Weighing food.

jennabulldog
jennabulldog Posts: 2 Member
edited December 2024 in Getting Started
Can someone send a link to how to weigh my food? (Or just explain how :) ) Is there a certain amount I need to be eating? Or does the same amount apply to everyone?

5'7" 183.5lbs

Replies

  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited August 2019
    You buy a food scale and then weigh the foods individually, i.e., an apple, a slice of cheese, mushrooms, etc. You log the foods into your food diary.

    What and the quantities you measure are up to you.

    Does that help?

    Did you fill out your profile and get your calorie allotment?
  • FireyChimera
    FireyChimera Posts: 155 Member
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    They can be used for liquids.

    I appreciate that since they don’t have holes they will hold liquid....but I’d still prefer to use my scales as it’s just more accurate, and I don’t have to wash a bunch of measuring cups as well as my food prep stuff. 🤷‍♀️
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    They can be used for liquids.

    Not can or may.... they have to be used to measure liquids.

    Not if there are grams on the label. I avoid them but the wife prefers them. I do typically wash the dishes though...
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    edited August 2019
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    They can be used for liquids.

    Not can or may.... they have to be used to measure liquids.

    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    I have too many cookbooks that call for "1/2 cup of peas" and "1 cup of chopped fruit". (Usually not in the same recipe ;) ) It's easier to measure the amounts into the cup, then throw them on the scale to get a gram weight. I really stink at eyeballing.

    And there we have yet another difference between the UK and the US. If I’m using an American recipe from the net, I’ll convert the measurements to grams, because although I do own measuring cups I don’t use them unless it’s something where accuracy isn’t vital. Such as pasta dough, because if I get a little too much or too little flour I can adjust the dough to the correct texture as I knead.

    Other than that, all my cookbooks use grams and millilitres, or the older ones (plus a lot of the recipes stored in my brain) are in pounds and ounces.

    As a curiousity though...how do you accurately measure a cup of chopped fruit? Surely how much that is depends on exactly how small or big you’ve chopped it?
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    I use my measuring cups but not as often as my scale.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.


    It weighs water and anything with the density of water in milliliters. Everything else it gets wrong.

    I’m actually struggling to think of anything I would measure in ml that isn’t either water or maybe milk/almond milk. Anything more viscous I’d be measuring in grams anyway, I think? 🧐
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    They can be used for liquids.

    Not can or may.... they have to be used to measure liquids.

    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    I have too many cookbooks that call for "1/2 cup of peas" and "1 cup of chopped fruit". (Usually not in the same recipe ;) ) It's easier to measure the amounts into the cup, then throw them on the scale to get a gram weight. I really stink at eyeballing.

    And there we have yet another difference between the UK and the US. If I’m using an American recipe from the net, I’ll convert the measurements to grams, because although I do own measuring cups I don’t use them unless it’s something where accuracy isn’t vital. Such as pasta dough, because if I get a little too much or too little flour I can adjust the dough to the correct texture as I knead.

    Other than that, all my cookbooks use grams and millilitres, or the older ones (plus a lot of the recipes stored in my brain) are in pounds and ounces.

    As a curiousity though...how do you accurately measure a cup of chopped fruit? Surely how much that is depends on exactly how small or big you’ve chopped it?

    I generally just... hack it up. I've got some fine-motor coordination issues that make fine-chopping problematic. So I either go "rustic" with large chunks or, if it calls for finely-chopped, I may pulse in the food processor. Generally speaking, when it comes to fruits and veg, it doesn't need to be precise for the recipe to turn out properly. I just want a less-crude estimate on calories per serving.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.


    It weighs water and anything with the density of water in milliliters. Everything else it gets wrong.

    I’m actually struggling to think of anything I would measure in ml that isn’t either water or maybe milk/almond milk. Anything more viscous I’d be measuring in grams anyway, I think? 🧐

    whether the scale displays mL or g, it's measuring grams and assuming 1g/ml density.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    jennabulldog wrote: »
    Can someone send a link to how to weigh my food? (Or just explain how :) ) Is there a certain amount I need to be eating? Or does the same amount apply to everyone?

    5'7" 183.5lbs

    The purpose of weighing your food is to be able to accurately log something. For example, "large apple" is pretty generic...you'll probably get a reasonable figure...but it is far more accurate to, for example, slice up the apple and weigh it and then log however many grams your scale tells you that you are going to eat.

    There is no particular amount of anything you need to eat...your serving is up to you. And of course, it wouldn't be the same for everyone...people have different calorie needs based on their stats and activity. I need around 3,000 calories to maintain my weight...my wife needs around 2200 calories to maintain her weight...obviously I would need to eat more.
  • todds404
    todds404 Posts: 16 Member
    jennabulldog wrote: »
    Can someone send a link to how to weigh my food? (Or just explain how :) ) Is there a certain amount I need to be eating? Or does the same amount apply to everyone?

    5'7" 183.5lbs

    In reality, the purpose of measuring is so you can eat consistently. For example, if you were going to put some shredded cheese on something, you might be tempted to just grab a handful. Well, that handful can change from one meal to the next depending on how you grab it. If you force yourself to say, "I'm just going to have a 1/4 cup of cheese." and then you go through the action of measuring it, the data you track is more accurate. In the long run it'll help you make better decisions on how to adjust things as your weight loss plateaus.

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    edited August 2019
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.


    It weighs water and anything with the density of water in milliliters. Everything else it gets wrong.

    I’m actually struggling to think of anything I would measure in ml that isn’t either water or maybe milk/almond milk. Anything more viscous I’d be measuring in grams anyway, I think? 🧐

    I don't weigh water since water. I measure milk (or weigh it in grams, but measuring is easier and just as good), since I don't think the scale measure (in ml or the like) would be accurate in that it's for water. Maybe it basically is, I've never tried.

    Here it's common for baking books to use weights (although plenty do not). When I used to bake I'd use weights, which is why I had a scale in the first place. Other recipes do not, but I don't follow recipes anyway for cooking (vs. baking), but just peruse for ideas. However, re the cup of fruit question, in cooking (vs. baking) exact measurements aren't going to matter at all, you can eyeball. I have measuring cups, but other than the one for liquids I rarely use them, but eyeball or just decide what seems like a good amount for a particular ingredient.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.


    It weighs water and anything with the density of water in milliliters. Everything else it gets wrong.

    I’m actually struggling to think of anything I would measure in ml that isn’t either water or maybe milk/almond milk. Anything more viscous I’d be measuring in grams anyway, I think? 🧐

    Oils, sauces, condiments, cream, certain vinegar, certain juices, dressings, anything with a thickening agent, to name a few. Many of these will have grams on the label but I have run into all of these with only volume portion sizes.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    edited August 2019
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.


    It weighs water and anything with the density of water in milliliters. Everything else it gets wrong.

    I’m actually struggling to think of anything I would measure in ml that isn’t either water or maybe milk/almond milk. Anything more viscous I’d be measuring in grams anyway, I think? 🧐

    Oils, sauces, condiments, cream, certain vinegar, certain juices, dressings, anything with a thickening agent, to name a few. Many of these will have grams on the label but I have run into all of these with only volume portion sizes.

    Oil - if I use it, I’ll use a tsp/tbsp measure which I would verify on the scale anyway...depends what I’m doing. But if I’m using a tsp (5ml) to sauté veg, I’ll put the pan on the scale.
    Sauces - on the rare occasion, I’d be making my own so I’m fully in control and can weigh ingredients.
    Condiments - again rare. Mostly if I use they are ones I’ve made myself using the 1g=1portion model in the recipe builder.
    Cream - not part of my diet.
    Vinegar - it’s an ingredient, sure...but none of the ones I use have impact calorie wise, as far as I know. (Cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar)
    Juice - don’t drink it. I do use lemon/lime juice in recipes, but log it as millilitres or grams because it’s pretty liquid.
    Dressings - I’m assuming you mean salad dressing? Never use it. I don’t even know what you refer to if it’s not salad dressing?

    I’ve also checked many multiples of times, flicking between the gram and ml settings on my scales and there has never, ever been a discrepancy between the two for ingredients that logic would dictate you might use a liquid measurement for. So whilst I understand the theory behind what you’re saying, I would still maintain that I’ll measure water(as part of a recipe, not as a drink, (to address someone who said they don’t measure water because water...) milk (almond milk) in ml, but pretty much everything else I’d be measuring in grams anyway.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,753 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    They can be used for liquids.

    Not can or may.... they have to be used to measure liquids.

    My scales weigh in millilitres as well as grams, plus in pounds and ounces.
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    cuteangelkitten wrote: »
    Get a food scale and measuring cups, so then you can weigh your portions accurately

    Then throw the measuring cups in the bin, you’re only buying them so you can symbolically do this, right?

    I have too many cookbooks that call for "1/2 cup of peas" and "1 cup of chopped fruit". (Usually not in the same recipe ;) ) It's easier to measure the amounts into the cup, then throw them on the scale to get a gram weight. I really stink at eyeballing.

    And there we have yet another difference between the UK and the US. If I’m using an American recipe from the net, I’ll convert the measurements to grams, because although I do own measuring cups I don’t use them unless it’s something where accuracy isn’t vital. Such as pasta dough, because if I get a little too much or too little flour I can adjust the dough to the correct texture as I knead.

    Other than that, all my cookbooks use grams and millilitres, or the older ones (plus a lot of the recipes stored in my brain) are in pounds and ounces.

    As a curiousity though...how do you accurately measure a cup of chopped fruit? Surely how much that is depends on exactly how small or big you’ve chopped it?

    Where it actually matters, a decent-quality** US recipe will usually specify mince, dice or some similar term (i.e., one with a more specific culinary definition), vs. "chop", or be written as "X cups of (something), chopped" (for something small enough to be measured before chopping) as opposed to "X cups of chopped (something)" (which is obviously not the same).

    Also, it matters if the ingredient is structural (like a juicy fruit going into something like a cake batter), but otherwise it really doesn't matter for recipes (if not a structural ingredient - i.e., if I'm chopping fruit to go into cooked curry or a sauce, it might be a little more liquid-y one way or the other, but not enough to matter).

    This is not an argument that cups is a better way to handle recipes (it isn't), but in most cases there isn't an unmanageable ambiguity, from a practical standpoint.

    ** I'm also not denying there are cr*p-quality recipes all over the internet. ;)
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,941 Member
    Thank you Ann, that makes sense, if the recipe also gives a guide to the size of the chop all those little air spaces will have been taken into account! I’m still going to stick to grams and whatnot because it’s what I feel comfortable with but good to understand how it’s at least feasible to be accurate enough, using a volume measure. 😊
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