Let's be honest

Nexus902 · July 2017

hey every one I want your honest thoughts about this. Am I the only one who doesn't measure their food. I mean really I'm not measuring out how much katchup I am putting ony eggs but it's not a table spoon. Just like salad dressing how do they expect salad to taist good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing. Honest opinions please.

JaydedMiss · July 2017

your on a food tracking website....just saying.

You cheat no one but yourself by not tracking, Condiments add up a stupid amount very quickly, Fair warning. If your hitting your goals awesome, If your not you know exactly where your issue lays.

Edit- I taught myself to love the taste of a big salad with just a tiny bit of salsa or homemade dressing, Its all in re-training your palate. Cant really do that without the effort

Edit 2- Measure out a tbsp of ketchup for example and then weigh it. Next time use what you use but weigh it out and compare. Chances are it will shed light in just how many excess calories your eating. Food for thought. Can then see how the many small things add up quick in your day

livingleanlivingclean · July 2017

I don't usually use any dressing on my salad. I use ingredients that coat the salad stuff and add flavour (like smashed avo, mustards, poached/soft boiled eggs, cheese etc). You can get accustomed to things different ways though - I don't need to drown a salad in dressing, I've got used to the taste and texture of minimally dressed salad.

But.... I weigh and measure. I don't get the results I want unless I do.

KevHex · July 2017

I measure bbq sauce, salad cream, butter, slices of cheese, tomato ketchup, almond milk and most other foods I eat.

I don't measure cucumber, salad leaves or tomatoes. I add them to my sandwich and guesstimate 100g for them. I like to measure and weigh things, it's part of the winning formula so why would you not?

RedSierra · July 2017

I lost 40 pounds using MFP last year. I'm a 5'4" woman over 50 and went from 177 to 137. I want to stay here and have maintained since last November. I am extremely happy with my results and so is my doctor.

I used a measuring cup twice and that's it. No cups, no scales, no spoons. I do read labels, use the USDA entries as much as I can, and best-guess the rest. I love my food choices and am never hungry.

I understand the reasoning behind using a digital scale and ordered one from Amazon after reading all the positive comments on here, but the scale is still sitting in the box, unopened.

Is my method for everybody? Of course not.

Shortieweightloss · July 2017

I actually find that 2 tablespoons of dressing is more than enough for my quite large salads. I had the same thought when I first started measuring my food, that there was no way I would even be able to taste the dressing. However, I find that I actually have quite a bit left at the bottom of the bowl when I finish the salad.

Shortieweightloss · July 2017

KevHex wrote: »

I measure bbq sauce, salad cream, butter, slices of cheese, tomato ketchup, almond milk and most other foods I eat.

I don't measure cucumber, salad leaves or tomatoes. I add them to my sandwich and guesstimate 100g for them. I like to measure and weigh things, it's part of the winning formula so why would you not?

This is what I've started doing as well. It's hard not to feel like I'm cheating or just being lazy, but realistically speaking, if I misjudge how much cucumber I put in my salad, it'll make my calories for the day be off by maybe 6 calories at the very most.

scarlett_k · July 2017

If you're still achieving what you set out to achieve then I don't see that it matters.

narspips · July 2017

I used to make dressings with vinegar and oil for salads but I've got used to just using a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Has a sweet taste and I find it's enough for 2 portions of salad without adding too many calories.

MFPSK1977 · July 2017

When it comes to really high calorie items, it is probably best to weigh it out. Mainly it is a foolproof way of knowing the calories aren't the problem. A lot of people have complained about not losing weight, and they were cheating themselves by underestimating on their diary. (Has anyone ever seen a 6 inch banana?

) The way to losing fat is taking in less calories than you burn.
Not everyone needs them, but some swear by it. I like having mine around.

Maxematics · July 2017

Going by the post title, the reason why some people don't see the use for a food scale is because they have so much weight to lose to begin with that a food scale may not be necessary for them. The closer to a healthy weight you get, the harder it is to be accurate with your deficit; this is where a food scale comes in handy. That's not to say that every person who is quite overweight doesn't need to use a food scale. Some people are so awful at underestimating what they're eating/logging that they cancel out even the greatest of assumed deficits.

As for this,"Just like salad dressing how do they expect salad to taist good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing.", two tablespoons of dressing is a LOT. Even before I lost weight I'd never use that much. If you have to drench your salad in dressing just to make it taste good, then forget about salad altogether and eat steamed or roasted vegetables instead. Because much like how frappuccinos tend to be milkshakes with a bit of coffee in them, your salad is now a bowl of dressing with a bit of greens in it. It's not worth it just to feel like you're eating something "healthy".

For me personally a food scale is paramount. I was using a food scale from day one because I already had one for my baking needs. I'm glad I used it because I embarrassingly started off my weight loss with a knockoff version of those 21 day fix containers just to try to refine my eating habits. I'd weigh my foods in the containers to be accurate with my calorie count. I wasn't the type of person to cram the containers, so by that system I was eating 900 calories per day which is far too little. Without the food scale, I wouldn't have know that, binged, and wondered why I felt so hungry all the time. A food scale is especially useful for calorie dense things such as nut butters; most people underestimate how much of that they actually eat.

Another good example of why a food scale is useful was my breakfast this morning. My favorite thing to eat in the morning is some type of protein/nutrition bar with a cup of black coffee. This morning's bar was a Wella Peanut Cacao bar. The nutritional facts are for a 55g bar but my bar was 69g! That added an extra 66 calories. Imagine that happening a few times per day and I'm easily out of maintenance. Some people may argue "Hey, some packaged items will be 66 calories less and it will even out!" Wishful thinking. Manufacturers can be fined for putting in less than stated, so there tends to be an exact amount or slightly more. In my case this morning, it was more than slightly. That's not even considering the rounding of food labels themselves which I believe are allowed to be off by 20% in the U.S.

TL;DR: You don't have to use a food scale, but the minute you think you're stalling or plateauing, it's time for you to buy a food scale because you're most likely eating more than you think.

jemhh · July 2017

I started out by writing down everything I ate and restricting the number of servings but I did not measure or weigh. That worked for 30 lbs or so and then I had to tighten up my method and measure and weigh. Either method is fine and moving from one to another when needed is fine too.

PaulaWallaDingDong · July 2017

I don't measure absolutely everything perfectly, no. Other things I do make up the difference.

I have to say, about the salad dressing: it tends to be high in calories. That's one of those things you really need to pay close attention to. Non-starchy veggies are small potatoes (so to speak), but the dressing is where you can run into trouble. That's part of the reason some salads wind up with the calories of a big mac. And if you feel the need you drench your salad, you might want to try different ways of mixing the salad to spread it out better, like shaking.

Of course, it's up to you what to do, and you don't seem to be asking for advice, but if you aren't getting the results you expect, the lettuce probably isn't the culprit.

RedSierra · July 2017

RedSierra wrote: »

I lost 40 pounds using MFP last year. I'm a 5'4" woman over 50 and went from 177 to 137. I want to stay here and have maintained since last November. I am extremely happy with my results and so is my doctor.

I used a measuring cup twice and that's it. No cups, no scales, no spoons. I do read labels, use the USDA entries as much as I can, and best-guess the rest. I love my food choices and am never hungry.

I understand the reasoning behind using a digital scale and ordered one from Amazon after reading all the positive comments on here, but the scale is still sitting in the box, unopened.

Is my method for everybody? Of course not.

I want to add something to my comment above where I said I don'r measure but do read labels.

I eat a lot of salads (usually one a day, sometimes two) that often have spinach, shredded carrots, black olives, and many other things. I also eat prepared potato salads, but only once in a rare while. I really like fresh raw vegetables.

Once in a while I will use salad dressing like a low calorie one, balsamic vinegar, or olive oil and vinegar. I read the label first and best-guess a tablespoon or two and shake the salad.

However, most of the time I don't use salad dressing. I season my salads with salt and pepper or garlic salt/powder or some other spice and skip the high-calorie salad dressing. This is my preference, not just a weight loss tactic.

InkAndApples · July 2017

I measure high calorie foods, especially ones I'm likely to over eat - if I'm having cake or muffins you can be damned sure I'm weighing them. I guess a lot of food, I eat in the work canteen and it's pretty plated so bothersome to weigh individual parts of the meal, but if I can weigh it I do. I log everything though, even ketchup - I probably tend to over estimate on quantities based on past experience/weighing

This level of lazy tracking works perfectly for now, if I stop losing as I want to the first thing I'll change is tightening up my weighing/measuring for a more accurate calorie count.

accidentalpancake · July 2017

Precise measurements are like training wheels. You need them up until you learn how to manage intake properly.

ninerbuff · July 2017

I don't concern myself too much with condiments except mayo and dressings. I don't count salt either. Everything else, I measure.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

RosieRose7673 · July 2017

RedSierra wrote: »

I lost 40 pounds using MFP last year. I'm a 5'4" woman over 50 and went from 177 to 137. I want to stay here and have maintained since last November. I am extremely happy with my results and so is my doctor.

I used a measuring cup twice and that's it. No cups, no scales, no spoons. I do read labels, use the USDA entries as much as I can, and best-guess the rest. I love my food choices and am never hungry.

I understand the reasoning behind using a digital scale and ordered one from Amazon after reading all the positive comments on here, but the scale is still sitting in the box, unopened.

Is my method for everybody? Of course not.

I do this method. However, occasionally I do use measuring cups for things. I make the best guesses on amounts I'm eating and it's never really been a problem. Some people definitely do benefit from a food scale though. It really does help keep portions in check. I just think that maybe I'm pretty good at eyeballing portion sizes or overestimate what I eat. Who knows but it works for me.

That being said, if I do ever use salad dressing it's usually a tiny bit. I'm not a fan of a lot of dressing. Most of my salads don't need it and I do eat a lot of salads! Mostly homemade shredded Buffalo chicken salads or turkey taco salads. Neither need dressing.

snickerscharlie · July 2017

Nexus902 wrote: »

hey every one I want your honest thoughts about this. Am I the only one who doesn't measure their food. I mean really I'm not measuring out how much katchup I am putting ony eggs but it's not a table spoon. Just like salad dressing how do they expect salad to taist good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing. Honest opinions please.

Most condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise and salad dressings are very caloric. So if you're of the mindset that "how do they expect salad to taste good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing" you are definitely at risk of exceeding the calories you need to lose weight.

Just have a look at all of the threads here with titles like, "Why am I not losing weight?" to see that this is a very common issue.

You can log what you eat or not - your choice - but know that your body *does* log them even if you don't.

hedwardsb · July 2017

RedSierra wrote: »

RedSierra wrote: »

I lost 40 pounds using MFP last year. I'm a 5'4" woman over 50 and went from 177 to 137. I want to stay here and have maintained since last November. I am extremely happy with my results and so is my doctor.

I used a measuring cup twice and that's it. No cups, no scales, no spoons. I do read labels, use the USDA entries as much as I can, and best-guess the rest. I love my food choices and am never hungry.

I understand the reasoning behind using a digital scale and ordered one from Amazon after reading all the positive comments on here, but the scale is still sitting in the box, unopened.

Is my method for everybody? Of course not.

I want to add something to my comment above where I said I don'r measure but do read labels.

I eat a lot of salads (usually one a day, sometimes two) that often have spinach, shredded carrots, black olives, and many other things. I also eat prepared potato salads, but only once in a rare while. I really like fresh raw vegetables.

Once in a while I will use salad dressing like a low calorie one, balsamic vinegar, or olive oil and vinegar. I read the label first and best-guess a tablespoon or two and shake the salad.

However, most of the time I don't use salad dressing. I season my salads with salt and pepper or garlic salt/powder or some other spice and skip the high-calorie salad dressing. This is my preference, not just a weight loss tactic.

Last time I got heavier than I was comfortable with about 6 years ago, I lost weight logging on MFP without weighing my food. I did use measuring cups or ramekins to guesstimate amounts. I'm back on MFP having regained 30 pounds, and I started off with just measuring cups, but I recently purchased a scale. It's let me know that in most cases, I was overestimating the calories of the food I was eating which was helping me eat at a deficit. However, I am enjoying using the scale because this time around I am really focused on hitting my fiber, protein, and calcium goals, and weighing my food helps with accuracy not just of calories but of nutrients.

Duck_Puddle · July 2017

I didn't weigh my food either. Until I stopped losing weight. Then I started weighing and realized I was eating at least 400 cal/day more than I was logging. A fair chunk of that was in condiments. Idk. Maybe you guess better than I do, but eyeballing is horribly innacruate for me.

Let's be honest

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