Food scale or measuring cup

[fatnomo 102]

I have both. Which do I use and why?

[Lander 74]

I use both. I measure my meat/cheese on the scale and my vegetables/cottage cheese with the measuring cups.

[fatnomo 102]

So what's the difference between a measuring cup with an ounce of chicken and a scale with an ounce of chicken?

[karen_golfs 11]

Can't accurately measure dry stuff in a measuring cup. Gotta have the food scale for that. I learned that in cooking school last year! TW I'm 58 and didn't know it!!

[fatnomo 102]

So what about meat?

If I want 3 oz and the scale says 3oz is that weight or mass?

[karen_golfs 11]

Weight - I only use scales unless I'm measuring liquid. I finally learned to use them correctly by putting a plate on the scale, let it reset to zero and then add the food! I feel smarter every day.

[fatnomo 102]

Forgive my idiocy. If my stomach can only handle 3 oz that is a measure of quantity/mass. If I weigh my "meat" and it says 3 oz isn't that the weight, not mass? Sorry, not trying to be a pain.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Fatnomo, I use my scale full time. The only time I use a measuring cup is on liquids (milk and egg beaters) and powders (protein powder). But when it comes to meat especially, you do have to figure out how much mass you can hold and the scale doesn't necessarily tell you that. For me there was some trial and error. I'd put 4 ounces of chicken on the scale, then eat it. If I couldn't eat it, next time I'd put 3 ounces. Then I'd know 3 ounces was my limit. And by weighing it, I knew exactly how many calories I was eating. Make sense?

[karen_golfs 11]

You are not a pain. I'm trying to come up with a good answer. I think you could try to eat the 3 oz of meat and see if you are full or not. I know you don't want to overdo it. How long post op are you?

[AliveAgain 283]

It's more about the most accurate. scale for non-bulk solids like meats, cheeses, vegetables. Measuring devices for things that won't work on scale as well - liquids, chia seed, yogurt.

[karen_golfs 11]

Thanks Butterthebean - I was fumbling

[fatnomo 102]

I'm 5 weeks.

[lsereno 2,525]

I use the scale for almost everything. I use it to ensure I'm getting enough Protein each day and to track calories. I weigh yogurt, meat, fish, and poultry. I also weigh treat foods, such as crackers, chips, pretzels, and ice cream. I don't weigh fruits and vegetables and I measure liquids, such as soy milk.

Lynda

[karen_golfs 11]

Wishing you nothing but good luck.

[RickM 1,752]

So what's the difference between a measuring cup with an ounce of chicken and a scale with an ounce of chicken?

In principle, our sleeved stomachs have a certain volume, (mine was about 2.5 oz at surgery) so measuring volume with cups and spoons is what our stomach wants - sorta. But, since most of our foods have a density similar to Water (a Fluid ounce of Water weighs an ounce, or to be pedantically accurate, has a mass of one ounce,) weighing will do as well as measuring, so do whatever is most convenient. Some foods are very low density, or don't pack well into measuring cups (how much chopped spinach is a half cup - how finely chopped, how firmly packed....) so weighing is the only sensible way for those items.

Complicating things is how our new stomach handles different types of foods. Firm Proteins like lean meats will sit in our stomachs for a long time as they get processed for passing on to the intestines while most liquids flow on through with little restriction, and most other foods are somewhere in between. We can usually consume a lot more yogurt at a sitting than meat, so we can safely allow ourselves somewhat more of those foods, or may need to artificially limit the amount that we serve ourselves. My nominal capacity for most meats has long been about 3 oz by weight, and I could easily double that amount of yogurt, but typically only served up 4 oz as that is all that I needed.

Mostly we tend to go by experience with how much of what we can, or should, have at a time and use whatever measuring scheme is most convenient for us. For me, I weight virtually everything as it is most convenient for me and avoids fiddling around with numerous measuring cups and spoons, and cleaning them all the time - tossing different amounts of things into a bowl on the scale is much easier for me. YMMV