Help....I don't using measuring devices!

Sharnitab
Sharnitab Posts: 5 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm trying to monitor my portions and follow what's on the back of foods. But what about say......salads??? I dump in a finger full of carrots, craisins, a handful of lettuce, a few tomatoes......how do I measure that. I certainly don't want 4 cups of lettuce, a third cup of carrots, 3 ounces of chicken( you get where I'm going). I just want a little salad for lunch. But how do I count the calories, etc.

Another one is condiments. So I make a 4oz turkey burger on a 60 calorie bun BUT I use a knife to spread light miracle whip on it. Clearly it isn't two tablespoons; and then the lettuce and tomato, ketchup and mustard!

I'm really trying but this is hard.......HELP, and suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • junyr
    junyr Posts: 416 Member
    I was the same, but yeah, you'll just have to end up measuring for a while. Once you actually measure for a couple weeks you'll get a really good eye ball for what a tablespoon of something is, and what a cup of cut lettuce looks like.
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
    I was the same, but yeah, you'll just have to end up measuring for a while. Once you actually measure for a couple weeks you'll get a really good eye ball for what a tablespoon of something is, and what a cup of cut lettuce looks like.

    This!!!
  • Sharnitab
    Sharnitab Posts: 5 Member
    .....and don't get me started with homemade soup or spaghetti sauce, Sheesh! How do I figure how many calories there are???
  • JudyPMorg
    JudyPMorg Posts: 27
    What I've done is estimate what portion I did use. So, a tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, if the portion you used was less than a tablespoon, then you used .5, .33 or .75 or whatever of that portion. I had to use a conversion chart and went from there. Hope this helps!
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    Weigh it. With a kitchen scale. That's the only way to be accurate - you can't be lazy and guesstimate. Weighing it out will help give you an appreciation of portion size too.
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    It can be a pain at times, but really using the measuring utensils is the way to go! When I make homemade recipes, I use the recipe calculator here on the site, and I actually get a measuring cup out and measure the whole recipe to break it down into serving sizes. Again...a pain, but I'm worth it!
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
    .....and don't get me started with homemade soup or spaghetti sauce, Sheesh! How do I figure how many calories there are???

    Use the recipe feature here :) You add all the individual ingredients and how much of them you use. If the quantity you end up with is say 2 cups of marinara sauce and if you used 1/2 cup of sauce on your pasta - you get 4 servings from those 2 cups. The recipe feature figures the calories, the carbs, sodium, etc..... You can save the recipe and if you make it the same time after time, all the facts are there.

    Oops, the above poster & I were typing at the same time - sorry for the repeat of info......
  • alduvall
    alduvall Posts: 9 Member
    I agree with the others. I didn't measure either, but when I did test myself by putting something in a measuring cups that I thought I estimated right, I was way off. After getting a sense of what a portion is, I would imagine that it would be possible to back away from measuring. Also, you can save recipes of stuff you make a lot, so it will be a pain the first time, but once you save it, you can just choose how much you ate of your recipe. The key to the success of this is putting in accurate information, that's the only thing that makes it work, so definitely worth the pain of measuring.
  • Sharnitab
    Sharnitab Posts: 5 Member
    It does, thanks!
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    What do you have against measuring devices?
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    WHY don't you use measuring devices? Are they against your religion? You live in a cardboard box? You are morally offended by them? :tongue:

    Everybody I know at least has a set of measuring cups. You don't have any? If you have a single drinking cup, maybe you could go to someone's house a measure a half cup, a cup, etc. and mark the graduations on the side of your drinking cup?

    I don't understand why you are acting helpless. If you don't know how much food there is, then yes, measure it. Get out a set of measuring spoons and cups and start measuring as you go to get an idea of how much you are eating, don't just sit there and say "I don't know how much this is". A spring scale at the department store probably costs under $10, if you want to measure items by weight. Some foods in the database might even be able to be measured with a ruler - a 4" pancake, for example.

    You can do it. Take responsibility for this journey. Go all the way, don't just hang around the edges and shrug that you can't do it. If you don't know the measurement, measure it!

    Pam
  • Sharnitab
    Sharnitab Posts: 5 Member
    I will certainly start to use the recipe builder! That will certainly help with the soups and sauces. Thanks
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I estimate, but I have an uncanny eye for portions, sizes and dimensions.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    Measuring is really not all that hard, and once you have done it for a long time you will start to be able to eyeball a proper serving size much more efficiently.
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
    I will certainly start to use the recipe builder! That will certainly help with the soups and sauces. Thanks

    Wishing you good luck - YOU CAN DO IT :) ((HUGS))
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    suck it up buttercup. Come on now. It´s not that hard or complicated.
  • kmjenkins
    kmjenkins Posts: 396 Member
    First things first, get yourself a scale, a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons and start measuring EVERYTHING you plan to eat. It really is about the portions and re-learning (or learning) what is a true serving versus eye-balling or what you think might be a serving.

    As for recipes the recipe calculator on this site is a valuable tool. Make your food, then measure (cup/oz, etc) the entire thing, then decide how much is in each portion. For example if you make a soup, and it is 10 cups and want 1 cup/serving the recipe calculator will calculate this for you based upon what you input, you however are responsible for the measuring and determining your portion size per recipe. Then once you have it saved you can continue to reuse the recipe and already have determined the portion size.

    Good luck!
  • netty1959
    netty1959 Posts: 46
    best way hun invest in some digital kitchen scales, not very expensive now
  • AZnewme
    AZnewme Posts: 228 Member
    I bought some cheap bowls and put in a measured amount of something I eat a lot of - soup (it could be your salad for this case) and marked the amount on the bowl with a permanent pen - same amount every time!
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
    A little effort will go a long way.

    :flowerforyou:
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    I suggest that you start using measuring devices :flowerforyou:
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
    What do you have against measuring devices?


    :drinker:
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
    I weigh, measure everything.
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
    Make friends with a digital scale.....mine is my BFF!
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
    I'll use my hand to measure portion size.......I mean fist, use your fist!
  • jzaz903
    jzaz903 Posts: 306 Member
    i'd say measure it a couple times, until you get a feel of it. i make a salad every day for lunch and the first week or so i measured everything, now i know about how much lettuce 2 cups is in my bowl, and how a serving of carrots looks in my hand. i still measure dressing, it's SO easy to go over on that.
    most of the time, though, you'll need to measure things. its the only way to know if you have a serving of something.

    i do have(for when friends come over) serving spoons from weight watchers that are certain sizes- they look like normal serving spoons but one is a cup, another 3/4 cup.. so you don't have to take out your measuring cups when you have friends over.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    .....and don't get me started with homemade soup or spaghetti sauce, Sheesh! How do I figure how many calories there are???

    If you use the recipe builder here on MFP, its very easy to do homemade foods and get accurate results but they are only accurate provided you make the effort to properly weigh and measure your ingredients.
  • DianeG213
    DianeG213 Posts: 253
    This is from Weight Watchers - a way to measure food when you need to guess.


    Your fist is equal to one medium fruit or one measured cup


    Your palm minus the fingers is a 3 ounce portion of cooked meat


    Your thumb (whole thumb, from tip to base) is equal to one ounce of meat or cheese


    Your thumb from the tip to the first joint is about 1 tablespoon


    Your index finger from the tip to the first joint is about 1 teaspoon
  • CaWaterBug8
    CaWaterBug8 Posts: 1,040 Member
    To be fair, I understand where the OP is coming from since I struggles with this when I first started MFP.

    But, you have to learn to let go and pick your battles. Is it more important to freak out over every last 0.0009 calories? Or is it more important to just learn how to use the tools you are given and make the best of the situation?

    There are plenty of features on here that allow you to copy the same items (I use this for variations of salads all of the time) from different days so that you are not constantly looking up the same thi........

    You know what? Forget it! This is all over MFP and this thread. Just GET UP AND LOG!!! Even if it's a "knife" of mayonnaise or butter - log it!!!
  • TashaP2011
    TashaP2011 Posts: 142 Member
    I think some things warrant measuring more than others. If you are off on lettuce - say you enter 2 cups based on an estimate, but you really ate 4 cups - you might end up with an extra 25 calories (just guessing). No one ever got really unhealthy mis-measuring lettuce.
    Condiments that contain high fat, sodium, etc are worth measuring every time.
    Figure out what your acceptable margin of error is, and measure what really needs to be measured!
    Good luck!
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