Do you use a food scale?

2

Replies

  • beancurdie
    beancurdie Posts: 85 Member
    I use my scale to portion out bulk foods into serving sizes. For example, I'll buy a big tub of Goldfish, pretzels or animal crackers (for the kids, I swear!) and then break it down into serving size portions in snack size baggies. It makes packing the kids' lunches a breeze in the morning and prevents me from having more than I should if I want a salty snack.

    I also break out the scale to measure everything when I don't lose after a few weeks. Usually I need a reminder of what a proper portion size should be.
  • jilliebk
    jilliebk Posts: 252 Member
    I have a scale and I use it for oatmeal, or nuts. I usually use my palm, I use a very small plate.
  • Bikini_Bound150
    Bikini_Bound150 Posts: 461 Member
    I just got one and I use it on meats and cheese!
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
    Personally I weigh everything otherwise I tend to cheat myself into thinking I've eaten less than I actually have. I find it a useful habit to get into with weightloss.

    ^This is what I use mine for too!^
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    a food scale is the single most important tool that a person can use to combat weight loss. measuring spoons/cups are a close second.

    using these things to weigh out and measure your portions can aid you, especially if you were like me, and had problems with portion control.

    most are under $30, and i tell people all the time to get them before they get a heart rate monitor.
  • MariaAlbinaxoxo
    MariaAlbinaxoxo Posts: 290 Member
    Yep. I need to or I feel guilty. haha
  • LeahFerri
    LeahFerri Posts: 186 Member
    I wish I could! I can't use one at home--my mother would freak out--and you can't really weigh things in a dining hall. Once I'm living on my own and doing my own cooking, I just might.
  • MsBaby117
    MsBaby117 Posts: 201 Member
    I weigh just about everything...I love my food scale and use it daily!
  • Mom2Asa
    Mom2Asa Posts: 109 Member
    At first i did not use it but when I started trying to log foods that were in OZ I was having to guess. One day I guessed then weighed the portion and I was way off and I have used it for everything ever since. The actual weight was double my guess!!!! If the serving size listed on something is not a portion of a cup or tablespoons etc then I use it.
  • TrekkerCynthia
    TrekkerCynthia Posts: 155 Member
    I use it for dry pasta so I can cook just what I need. I also use it for sweets like candy, chocolate, cookies, etc. The mass measurement for the serving is more accurate than the volume measurement. I weigh ice cream too since it's a pain to put into a measuring cup. I don't weigh fruit or veggies. But any high calorie items, you betcha.
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
    I use mine for everything. Also I use measuring cups and spoons for everything. I'm getting pretty good at estimating but I dont want to be off one single calorie.

    I always weigh my meat for sandwiches, like I just want 2 ounces of meat. Making turkey burgers, I want 4 ounces. I can eye it pretty decently but being a huge baker, I've come up always measuring stuff particularly for baking.

    Once you start weighing stuff you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.
  • TXchris
    TXchris Posts: 54 Member
    I weigh pretty much everything. I have found it really helps keep me on track. Because eating healthier is a family endeavor for us, I have found my husband and kids are much more capable of helping serve meals with the scale. I can say "Everyone gets 1 ounce of chips" and my 11 yo son can weigh out the chips while I am making sandwiches for example. Initially I was afraid it would take too long to weigh everything, but now I think it is faster than measuring everything and I'm not constantly washing my measuring cups!
  • Megan2Project
    Megan2Project Posts: 351 Member
    I weigh meat, cheese, yogurt, and anything else that uses weight for serving size :)
  • Miss_Hiker_Pants
    Miss_Hiker_Pants Posts: 229 Member
    I use mine for weighing meat portions, and for items in recipies, i.e. 2 oz of noodles. My eyeballing 2 oz. was definately a lot different.
  • 1953Judith
    1953Judith Posts: 325 Member
    When we buy meat in bulk. I like to weigh it into portions for freezing. I have a tendency to underestimate the amount of cheese I am putting on a sandwich, so I use the scale for that. I seem to use it every day for something.

    Edited to add that I got a great gift of odd size measuring cups and spoons: 2/3 of a cup, 3/4 of a cup, 1 1/2 cups, etc. That's going to be great when I divide recipes.
  • George1567
    George1567 Posts: 107
    I try to weigh as much as possibe, with the goal of being able to do a more accurate visual estimate when I am in a plce where I cant weigh things out. That way when dining out I can better caculate what ammount to record and also have a better idea what portion I should eat and what goes home or gets left on the plate.

    I find it really helpful to put a salad bowl on the scale and build a salad. Know exactly what is there, and putting on dressing by the scale eliminates the mess of measureing and again give me a great feel for estimating when measuring is not an option.

    You got it, just as well use it.........
  • sumnerfan
    sumnerfan Posts: 244 Member
    I weigh pretty much everything. I have found it really helps keep me on track. Because eating healthier is a family endeavor for us, I have found my husband and kids are much more capable of helping serve meals with the scale. I can say "Everyone gets 1 ounce of chips" and my 11 yo son can weigh out the chips while I am making sandwiches for example. Initially I was afraid it would take too long to weigh everything, but now I think it is faster than measuring everything and I'm not constantly washing my measuring cups!

    What a good way to get your family involved!
  • kassandra81
    kassandra81 Posts: 176
    I weigh or measure absolutely everything that I eat. Meat - of course you weigh raw prior to cooking. I weigh my fruits and vegetables, ... everything! It seemed a little odd at first weighing everything, but you get used to it - and now I couldn't do without it.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    a food scale is the single most important tool that a person can use to combat weight loss. measuring spoons/cups are a close second.

    using these things to weigh out and measure your portions can aid you, especially if you were like me, and had problems with portion control.

    most are under $30, and i tell people all the time to get them before they get a heart rate monitor.
    Oh, I am going to hell for this...I don't want to combat weight loss! *sorry*

    I weigh/measure everything, and read labels all the time, even on the stuff I eat regularly. Sometimes they change stuff!
  • Gatorjrm
    Gatorjrm Posts: 54 Member
    I weigh or measure everything as well. I think its so important to know exactly what we are putting into our bodies. I really like it for cheese, chicken, fish, nuts, yogurt etc etc
  • beeblebrox82
    beeblebrox82 Posts: 578 Member
    weigh everything!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I just bought a food scale as a Christmas present to myself and love it!
    I find it really useful for things like cheese because the label usually has the calories for grams, not cups. Also it's really good for meat because a lot of the entries in MFP are in grams which is way more accurate than just saying "one chicken breast" kwim.
  • bjs06
    bjs06 Posts: 316 Member
    i use my food scale everyday! it makes me much more accurate with everything im eating, at least with meat and stuff that you dont really measure in cups. i would recommend one to anyone who is trying to lose weight.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
    I couldn't lose weight without my food scale and measuring cups. I would be stuck eating "diet foods" in premeasured portions, and I would not be happy.

    Today I ate fudge. It is 295 calories per 100 g. I ate 28 g. That was 83 cals. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I am under my calorie goal for the day. No guilt over that pleasure, because I KNOW I'm not over my limit.

    If I could estimate portion size by "just eating smaller portions," I wouldn't have gained weight in the first place.

    Hint -- for measuring peanut butter and other sticky things, weight the jar before and after getting out your portion, or weight the bread before and after adding the peanut butter. Much easier than using measuring spoons or trying to estimate.
  • 1southernchick
    1southernchick Posts: 301 Member
    Long ago I had a small postal scale that weighed in ounces. I started out weighing foods on this scale. Now I can pretty much just eye ball something and tell how much it weighs.
  • chriscoates7025
    chriscoates7025 Posts: 131 Member
    I do not use a scale. I am committed to losing weight but will not go to that extent.
  • buzzbug
    buzzbug Posts: 50 Member
    Such a good idea! I have been counting out portions of snacks to baggie lol

    Also, I will definitely start using it for meats, cheese, and nuts! I have a hard time estimating those things.

    Thanks for all the ideas, everyone! I can't wait to start using it!!!
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    I do. I use mine for pasta or meats. Basically things you cant put in a measuring cup or tsp/ tble spoons
  • ItsLessOfMe
    ItsLessOfMe Posts: 374 Member
    Absolutely! For everything that requires ounces
  • gazz777
    gazz777 Posts: 722
    I weigh if a 'guesstimate' won't do. I am getting better at serving size guesses so am weighing food less.

    I've been doing this since March and lost heaps with my 'near-enough' approach.

    Usually I over-estimate calories eaten and under-estimate those burned.

    In March - June I didn't even track calories.

    Highly calorific items should be measured a bit more carefully than a guess imho.

    Low calorie items like lettuce, cucumber, etc. and low-cal mints I often ignore.
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