
It also lead to some strange behavior for some people. Like "saving calories" to be able to fit in alchohol, and some even promote this idea to others. Thats how drunkorexia became a thing.
Um, it's ridiculous to blame this on a scale. If someone wants to save calories for alcohol, it's easy to do without a scale. I remember years ago (like when I was a teen) some actress recommending on the Tonight Show that if you want to have calories to drink at a party, just skip eating first (even at the time this seemed like obvious bad advice to me). I recall people doing similar things at college, though.
I lost a ton of weight in my early 30s (okay, 60 lbs) and kept it off for years, despite being a problem drinker for a good bit of that time. I basically used a food pyramid approach (did not count, log, or use a scale), and substituted drinks for servings of grains (seemed sensible, even though I was more into wine than beer). Now, of course that was a ridiculous and unhealthy thing to do (and I did know my drinking was unhealthy), but it was easily possible without a scale.1 -
So I have been logging for a little over a month. I've made a lot of progress but I am wondering if I should get a kitchen scale. Right now I rely on measuring cups to portion out food. Is that adequate or will I have better success with a scale?
Thanks!
I would say based on these pictures that the scale gives me a better idea of the calorie intake than what is written on the package. Based on the package I would log 125 grams per portion. But the reality is slightly different, as you can see.
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So I have been logging for a little over a month. I've made a lot of progress but I am wondering if I should get a kitchen scale. Right now I rely on measuring cups to portion out food. Is that adequate or will I have better success with a scale?
Thanks!
I would say based on these pictures that the scale gives me a better idea of the calorie intake than what is written on the package. Based on the package I would log 125 grams per portion. But the reality is slightly different, as you can see.
You weigh things without the outside packaging.1 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »So I have been logging for a little over a month. I've made a lot of progress but I am wondering if I should get a kitchen scale. Right now I rely on measuring cups to portion out food. Is that adequate or will I have better success with a scale?
Thanks!
I would say based on these pictures that the scale gives me a better idea of the calorie intake than what is written on the package. Based on the package I would log 125 grams per portion. But the reality is slightly different, as you can see.
You weigh things without the outside packaging.
Agreed. That is supposed to be two 125 g portions. The packaging could easily way 100 g depending on what it's made out of.
That's not to say that serving sizes always reflect the accurate weight of a product - there are variances that can add up over the course of a day. However, I think the variance would be much smaller on this product if you were to weigh it outside of the packaging.2 -
Im not gonna answer everyone here. I do get that most people on here rely on calorie counting, and its obvious that anyone that does, will defend their way of dealing with weight loss, weight gain or just maintaining.
I can see that it can be a handy tool if you want to track some things that are important, like sodium intake, or if you are building muscles and want to track the protein.
But that dosnt mean you have to track everything down to the gram, always - forever.
Calorie counting is necessary for those of us who follow our macros, and therefore a scale is important. Some people are not in a phase where that's important to them--to others, it is.0 -
I loss weight without a kitchen scale....but now that I have one...I can't imagine not having one. Best thing I added to my journey.2
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Sorry, I should have mentioned it: I weighed the package - 30 grams.
Still quite a difference.0 -
Thanks everyone! I went and got a scale this morning. It's been really eye opening. I have been really cheating myself out of some things (I guess I don't know what 5oz of meat actually looks like - I've been eating closer to 2-3oz) and other things I was way over on. This has been a great move!LyiannaTameka wrote: »It really depends. In all honestly, people generally lose more weight using a scale because it doesn't give them the opportunity to underestimate their portions sizes, hence a scale is more accurate. But sometimes, you don't always want accuracy. You kind of want that little extra bit of cheese without feeling too guilty.
I used to eat 1200 calories a day & track my calories religiously. I was so obsessed with my food scale, body scale and tracking calories though. It became an unhealthy habit. Plus I was losing just over 3lbs a week, when I was barely overweight. It's not healthy. Sometimes we forget that one of main reasons for losing weight is to become healthy. Anyway, I only use a scale occasionally now and I still lose 2.5lbs a week so a scale is not really a necessity, especially if you're already eating quite low cal.LyiannaTameka wrote: »It really depends. In all honestly, people generally lose more weight using a scale because it doesn't give them the opportunity to underestimate their portions sizes, hence a scale is more accurate. But sometimes, you don't always want accuracy. You kind of want that little extra bit of cheese without feeling too guilty.
I used to eat 1200 calories a day & track my calories religiously. I was so obsessed with my food scale, body scale and tracking calories though. It became an unhealthy habit. Plus I was losing just over 3lbs a week, when I was barely overweight. It's not healthy. Sometimes we forget that one of main reasons for losing weight is to become healthy. Anyway, I only use a scale occasionally now and I still lose 2.5lbs a week so a scale is not really a necessity, especially if you're already eating quite low cal.
You can use any tool in an unhealthy way if you have an unhealthy mindset. You are not going to solve an eating disorder or other mental health issue with a food scale.
If you are barely overweight and still losing at an unhealthy rate of over 2 lbs a week then changing your goals to a less aggressive .5-1 lb a week and using tools like MFP or a food scale could help you to lose weight in a healthy way but professional help may be needed if your problem is obsession/disordered thinking.0 -
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So I have been logging for a little over a month. I've made a lot of progress but I am wondering if I should get a kitchen scale. Right now I rely on measuring cups to portion out food. Is that adequate or will I have better success with a scale?
Thanks!
No, it is not necessary. It can be a helpful tool in weight loss the numbers are more accurate than eyeballing or measuring cups, but people have reached goal without ever using a food scale. If someone thinks it might be helpful for them, especially if they are close to goal, they are relatively inexpensive and many people feel they are worth the money.
There are some people who find using food scales to be problematic for them in weight loss. I know there are users in the community who have reported that using the scale contributed to obsessive feelings and behaviors around food amounts, and others who experienced episodes of overeating after long-term scale use. The second group basically got fed up with weighing food after a long period of time and "just wanted to be able to eat without having to think about it" for awhile, and had a bit of a personal revolt against the scale. Different people are going to have different experiences and just need to figure out what works for them.1 -
Really, none of it is strictly necessary...scales, cups, or even MFP.
If I am not losing weight, I am eating as least as much as I burn (or more if I am gaining). Solution: eat less. Simple idea...in practice sometimes we need a little help.
Scales, cups, calorie counting are just tools to help us figure out how much less, and less than what.
Some people can figure out the "less" without any gizmos and gadgets, and that's fine. If you are doing well without scales, then don't feel you should race out and grab some because they are recommended here. They are recommended usually to people who are experiencing difficulties/bumps in their weightloss, so could use a new tool to get them back on track.
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I've found it very useful to have a scale - I discovered I was actually overestimating some things and cheating myself out of calories (and my goal is only 1200!). For example, according to the packaging, a serve of the mozzarella cheese I buy is 35g. So I assumed that the amount I sprinkle on my pasta was 35g... when I got my scale, I discovered that my usual amount was actually more like 20-25g.
To be fair, there were other things I was underestimating (e.g. the amount of milk I put in my coffee), but overall I felt I was allowed to eat MORE when my accuracy improved. So I recommend a scale.
Funnily enough, now that I use a scale I'm quite amazed how my "splash" of milk in my tea is very close to 60 g almost every day!
As you mentioned, sometimes using a scale works in your favour and you'll find you were needlessly going without as a result of estimating.
For me, this has come into play with butter and oil. Before joining MFP and using a scale, I used to be paranoid about using too much butter and oil and I would beat myself up if I was sauteeing something in butter or using oil to roast veggies. Now I measure it out, and I know exactly how much I'm using, and it fits in my diet. No more stressing about it.1
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