How does a food scale help with weight loss. What are the benefits of using a food scale for portion control. Which types of food scales are best for dieters. How can you accurately measure food portions at home and while dining out. Why is weighing food important for successful dieting.

The Importance of Food Scales in Weight Management

A food scale can be an invaluable tool for anyone looking to manage their weight effectively. But why exactly is weighing food so crucial for successful dieting? Let’s explore the key reasons:

• Accurate portion control
• Increased awareness of serving sizes
• Better calorie tracking
• Consistency in meal planning
• Education on proper nutrition

Studies have shown that people who measure their food tend to be more successful at losing weight and maintaining that loss compared to those who don’t. A food scale provides an objective way to ensure you’re consuming appropriate portion sizes, which is often one of the biggest challenges in weight management.

How Food Scales Contribute to Weight Loss Success

Food scales play a pivotal role in weight loss by helping dieters maintain an energy deficit – the key factor in shedding pounds. Here’s how they contribute to success:

1. Preventing overestimation of portion sizes
2. Enabling accurate calorie counting
3. Promoting mindful eating habits
4. Assisting in meal prep and recipe portioning
5. Facilitating gradual adjustment to appropriate serving sizes

By providing precise measurements, food scales eliminate guesswork and help dieters stay within their calorie goals. This level of accuracy is especially important when consuming calorie-dense foods like nuts, oils, or cheese, where even small differences in portion size can significantly impact overall calorie intake.

Choosing the Right Food Scale for Your Needs

When selecting a food scale, consider the following factors to ensure you choose one that best suits your dieting needs:

• Accuracy and precision
• Capacity and size
• Digital vs. analog display
• Additional features (e.g., nutritional data, tare function)
• Ease of cleaning and storage
• Battery life or power source
• Budget considerations

While high-end digital scales with advanced features can be appealing, remember that a simple, reliable scale can be just as effective for basic portion control. The most important aspect is finding a scale that you’ll actually use consistently.

Digital vs. Analog Food Scales

Digital scales often provide more precise measurements and may offer additional features like nutritional information calculation. Analog scales, while generally less expensive, can be less accurate and may be more challenging to read for small measurements. Consider your specific needs and preferences when choosing between these two types.

Proper Techniques for Weighing Food

To get the most accurate measurements and make the best use of your food scale, follow these techniques:

1. Place the scale on a flat, stable surface
2. Use the tare function to subtract the weight of containers
3. Weigh foods in their raw state when possible
4. Be consistent with units of measurement
5. Measure all ingredients separately for recipes
6. Clean the scale regularly to ensure accuracy

Remember that different foods may require different measuring techniques. For example, liquids are often more accurately measured by volume using measuring cups, while solid foods like meats and cheeses are best weighed on a scale.

Integrating Food Scales into Your Daily Routine

Successfully incorporating a food scale into your daily routine requires some planning and consistency. Here are some tips to help you make weighing food a habit:

• Keep your scale easily accessible in the kitchen
• Start by weighing foods you eat frequently
• Use a food diary or app to record weights and calories
• Prep and portion meals in advance
• Gradually expand to weighing more types of food
• Be patient and allow time for the habit to form

As you become more familiar with proper portion sizes, you may find that you need to rely on the scale less frequently. However, periodic check-ins can help maintain awareness and prevent portion creep over time.

Weighing Food When Dining Out

While it’s not practical to bring a food scale to restaurants, the skills you develop from regularly weighing food at home can help you estimate portions more accurately when dining out. Consider these strategies:

• Use visual comparisons (e.g., a deck of cards for 3 oz of meat)
• Ask for nutrition information when available
• Request half portions or to-go boxes for oversized meals
• Be mindful of high-calorie additions like dressings and sauces
• Practice estimating portion sizes at home to improve accuracy

Remember that consistency in your overall eating habits is more important than perfect accuracy for every meal. Use your best judgment and focus on making balanced choices when eating out.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Food Scales

While food scales can be incredibly helpful, there are some common pitfalls to be aware of:

1. Neglecting to use the tare function
2. Inconsistent measuring (e.g., sometimes cooked, sometimes raw)
3. Forgetting to account for added ingredients (oils, sauces)
4. Becoming overly obsessive about exact measurements
5. Failing to clean the scale regularly
6. Not considering nutrient density alongside portion size

By avoiding these mistakes, you can ensure that your food scale remains a helpful tool rather than a source of stress or inaccuracy in your weight loss journey.

Beyond the Scale: Comprehensive Approach to Weight Loss

While a food scale is an excellent tool for portion control and calorie awareness, it’s important to remember that successful weight loss involves multiple factors. Consider these additional strategies to complement your use of a food scale:

• Regular physical activity
• Balanced macronutrient intake
• Adequate hydration
• Stress management techniques
• Sufficient sleep
• Mindful eating practices
• Support from friends, family, or professionals

Combining these elements with accurate portion control can lead to more sustainable and enjoyable weight loss results. Remember that health encompasses more than just the number on the scale, and focus on overall well-being as you work towards your goals.

The Role of Nutrient Density in Weight Loss

While portion control is crucial, the nutritional quality of the foods you’re weighing is equally important. Focus on incorporating nutrient-dense foods into your diet, which provide more vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds per calorie. This approach can help you feel more satisfied with smaller portions and support overall health during weight loss.

Maintaining Weight Loss Long-Term with Food Scales

Once you’ve reached your weight loss goals, a food scale can continue to be a valuable tool for weight maintenance. Here’s how to use it effectively in the long term:

• Periodically check portion sizes to prevent gradual increases
• Use the scale to help with meal planning and prep
• Monitor weight-stable portion sizes for different foods
• Adjust portions based on activity levels and changing needs
• Teach family members about appropriate serving sizes

Remember that weight maintenance often requires just as much vigilance as weight loss. Regular use of a food scale can help you stay accountable and maintain your hard-earned results.

Balancing Precision and Flexibility

While accuracy is important, it’s equally crucial to maintain a balanced relationship with food and avoid becoming overly rigid. Use your food scale as a guide, but also learn to trust your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Aim for a flexible approach that allows for occasional indulgences while maintaining overall consistency in your eating habits.

Technological Advancements in Food Scales

As technology continues to evolve, so do food scales. Modern digital scales often come with advanced features that can enhance your weight loss journey:

• Bluetooth connectivity to sync with smartphone apps
• Built-in nutritional databases
• Voice command functionality
• Multiple unit conversions
• Recipe scaling capabilities
• Customizable food logs

While these features can be helpful, remember that a basic scale can be just as effective for weight loss. Choose a scale with features that align with your needs and preferences, and that you’re likely to use consistently.

Integrating Food Scales with Fitness Trackers

Many modern food scales can integrate with popular fitness tracking apps and devices. This integration allows for seamless tracking of both food intake and physical activity, providing a more comprehensive view of your energy balance. Consider exploring these options if you’re already using a fitness tracker or smartphone app to monitor your health and weight loss progress.

The Psychology of Portion Control and Food Weighing

Understanding the psychological aspects of portion control can help you use your food scale more effectively. Consider these psychological factors:

• Visual illusions that affect perceived portion sizes
• Emotional connections to food and eating
• Habitual eating patterns and their impact on portion perception
• The role of mindfulness in portion control
• Developing a healthy relationship with food measurement

By addressing these psychological components alongside the physical act of weighing food, you can develop a more holistic and sustainable approach to weight management.

Overcoming Portion Distortion

One of the most significant benefits of using a food scale is overcoming “portion distortion” – the tendency to view oversized portions as normal. Regular use of a scale can help recalibrate your perception of appropriate serving sizes, leading to more accurate estimations even when the scale isn’t available.

Food Scales in Special Diets and Medical Conditions

Food scales can be particularly valuable for individuals following specific diets or managing certain medical conditions. Here are some examples:

• Diabetes management for carbohydrate counting
• Kidney disease diets requiring precise nutrient intake
• Athletic nutrition for optimal performance
• Food allergies and intolerances for ingredient control
• Specialized weight loss programs (e.g., very low-calorie diets)

In these cases, accurate food measurement can be crucial for health management and symptom control. Always consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian when using a food scale as part of a medical nutrition therapy plan.

Personalizing Portion Sizes

While general serving size guidelines exist, individual calorie and nutrient needs can vary significantly based on factors like age, gender, activity level, and health status. A food scale, combined with guidance from a nutrition professional, can help you determine and stick to personalized portion sizes that support your specific health and weight loss goals.

A Food Scale — Your Best Diet Tool

If you’re on a diet, you’re watching serving sizes and calories. A great way to keep yourself honest is to use a food scale. Why? Because many people normally eat servings that are much larger than recommended amounts. A food scale teaches you portion control and keeps you from eating more than you planned.

“I definitely promote food scales,” says Liz Weinandy, RD, MPH, a dietitian in the non-surgical weight-loss program at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus.

A food scale can be used for any meal plan or diet that specifies a serving size in ounces. A national survey of more than 6,000 adults showed that people who measured their food were more successful at losing weight and keeping it off than those who did not.

Food Scale: How it Works

When starting a diet, measuring food is an important part of learning about correct serving sizes. A food scale will show you that the portion you thought was four ounces may actually weigh eight ounces. That’s the kind of mistake that could derail your diet.

Weinandy stresses that a food scale is only one of the measuring tools you will need; measuring cups and spoons are also essential diet implements. Food scales are best for meat, which should weigh in at 3 ounces per serving, and cheese, 1.5 ounces per serving. Cups are best for cooked pasta or rice — a serving is 1/2 cup — and fruits and vegetables.

Generally you’ll measure your food after it is cooked. However, a food scale may also be handy if you are preparing meals using meal plans or recipes that specify certain weights of ingredients.

Food Scale: Calculating Portion Sizes While Eating Out

You could take along your measuring cups and scales when eating out, but that is a bulky way to travel. Weinandy prefers teaching dieters about visual comparisons that can help guide their recognition of serving sizes on their plate.

For example, a serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, and a serving of pasta should fit in the palm of your hand.

“I really focus on those [images] because people can visualize them when they are out and about,” Weinandy says.

If you frequently use a food scale at home, you will gradually become accustomed to the look and feel of correct serving sizes. Data show that exposure to correct serving sizes does help people make better choices in restaurant settings, too.

Food Scale: Choosing the Best One

Food scales range from a small plastic cup on a small plastic base to old-fashioned metal scales with weights and measures to expensive, programmable digital scales that can give you the full nutritional information for each serving size. The best food scale for you:

• Is within your budget
• Has numbers you can read easily
• Has a cup or bowl large enough to hold the food you need to weigh
• Is easy to clean and store

“What I find is that people will go out and buy one and then it ends up in the cupboard,” says Weinandy. “I usually just recommend one of the cheaper kinds. It’s not like you’re measuring your food for some kind of experiment.”

If you find that measuring your food suits you, you may want to upgrade to a more expensive model. “Some people really like to get very precise with a food scale,” she says.

Using a food scale, even if you eventually stop using it, can help you learn more about correct serving sizes, which is a good investment in your long-term weight loss and weight management plan.

How to Weigh Your Food to Lose Weight

Investing in a food scale can help you keep portions in check, but it’s not the only factor you need to take into consideration when you’re aiming to get to a healthier weight.

Image Credit: MartineDee/iStock/Getty Images

If only weight loss were as simple as weighing food. Investing in a food scale can help you keep portions in check, but it’s not the only factor you need to take into consideration when you’re aiming to get to a healthier weight. Consult with your doctor before attempting any weight-loss plan.

Why Weighing Food Matters

Losing weight requires lifestyle changes that affect energy balance, according to the January 2016 position statement from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) on interventions and treatments for the management of overweight and obesity, which was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Put more simply, to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than those you burn.

Although exercise is a pivotal part of the weight-loss equation, what you eat may have more of an effect, according to an August 2012 study published in Obesity. The study researchers found that diet-only interventions helped participants lose 8.5 percent of their body weight over the 12-month study period, while exercise-only interventions produced only 2.4 percent loss. For the record, the group that followed a weight-loss diet and exercise program lost the most at 10.2 percent.

Weight loss isn’t about simply weighing food — it’s about calories. The number of calories you need each day to lose weight depends on your sex, age, current weight, weight-loss goals, activity level and overall health. According to the AND, most women can lose weight consuming 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, and most men can slim down by eating 1,500 to 1,800 calories.

Monitor your rate of weight loss to help you adjust calorie intake. Most health experts agree that you shouldn’t lose more than 2 pounds a week. Losing too much too quickly may mean you’re losing muscle mass, which can affect energy levels and stall your weight-loss efforts.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Fat Loss

Eating What Matters

Calories are a big player in the weight-loss game, but the types of foods you spend your calories on matter too. Losing weight is easy, but keeping it off is hard. To successfully lose weight, you need to look at your weight-loss plan as a new lifestyle, not a quick fix, says the AND. The types of foods you include may help or hurt your efforts.

A healthy weight-loss diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Low in calories, rich in vitamins and minerals and a good source of fiber, fruits and vegetables keep hunger pangs away and energy levels up. Whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa and whole-wheat bread, are better sources of nutrients than their refined counterparts. They’re also a good source of fiber, which helps you feel full.

For protein and calcium without excess calories, choose low-fat dairy or plant-based substitutes, such as low-fat yogurt or soy milk. Round out your plan with lean sources of protein such as poultry, fish and seafood, lean red meats and beans.

It’s OK to include treats when you’re trying to lose weight. Cutting out your favorite treats may set you up for failure. Just be mindful of calories and portions to keep your overall calories in balance. Use an online food diary to help you track calories and nutrient intake.

Read more: How to Find the Best Weight-Loss Diet for You

Weighing Food for Portion Control

The AND suggests that portion-controlled plans are very effective at helping people lose weight and keep it off. Weighing food is a good way to keep portions in check and may make you more aware of portion sizes. Some scales even provide nutrition information, such as the amount of carbohydrates.

When weighing food on a food scale it’s important to know basic portions and weights. For example:

• 117 grams (4.1 ounces) of cooked whole-wheat pasta = 174 calories
• 182-gram (6.4-ounce) apple = 95 calories
• 156 grams (5.5 ounces) of cooked broccoli = 55 calories
• 170-gram (6-ounce) cooked salmon fillet = 309 calories
• 29 grams (1 ounce) of low-fat Swiss cheese = 50 calories

Weighing food at home is easy, but you may not be able to take your food scale everywhere you go. The Mayo Clinic suggests using familiar objects to help keep portions in check when you don’t have your food scale.

• One baseball = 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams)
• One tennis ball or hockey puck = 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams)
• Deck of cards = 3 ounces (85 grams) of meat, chicken or fish

If the use of food scales, measuring cups and familiar objects aren’t helping you with your weight loss, use your plate to keep calories and portions in check. Fill half your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with protein and one-quarter with whole grains. Add low-fat yogurt or a piece of fresh fruit to round out the meal.

Not losing weight? Try weighing your food for a week

“I had the same lunch every day and it was a protein shake with an apple and peanut butter and it’s like, ‘Oh that’s totally a healthy lunch — this is a great lunch.’ But when I weighed peanut butter for the first time I was taking like three servings and I thought it was only one,” Easter told NBC News Better.

“So here I was thinking I’m eating 200 calories, but I’m really eating 600,” he said.

Weighing Food Gives You a More Accurate Understanding of Portion Sizes

Using a small kitchen scale he purchased for $14, Easter weighed all his food, from the cream in his morning coffee to the chicken he ate at dinner. He input the weight into the MyFitnessPal app on his phone, which calculated the exact number of calories in the food. Easter realized he previously didn’t have an accurate understanding of the portion sizes he was eating, especially when it came to calorie-dense foods.

“I thought I was eating like 2,600 or 2,700 calories [a day], and it was a lot more than that,” he explains. “It was definitely above 3,000.”

Michael Easter, a man who began weighing his food in order to lose weight.Rodale Inc. Studios

“A lot of times we make assumptions. For example, if I were to just put banana — generic banana — in a calorie counting app, [the results] could have been more than I actually ate, it could have been less than I actually ate,” says Easter. “Same with nuts. If I took a handful of nuts and I throw them in the shake I could potentially be off by more than 100 calories depending on how many I thought that was.”

He said weighing his food helped him see that the snacks he ate between meals were adding unnecessary calories too.

Related

“When you have to weigh everything, you realize that all adds up, and some days it was as much as 500 calories for me,” he says. “That’s enough to really move a dial in terms of weight gain or weight loss. ”

Creating a Healthy Eating Pattern

To lose weight, Easter cut his calories to 2,500 a day. He developed easy go-to meals for breakfast and lunch that made the process easier.

“There were definitely days where I resented that scale and I wanted to throw it on the ground, but to make things easier I would tend to fall into patterns and eat the same thing every day,” he says.

The 30-year-old found that sticking to meats, vegetables, potatoes and nuts helped him feel full throughout the day. He said potatoes in particular helped him stay satisfied.

“Most nights when I’m home weeknights I’ll usually do potatoes with chicken and some vegetables and then I’ll put sour cream on the potatoes and stuff like that, but now I just know don’t take too much [sour cream] because those kinds of fats are calorie dense,” he says.

Related

How to Keep a Balanced Weight

Easter dropped 10 pounds in about 3 months. He said that weighing all of his meals is no longer necessary. But he has a much better understanding of what and how much he can eat to prevent the weight from coming back.

“I found a sweet spot for how much I should eat,” he said. “So at the end I was eating about 2,950 calories, which is a lot, but I was staying at 175 pounds. My weight wasn’t fluctuating at all, which sort of told [my nutritionist] that’s an ideal amount of food for [me] to be eating at 175 pounds.”

I found a sweet spot for how much I should eat.

Try It For a Week

Easter feels better after shedding the extra weight.

“I don’t have aches and pains that come along with running just because it’s a lot less force going to your joints when you lose 10 lbs,” he says.

The professor believes everyone can benefit from weighing their food.

“I think there is a lot you can learn about how much you eat and some of your eating patterns by just tracking it for a week and the scale lets you really track it,” he says.

How It Works

• Purchase a kitchen scale.
• Weigh all your food and input the results into a calorie tracking app like MyFitnessPal app. This will tell you the real number of calories you are consuming.
• Unhealthy foods will cost you calories. Healthier foods like meats, poultry, fish, nuts, vegetables, fruits and especially potatoes will help you feel full throughout the day.
• Creating go-to meals will establish a healthy eating pattern and save you time.

MORE WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS STORIES (AND TIPS TO BORROW)

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How to weigh food for macros

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Whether your goal is to build muscle, lose fat, maintain your weight or just lose weight in general, accurately tracking your macros is key. One of the biggest IIFYM tips I can teach a beginner is how to weigh food!

You’d be surprised how different a serving measured in grams is compared to a serving measured with a measuring cup.

For example, take dry pancake mix. A true serving of Kodiak Cakes is 53 grams. The nutrition label estimates that to be about a 1/2 cup. The problem is the amount of dry pancake mix you pack in your measuring cup will be different every time. Meaning sometimes you are consuming more calories and others less.

This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if you do this for every meal it adds up and could be the reason you aren’t hitting your goals.

Contrarily, 53 grams will be the same amount of pancake mix every time. 53 grams will always be 1 serving. I’ve had a half cup of kodiak cake mix weigh out to be 1 serving and I’ve also had it be as much as  1 1/2 servings other times. That’s a difference of 95 calories (1 g fat, 15 g carbs, 7 g protein).

Sure that may not make a big difference if you only do that once, BUT if you measure inaccurately several times a day you could be going over your calories by as much as 4 or 500 calories a day.

Bottom line: If you’re not using a food scale, you’re not hitting your macros. 

If you want to be successful, invest in a food scale. They’re not very expensive, but they are so essential. 

We love a simple digital food scale like the one I just linked from Amazon. It’s super cheap, but it measures in ounces & grams and has the “tare” function so it gets the job done. You definitely don’t have to break the bank on this purchase.

What types of food to weigh:

You want to weigh almost everything. This includes protein powder, pancake mix, flour, sugar, ketchup, rotisserie chicken, drumsticks, ribs, tortilla chips, cheese, cereal, fruit, etc.

The exception: you do not weigh liquids.

While most food scales do have a fluid ounce & mL function, I would say 99% of people in the IIFYM community do not use it.

The general consensus is that it is not accurate. Instead, just use a measuring cup that measures in Oz or a normal measuring cup if you know how to convert cups to ounces.

“Wet” food that you do weigh: ketchup, honey, any nut butter, sauces, dressings, basically if the serving size on the nutrition label is listed in grams, you should weigh it, if it’s listed in Oz or mL you should measure it. 

Prepackaged foods: When it comes to prepackaged foods, it’s up to you.

There are a lot of differing opinions on this. I personally don’t like to be overly “strict” on my macro counting and will just trust the label on any prepackaged single serving foods.

However, I do know of a lot of people who have noticed discrepancies between the actual weight of food in the single serving package and what the nutrition facts say it should weigh.

Most notice that there is less than a full serving in the package. So, it’s up to you. I personally don’t think it’s something that you need to worry about UNLESS you are participating in a fitness competition of some sort where it is necessary to be extra strict.

Do you weigh before or after cooking?

It is more accurate to weigh meats & veggies raw. However, it really just depends on how you’re logging your food.

We love using MyFitnessPal to track our macros. MyFitnessPal (and probably other tracking apps) have food entries for both raw and cooked foods.

So if you forgot to weigh your chicken before you cooked it, just make sure you’re logging the cooked weight as “cooked chicken.”

MyFitnessPal usually has specific entries for the way you cooked your food as well (steamed, grilled, etc.) so be sure to choose the right one.

Veggies are the same deal. Track them as raw if you can (preferably using USDA entries) or steamed if they were steamed before you weighed them, etc.

How to weigh food with bones:

Simple, weigh it before you eat it and then again after you’re done. Now subtract the weight of the bones from the original weight and log that (make sure to log this entry as fully cooked, not raw).

How to weigh fruit:

It’s really tempting to just log your fruit as 1 small banana or 1 avocado without actually weighing. BUT this is just not accurate at all.

When tracking macros you want to be as accurate as you can be. This means you need to weigh your fruit. If you don’t eat the core, pit, or peel don’t count that in your weight.

The easiest way to do this is to weigh your fruit as a whole, eat it and then weigh the portion you didn’t eat. Now subtract that from the original weight and you have the amount you did eat.

In MyFitnessPal, the most accurate entries for fruit are USDA entries.

What if I’m cooking for my family?

Okay, let’s start with something simple like rice.

You need to make 4 servings of rice. Using a food scale, weigh out 4 servings of rice (in grams) BEFORE you cook it. Next, cook it as you normally would. Weigh the cooked rice and divide that by 4. You now know how many grams are in a single serving of cooked rice so you can dish out the correct portion size for yourself.

But, not everything is as simple as rice. 

It’s a little tricky to be super accurate when making large batches of food with multiple ingredients. The best case scenario is that you cook all ingredients separately and dish them out on your plate one by one. But, this isn’t always possible.

Let’s say you’re making something like Chili.

First, do what you did with the rice and weigh out all the ingredients for the recipe before they are cooked.

Now create a recipe in MyFitnessPal and add in all the ingredients. When your meal is done, weigh the entire thing as a whole. To do this just place a big empty container on your food scale, zero it out and then pour in your meal.

Let’s say it weighs 1678 grams. Now, instead of saying this recipe is 4 servings and then dividing 1678 by 4 to get  419. 5 grams in 1 serving, what I like to do is edit my recipe in MyFitnessPal to have the same amount of servings as there are grams.

This sounds weird, but hear me out. If I say there are 1678 servings in the recipe, MyFitnessPal will then divide the entire calorie count by that amount.

Making each serving only 1 gram makes my life easier for tracking because now I can just put my empty bowl on the scale, zero it out, and fill it up until my eyes are satisfied with the amount of food.

Maybe I want 364 grams of food, maybe then I come back for seconds and have an additional 200 grams of food it doesn’t matter and I don’t have to do any math! All I do is go to the entry on MyFitnessPal and add in 364 grams of this recipe and then 200 grams of this recipe and they do the math for me. I promise this is easier!

Reverse weighing your food

Does anyone else eat things straight out of the container? I do!

I used to do this all the time with Brownie Batter Hummus. (We have our own version pictured below, but truthfully, Delighted By really nailed this recipe. It is sold at Whole Foods & Target I believe.)

In order to accurately track every random spoonful you eat, you need to reverse weigh your food.

This means put the container directly onto the food scale and zero it out by pressing the “tare” button.

Next, eat however many spoonfuls you’d like and watch your scale go into the negative. Just convert that negative number into a positive and you now know how much you ate. No more excuses for not tracking small bites and licks.

Benefits of weighing your food:

• Hit your macros and break through diet plateaus. (BIGGEST BENEFIT)
• Less dishes. You are not dirtying any measuring cups, etc when you weigh your food. I just pour directly into the bowl on the food scale until I hit the number of grams I’m aiming for. Same goes for shakes. I just put the blender directly onto the food scale, and add ingredients, zero-ing out the scale after every new ingredient.
• No variation when making the same recipe. Ever make a recipe and it turns out different every time? That’s usually due to human error when measuring. You won’t have that problem anymore.

Like I said initially, one of  the biggest IIFYM tips I would give a beginner is to buy a food scale and learn how to track every bite of food. It sounds tedious, but it will make such a huge difference.

More posts with IIFYM tips that may be helpful:

Counting Macros for Beginners

MyFitnessPal Hacks

Macro Friendly Costco Buys

25 Things I wish I knew before Counting Macros

Eating out while Tracking Macros

Be sure to subscribe & follow us on Instagram! We share IIFYM Tips as well as healthy recipes every week!

Simple Secrets to Portion Control and Healthy Eating

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

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25. Image Source / Getty Images
26. Dave King / Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images 

SOURCES:

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: “Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth without All the Sugar. “

American Diabetes Association.

American Heart Association.

Caloriecount.com.

ChooseMyPlate.gov.

CulturalIndia.net.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020.

Mangels, R. Vegetarian Journal, July/Aug 2000.

MyPyramid.gov.

Nemours Foundation: “Vitamins.”

USDA: “Sweet Potatoes.”

Western Michigan University: “Standard Serving Sizes.”

Reviewed by Christine

Mikstas, RD, LD on April 21, 2021

Why a Food Scale is Your Weight-Loss Secret Weapon | Weight Loss

While it may not be as flashy as a fancy new activity tracker or workout gear, the food scale is a tried-and-true weight-loss tool that can help you reach your goals. “I always suggest people keep a food scale and use it on occasion to get an idea of how much they’re consuming,” confirms Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD.

Food labels don’t always provide accurate calorie counts, and most of us are notoriously terrible at guessing healthy portion sizes. That’s why weighing food is one of the best ways to ensure you’re keeping a more accurate food journal and remaining in the calorie deficit needed to shed pounds.

“Using a food scale eliminates the guesswork,” says Keith Ayoob, RD. While keeping a food diary is a science-backed method to lose weight, one of the most common complaints about food logging is you don’t actually know if your calorie counts are 100% accurate. With a food scale, you can be sure you’re recording the correct amount of food by weight. As you learn how much or how little you’re eating, you can adjust your calorie intake and macronutrients to better support your health goals.

If you’re just beginning a weight-loss journey, “food scales, measuring cups and measuring spoons help you get familiar with what portions of different foods look like,” says Summer Yule, RD. We often think we’re eating much less than we are — especially when it comes to calorie-dense foods like nuts, nut butters and cooking oils or foods we tend to pile on like pasta and cereal. “It’s an eye-opener,” says Ayoob. “That famous ‘deck of cards’ portion size for 4 ounces of beef or fish becomes more meaningful when you’ve had the experience of weighing it out yourself.” Over time, the more you weigh your food, the better you’ll be at eyeballing portion sizes to avoid common mistakes.

On the other hand, a food scale can also show you how other nutritious foods like leafy greens are hard to overdo. “I don’t care how much that spinach weighs as long as you’re eating lots of fruits and vegetables and not adding tons of high-calorie dressings,” says Ayoob. In this sense, a food scale can serve as a helpful reminder to enjoy more healthy foods.

A food scale is essential for getting measurements precisely right when cooking and baking. “The same volume of an item may have different weights depending on how tightly it was packed down,” explains Yule. “Using weights is a foolproof way to ensure recipe success.” Buy a food scale, and you can reward yourself for investing in your health by making some slim down-friendly treats like low-carb banana bread or chocolate-dipped meringues.

Registered dietitians agree the best food scales have a few things in common. Here’s what to look for as you shop:

• A scale that provides measurements in both ounces and grams for flexibility
• A tare weight function to set the weight at zero before you add food to a container ensures you’re only measuring the weight of the food
• An auto shut-off feature to preserve battery
• A large surface area for bowls and plates of varying sizes
• Affordability

Young recommends the GreaterGoods Digital Food Kitchen Scale. “It’s lightweight and affordable, uses grams as well as ounces and can be easily stashed away,” she says. The Ozeri Pronto Food Scale, Escali Primo Food Scale and the Etekcity Food Scale all fit the bill, too.

To get started with a food scale, put it on a flat surface and give it a few seconds for the tare function to zero-out before adding food, says Ayoob. Weighing food before cooking is ideal, but if you forget, don’t stress; it’s more important to be consistent with food logging.

As far as how often you should use a food scale, that’s up to you. “There isn’t an exact right amount of time that everyone should use a food scale,” says Yule. You might want to try using it on and off to stay on track with your weight-loss efforts, when you need to figure out portion sizes you’re unsure about or just to make the perfect soufflé.

A good rule of thumb: “Use the food scale as long as it’s serving you well, and you’re benefiting from it,” says Yule. If you feel like you may be overdoing it or you’re obsessing over everything you eat, it might not be for you. Instead, you could try another avenue, such as the plate method or mindful eating. If you need help figuring out where to start, it’s always smart to reach out to a registered dietitian who can create a personalized plan.

Unlock an experience that’s like having a dietitian, trainer and coach — right at your fingertips. Go Premium for expert guidance and exclusive tools that will help you reach your personal health goals.

How to Weigh Your Food

Weighing food can be confusing. Some questions I get include:

• Do you weigh food  before or after it is cooked?
• How do you make big batches of things like sweet potatoes, pancakes or rice?
• How do I adjust the portion sizes to get the appropriate amount of macros?

As simple as weighing your food sounds, it can be kind of complicated.  Once you get the hang of it, it is easy. But maybe still a pain in the ass. 😉

Food scales are an essential tool when monitoring food intake where measuring cups are not accurate across the board. Everyone measures with measuring cups differently and water content could vary based on how you cook something. Use a scale not a measuring cup. I have the OXO Good Grips Food Scale and I love it!

Example 1: Rice

If you want to make rice, making just one serving is not going to fly in my household. If I am going to make something that I can portion and freeze, I will.

Say I want to make 10 servings of rice. 

1. Weigh out 10 servings of  raw dry rice.    grams = g

Using the nutrition label above, see serving size = 60g dry. I would weigh out 60g dry x 10 servings =  600g dry rice in the pot.  Add appropriate amount of water.

2. Once the rice is cooked, weigh the cooked rice and divide that number by 10. You now have an accurate serving of cooked rice giving you 45g of carbs and 4g of protein.

Adjusting portions to fit macros

What if I need 30 grams of carbohydrates per serving and not 45 grams?

Well, you will need to do some math. Looking at the label above, we need to figure out how many carbs there are per 1 gram of dry rice.  grams = g

45 g of carbs/ 60 g of dry rice = .75 carbs per 1g of dry rice

Then we need to figure out how many grams of rice we need for a serving that will yield 30g of carbs per serving, not 45g of carbs.

30g carbs desired/ .75 carbs per gram dry rice =40g of dry rice

Now,you want to cook up 10 servings of rice. Weigh out 10 servings x 40g of dry rice = 400g of dry rice. Add appropriate amount of water and cook. Then weigh the entire batch of cooked rice and divide by 10. You now of an accurate cooked serving of rice that yields 30g of carbs. Now portion those servings out and freeze them.

Example 2: Chicken

Chicken must be completely thawed before weighing it raw. When it is frozen, a lot of water is bound up and will make the chicken weigh much more than it should. Your servings will be so puny! Trust me, I already made this mistake.  grams = g

Using the nutrition label above for Tyson chicken breasts, you will weigh out 4 ounces (28. 35g to an ounce. 4 x 28.35 =113g) for one serving. You want to bake up 15 servings, okay, 113g of chicken x 15 servings = 1,695g of raw chicken. Bake away!

Once bake, weigh the whole batch of cooked chicken, divide by 15 and you  get your cooked serving for chicken. Now package them up and freeze the portions!

Another way to do this is take the entire bag of chicken you have, (thawed), weigh that in either grams or ounces. Pick one and use that all the way through the equation.

Say you have 64 ounces of chicken and you know that each raw serving you need to weigh out is 4.5 ounces.

Get the number of servings in this 64 oz bag of chicken.

64 oz of chicken / 4.5 oz = 14 servings in that batch.

Cook the batch. Weight the cooked chicken. Divide this number by the number of servings you calculated.

cooked batch of chicken/ number of servings = cooked weight for each serving.

Weigh out your servings and freeze.

Example 3: Pancakes

On a cheat or refeed day, I like me some pancakes. They must be low fat for my contest prep diet so I get a complete just add water type mix, gluten free preferably. I will usually make up a big ol batch ahead of time, freeze what I don’t need and then save the rest for my cheat/ refeed meal the next day.

Say I want to eat 4 servings of this pancake mix on refeed day to get in about 120g of carbs (don’t forget to count in the trace macros like the protein and fat in your meals’ macro totals) but I am going to make extra for later. So, I will make up 12 servings total.

I will weigh out 12 servings x 44g dry mix = 528g of dry mix in a bowl.  I will add the appropriate amount of water, stir and make the pancakes. Once all the pancakes are made, I weigh all of the pancakes in grams, divide that number by 12. I then have the weight for one serving of cooked pancakes. If I want to eat 4 servings, multiply that final cooked number by 4.

Enjoy!

Other tips:

Prep meals ahead of time at least 1x per week. I like to make up big batches that freeze well like chicken, fish, rice and sweet potatoes then portion serving sizes into containers. I put these individually portioned packages all in the freezer. Each night, I pull out servings needed for the next day. The rest of my food consists of veggies, nuts and healthy oils. I will steam up veggies per meal.

If you need to pack your lunches, have everything packed and ready the night before. You can also pack the entire meal in a container on food prep day and freeze it. When you need to eat that meal, pull it out, thaw and throw it in the microwave. I avoid the microwave at all costs (I don’t own one for good reason), so, I will make the veggies fresh and heat the protein and carb source in the toaster oven. 

See Peanut Butter and Fitness’s post on meal prep  or the Lean Green Bean for some great ideas.

Related

90,000 How do we weigh products? – Russian

For cereals, it is better to weigh dry cereals. If you cook porridge in water, then the calorie content for dry cereal = the calorie content of porridge. If in milk, add the calorie content of milk. We weigh fruits with seeds before meals, and after that we weigh the seeds and subtract them.
For meat, it is important to consider that 100 g of, for example, raw chicken breast is only about 80 g of boiled. Therefore, we either weigh before and choose the calorie content of the chicken fillet, or after boiling / baking / frying, but then we are looking for the calorie content in accordance with the cooking method.The first option with raw food is more accurate.

And here is an excerpt from the site:

Correct weighing of products – nuances:
Cereals, if you boil them in water, need to be weighed dry, since their calorie content in finished form practically does not change. The same can be said for pasta. Naturally, if you season them with butter or mayonnaise (which is undesirable), then the calorie content of the finished dish will increase.
If the skin is removed from the chicken, then its calorie content will decrease, and a piece of fat cut off from pork will also reduce the calorie content of meat.Vegetables and fruits must first be peeled and coreless and then placed on the scales. That is, it is necessary to weigh the product that is already ready for consumption or preparation. Experienced calorie counting girls advise weighing vegetables that have already been cut, since they lose some of the juice during the cutting process.
If you need to weigh a very small amount of a product, such as vegetable oil or salad dressing, you can use a tricky method for greater accuracy. Weigh the oil bottle or salt shaker first, then add the required amount of seasoning for the dish and weigh the bottle again.Some scales do not show the weight of the product if it is less than the required norm, and so you can find out the exact amount of the product consumed.
Meat and fish should be weighed unwashed, or washed and dried – this will not take into account the weight of water.
For complex dishes, all ingredients are also weighed ready for cooking, eg sliced. Having calculated once and written down the calorie content of a dish, you will not have to carry out mathematical calculations in the future.

90,000 How to weigh food if there is no scale at hand? | Evgeny Suchkov

Adherents of proper nutrition, especially at the beginning of their journey, are faced with a very important question.Namely – “if there is no kitchen scale, then how to understand the weight of the food eaten?” There is a way out of this situation, and not even one! Your attention is provided with a whole range of options for weighing food at home, let’s go!

• Palm size

A very simple and quick way to determine the weight of finished meat or fish. The classic steak or fish , which are as wide as a deck of cards and the size of the palm of your hand (no fingers!), Weighs approximately 100 grams. Very comfortably!

For cereal you can also use your palm. For example, one palm of oatmeal (still dry) weighs about 6-8 grams. Once you have a calculation of your ideal diet, it is not difficult to calculate the required number of “palms”!

• Fist size

This method is very suitable for weighing potatoes , pasta and vegetables .

A fist-sized potato weighs about 150-180 grams, but a portion of pasta with the same size will be about 70-80 grams.But be careful! Visually, it may seem like a hell of a lot, but pasta has one small and very dangerous property – they are high in calories, so you should limit their consumption to specific portions prescribed in your diet!

Concerning vegetables – tomato , the size of a fist, will weigh about 80 grams, but cucumbers – about 60 grams, broccoli – 50 grams.

• 2 palms together (2 handfuls)

This volume is useful for measuring lettuce and fruit .

If you want to weigh lettuce leaves, you need 2 palms. A handful in 2 hands, for example spinach , weighs about 80 grams. This applies to almost all leaf varieties, use it!

There is no single answer for fruits . Each fruit has its own weight and its own volume, but still, if you try to eat no more than 2 handfuls of fruits a day, you definitely will not overdo it with calories and sugar!

A good old way to weigh food! True, it is definitely not suitable for meat and vegetables.

But weighing flour will work! A faceted glass of standard volume (250 ml) holds about 160 grams of flour, 230 grams of cereals and, of course, 250 ml of water!

If anything, then 320 g of salt is placed in such a glass, and 200 g of sugar!

It is clear that a piece of meat or fish is unlikely to be measured, but, for example, a tablespoon holds 30 grams of flour , and a teaspoon holds 10.

If you want to weigh cereals , then in one dining room spoon 12 grams of oatmeal or 16 grams of rice, and in a teaspoon – 6 and 8 grams, respectively.

Sugar fits in a large spoon 25 grams, while in a small dining room only 8 grams. But salt on the same “scales” – 30 and 10 grams!

With such versatile food weighing methods, you will be able to keep track of your food wherever you are. And if you do not have such a menu yet or you do not know where to start, feel free to write to me on instagram @fit_suchkov , I have an offer especially for you!

Eat healthy and happy and your body will thank you!

How to accurately count calories for ready meals

To lose weight, you need to constantly count calories.Often people think that they can determine the calorie content of a dish by eye, but the error in the calculations can be more than 200 calories. That is why at first it is worth being especially careful and taking into account every gram of the product. How to keep counting calories so as not to spend a lot of time on it?

Food in packages

All products in stores must contain information on calorie content. This rule applies even to weighed products, for example, pieces of cheese, ham.

And this is really very convenient, because the same product can contain completely different calories from different manufacturers. If a person also monitors the balance of the BJU, then information about this is also on the packages.

Cooking food

When preparing a dish, it is important to consider every ingredient, even if it is a spoonful of vegetable oil. You can find out the exact weight only with the help of kitchen scales, which every losing weight person must have.All products must be weighed dry and raw. This means that cereals, cereals, vegetables are weighed before cooking.

The same rule applies to meat, but it is most convenient to measure it unwashed so that water is not taken into account on the scales. People often wonder how to weigh salt or spices. It is very simple to do this: you need to measure the weight of the jar or sachet, add the ingredient to the food, weigh it again. The weight will differ, and the difference is just the number in grams needed to calculate the calorie content.

When using vegetables for cooking, they must first be washed, peeled and only then weighed. Many are interested in how to calculate the calorie content of a cherry or cherry. The principle of operation is the same as with salt. We weigh the berries, eat. We weigh the bones. The resulting difference is the eaten pulp in grams. By the same principle, the calorie content of plums, apricots, peaches is considered.

Recording results

To monitor your diet especially carefully, it is recommended to install an application on your smartphone that will automatically count calories. It is worth paying attention to those programs that allow you to save your meals. So a person will be able to cook according to one recipe and simply enter the portion weight into the program, and the gadget will automatically show not only calories, but also the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Of course, counting calories is very tedious, it takes a lot of time and effort, but this is the case only in the first two weeks. It will take a little time as a person learns to determine the calorie content of a dish by eye.At first, this should not be allowed – it is important to take calorie counting seriously in order to see a good result on the scales after a short time.

How to limit yourself in food if you don’t want to count calories?

“Healthy eating is too difficult, you have to count calories and weigh food” – so often say to nutritionists who want to lose weight (or at least stop overeating). But not all experts insist on counting calories – there are simpler ways to start eating less.

What is “healthy eating”? We focus on the word “healthy”. I have a marketing team, and when they accidentally (or unconsciously) mention the phrase “proper nutrition”, I defiantly roll my eyes and demand that it be removed immediately and forever!

Because the concept of “proper nutrition” does not exist. The rules are different for everyone. Especially in matters of nutrition. Someone is comfortable eating 2 times a day, someone 5, someone excludes gluten, and someone hates cereals.

“Healthy” is another matter. Here you can give a clear definition: it is a varied, rational, nutritious, physiological food, which is sure to bring pleasure. Forcibly chewing celery because you have to is not a healthy diet.

Why not everyone succeeds in losing weight by counting calories

Of course, we know about the energy balance: if we receive more calories than we expend, then we gain weight. And vice versa. And everything seems to be logical, count your calories, run on the track under the counter and you will be slim all your life. But everyone does not succeed, and in my opinion, there are certain reasons for this:

• This is difficult: even two apples that look alike contain different amounts of calories, but what to do with multi-meal dishes? A regular salad or pie can be overwhelming. It is clearly impossible to do without a calculator and a calorie table. And, of course, don’t expect 100% accuracy.
• This is tedious, get ready that a certain part of the time in the day you will spend on counting calories: write down, count, write again…
• This distracts from the quality of food: why eat a handful of high-calorie cereals when you can enjoy a chocolate bar for dinner?
• This distracts from the main direction – from work with eating behavior: we do not think about what we want to eat, but what fits within the allowed calorie content.
• This may not be effective. You can calculate everything correctly, but there will be no result. Because we are all different, with different organisms, lifestyle, intestinal microflora and so on, so on.Nobody knows the exact number of calories you need. Ideally, it should be counted every day, taking into account physical activity.

So what now, all the fools? And counting calories is a useless exercise?

Not at all. Calorie counting can be helpful:

1. At the very beginning of the journey, when in fact at the end of the day you decided to count the number of calories eaten, revise your diary, understand what is wrong and where.
2. For orientation and understanding that there are more calories in a cake than in a tomato.
3. To realize that if you’ve been digging beds all day or taking 15,000 steps on an excursion, you need more calories than usual.

That’s probably all the pluses.

How not to overeat: measuring portions in the palm and fist

I am offering you a more effective strategy for maintaining or achieving your healthy physical condition.

Concentrate on product quality. They must be fresh, tasty and safe.

Try to diversify your diet as much as : for this, try to visit different shops and markets, look for different recipes, cook with your family, coming up with more and more new combinations, add herbs, spices, not be afraid to try new things.

Eat 5 food groups daily: vegetables, fruits, whole grains (cereals, pasta, bread), animal and vegetable protein products, dairy products. As you can see, there is no group of vegetable oils, since it is impossible to separate them into a full-fledged group, but the presence of fats in the diet is necessary.

Don’t overeat. In order to eat in moderation, in America they came up with a plate system, which we visually divide into 3 parts: we fill 1/2 of the plate with fruits and vegetables, 1/4 of the plate with complex carbohydrates and 1/4 with proteins. Plus a serving of dairy. For clarity, I really like to use a similar picture. Here the group of dairy products is represented by milk, but it can be cottage cheese, cheese, or anything else.

Very good serving size helps to navigate … your own palm! This applies to both children and adults.For example:

1 fist = 1 portion of fruit

1 handful in the palm – portion of cereal

palm without fingers – meat / fish portion

thumb phalanx – oil portion

Of course, this, like counting calories, does not give 100% accuracy, but it allows you to navigate, and we don’t need more. Only, please, do not cram into your fist to determine the portion, it is enough to do it “by eye”.

What not to eat on a healthy diet

And what, no product restrictions? Of course, they are in a healthy diet – that’s why it is “healthy”. But they are also quite flexible:

• Limit the amount of added sugar (sweets, sugar, honey, jam, soda, etc. ) to 5-10% of your daily ration. To put it simply, eat sweets sometimes, 2-3 times a week, 1 serving (4 chocolate cubes, or 2 cookies, or 3 candies, or a scoop of ice cream, etc.)etc.).
• Limit or eliminate alcohol and avoid trans fats in your diet (margarine, spread, fast food).
• Drink as much as you want, give preference to clean water, but coffee, tea, fruit drinks, juices are also acceptable in the diet.
• Try to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and / or fruits daily (have you forgotten about serving size yet?).
• At least 1/2 of all complex carbs you eat should be whole grains.
• Give priority to unsaturated fats (vegetable oils other than palm and coconut, nuts, fish and seafood, avocados) over saturated ones (animal fats, dairy products, butter).

That’s it! Here, of course, not all dietetics and not the whole retelling of international recommendations, but a rather strong skeleton, on which you can easily rely. As you can see, adhering to a healthy diet is not at all difficult, not expensive, and does not require special efforts.You just need to rebuild, get used to and pay more attention to what exactly you eat.

How to measure food if there is no scale at home

So, you have decided to cook a dish according to a new recipe, but you do not have a food scale. But there is a question: how much is 200 grams of vegetables? How to understand if a tomato, cucumber and a bunch of arugula are already 200 grams or not yet? And you go to Google, at the same time regretting that there is nothing to weigh the food with …

Use our tip on how to weigh your portions correctly.We explain literally on the fingers;)

Palm method

Do you understand the picture? Use your palms, fist, or fingers to determine the serving size.

For example, to calculate your daily portion of meat or fish, focus on a piece the width and length of your palm, not counting your fingers. The same can be a slice of bread (ideally whole grain). And measure the amount of thin pita bread by placing two palms side by side.

Make a fist.This should be the size of your serving of fruit (such as an apple). One fist is also a portion of cottage cheese and your favorite ready-made porridge (buckwheat, spelled, bulgur, basmati rice). You can replace porridge with durum wheat pasta.

What about vegetables? Fold both palms into a handful and see your daily portion. Choose different vegetables, eat them fresh and cooked, do not forget about frozen ones, they retain vitamins and minerals. A daily serving of berries is the same handful of two palms.

The upper phalanx of the thumb will tell you what a slice of chocolate (of course, dark) can be. Pay attention to its quality: the composition should contain cocoa and cocoa butter.

A serving of hard cheese will help to measure the phalanges of the index and middle fingers put together. And the equivalent of a portion of seeds and nuts is the thumb along with the adjacent part of the palm.

Print and hang this picture on the refrigerator. She will always tell you how to weigh food by eye, help you control portion size and not keep counting calories all the time.

And if you want to cook according to simple recipes and eat balanced and healthy – welcome to the program WOWBODY strong . In addition to nutrition, here you will find video workouts from trainers Anita Lutsenko and Yulia Bogdan, yoga, ballet, a lot of useful information and great results – a feminine relief, a flat stomach and toned buttocks.

See you at WOWBODY strong !

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90,000 How to lose 18 kg in six months using calorie counting: personal experience

Background

To begin with, I was not always full.In childhood and adolescence, she ate what she wanted. I noticed the first changes in the region of 24-25 years. Perhaps it was the fact that I started working from home. Then I just went to a fitness club and, without changing the diet at all, lost 8 kg. Then she got married, gave birth, and managed to keep the weight without any problems.

In 2014, my husband was offered a job abroad. These were positive changes, but I was worried. So much so that I had to go to the doctor and drink pills for nerves. And I am one of those people who lose weight from stress.As a result, I lost about 6 kg, bought clothes one size smaller and posted happy photos.

After the move I thought: I’ll return my usual weight, and that’s it! A new country, delicious food, no stress: I started to gain weight and at first did not attach any importance to it. In the first year, I gained about 10 kg. I went to a fitness club, but there were no results. All the acquaintances said: “Change your food.” Oh, well, how can you give up sweets! Three years later, I had 18 extra pounds, I was ashamed to look at myself in the mirror.I decided it was time to do something.

Is it difficult to count calories

Two of my friends successfully lost weight by counting calories. The principle is as simple as two pennies: you need to consume fewer calories than you spend, as a result, the body will consume fat reserves. I answered: “This is not for me, it is too difficult.” I do not like to limit myself, I do not want to endure hunger, I can not imagine how you can weigh each ingredient. What if I don’t eat at home? But she didn’t want to be complete either.

Installed the My Fitness Pal app, again on the advice of friends.

There is a popular analogue – FatSecret, and there are plenty of others. But you need to choose the service that has the most users. This means the widest base of products and dishes.

From the very first day it became clear that there is no “tin” in the calculation of calories. My Fitness Pal knows all the products that are sold in stores in any country, you can write in any language. There is also a barcode reader.

With ready meals, nothing too complicated. The program knows everything: at least shawarma, at least risotto, at least cutlets. Obviously, your chicken soup is different in calories from the one that someone added to the program. So what? The purpose of calorie counting is not to calculate everything with scientific precision. And in not overeating. A rough estimate is already good.

Of course, it is important to know the weight of the portions. A kitchen scale will help with this. At first I didn’t have them, I figured it out by eye. Here is a slice of bread about 20 g, here is a bowl of soup about 300 g, and so on. In the first month of calorie counting, I lost 4 kg, which speaks of the benefits of even rough calculations.And you will get used to it: you can weigh food for a couple of months, then you can determine portions by eye.

Some people are confused that My Fitness Pal gives a lot of options when searching. And the calorie content of the same dish / product may differ. This is fine, I choose the average.

Pay attention to the units of measure. Most often it is 100 g, but there may be a different weight or one package, one piece . .. Let’s say you add pasta, the calorie content is indicated per 100 g, and you have 120 g.In the “number of servings” box, write 1.2. If there were 40 g, then 0.4 servings.

The application remembers all found products and further prompts. As a result, it takes seconds to count calories!

How to Calculate Your Calorie Limit for Weight Loss

When you start it for the first time, My Fitness Pal determines your optimal calorie intake. Interested in your height, weight, activity level. Asks what the goal is – to keep weight, lose weight, gain weight – and how quickly you want to achieve it.Depending on this, it gives out a number. I started with 1,580 kcal, lost weight perfectly – minus 2–4 kg per month.

I do not recommend setting unrealistic goals: the program may give you a limit of 1,200–1,300 kcal. It will be difficult to stick to it, do you want to constantly suffer from hunger? This is harmful, and the likelihood of breakdowns with such a diet is high.

The quieter you go, the further you will be. About 1,500 kcal is the best option.

And the program also offers to subtract calories from the eaten.I do not do this. The rate is already calculated based on your activity. There are more active days, but there are also less. In addition, the calories burned (running, exercising) cannot be accurately calculated.

My Fitness Pal takes into account not only calories, but also the composition of products: proteins, fats, carbohydrates. The program praises if you eat right, and makes comments if you exceed the norm for fats, sugar and other not very useful things. For those wishing to maintain the perfect balance of BJU, the application is great.

How I changed my diet

Do you know what is good about calorie counting? This is not a diet that somehow restricts (some foods do not eat, do not eat after so much, and so on) and requires cooking according to recipes. You can eat everything. At least cakes. But strictly within your limit. Here it turns out that it is unrealistic to keep within it with cakes. One small piece – 400-600 kcal. And, for example, stewed vegetables with chicken – about 300-400 kcal. At the same time, after the cake, already after 2-3 hours, you want to eat again!

I refused from sweets.These are cakes, and chocolates, and cookies, and fruit yoghurts, and rolls. There are a lot of calories, little sense. She changed her mind about snacks. I used to buy chocolate bars, curd snacks, sweet yoghurts. Now – kefir, but it is better to be patient and eat normally at home. Introduced more vegetables into the diet. For the rest, she ate the same as before, but reduced the portion size.

Was it difficult to limit yourself? Perhaps the first couple of weeks. And then the body got used to not being fed “for slaughter” anymore, and began to be content with what they were given.

It is very important to drink a lot. A little hunger? Drink hot tea or water.

Whether to arrange a cheat meal

It’s up to you. I was strict with myself: if I lose weight, I lose weight. And no “once a week I eat what I want.” One time you give yourself a break, another, and in the end you will score. Count calories every day, keep within the norm every day (plus or minus 100 kcal is not scary).

Did you get a chocolate bar at work? No thanks. Have you called for a visit? You can “save” on breakfast-lunch and have a hearty dinner.But it is better to refuse dessert – the world will not collapse.

And keep in mind: high-calorie alcohol. For example, a couple of glasses of beer – about 500 kcal, like a full lunch or dinner.

My results and weight maintenance

At first I lost 3-4 kg per month, later – 1-2 kg. I trained three times a week. In six months, I regained my normal weight, and in another three months I reached ideal. The best motivation is when you see a beautiful figure in the mirror, when friends compliment you, when you buy new clothes two sizes smaller, when you feel physically better.

I have lost 18 kg and have kept my weight. Am I still counting calories? Yes. And I will do it all my life (as well as train). I raised the limit to the “support” level – 2,000 kcal. After six months of deficit, that’s a lot! I can afford large portions, desserts. But in moderation, the main thing is not to overeat, that’s why I think. And it’s also important not to eat if you don’t feel like it, because this is a direct path to overeating.

If you also have a problem that I had, then I want to say: it’s easy to take on yourself, give up sweets too (you can return it later), keeping track of what you eat with a smart program is easy.The first results, the delight of friends will delight. You will feel better, feel more cheerful and confident. And it is not at all necessary to count calories – choose the method of weight loss that suits you best. Good luck!

Read also

How to weigh products without scales) – 10 responses to Babyblog

3step

1 glass, the volume of which is 250ml, equals: 155g poppy seeds, 160g wheat flour, 200g starch, 100g oatmeal, 200g semolina, 230g rice, 220g millet, 100g pasta, 220g beans, 230g peas, 200g sugar, 325g salt, 250g milk, 250g sour cream, 245g ghee, 325g honey, 210g butter, 240 vegetable oil, 330g jam, 250g vinegar, 220g tomato puree , 170g hazelnuts, 160g almonds, 175g peeled peanuts, 200g blueberries, 175g red currants, 155g black currants, 180g raspberries, 190g icing sugar, 250g cream, 50g cornflakes, 165g raisins, 70g dried apples, 230g jam, 340g berry puree, 165g cherries / cherries, 140g lingonberries, 200g blueberries, 190g blackberries, 150g strawberries, 145g cranberries, 210g gooseberries, 195g mulberries.

AND MORE

Housewives will be helped to determine the small mass of the product, the following:

In 1 tablespoon – 30 g of starch or salt;
25 g flour, granulated sugar, soda, butter or sour cream;
20 g of milk, water, honey, vegetable oil.

Of course, this content corresponds, if you do not fill the heaping spoons.

In 1 teaspoon – 10 g of flour, sugar, salt, sour cream, soda, butter;
7-8 g of cereals;
5 g of water, vinegar, milk, vegetable oil.

The hostess will help to determine the mass of products and a glass with thin walls.

In a regular glass – 160 g flour;

250 g of water, sour cream or milk;

200 g semolina, starch, granulated sugar or buckwheat;

325 g honey;
220-230 g of pearl barley, rice, peas, millet or beans;
240 g of vegetable oil.

3. Remember that medium-sized potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and apples have approximately the same weight (about 100 g).Onion and carrots (medium) – about 75 g. And the weight of the sugar cube is 9 g.

and more))

Probably, not every housewife always has a special kitchen scale at hand, but to find out the exact weight of certain products happens often enough. Therefore, the question arises: How to measure without scales or how to weigh without scales? Of course, kitchen scales are not an essential item, but cups, glasses, spoons can be found in every kitchen.

In a thin glass:

• 250 g of water, milk, sour cream
• 200 g of granulated sugar, potato starch, semolina, buckwheat
• 160 g of wheat beans, peas, millet, pearl barley
• 230 g rolled oats,
• 245 g ghee
• 210 g butter
• 240 g vegetable oil
• 69
  honey
• 330 g jam.

In a tablespoon:

• 20 g of water, honey, milk, ghee, vegetable oil
• 25 g of sour cream, butter, granulated sugar, flour, soda
• 30 g salt, potato starch
• 15 g vinegar, margarine

In a teaspoon:

• 7-8 g cereals
• 5g water, milk, vinegar, ghee, vegetable oil, margarine
• 10 g flour, sugar, salt, butter, sour cream

Vegetables:

• A medium-sized tomato, apple, potato, cucumber weigh about the same – about 100 g.
• carrots, bulbs – 75 g
• cabbage head – 1500 g
• cauliflower – 750 g
• egg without shell weighs 43 g,

sugar cube – 9.

A table that will help you cope with the recalculation of the volume and weight of products for different recipes. For convenience, some figures have been rounded off (not by me, but by specialists, and therefore these figures can be trusted).
1 tsp = 5 g or 5 ml
3 tsp. = 1 tbsp. l.
1 st. l. = 15 g or 15 ml
4 tbsp. l. = 1/4 cup or 60 ml (approximately)
16 tbsp. l. = 1 cup
1 cup white flour = 140 g
1 cup whole wheat flour = 155 g
1 cup sugar = 200 g (approximately)
1 cup brown sugar + 250 g
1 cup powdered sugar = 150 g
1 cup butter or margarine = 240 g
1 cup of nuts = 120 g
1 cup of grated chocolate = 120 g
1 cup of grated cheese = 120 g
1 bag of dry yeast = 1 tbsp.l. (no slide) = 20 g = 2 3/4 tsp.
20 g fresh yeast = 2 dry sachets = 4 tbsp. l. Shimrit yeast
50 g fresh yeast = 2 dry sachets + 1 1/2 tsp. dry = 1 bag of Shimrit yeast

* * *
From 1 medium lemon, about 1/3 cup of juice
From 1 medium orange, about 1/2 cup of juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon = about 1 tbsp. l.
Grated zest of 1 orange = 2-3 tbsp. l.
1 medium head, chopped onion = about 1/2 cup = 120 g
2 tbsp.l. milk powder (30 g) + 1 glass of water = 1 glass of milk
1 tbsp. l. honey = 15 g or 15 ml
1 cup of honey = 250 g
1/4 cup of molasses (molasses) = 50 ml
1 cup of sour cream = 250 ml
For 1 cup of flour – 1 tsp. baking powder (unless otherwise indicated in the recipe)

And if an old cookbook turned out to be in your house, and you decide to bake a cake according to the recipe of our grandmothers, it is useful to know that
1 pound (a unit of mass in the system of Russian measures) is approximately 410 g,
one share – 44.