9 Reasons To Weigh & Measure Your Food

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

You weigh and measure yourself, don’t you? It can be such a gratifying way to see your progress towards your weight goal. But do you weigh and measure your food as well? No? Despite the potential for that practice to help you lose weight?

Tell me why you don’t weigh and measure you food before putting it on your plate. Is it painful? Surely not. Is it impossibly difficult? No, I can’t believe that either. Or do your cups, spoons, and scale gather dust simply because they remind you too much of…gasp!!...dieting?

Dieting…one of the most hated words in the vocabulary of every obese person who hated dieting, and failed at it so often, that she or he finally got fat enough to qualify for weight loss surgery. I completely understand. I’ve been there, done that, and got the size 3X tee-shirt. Yet still I’m going to insist that you give the practice of weighing and measuring food a try, because it’s one of the things that has made me a WLS success and because I can think of 9 (count 'em - NINE) excellent reasons for you to do it too.

1. It will prevent you from consuming more calories than you can burn each day, thereby helping you lose weight. Me, I’m terrible at eye-balling food amounts, even after years of practice. I cut myself a piece of chicken that I think weighs 2 ounces, and find to my surprise that it weighs 4 ounces. I spoon myself a modest mound of veggies that I think measures ¼ cup, and discover that it actually measures ½ cup.

2. It will make the data you enter in your food log more accurate so you’ll know how much you’re really consuming and whether you’re eating appropriate amounts of Proteins, carbs, and fats each day, not just for weight loss but for good nutrition. You do keep a food log, don’t you? Did you know that scientific studies have shown that people who keep a food log lose more weight than people who don’t?

3. It will help give you a sense of control and mastery over food and eating, which will be very welcome and empowering after years of feeling that food and eating controlled you.

4. Weighing, measuring, or counting out 10 potato chips or 14 M&M’s will give you a chance to think one last time about whether that stuff will meet your nutritional and health goals as well as temporarily scratching the itch of a food craving.

5. It will slow your progress from stove to table, thereby reducing your risk of inhaling your food without even tasting it. You do sit at the table to eat, don’t you? It’s not true that calories eaten while standing up at the counter (or in your car or at your desk) don’t count!

6. The ceremony of weighing and measuring will help you appreciate the sensual delight of food, and that will increase your satiety (the sensation of having eaten enough food, which by the way is quite different from feeling “full”).

7. Until you learn what your satiety or “stop eating” signals are, you’ll have no way of knowing if you’ve eaten too much until it’s too late. And stopping eating too late can translate not only into disappointing weight loss but into unpleasant side effects like PB’s (regurgitation), sliming, foaming, and stuck episodes.

8. It will prevent you from consistently overeating, thereby preventing you from experiencing not just the side effects mentioned above but also some unwanted and potentially irreversible medical complications, like a band slip, a dilated esophagus, and/or a dilated stomach pouch.

9. If you give it an honest try for at least one week – just 7 days – and it doesn’t help, you’ll have the pleasure of saying that you proved me wrong. That’s highly unlikely, but hey, give it a shot!

Oh, one last thing (for now). I know some highly successful bandsters who never weighed and measured a single morsel of food. They ate small amounts of foods they liked, lost weight, and maintained that weight loss. But they’re in the minority. And I, the World’s Greatest Living Expert on Everything, who slacked off on food vigilance after I reached my goal weight, have found that one of the quickest and easiest ways to get my eating back on track and nip weight regain in the bud is to go back to weighing and measuring. At the same time, I’m able to eat small amounts of foods that I like – just like the ones who don’t weigh and measure. The fact that my food has been weighed and measured doesn't make it any less delicious!

If it makes the practice easier for you to bend your stubborn mind around, tell yourself you’ll just do it just for this one week, or one day, or one meal. Sometimes the WLS journey has to be taken one tiny baby step at a time. And that’s perfectly okay, because hundreds of baby steps can add up to hundreds of pounds and inches lost, and a lifetime of weight maintenance. Isn’t that what you want, in the end? Yeah, me too.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I wish there was a "love" button for this. Another GREAT article, Jean!!!!

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

Nice article Jean. This is my downfall. I am not consistent with it and I need to fix that!

[Maddysgram 6,159]

Thanks for the reminder,Jean. Love your words of wisdom, mixed with a little humor.

We hear it over and over again " I'm not losing and I'm doing everything I'm suppose to", are you measuring and logging? "well, no". Just do it!

Thanks again for the time you take, to keep us all in line.

[taylor1989 131]

Love this

[MiniMi 1,468]

Yes ma'am.

Jk

I do it and I'm successful for all the reasons you stated and one more.... I do it to prove to myself that I'm stepping out of my own way ( that has lead me to morbid obesity) and let my band do it's job.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

Thanks for the reminder,Jean. Love your words of wisdom, mixed with a little humor.

We hear it over and over again " I'm not losing and I'm doing everything I'm suppose to", are you measuring and logging? "well, no". Just do it!

Thanks again for the time you take, to keep us all in line.

You're very welcome. You've probably noticed by now that humor makes my world go 'round!

[Maddysgram 6,159]

You're very welcome. You've probably noticed by now that humor makes my world go 'round!

I noticed and that's what I love about you!

I'm a true believer in laughter being the best medicine, whether physically or mentally.

[labwalker 1,177]

Measure, weight, record... always worked for me, even before banding. When I became complacent and lazy, I failed.

[lisamase 52]

Wow. That was deep lol. I needed that. Honestly never measured food in my life and thought overwhelms me. I don't know why.... Plus im not as organized as i need to be. But I would like to try. Just have a 1cup measuring cup. And how would I measure meat? Sorry if dumb question but I'm no Betty Crocker, so I always picked fast and ate. I'm one week in and starting mushy foods but still mostly liquid. When I eat what I think is nothing , I feel full uncomfortably. Does it make sense to feel hungry and full? Having hard time getting suggested fluids in too but as I eat more, I will measure and try your challenge. Thank you!!!! Would you mind sharing pics or pre op wt and current ? Ur inspiring and I'm proud of you!

[Maelo32 0]

Well yeah that makes sense and i guess there is nothing really bad about it if we do that,It can help us in maintaing the weight the amount of calories and fats that we consume.

Click here

[Monami7th 0]

Hi. I myself am a sleever. I honestly do not know how I ended up in this part of the forum, but I am glad I did. I could not agree with you more Jean! I am 4 mths out and have lost 79 lbs. So far. And the secret to my success has been just that... measure measure measure! Thank you for the words of encouragement and wisdom, in this journey it is always needed. God bless you

[Aline728 301]

So true.....

[karin 1]

That's a great idea. I'm going to start to do that. I don't have any oz measuring cups.

[Ladybandito 516]

Bump. Because it's great info for newbies!!