Don't use scales, am I waisting my time?

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  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    If you're not willing to invest the few extra seconds a day it would take to weigh and log your intake for the sake of your health and being there for your kids, then yes, you're wasting your time.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    MonkeyMel21 wrote: »
    I have literally never weighed any type of food (have used measuring cups/spoons though when applicable) and have had great success. I'm mindful of it though, so I take that in to consideration when I log.
    Me too, I am realistic in my logging and err on the side of over estimating.
    That said, if you're stuck you may want to weigh at least until you get the feel for how much you are really eating.

  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    People managed to lose weight just fine before at-home kitchen scales were a thing. They're a useful tool, and if you have trouble losing weight without one I'd recommend getting one, but they're not required. (Although honestly, mine has saved me a ton of time because I no longer have to wash measuring cups and spoons every day).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    purelush wrote: »
    Honestly I don't weigh my food. I'm a busy mom and truly don't have the time to go measuring my food. I generally use the fist size portions.
    I think my downfall is bread, crisps and alcohol. Like most things, depending on my mood I can go overboard on these things.... anyway what I'm doing is not working!! I'm working out once a week.
    Very frustrating not getting any were fast!! Grrrrr!! Need a wake up call!!

    You're not losing weight because you're under-estimating your food intake. A scale would fix this. You could also just give up bread, or crisps, or alcohol. Pick your poison.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    dawnemjh wrote: »
    If you take a bowl and place it on the scale and then add your yogurt or (fill in the blank) its no more time than just taking the yogurt and putting in a bowl and eating....

    I got stressed out doing this. My stupid scale went off after a short wait time so I felt pressure to do everything fast.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Your biggest problem isn't that you're not weighing. It's that you're not logging consistently, and even when you are, you're choosing inaccurate entries. (Things like "bran flakes - 1 bowl" and "homemade" anything, unless you personally added that recipe in the recipe builder). Start by logging everything, as accurately as you can, every day. If that doesn't work, you might want to think about a food scale, but at this point a scale isn't going to do much for you if you're not logging consistently.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
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    I bought a scale .. one thing I noticed was my brand flakes last a lot longer .. one.person noticed he was eating twice the calories before he started weighing ... one.thing is for sure .. what your doing is not working for you .. something needs to change.

    Good luck
  • tamaraworrall
    tamaraworrall Posts: 166 Member
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    I have never weighed my portions.i scan the bar code on the packets but not weighing and it never hindered my weight loss. I've lost over 16 stone .you have to find what works for you
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Your problem is that bread and crisps are something that is very easy to overeat on, and can be hard to estimate (if you're like me and like fresh bread vs the packaged stuff).

    But it takes 2 seconds to put a bowl on a scale and hit a button before you eat something. Everyone has time to do that.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Honestly it takes no time at all to measure and log.

    And a digital scale is much faster and more accurate than cups and spoons, and a whole lot more accurate than eyeballing.

    She already said what she's currently doing is NOT working.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Basically you already answered your own question too- what you're currently doing isn't working so YES YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME.

    Honestly I don't know why people even bother to use myfitnesspal if they aren't going to log their food or measure it properly... ITS A CALORIE COUNTING APP. You wouldn't join weight watchers and then not bother doing the points thing and just eat whatever but still show up to the weigh ins. You wouldn't hire a personal trainer and then never work out but still expect to get buff. Why would you use a calorie counting app if you aren't even counting your calories????
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I don't actually weigh anything. I go by labels and round up. Has it mattered? Nope, not one bit BUT if it wasn't working I would do one of two things. I would either start weighing or more likely, just adjust my calorie goal. The actual number is ultimately irrelevant. What matters is the deficit, assuming proper nutrition of course. This process doesn't have to be complicated.
  • NancyYale
    NancyYale Posts: 171 Member
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    I don't own a scale and have been very successful. But if I hadn't been successful I would have gone that route. I tend to underestimate portions.
  • lissmayer
    lissmayer Posts: 86 Member
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    I have small children, and I get it. One trick is to eat the same things generally so that you can log those things with more confidence. And skip things that are hard to log or that you can't moderate (I'm looking at you, chips). It just makes things easier when you are too frazzled to deal much less do extra steps.
  • lissmayer
    lissmayer Posts: 86 Member
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    vingogly wrote: »
    If you're not willing to invest the few extra seconds a day it would take to weigh and log your intake for the sake of your health and being there for your kids, then yes, you're wasting your time.

    Seriously? You are going to guilt trip a stranger that not weighing her food means she doesn't love her kids enough? Klassy. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you either don't have children or were never the primary caregiver. God.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
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    AliceDark wrote: »
    People managed to lose weight just fine before at-home kitchen scales were a thing. They're a useful tool, and if you have trouble losing weight without one I'd recommend getting one, but they're not required. (Although honestly, mine has saved me a ton of time because I no longer have to wash measuring cups and spoons every day).

    This is arguably the best case I have "heard" on behalf of investing in a scale.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,977 Member
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    If you are being mindful of what you eat then you aren't necessarily wasting your time. But you could have better success if you did weigh at least some things. There are a few things I never weigh. If I had stalled in my weight loss then I would have started weighing them. There are some things that I will always weigh. Chips are one of them. It is so easy to overeat something like that and dumping a handful on the scale first helps me not to over eat them. I limit myself if I am drinking alcohol and I almost always measure it (I always do at home). If I were you I would at least start weighing the foods you have trouble moderating. People have lost weight without using a kitchen scale, and you can too. It is just harder to accurately judge your intake if you aren't weighing. If you feel frustrated that you aren't losing then it is probably time to start weighing your food. But if you are losing at an acceptable rate by estimating the there is nothing wrong with that approach.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    You answered your own question. Stop the chips, bread, and alcohol ..or limit them greatly. I don't log food or measure...just because I don't want to have to do it forever.. but I did do it for a long while to train myself to know what to eat.
  • alwinter09
    alwinter09 Posts: 25 Member
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    Quick question about the HRM; if I get one, how exactly does it work? obviously it measures my heart rate, but do most then show you how many calories you've burned based off of your HR, or how does that work? I usually alternate between walking and running as my main form of working out right now. Thank you for any guidance!

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