Ounces? Volume or weight?

[finallyFree 9]

Thanks all!

[ladyhummingbird 13]

Thx so much for all the info!!

[fatnomo 102]

This was a response to me asking the same exact question:

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