Weighing vs measuring
aimeetu
Posts: 139 Member
I am fascinated by the difference in weighing and measuring. Can people who weigh all their food tell me examples of food I'd think would be better in a measuring cup and which would be better to weigh. For instance (and really the reason I post) shredded cheese. The serving size on the package says 1/4 c or 28 grams. When I weigh it on the scale 28 grams is definitely more than a 1/4 cup (like a heap more lol). Seems to me I get more cheese for my serving if I weigh it then put it in a measuring cup. But I've seen this demonstration on oatmeal and it's the exact opposite. Help a sista out.
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I weigh everything. Even liquids, although "they" say you should use measuring cups for those. Hasn't affected my weight loss at all.2
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The nutrition facts are based on the weight, not the volume. The volume is shown for convenience since most people don't have a food scale.
I don't measure anything. Measuring just means extra dishes to wash. I avoid caloried liquids but, if I use them, I weigh with the knowledge that weighing is only accurate for liquids with a density close to water. Ballpark for the liquids I use is usually close enough for my purposes but, if it isn't, I fill the container with water to figure the volume to weight ratio that way.4 -
The difference is accuracy regardless of whether the serving size is bigger or smaller. Weighing will always be more accurate. Try your experiment with cereal or peanut butter and you'll see the value in weighing over measuring with cups and spoons.
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The difference is accuracy regardless of whether the serving size is bigger or smaller. Weighing will always be more accurate. Try your experiment with cereal or peanut butter and you'll see the value in weighing over measuring with cups and spoons.
As I just said in another thread - there are few things in life as depressing as the first time you weigh an actual "serving" of peanut butter on a food scale.
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Weighing. Once I got used to it, it was actually easier to weigh then measure. Coffee creamer? Put cup on scale, pour and weigh. Cereal? Put bowl on scale, pour and weigh. No more having to go hunt down a measuring cup, or having to wash one or anything. Get a scale. Makes for more accurate baking too if you find recipes in grams and not cups.4
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Items that are better in a measuring cup:
items that you are using a teaspoon or tablespoon to measure out. (Assuming you know how to properly use them, the number of people who don't know to level a measurement is astounding.) These would be fine grain, liquids, and semi-liquids in small amounts. So I don't weigh the sugar for my grapefruit, I measure out 1/2 teaspoon.
Liquids: same thing. It's easier to do this and a cup of milk will be a cup of milk.
Anything with funny shapes or leave space? Weigh it! So I weigh my cereal, measure my milk.
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This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.5
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The difference is accuracy regardless of whether the serving size is bigger or smaller. Weighing will always be more accurate. Try your experiment with cereal or peanut butter and you'll see the value in weighing over measuring with cups and spoons.
As I just said in another thread - there are few things in life as depressing as the first time you weigh an actual "serving" of peanut butter on a food scale.
True dat.0 -
This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.0 -
Always weigh.
Take your cheese example. Measuring regular shredded cheese vs finely shredded cheese. You will get a dramatically different amount and calories for a serving but if you weigh it you will get the correct serving size.2 -
OP...if it's solid or semi-solid, weigh it.0
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Grapes. One cup in the database entry I was using was 92 grams. One cup when I weigh it out can be anywhere from 153 to about 180. (Depending on the size of the grapes and how much space there is between them, whether they stick up over the rim, etc.)1
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If it is solid I weigh without fail, but if it is liquid I measure unless the nutritional label has this measurement in grams rather than millilitres.0
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This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.3 -
FireOpalCO wrote: »Items that are better in a measuring cup:
items that you are using a teaspoon or tablespoon to measure out. (Assuming you know how to properly use them, the number of people who don't know to level a measurement is astounding.) These would be fine grain, liquids, and semi-liquids in small amounts. So I don't weigh the sugar for my grapefruit, I measure out 1/2 teaspoon.
Liquids: same thing. It's easier to do this and a cup of milk will be a cup of milk.
Anything with funny shapes or leave space? Weigh it! So I weigh my cereal, measure my milk.
I wouldn't recommend using measuring cups or spoons for grains (fine or not), or semi-liquids (which are semi-solids) or things you get out with a spoon. Nutrition labels are based on weight, the volume is an approximation - weigh as much as you can.2 -
This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.
When you're doing your maths to work out the percentage of a cup to enter, also keep in mind that US cup sizes are different to everywhere else in the world (even Canada uses 250ml compared to 240ml in the US; and within the US there is the legal cup, 240ml, and the standard measuring cup, 250ml)1 -
Stick to one method (preferably weighing as mentioned by previous posters - databases are weight based often). Or my method of choice: stick to pre-packaged foods (takes a bit of planning/memorizing & mental math). I usually just calculated the kcals/macros for the entire package & fraction things in my head if needed (might limit your options/have to use the same exact products day after day...)0
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This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.
Then it was a user-created entry. System entries for whole foods that came from the USDA database have weights.
To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.
But I do have to do calculations fairly often. I use MFP on my desktop computer and have it open in one tab, the USDA database in another, and the calculator app open.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.
Then it was a user-created entry. System entries for whole foods that came from the USDA database have weights.
To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.
But I do have to do calculations fairly often. I use MFP on my desktop computer and have it open in one tab, the USDA database in another, and the calculator app open.
Unfortunately, USDA entries only cover whole foods. Anything like a specific brand of canned baked beans, for example, that has nutrition listed on the label by both volume and grams (in parentheses) is user-added and may or may not have the option for entry in grams. Sometimes it's quite the hunt to find an entry that is both correct per the label, and offers unit entry by weight and not just volume.
ETA, or maybe not? USDA entries exist for prepared stuff too? My life has been changed!
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kshama2001 wrote: »This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.
Then it was a user-created entry. System entries for whole foods that came from the USDA database have weights.
To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.
But I do have to do calculations fairly often. I use MFP on my desktop computer and have it open in one tab, the USDA database in another, and the calculator app open.
Unfortunately, USDA entries only cover whole foods. Anything like a specific brand of canned baked beans, for example, that has nutrition listed on the label by both volume and grams (in parentheses) is user-added and may or may not have the option for entry in grams. Sometimes it's quite the hunt to find an entry that is both correct per the label, and offers unit entry by weight and not just volume.
ETA, or maybe not? USDA entries exist for prepared stuff too? My life has been changed!
If I find an entry for canned/frozen/packaged food that is correct per the label, but uses the volume unit rather than the weight unit (when the label had both), I just behave as though it had used the weight unit. I mean, I have the label in front of me, so I know the weight that the volume is supposed to equate to. For example, if I ate 280 grams of something where the label says one serving is "1 cup (235 g)" and I've found a database entry that reflects the nutrition info on the label, but says a serving is 1 cup, I just log it as 1.19 cups (280/235 = 1.19).4 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.
Then it was a user-created entry. System entries for whole foods that came from the USDA database have weights.
To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.
But I do have to do calculations fairly often. I use MFP on my desktop computer and have it open in one tab, the USDA database in another, and the calculator app open.
Unfortunately, USDA entries only cover whole foods. Anything like a specific brand of canned baked beans, for example, that has nutrition listed on the label by both volume and grams (in parentheses) is user-added and may or may not have the option for entry in grams. Sometimes it's quite the hunt to find an entry that is both correct per the label, and offers unit entry by weight and not just volume.
ETA, or maybe not? USDA entries exist for prepared stuff too? My life has been changed!
If I find an entry for canned/frozen/packaged food that is correct per the label, but uses the volume unit rather than the weight unit (when the label had both), I just behave as though it had used the weight unit. I mean, I have the label in front of me, so I know the weight that the volume is supposed to equate to. For example, if I ate 280 grams of something where the label says one serving is "1 cup (235 g)" and I've found a database entry that reflects the nutrition info on the label, but says a serving is 1 cup, I just log it as 1.19 cups (280/235 = 1.19).
That seems obvious (now lol) and is a lot easier than scouring the database for correct entries!1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with MFP. Something will have "Serving Size: 1 cup (130g)" on the nutrition info, and I'll dutifully it weigh out. I'll be like "Okay, I've got 108g, let's enter that in the diary", but the database entry only lists "1 cup" as a serving and no grams option. Now I've got to do math and enter 0.831 servings.
There should be a dropdown on the serving size that would let you choose 1 or 100 grams if they've entered grams on the serving size. Then you can enter in 108 (or 1.08) servings.
It should, but often there isn't.
Then it was a user-created entry. System entries for whole foods that came from the USDA database have weights.
To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.
But I do have to do calculations fairly often. I use MFP on my desktop computer and have it open in one tab, the USDA database in another, and the calculator app open.
Unfortunately, USDA entries only cover whole foods. Anything like a specific brand of canned baked beans, for example, that has nutrition listed on the label by both volume and grams (in parentheses) is user-added and may or may not have the option for entry in grams. Sometimes it's quite the hunt to find an entry that is both correct per the label, and offers unit entry by weight and not just volume.
ETA, or maybe not? USDA entries exist for prepared stuff too? My life has been changed!
If I find an entry for canned/frozen/packaged food that is correct per the label, but uses the volume unit rather than the weight unit (when the label had both), I just behave as though it had used the weight unit. I mean, I have the label in front of me, so I know the weight that the volume is supposed to equate to. For example, if I ate 280 grams of something where the label says one serving is "1 cup (235 g)" and I've found a database entry that reflects the nutrition info on the label, but says a serving is 1 cup, I just log it as 1.19 cups (280/235 = 1.19).
This is what I do too. The weight in grams is the "true" serving size, the cup is just an approximation. So if I weight out my serving and it matches the weight for what the package calls "1 cup" but is more or less than 1 cup, I still log it normally.2
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