Is it cheating if...

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Replies

  • EbonySD
    EbonySD Posts: 142
    I think it would be ok. I mean, there's a difference between trying to fill the cup, and using like a space bag to MAKE it fit =P

    lol - space bag... hmmmm..... note to self - go to walmart and get space bags.
  • gin_gin
    gin_gin Posts: 184
    LOL thanks for the pass @ ebster77 :)
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    This is why I weigh food.

    If I was measuring by cups I know damn well I'd be squishing it all in to get more, and IMO that's kind of cheating. If you're still losing, I wouldn't really worry, but if you're not meeting your goals, you probably need to take a look at the little things such as this.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    It's not so much cheating as it is measuring inaccurately.
  • LordBezoar
    LordBezoar Posts: 625 Member
    Ok as having not used a food scale before If i weigh it thats not going to tell me how much 2/3 cup is whether its mashed or not?
    don't think I'm getting this across like I"m trying to okay I weigh 2/3 cup mashed and 2/3 cup not mashed so how does that tell me the calories i'm having?

    An ounce is an ounce is an ounce (within a minute, acceptable variation here on Earth). A cup varies depending on density. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I promise you want to weigh your food. With a little bit of work, you can convert all of your recipes to weights...
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    you squish food into a measuring cup to fit to get the amount?

    I know that makes no sense to you what I'm trying to say is
    let's say I wanted a serving of yams which is 2/3 cup. Okay looking at yams....looking at cup I'm only gonna be able
    to fit 1-2 at the most in that little cup so if I put some in there and mash them to get 2/3 cup is that cheating?

    First, there's no such thing as "cheating" - it's called "reporting inaccurately", and you're only affecting your own caloric intake. This isn't a competition, and it isn't a race.

    Second, it depends on what the recipe calls for. If you want to use volume, that's fine. "1/3 cup of 1/4" cubed yam" is a different measurement from "1/3 cup of mashed yam" and also from "1/3 cup of 1" cubed yam".

    As long as you stick with measuring what you intend to measure, you'll be "close enough", because calories are estimated anyway.

    If you're unsure, (as many others have said), use a scale and weigh that sucker, because then you can calculate the calories per ounce or gram. With any food that can take multiple forms (mashed, cubed, sliced, etc) weight is the only thing that is going to be consistent with calories.
  • Allie_71
    Allie_71 Posts: 1,063 Member
    I had a friend who used to used to say that broken cookies didn't count. She'd come home from the grocery store, drop a bag of cookies and kick it down the driveway to her front door. Then eat 'em from the bag. :/
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    What does your heart tell you?

    Weigh the damn yamn.

    i have no idea why...but this made me giggle...
  • SwannySez
    SwannySez Posts: 5,860 Member
    But...neither of us "really" finished so...wait, what? Yams? Um...nevermind.
  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
    buy a scale and weigh it, measuring cups are bs for most things
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    Ok as having not used a food scale before If i weigh it thats not going to tell me how much 2/3 cup is whether its mashed or not?
    don't think I'm getting this across like I"m trying to okay I weigh 2/3 cup mashed and 2/3 cup not mashed so how does that tell me the calories i'm having?

    You don't weigh in cups, you weigh in grams (or ounces if you're a nutjob).

    Here's a good way to enter yams by weight rather than volume - click the menu, choose 100g, voila. If you only eat 50g of yam, put .5 in the text box.

    yams.png

    I would recommend using the food database entries without the * beside them whenever possible, because people that add food to the database seem to be about as accurate as a measuring cup.
  • agrzybow
    agrzybow Posts: 38 Member
    Funny thing, I started weighing some of my snacks, and actually I was eating too FEW of the items (peanuts, for example), instead of the other way around (I was counting out how many peanuts, etc., instead of weighing the "30 grams" that it mentions on the package). I was overerestimating my food portion calories until I started weighing my food - you might be, also. I did this also with chicken, steaks, my eyes were opened to proper portion sizes after getting a scale.
  • pixelish
    pixelish Posts: 54
    Cheating? Who knows. However, since the food doesn't know it's being measured, it does not have the ability to adjust its calories to the number you are expecting. :)
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    If you are trying to shove a Yam in there and your spouse doesn't know about it then maybe it is cheating.
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
    Love this post. Thanks!

    I always feel so neurotic when I measure things. But, the other day I measured out a tablespoon of salad dressing to give myself a refresher course. OMG! I'd been barely using 1/2 tbspoon and marking down the typical 2 tbspoon serving every time. I was doing the same thing with my daily peanut butter for breaky. (I'm sure I'm underestimating somewhere else though, Sigh!)

    Time to get a new food scale. (Mine only measures in grams and it's hard to read anything under 100. So, I think I need a fancy digital one that does conversions for me too.)
  • wilson1024
    wilson1024 Posts: 126 Member
    Too many carbs either way! Can't eat that stuff! LOL Sorry............ but yea your best to weigh like everyone else says :)
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
    I would recommend using the food database entries without the * beside them whenever possible, because people that add food to the database seem to be about as accurate as a measuring cup.

    LOL! And thanks for the tip!
  • chelekaz
    chelekaz Posts: 847 Member
    Get a food scale ... MUCH more accurate to determine true serving sizes.
  • andyandronnie
    andyandronnie Posts: 8 Member
    So glad you asked this because honestly, I would be on the same page as you!!!! Squish that sucker till it fits! hee hee! I know, so bad, but I am definitly getting a scale for home and work so I can make sure! :wink:
  • sgballow
    sgballow Posts: 40 Member
    I understand you question, just don't have an answer! I would google it!
  • SouthernArt77
    SouthernArt77 Posts: 223 Member
    Can anyone recommend a specific scale? I want to get one.
    I have a Biggest Loser digital scale from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It was $20. I think any digital scale will be fine. What I would look for would be a "zero out" option so you can put your dish on it and reset the weight to zero (or after you've added some food, zero it out to weigh something else on your plate), as well as an ounces/grams toggle button so you can measure in whatever unit your calories are listed in without having to break out a calculator. I would think that most digital scales have all that.

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