How does weighing food impact our understanding of portion sizes. Can measuring ingredients lead to better weight management. Is food weighing the key to achieving fitness goals. What surprising insights can be gained from weighing every meal.

The Journey of Precision: Embarking on a Food Weighing Experiment

In a world where fitness trends come and go, one man’s 87-day journey of weighing everything he ate stands out as a testament to the power of precision in nutrition. This experiment, while seemingly extreme, unveiled a wealth of knowledge about weight management and dietary habits that many of us unknowingly overlook.

Picture this: a portable electronic scale, a bowl of spaghetti, and a dusting of dehydrated mozzarella cheese over marinara sauce. This scene, reminiscent of a culinary artist at work, was actually the beginning of a transformative nutritional journey. The protagonist, a self-described “Type A slacker,” embarked on this path not out of desperation, but out of curiosity and a desire for improvement.

The Catalyst: From Casual Fitness to Precise Nutrition

Our subject was no stranger to fitness. With a routine that included CrossFit, long trail runs, and yoga, he considered himself relatively fit. His casual approach to nutrition seemed to work well enough – he was in good health and even performed impressively in half marathons. However, at 6’1″ and 185 pounds, he felt there was room for improvement.

What drives a seemingly fit individual to adopt such a meticulous approach to eating? The answer lies in the pursuit of optimization. Despite his active lifestyle, he wasn’t as lean as he desired, and his BMI teetered on the higher end of normal. Moreover, hip pain after long runs hinted at potential benefits from weight loss.

Enter the Expert: Trevor Kashey’s Nutritional Wisdom

The turning point came with the introduction of Trevor Kashey, a registered dietitian with impressive credentials. Kashey’s suggestion was simple yet revolutionary: weigh everything you eat. This advice, though seemingly straightforward, would prove to be eye-opening.

Kashey’s expertise stems from a remarkable academic journey – earning a BS at 17 and a Ph.D. in molecular biology at 23. His methods have garnered attention, with his social media showcasing numerous success stories through before-and-after photos of clients.

The Shocking Reality: Unveiling Hidden Calories

The first week of the experiment was nothing short of revelatory. Our subject maintained his normal diet but introduced the crucial element of measurement. This simple act of weighing food items before consumption led to startling discoveries.

• A “light lunch” of a protein shake and apple with peanut butter was revealed to pack the caloric punch of a BigMac and medium fries.
• Snacking while cooking added an unexpected 300 calories to daily intake.
• Portion sizes of staples like chicken breast and potatoes were significantly larger than estimated.

Perhaps the most sobering revelation came with peanut butter. What was assumed to be one serving turned out to be three, contributing a whopping 600 calories. As Kashey aptly put it, “When you learn how much a serving of peanut butter actually is, it is completely soul crushing.”

The Science of Serving Sizes: Why We Underestimate

Why do we consistently underestimate serving sizes, especially for calorie-dense foods? This phenomenon is not unique to our subject but is a widespread issue affecting many individuals striving for better health and fitness.

Several factors contribute to this misperception:

1. Visual illusions: Our eyes can deceive us, making portions appear smaller than they actually are.
2. Lack of awareness: Many people simply don’t know what a true serving size looks like.
3. Habituation: We become accustomed to larger portions over time, skewing our perception of what’s normal.
4. Emotional factors: Stress, hunger, or cravings can lead to unconscious overeating.

Understanding these factors is crucial in developing a more accurate perception of portion sizes and calorie intake.

The Ripple Effect: How Accurate Measurement Transforms Eating Habits

As our subject delved deeper into the world of food weighing, the impact extended far beyond mere calorie counting. This meticulous approach to nutrition began to reshape his entire relationship with food.

How does weighing food alter one’s eating habits? The effects are multifaceted:

• Increased awareness: Every meal becomes an opportunity for learning and self-reflection.
• Mindful eating: The act of weighing encourages slower, more deliberate consumption.
• Better food choices: Knowledge of true caloric content often leads to opting for more nutrient-dense options.
• Portion control: Accurate measurement naturally leads to more appropriate serving sizes.

This newfound awareness extends beyond mealtime. Our subject found himself reevaluating snacking habits and becoming more conscious of hidden calories in everyday items like cooking oils and salad dressings.

Beyond Calories: The Protein Paradigm

While calorie counting was a significant aspect of this experiment, it wasn’t the only focus. Protein intake emerged as a crucial factor in the nutrition plan devised by Kashey.

Why is protein so important in a weight management regimen? The benefits are numerous:

1. Satiety: Protein helps you feel fuller for longer, reducing overall calorie intake.
2. Muscle preservation: Adequate protein intake is crucial when in a calorie deficit to maintain muscle mass.
3. Metabolic boost: The thermic effect of protein is higher than that of carbs or fats, meaning your body burns more calories digesting it.
4. Recovery: For active individuals, protein is essential for muscle repair and growth.

Our subject’s new nutrition plan included a daily protein goal of over 130 grams, emphasizing the importance of this macronutrient in achieving his fitness objectives.

The Tools of the Trade: Technology in Nutrition

In this modern nutritional journey, technology played a pivotal role. The experiment relied on two key tools: a portable electronic scale and the MyFitnessPal app.

How do these tools contribute to nutritional success?

• Accuracy: Digital scales provide precise measurements, eliminating guesswork.
• Convenience: Portable scales allow for measurement anywhere, even when dining out.
• Data tracking: Apps like MyFitnessPal offer extensive databases of nutritional information and easy logging capabilities.
• Trend analysis: Digital tracking allows for the identification of patterns over time.

The integration of these tools into daily life, while initially time-consuming, became second nature. Our subject found that the extra time spent measuring was a small price to pay for the insights gained.

The Psychology of Measurement: Mindset Shifts and Behavioral Changes

Beyond the physical act of weighing food, this experiment induced significant psychological changes. The process of meticulously measuring every morsel forces one to confront eating habits head-on, often leading to profound realizations.

What mental shifts occur when one starts weighing food?

• Increased accountability: The act of measurement creates a sense of responsibility for one’s choices.
• Cognitive reframing: Foods once seen as “healthy” or “light” may be reevaluated based on their true nutritional content.
• Empowerment: Knowledge of exact nutritional intake provides a sense of control over one’s diet.
• Habit formation: Regular weighing becomes a ritual, reinforcing mindful eating practices.

These psychological changes often extend beyond the individual. Our subject found himself explaining his new habits to his wife, potentially influencing those around him to reconsider their own nutritional practices.

Navigating Social Situations: The Challenges of Precision Eating

While the benefits of food weighing are clear, this practice doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Social situations can present unique challenges to those committed to precise nutrition.

How does one maintain nutritional goals in social settings?

1. Pre-planning: Researching menus and estimating portions before dining out.
2. Communication: Explaining dietary choices to friends and family to gain support.
3. Flexibility: Learning to make educated guesses when exact measurement isn’t possible.
4. Balance: Allowing for occasional untracked meals without derailing overall progress.

Our subject likely faced these challenges, learning to navigate social meals and gatherings while maintaining his commitment to nutritional precision. This balance between social life and dietary goals is crucial for long-term success and sustainability.

The Ripple Effect: Impact on Overall Health and Fitness

As the experiment progressed, the effects extended far beyond mere weight management. The holistic impact on health and fitness became increasingly apparent.

What changes might one expect from such a precise approach to nutrition?

• Improved energy levels: Balanced nutrition often leads to more stable energy throughout the day.
• Better athletic performance: Proper fueling can enhance workout quality and recovery.
• Reduced inflammation: A diet tailored to individual needs may alleviate issues like joint pain.
• Enhanced body composition: Beyond weight loss, this approach can lead to improved muscle-to-fat ratio.

For our subject, the potential alleviation of hip pain after long runs was a significant motivator. The precise control over nutrient intake likely contributed to overall improvements in his physical condition.

Beyond the Scale: Non-Weight Indicators of Progress

While weight was a primary focus, it’s crucial to recognize other indicators of progress. These non-scale victories often provide more meaningful measures of health and fitness improvements.

What are some key non-weight indicators to consider?

1. Body measurements: Changes in waist, hip, and limb circumferences can indicate fat loss and muscle gain.
2. Fitness performance: Improvements in strength, endurance, and flexibility.
3. Clothing fit: How clothes feel and fit can be a more tangible measure than numbers on a scale.
4. Sleep quality: Better nutrition often leads to improved sleep patterns.
5. Mood and mental clarity: Balanced nutrition can positively impact cognitive function and emotional well-being.

By considering these factors alongside weight, one can gain a more comprehensive understanding of their progress and overall health improvements.

The Long-Term Perspective: Sustainability and Lifestyle Integration

As our subject neared the end of his 87-day experiment, questions of long-term sustainability likely arose. While the benefits of precise food weighing are clear, maintaining such a meticulous approach indefinitely may not be realistic for everyone.

How can the lessons learned from food weighing be integrated into a sustainable lifestyle?

• Periodic check-ins: Returning to precise measurement occasionally to recalibrate portion perception.
• Educated estimation: Using knowledge gained to make more accurate estimates without constant weighing.
• Focus on whole foods: Emphasizing nutrient-dense options that are easier to gauge visually.
• Mindful eating practices: Incorporating techniques like eating slowly and listening to hunger cues.

The goal is to transition from strict measurement to intuitive eating, armed with the knowledge and awareness gained from the experiment. This approach allows for a more relaxed yet informed relationship with food.

Personalization: Tailoring Nutrition to Individual Needs

One of the most valuable takeaways from this experiment is the importance of personalization in nutrition. What works for one individual may not be optimal for another.

How can one apply the principles of personalized nutrition?

1. Self-experimentation: Using methods like food weighing to understand individual responses to different foods and portions.
2. Professional guidance: Working with nutritionists or dietitians to create tailored meal plans.
3. Consideration of lifestyle factors: Adapting nutritional strategies to fit work schedules, family obligations, and personal preferences.
4. Regular reassessment: Adjusting nutritional plans as goals, activity levels, and health status change over time.

By embracing a personalized approach, individuals can develop a nutrition plan that not only meets their health and fitness goals but also aligns with their lifestyle and preferences.

The Bigger Picture: Food Weighing in the Context of Overall Health

While the focus of this experiment was on precise food measurement, it’s essential to place this practice within the broader context of overall health and wellness. Nutrition, while crucial, is just one piece of the puzzle.

What other factors should be considered alongside nutrition for optimal health?

• Physical activity: Regular exercise complements good nutrition for overall fitness.
• Stress management: Chronic stress can negate the benefits of even the most precise nutrition plan.
• Sleep quality: Adequate rest is crucial for recovery, hormone balance, and weight management.
• Mental health: Emotional well-being plays a significant role in overall health and can impact eating habits.
• Social connections: Strong relationships and social support contribute to long-term health and happiness.

By considering these factors alongside precise nutrition, individuals can develop a more holistic approach to health and wellness. The lessons learned from food weighing can inform and enhance other aspects of a healthy lifestyle.

The Role of Technology in Modern Nutrition

The experiment highlighted the significant role technology plays in modern nutrition management. From digital scales to smartphone apps, these tools have revolutionized how we approach diet and health.

How is technology shaping the future of nutrition?

1. AI-powered meal planning: Advanced algorithms creating personalized meal plans based on individual data.
2. Wearable devices: Integration of nutrition tracking with fitness and health monitoring.
3. Augmented reality: Potential for visual portion estimation and nutritional information overlay in real-time.
4. Smart kitchen appliances: Devices that can weigh and track food automatically during meal preparation.

As technology continues to advance, the potential for even more precise and personalized nutrition management grows. However, it’s crucial to balance technological tools with intuitive eating and a healthy relationship with food.

Weighing Food: What I Learned About My Diet

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
Download the app.

At 7:00 on a cold January night, I turn on a portable electronic scale. I carefully pour the white powder onto the scale’s brushed-metal surface, watching the LED display flash to life. One gram, two grams, three, four…five grams. Perfect. I slide the fine powder off the scale and onto a bowl of gleaming spaghetti. Dehydrated mozzarella cheese dusts the crimson marinara sauce, like snow falling over a redrock desert.

I’ve spent 87 days weighing everything I eat, a nutrition regimen that, despite making me feel like equal parts cocaine kingpin and fitness-obsessed lunatic, has taught me more about weight management than I would have ever imagined.

I’ve always been a relatively fit guy. I work out at least four days a week—CrossFit, long trail runs, yoga, you name it—and I watch what I eat, sometimes even tracking calories. I’ve been called a Type A slacker, taking a Jeffrey Lebowski approach to the Tim Ferris lifestyle. And my casual method always seemed to work. At my last checkup, the doc said my health was great, and I’d finished in the top two percent of some decent-sized half marathons. Still, at 6’1″ and 185 pounds, I wasn’t as lean as I wanted to be. My BMI was on the higher end of what’s considered normal, and my hips often hurt after long runs. I wanted to see if shedding some weight might improve my fitness and help me look like Tyler Durden in the process.

Why I Started Weighing Food

I called Trevor Kashey, an Ohio-based registered dietitian who owns Relentless Dietetics. His suggestion was simple: weigh everything I eat. A lot of the Kashey’s clients are exactly like me, he said. They train hard and often, but they came to him because they were suddenly losing a step or not seeing the results they wanted in the mirror or in the gym. Diet is usually the problem, Kashey said. Nearly everyone radically underestimates serving sizes, especially in calorie-dense foods like oils, nuts, salad dressings, and nut butters.

Kashey is something of a diet prodigy. He got his BS at age 17, and his PhD in molecular biology at 23. And his methods apparently work. His Facebook page features dozens of before-and-after photos from clients to prove it. I was happy to let him be the brains of my nutrition.

I’ve been called a Type A slacker, taking a Jeffrey Lebowski approach to the Tim Ferris lifestyle.

For my first week, Kashey instructed me to eat my normal diet but to measure everything. On day one, I take a banana out of the freezer to make the same breakfast smoothie I’ve had every morning for the past half-decade. This time, though, I first place the banana on the scale: 130 grams. Next, I fire up MyFitnessPal, a free calorie-counting app that includes the USDA-verified nutritional stats of thousands of foods. I select “banana” and type in its weight in grams. I repeat this with almond milk, frozen blueberries, yogurt, walnuts, and protein powder.

When my wife walks in, I try to explain this new nutrition program. “That sounds exhausting,” she replies. Indeed. It takes me twice as long to make breakfast, and I wonder if this project is going to feel like a part-time job. At lunchtime, though, I become enlightened.

Like breakfast, I always eat the same lunch: a protein shake and a sliced apple with a serving of peanut butter. It tastes good and takes no time or effort to prepare, and I always figured it was a smart choice, delivering around 500 calories and a nice balance of carbs, fat, and protein. But when I weighed my peanut butter, I realized that what I had always assumed was one serving was actually three, or about 600 calories. My “light lunch” delivered the calorie equivalent of a BigMac and medium fries. “When you learn how much a serving of peanut butter actually is,” Kashey later told me, “it is completely soul crushing.”

There were more depressing lessons at dinner. I learned that those little snacks I munch on as I cook—a few carrots with hummus here, a cracker there, a piece of cheese for good measure—add an extra 300 calories. My chicken breast is nine ounces, not six. My potato has 279 calories, not the 100 I’d always assumed, and, of course, it takes way more than one serving of sour cream to cover a baked potato.

“When you learn how much a serving of peanut butter actually is, it is completely soul crushing.”

After week one, I send in my data, and Kashey gives me a new daily calorie and protein goal: about 2,500 and a little more than 130 grams, respectively. From now on, I’d use the scale to hit those numbers and weigh myself every morning. Each morning, I’d pull out the $14 Etekcity food scale I bought on Amazon and pour exactly one serving, or 30 milliliters, of half-and-half into my mug of coffee. At lunch, I’d weigh my apple and the one serving—32 grams—of peanut butter to slather atop it. At dinner, I’d work the scale overtime, measuring my cooked chicken breast, baked potatoes with sour cream, and mixed vegetables. I was using my food scale as much as my cellphone.

At the end of each week, the food data would again get sent to Kashey, along with my daily scale weight and progress pictures. He’d crunch the data, then raise my protein target and calorie load by 30 to 50 daily calories a week. “I’m looking for the amount of food where your weight stabilizes,” he said. “When you begin accurately measuring, you inevitably lose weight. Once we know the amount of food you stabilize at, then we can decide if we want you to gain or lose by tweaking that number.”

Slowly, the weight started to come off. Half a pound one week, a pound the next. Four months in, my weight settled at around 173—a loss of more than ten pounds. And we now had a daily calorie goal to keep my weight stable: about 2,950.

Kashey’s plan was not easy. Some meals were quick and easy to measure, like my lunch of apples and peanut butter. More complicated recipes, however, required a mathematician’s mind. I’d have to determine exactly how many servings I was using of each ingredient, add all those numbers to determine the entire dish’s caloric load, and then calculate how much of the dish I ate and divide.

Weighing food also makes people think you’re a crazed narcissist. My office mates squirmed when I stopped eating cake at office parties (I didn’t want to do the math), and friends began to resent me for my supposed self-control. Instead of being present, chatting, and enjoying a meal, I was logging data. It also became a spontaneity killer. If I was going out to dinner with my wife, I had to know the restaurant’s exact hours beforehand so I could visit its website and figure out the calories in what I planned to order. I began thinking of food as a plug-and-chug numbers game rather than a pleasurable universal necessity humans share and enjoy together.

That said, it was worth it. After a few months on the plan, I’d lost more than ten pounds. I’m now the leanest I’ve ever been, and my fitness has exploded. For years, my hips had ached after any run longer than five miles. Shedding the weight means less overall stress on my joints. My pain is gone no matter how long I run, and I’m running faster at a lower heart rate. In the gym, I’m just as strong as I was before I started, which means I’m stronger pound for pound.

I want to weigh my food for the rest of my life as much as I want to mow the lawn every day. Four months was enough. (Just ask my wife.) But through Kashey’s plan, I learned a few important lessons about food that will surely linger and help me stay lean and fast for the long haul.

Those Little Things You Eat Add Up

When I used to get home from work, I’d typically graze around the kitchen as I prepared my dinner. I thought things like cheese and chips and salsa were harmless, insignificant snacks to tide me over before dinner—until I started logging them. Some nights those mindless appetizers packed in more than 400 calories.

Not All Calories Are Created Equal

Fad diets will have you believe that to lose weight you need to cut out certain food groups, macronutrients like carbs, or just “eat clean” (whatever that means). But research consistently shows that weight loss lives and dies with simply burning more energy than you’re consuming. In other words, it doesn’t really matter what you eat so long as you’re eating less energy than you burn, says Kashey. If you keep your calories below threshold, you could technically lose weight on a diet of Skittles, pizza, and Big Macs and still lose weight. (Would it be healthy, though? Definitely not.) Throughout this experiment, I ate a nightly bowl of Lucky Charms with whole milk. I also ate foods like burgers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and peanut M&M’s.

The key, as with all diets, is moderation. Those foods won’t fill you up, and they pack in more calories. Foods we consider healthy—vegetables, fruits, lean meats—are filling but contain fewer calories compared to processed foods. If you can feel full on fewer calories, you’re more likely to go into a calorie deficit, or the state where you’re burning more energy than you’re consuming.

Potatoes Are Miracle Workers

In the mid-1990s, researchers in Australia set out to determine which foods are the most filling. They created a metric called the “satiety index” and found that potatoes ranked highest, which is exactly why I ate potatoes five nights of the week.

A couple small potatoes at dinner keep me full until morning and contained just a couple hundred calories. Potatoes are such an effective weight-loss tool that magician Penn Gillette lost 73 pounds after eating only potatoes for 83 days.

Finding Go-To Meals Is Key

After a couple weeks on my plan, I’d settled into a routine, finding a right-size breakfast, lunch, and a few dinners that I’d eat most days of the week. This made my life easier, removing much of the tedious thinking and planning that went every ounce of food. Now that I’m phasing off the plan, I’ll still take the same approach. By having a handful of healthy go-to meals, you can better control what you eat.

Eat “Enough” Food

I’d always viewed weight management as a matter of eating more food or less food. Kashey says a better way to look at it is to eat enough food. Enough isn’t too little or too much; the former leaves you underfueled, while the latter adds pointless pounds. Enough, on the other hand, is the sweet spot that leads to an ideal weight. Kashey, for example, has worked with men and women who were overweight because they were eating too little, which resulted in frequent binges. A regular bump in healthy calories gave them fuel to exercise harder and kept them satiated for longer.

Weighing Food :: Diabetes Education Online

• Demystifying Sugar »
• «
  Carbohydrate Exchanges

Calculate by food weight for items you are unsure about.

Don’t confuse grams of food weight with grams of carbohydrate. The food weight simply is the weight of the actual food item.

Considering that many foods come in different shapes and sizes, knowing the amount of carbohydrate by weight is another helpful tool. Fruit, for example, can be small or very large, peeled and pitted. Or slices of bread can be deceptive depending on the size of the loaf and how thick you may cut the slice. Calculate the amount of carbohydrate by food weight for items you are unsure about.

In this section, you will learn about:

• How do I calculate carbohydrate content from food weight?
• Food Weights
• Food FACTOR-the carbohydrate content of food based on weight

Should I Weigh My Foods?

Weighing food may seem like a lot of work. Weighing food isn’t for everyone. Your registered dietitian can help guide you.

So who benefits the most from taking this extra step?

Here’s the best advice about weighing foods:

If you have type 2 diabetes and are managing your diabetes with diet and exercise alone, or with oral pills, you may not need to take the extra step of weighing foods to count your carbohydrates. Why? Weighing foods will not make a big difference in dosing your diabetes medicines day to day.

Reading food labels and using carbohydrate exchanges will be your most helpful carbohydrate counting tools. However, you may wish to experiment with weighing certain foods when you are unsure of the carbohydrate count.

For people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who are treated with insulin, getting the most accurate carbohydrate count may help you better control  your blood sugars. . Every gram of carbohydrate may mean a change in your insulin dose. So if you are managing your diabetes with insulin before meals, try weighing certain foods when you are unsure of the carbohydrate count.

Remember, weighing certain food items doesn’t mean you will have to weigh every food for the rest of your life! But taking some time in the beginning to weigh the foods you are unsure about may help you feel more confident with your carbohydrate counting in the long run.

CALCULATE CARBOHYDRATES BY HOW MUCH THE FOOD WEIGHS IF YOU ARE UNSURE

In this section, you will learn about:

• How do I calculate carbohydrate content from food weight?
• Food Weights
• Food FACTOR-the carbohydrate content of food based on weight

How do I calculate the carbohydrate content from the food weight?

You need :

1. The weight of the food
2. The “Factor” which tells you how much of the food weight is carbohydrate

Food Weights

Food weights are measured in either ounces or grams. Don’t confuse grams of food weight with grams of carbohydrate. The food weight simply is the weight of the actual food item when placed on the food scale.

Don’t confuse grams of food weight with grams of carbohydrate.

You can find information about Food Weight from a variety of resources:

• The Exchange Lists for Meal Planning includes Food Weight for many items listed.
• Nutrition Facts food labels on packaged foods may list a Food Weight along with the measured Serving Size.
• Carbohydrate counting and food composition books and online databases are available.

Food FACTOR

To calculate carbohydrate by food weight, you have to know how many grams of carbohydrate are in a given weight of the food. – this is referred to as the FACTOR.

The food FACTOR can be expressed in either ounces or grams of a food item. Depending on your source of nutrition information, the grams of carbohydrate per food weight may be displayed differently. Sometimes, it will list the grams of carbohydrate per one ounce or gram. Or, it may list the grams of carbohydrate for multiple ounces or grams.

The FACTOR equals the grams of carbohydrate per one ounce or one gram of a food item.

How Do I Count Carbohydrates based on the Food Weight?

To calculate your carbohydrate count by food weight, use this basic equation:

Your Food Weight X Food FACTOR=
Grams of Carbohydrate in that food

See our convenient tables that give you the grams of carbohydrate per food weight for common carbohydrate containing foods, including whole fruits and sliced fruits.

If you are weighing the food in ounces, use the “Factor for Ounces.” If you are weighing the food in grams, use the “Factor for Grams”.

Different FACTORS are available for whole (unpeeled with seeds/pits) fruit and sliced fruit (no seeds, pits, or rind). Be sure to use the right fruit Factor!

Let’s walk through some examples:

Example 1: To calculate the grams of carbohydrate for a slice of bread:

• Weigh your bread (in ounces) using a food scale – the weight is 2 ounces.
• Look up the FACTOR for bread (in ounces). The bread FACTOR is 15 grams of carbohydrate per one ounce.
• Multiply the weight of your slice of bread times the FACTOR.
• 2 ounces of Bread x 15 grams of carbohydrate per ounce equals 30 grams of carbohydrate.
• So that means your bread slice is 30 grams of carbohydrate.

Let’s walk through another example.

Example 2: To calculate the grams of carbohydrate for a whole apple:

• Weigh your whole apple (in ounces) using a food scale. For your apple, the weight includes the skin, core, seeds and stem. Let’s say your apple weighs 9 ounces.
• Look up the FACTOR for a whole apple. The whole apple FACTOR is 3.75 grams of carbohydrate per one ounce.
• Multiply the weight of your apple times the FACTOR for whole apples. 9 ounces of whole apple x 3.75 grams of carbohydrate per ounce equals 34 grams of carbohydrate.
• So that means your whole apple is 34 grams of carbohydrate.

Now, what if you are using a scale that weighs in grams?

Example 3: Let’s now calculate the grams of carbohydrate for our whole apple, using grams instead of ounces:

• Weigh your whole apple (in grams) using a food scale. For your apple, the weight includes the skin, core, seeds and stem. Let’s say your apple weighs 252 grams.
• Look up the FACTOR for a whole apple. The whole apple FACTOR is 0.13 grams of carbohydrate per one gram.
• Multiply the weight of your apple times the FACTOR for whole apples. 252 grams of whole apple x 0.13 grams of carbohydrate per gram equals 33 grams of carbohydrate.
• So that means your whole apple is 33 grams of carbohydrate.

Now let’s practice using sliced apples instead:

Example 4: To calculate the grams of carbohydrate for sliced apples:

• Weigh your sliced apples (with skin) in ounces using a food scale. Let’s say your sliced apples weigh 6 ounces.
• Look up the FACTOR for a sliced apples (with skin). The FACTOR is 3.91 grams of carbohydrate per one ounce.
• Multiply the weight of your sliced apples times the FACTOR for sliced apples. 6 ounces of sliced apples x 3.91 grams of carbohydrate per ounce equals 23 grams of carbohydrate.
• So that means your bowl of sliced apples is 23 grams of carbohydrate.

You can weigh your food using either a scale that reads in grams or reads in ounces – 1 ounce is the same as about 28 grams.

Self-assessment Quiz

Self assessment quizzes are available for topics covered in this website. To find out how much you have learned about  Understanding Carbohydrates, take our self assessment quiz when you have completed this section.  The quiz is multiple choice. Please choose the single best answer to each question. At the end of the quiz, your score will display. If your score is over 70% correct, you are doing very well. If your score is less than 70%, you can return to this section and review the information.

Meal plan weighing and measuring

Those who suffer from overweight and eating disorders are more than aware of food and its “right” or “wrong” as a means to reduce or control weight. Anyway, when it comes to food, people who suffer from food addiction have a long battle to show their ability to make choices about food, food, or nutrition in general. What they don’t really realize is that after years of dieting, fasting, fasting, and exercising, they know much less about their real relationship with food than they did before they went on their first diet. In any case, this demonstration of control can become a mindset that dooms them to permanent failure in managing their food addiction.

Food takes over life. One way or another, our addiction tends to destroy any semblance of boundaries that regulate our behavior in relation to food and nutrition. We stubbornly refuse to admit that when it comes to food,

we cannot rely on ourselves. Food addicts unconsciously insist that in the area of ​​food and nutrition they can and do choose well, although time and experience show that this is not the case.

In the program we set limits , insisting that improving the physical aspects of weight and eating behavior begins with the act of weighing and measuring every bite of food. This action clearly defines what we eat, how much, and is the clearest beginning of honesty. Those recovering from food addiction, eating disorders, or weight disorders feel that the sanity of food addicts becomes so stable with weighing and measuring, as this action removes the element of “control” from their remit. Addicts want control over their condition, and weighing and measuring tells them they are no longer in the driver’s seat.

Weighing and measuring also indicates the willingness of the food addict to recover. Someone, as is customary in the program, sets for us the amount of food that can be eaten, the time and frequency of eating, and determines what is acceptable “abstinence”. The addict gives up control over everything related to food. He accepts that he must weigh and measure his food according to the meal plan. For some, this is the only possible way to recover, when eating or not eating becomes a critical decision.

So in the program we have a meal plan and use it as a blueprint, a template to start the process of honesty and readiness. However, this process can only come into play if the recovering person is willing to weigh and measure. Also, since we weigh, measure, and use the meal plan, we are aware of the boundary of the “first unmanageable chunk” . The border is set – cross it, and again find yourself “overboard”. Staying within these boundaries means the safety and security that comes with following a recovery plan. Stay within these guidelines and the guilt associated with overeating will give way to freedom from food obsession.

All of a sudden all decisions about food and quantity are made and accepted. Anxiety, anxiety and fear fade into the background, giving way to excitement and revival. The simple act of weighing and measuring a meal plan gives us the chance to become someone new, someone different, someone whole.

With this feeling of newness and rebirth comes openness. Feelings and actions appear that express a new person, and not one who began his search and reluctantly weighed and measured his food from the meal plan. This is a calm person, centered in the present, included in the living of the current moment and firmly knowing that all food decisions have been made, and the days of arguments are over. Food decisions become part of everyday life, freeing the food addict to make sober life decisions.

The eating plan and the act of weighing and measuring food confirm the physical nature of our disease. This is

reveals a causal relationship to our most visible problems with overeating. It also allows us to focus on our other physical issues that we can no longer attribute to our weight, our diet, our job, or our family. This sheds a bright light on the impact food has on us and the problems we have outside of food.

By weighing and measuring, we get an accurate picture of how much we have actually eaten and notice what we eat. We’ve been protesting for years that we don’t eat “too much,” but a weigh-and-measure meal plan shows us exactly how much we’re really eating.

In addition, the meal plan is the beginning of acceptance. We must accept that someone other than us does what is right for us. We need to believe that the eating plan and the discipline associated with it are the cures.

At the same time, weighing and measuring gives us a basis or database against which we can evaluate how we act. Initially, weight loss is the only way we can testify that we are “doing it”. Weighing and measuring is our foundation of recovery. If everything else goes wrong in the lives of addicts, they continue to weigh and measure with even more enthusiasm and devotion. Thus, while experiencing chaos in other areas, they feel peace in their diet. We accept life as it is because all we can do to manage any part of our life is to weigh and measure. Also, it is through the eating plan that we learn to “let go” of other things that are happening in our lives.

In terms of nutrition, there may be foods that the person himself considers far from being useful or necessary. We often share our knowledge with our sponsor, whose response is, “I’m just a sponsor of the

nutrition plan.” The newcomer is tense, but ultimately he wants what the sponsor has, and so learns to “let go.”

We accept life as it is, because all we can do to control any part of our lives is weigh and measure.

When a family crisis arises and a person is advised to “let go”, he already has experience in this process, gained in his first activities of weighing, measuring and eating. Weighing and measuring according to the plan nutrition becomes the prototype of the ability to accept things as they are and let go of your wishful thinking.

We determine what we eat and how much, then our task is to determine who we are and how we fit into the existing order of things, the existing meaning and history. All this gives us an understanding of a new level of feelings and allows us to separate the invented pain and difficulties of being an addict from the real pain and difficulties of people living in the real world. First of all, we approach events calmly and thoughtfully, and learn to “weigh and measure” the decisions, relationships, and choices in our lives and in what we see in the lives of others. Weighing and measuring gives us distinctive boundaries.

12 STEPS OF RECOVERY

1. We admitted that we were powerless over food, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We have come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.
3. We have made the decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him.
4. We have taken a deep and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We confessed to God, to ourselves and to another person the true nature of our mistakes.
6. We are fully prepared for God to deliver us from all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We have made a list of all the people we have harmed and are willing to make amends to all of them.
9. We made direct amends to these people where possible, unless it could hurt them or anyone else.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and, when we made mistakes, we were quick to admit it.
11. We sought, through prayer and meditation, to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and for the strength to carry it out.
12. Having achieved spiritual awakening through these steps, we tried to get our ideas across to other food addicts and apply these principles in all of our activities.

how to control your food

A calorie deficit is the basis of weight loss, but what if you can’t weigh your food or you’ve reached your goal and strict counting is optional. There are proven ways to not overeat.

Tags:

Food

weight loss

Getty Images

You don’t have to count calories all your life, the most important thing is to learn how much food you need

Content of the article

What are the correct portion sizes?

Serving sizes are the recommended amount of certain foods that you can eat at one time. The correct serving size varies by product and can even differ depending on how the food is prepared.

Maintaining healthy portion sizes will help you remember how much you eat throughout the day. People usually finish their entire meal, so dividing food into portions helps reduce the amount of food eaten, preventing overeating.

Examples of recommended serving sizes:

• Non-starchy vegetables: 1 cup (130 g)
• Fruit: 1 whole fruit for apples, pears, etc. and 1.5 to 2 cups (130 g) for chopped fruits or berries.
• Grains or starches: ½ to 1 cup (65 to 130 g)
• Dairy: ½ to 1 cup (65 to 130 g)
• Protein (meats, eggs, nuts, beans): 4 to 6 oz (110 to 170 g)
• Oils: 1 to 2 teaspoons

ADVERTISING – CONTINUED BELOW

How to control ?

Read labels on foods

One of the best ways to know how many calories and other nutrients are in a serving is to read the label carefully.

Use measuring cups

If this is your first time learning about proper portion sizes, you may not be able to understand exactly what 1 cup is right away. To do this, you need to measure different products with a measuring cup a couple of times, so that you can imagine how the correct portion looks visually. Then you can no longer use it, you will already understand what size of food is needed.

Palm method

You will not always have access to measuring instruments, you can simply use your hand as a reference instead. Everyone has different palms, but the need for calories is also different.

Here are some approximate serving sizes when using the palm as a measuring tool:

1. Fingerless palm: A portion of a protein food such as meat, fish or legumes, ideally in an even layer without a hill.
2. Fist: a serving of non-starchy vegetables.
3. Cupped palm of one hand: Approximately one serving of high-carb foods such as grains or starchy vegetables.
4. Thumb: A serving of healthy fats such as nuts or oils.

Smaller plates

Visual cues play a role in satiety and food satisfaction. A large area of ​​open space on your plate gives the illusion of a smaller portion than the same amount of food on a small plate. As a result, many people often fill their plate to the brim, no matter how big that plate is. Food on a small plate visually looks larger, which increases the chances of eating fewer calories at mealtimes.

Swap out your large plates for smaller ones and you will start noticing changes in your eating habits.

Harvard Plate Method

Harvard Plate Method depicts a plate divided into sections:

• About ¼ of your plate: lean protein such as chicken or fish

90 089 About ¼ of your plate: whole grains and starchy vegetables

• About ½ of your plate: non-starchy vegetables and fruits
• A cup of low-fat or fat-free dairy products

The diameter of the correct “plate” for women is 21-22 centimeters, for men – 24 centimeters.

Control portions in restaurants

Be aware that meals in restaurants tend to exceed recommended amounts and calories. You don’t have to eat the whole portion, you can take some with you.

Food Diary

To better understand how much and how you eat, you can keep a food diary. It can be in notes on your phone, in an app, or as photos. When you don’t pay attention to what and how much you eat, it’s much easier to mindlessly snack and eat more than you think.