How do you measure your food?

[LynRN 294]

I usually measure my food in ounces vs tablespoons/cups, etc? I'm concerned that this is wrong and has caused me to eat too much. I'm one week from 4 months out and am eating 4-5 ounces per meal and around 800 calories per day. I'm not really concerned about my calories, though but the sizes of my portions? What do you guys think? (BTW, I didn't get a lot of help from my NUT on this(

[Mrs.RRn 2,111]

I weigh meat & measure soft foods (yogurt, peanut butter) in spoons/cups

[Recycled 2,182]

I pretty much use one of two things. For Soups, chili, puddings and and soft or mushy stuff, I use a 1/2 cup measuring scoop. For regular food I weigh out 3 ounces on the scale. And for liquids, I just drink all day long as much as I can stand.

Oh, I forgot the important part. I keep track of everything on MFP. (It adds up quick)

Edited March 18, 2014 by Recycled

[LynRN 294]

I weigh meat & measure soft foods (yogurt, peanut butter) in spoons/cups

Would you say that you weigh all solids (meat, veggies, cheese, etc). And measure semi solids and edible liquids? And how much do you eat at one meal?

[Sassy Pants1 186]

I use both methods - cups/spoons and ounces. Depends on what I'm having. I think it sounds like you are right on track.

[LynRN 294]

I use both methods - cups/spoons and ounces. Depends on what I'm having. I think it sounds like you are right on track.

I hope so, my hunger has increased lately and I have had a couple of bad days and I've gotten a little paranoid about stretching my sleeve. Especially since I'm not even 4 months out with 75-80 more pounds to lose.

[Mrs.RRn 2,111]

I weigh meat & measure soft foods (yogurt, peanut butter) in spoons/cups

Would you say that you weigh all solids (meat, veggies, cheese,etc). And measure semi solids and edible liquids? And how much do you eat at one meal?

I eat 2-3 oz of solid food at a meal. I weigh out my meat (example: chicken) and don't usually weight or measure my veggies bc I can usually only eat about a couple tsp-tbsp of veggies.

If it's a semi-solid or thicker liquid, I eat about 3-4 Fluid ounces (like chili, Soup, yogurt)

[LynRN 294]

I weigh meat & measure soft foods (yogurt, peanut butter) in spoons/cups

Would you say that you weigh all solids (meat, veggies, cheese,etc). And measure semi solids and edible liquids? And how much do you eat at one meal?

I eat 2-3 oz of solid food at a meal. I weigh out my meat (example: chicken) and don't usually weight or measure my veggies bc I can usually only eat about a couple tsp-tbsp of veggies.

If it's a semi-solid or thicker liquid, I eat about 3-4 Fluid ounces (like chili, Soup, yogurt)

Thanks for that. I made chili tonight and weighed the entire batch ( and then divided it by 12, which was just over 4 ounces) so I could figure out the calories per serving in MFP. I just want to make sure, I'm doing okay. One more question. How many time per day do you eat? My Nut wants me to eat just 3 times per day with no Snacks, but I like to have at least one snack per day, usually a Quest bar to help my sweet tooth at night or some almonds or a cheese stick to bump up my Protein a little. I really don't understand the problem with a healthy snack as long as I'm staying within my calorie goals. For example, today I had 3 full meals, plus a Quest bar and a cheese stick and my total calories for the day are 741 and 73g Protein and with exercise my net is less than 300.

[NMJG 1,266]

Lyn, at 4 months I started feeling like I could eat more, too, so that's when I added in veggies and occasional fruit. Really helped.

For measurements, I use ounces, cups, measuring spoons, all sorts of things. I try to match the measure to nutritional data on MFP or the label. For Protein like meats or cheese, it's usually scale ounces. For soft products (cottage cheese, yogurt, broth) I use liquid ounces.

On the topic of Snacks, my nut also said no Snacks. However, I told her I needed them to get in enough Protein. She was worried that I was grazing all day long, which I was not. She finally relented after I kept pushing her. I still do a morning and afternoon snack and try to keep it to 100 calories per snack. Maybe you can explain to your nut why you need a snack.

[piercedqt78 658]

I have found a great snack. They are called P3, buy Oscar Meyer, and they are meat, cheese and nuts. About 150 calories, but 14-16 grams of Protein. I get them at Walmart by the lunchables for $1 each. I always have them on hand in the fridge, so if I get hungry or my family chooses to eat something that I either don't like, or isn't good for my sleeve, I can have that. I like them for lunch, or I split them into 2 Snacks in the same day.

At the 4ish month mark I was able to start really eating, and when I say really eating, I mean 3-4 oz at a time, three times a day. Tonight for example, I had a piece of corned beef, about 3/4 the size of a deck of cards, 1/2 of a red potato and 3 or 4 cabbage leafs. I was satisfied, but not stuffed. I skipped the Irish Soda bread, and the Guiness cupcakes that were for dessert. Instead about 2 hours after dinner I had the other half of my greek yogurt from Breakfast that I had stuck in the freezer, so it was like ice cream. And last night for "dessert" I had 1/2 of a banana that I had stuck in the freezer tossed into the yonana machine, and made into soft serve. I don't feel deprived that way, and I'm eating things that are good for me.

[Mrs.RRn 2,111]

I weigh meat & measure soft foods (yogurt, peanut butter) in spoons/cups

Would you say that you weigh all solids (meat, veggies, cheese,etc). And measure semi solids and edible liquids? And how much do you eat at one meal?

I eat 2-3 oz of solid food at a meal. I weigh out my meat (example: chicken) and don't usually weight or measure my veggies bc I can usually only eat about a couple tsp-tbsp of veggies.

If it's a semi-solid or thicker liquid, I eat about 3-4 Fluid ounces (like chili, Soup, yogurt)

Thanks for that. I made chili tonight and weighed the entire batch ( and then divided it by 12, which was just over 4 ounces) so I could figure out the calories per serving in MFP. I just want to make sure, I'm doing okay. One more question. How many time per day do you eat? My Nut wants me to eat just 3 times per day with no Snacks, but I like to have at least one snack per day, usually a Quest bar to help my sweet tooth at night or some almonds or a cheese stick to bump up my Protein a little. I really don't understand the problem with a healthy snack as long as I'm staying within my calorie goals. For example, today I had 3 full meals, plus a Quest bar and a cheese stick and my total calories for the day are 741 and 73g Protein and with exercise my net is less than 300.

At first I was told no Snacks as well. But when I started running, I quickly learned (after a couple episodes of hypoglycemia) that I needed to eat a little more. My doc actually suggested I eat more after looking at my food journal, lab work, and hearing about my exercise. On days I run, I take in a little more carbs, while on days I do weights or other workouts I take in less carbs and more protein. I typically eat 5-6 times per day now (keeping in mind I workout between 1-3 hours per day) my meals are about 3 oz while my snacks are about 2 oz.

[joatsaint 2,814]

Here's a typical day's food for me. I've been eating pretty much this amount everyday since my 1 year surgerversary. :-)