You don't use a food scale?

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Replies

  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I have a digital scale in my kitchen and a pocket-sized digital scale (2"x4") I keep in my purse. The pocket scale has made a huge difference! I have it with me everywhere, so I'm never caught out and unable to weigh an unexpected meal. It was $11 on Amazon.

    I grilled some chicken breasts at my friend's house last night (I don't own a grill). In the past, I would've logged them as average 4oz breasts (about 140 cals each). I used my pocket scale and the chicken breasts were anywhere from 225g (smallest, 278 cals) to 246g (largest, 304 cals). That's DOUBLE what I would've logged!

    Drop the $10-$15 and buy/use the scale, people.

    *ETA Pics of the pocket scale

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    Nope, I will not buy or use a pocket scale. I don't consider a polite action to take a food scale to a friends house or to a restaurant for that matter. However, if it works for you and your friend doesn't mind, go for it.
  • dogWalkerTX
    dogWalkerTX Posts: 49 Member
    Food scale is 100% necessary. Best money spent on weight loss.

    Make salad. Google calories. Weigh. Tare. Next item. Tare. Next item. Tare,... till done.

    Particularly useful for calorie dense items.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    Bump
  • gagirl115
    gagirl115 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi - I’m brand new to logging my info and to a new healthy eating plan with my Mom. We are going to Italy in early Sept. and want to look much cuter in our photos! We started our healthy eating 3 days ago. I just ordered a food scale earlier today after reading y’all’s posts. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
    I’m a bit clueless about something and I apologize if it’s an obvious answer. If you want to stay at or under 1200 calories/day, I’ll enter each item by searching for it by detailed description. Such as, 1/2 green pepper. Are y’all saying that this is when I need to use the scale? When you find out how much something weighs how do you then input that info to find out the calories it then equals?
    I appreciate your help and advice!
  • gagirl115
    gagirl115 Posts: 2 Member
    I forgot to ask....is it worth paying for the premium package?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    edited May 2019
    gagirl115 wrote: »
    Hi - I’m brand new to logging my info and to a new healthy eating plan with my Mom. We are going to Italy in early Sept. and want to look much cuter in our photos! We started our healthy eating 3 days ago. I just ordered a food scale earlier today after reading y’all’s posts. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
    I’m a bit clueless about something and I apologize if it’s an obvious answer. If you want to stay at or under 1200 calories/day, I’ll enter each item by searching for it by detailed description. Such as, 1/2 green pepper. Are y’all saying that this is when I need to use the scale? When you find out how much something weighs how do you then input that info to find out the calories it then equals?
    I appreciate your help and advice!

    You use the scale by putting the green pepper on the scale and noting its weight in grams. Then you find the food entry in your MFP food diary, and use the drop down arrow to find the gram entry. Then type in how many grams your green pepper weighed.

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    Does that make sense, @gagirl115 ? Also, I've never purchased premium (member since 2013) and I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    Bump
  • samhennings
    samhennings Posts: 443 Member
    Ive never weighed anything, other than to portion out museli. Turns out my idea of a portion is about twice what the packet says, so I weigh portions into sandwich bags to be safe.

    Otherwise Ive never weighed a thing.

    I always use the barcode scanner if its convenient (IE single items like sausages) but otherwise guesstimate with the meals on the listing. Ill type "Shepherds Pie", look at the list and pick one that has a larger more conservative number. Never the smallest.

    I found I lost weight exactly on schedule so must have been doing something right...


    For me the idea of weighing and measuring everything was just too much, I would never have been able to stick to such a routine. Far too much time and effort, it would have stressed me out.

    I post this only because, in my opinion of course, weight loss is a "horses for courses" type thing. What works for one wont work for all, so an alternative view is worth posting.
  • samhennings
    samhennings Posts: 443 Member
    Not arguing against that at all. I always choose the higher value options as a means to guard against under-recording, but of course weighing would be a very sure way of knowing what you are eating.

    And Im well aware while the idea of weighing everything sounds like hell to me, to others there is real pleasure in the control and certainty.

    As I said, horses for courses, I just wanted to offer an alternative view.
  • auburngirl06
    auburngirl06 Posts: 153 Member
    I’ve been weighing my peanut butter for nearly 7 years. I STILL cannot eyeball 32 grams as a serving.....I try and it’s more like 60 🤦‍♀️ Why why why do I have to love peanut butter so much!
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    edited June 2019
    I weighed my peanut butter several times and 1 Tbsp weighs exactly what the label says. So I use Tbsps for peanut better (scraped across the top with a knife so it is not a rounded Tbsp). I find it quicker and easier.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    Fourth thing to weigh...nuts.