Food Scale - do you really need one?

[jhclikesshopping@gmail.com 285]

Thoughts? is it worth it or can the eyeball/ image cheat methods work well enough?

http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Living/Weight-Management/Article-Viewer/Article/348/correct-portion-sizes-how-to-keep-portion-distortion-in-check.aspx

I use this cheat sheet.

[imsoglad56 402]

Maybe some can get by without a scale, but I'm 10 months post-op and still use mine for everything. I slacked off for a while and was just eyeballing it, but I started to think maybe I wasn't getting it quite right. I started weighing again and yep, I was way off in some cases. I'll stick with the scale for now. It only cost 20 bucks, so it's definitely worth it for me.

[borg/assimilated 576]

I purchased one and have yet to use it. My dietician lists everything in Tablespoons, 1/2 cup etc.

[bikrchk 1,313]

I'll be 2 years out in Oct and used the scale religiously for the first year (in self defense as it HURTS to over do it). Still use it occasionally these days mostly for treats I tend to over indulge in to keep me honest.

[AvaFern 3,516]

I used my food scale for the first few weeks until I was sure I had an idea of what the right serving size was. I was pleasantly surprised by how much meat I was allowed to eat, which was a nice benefit of having used the scale. It is still somewhere in one of my cupboards but I rarely use it anymore.

[joatsaint 2,814]

I use a food scale on and off. Especially when I'm not sure of a portion size, like Cereal. I needed to weigh it to be sure of the calorie count. I bought a good cheap one off Amazon a few years ago and it has served me well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CM6TVI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the one I got.

Easy to use multifunction home scale - Perfect for cooks, dieters and families
Max weight 11lbs; Displays ounces/lbs/grams/kgs; Graduation .05 oz / 1 gram
Includes FREE EatSmart Calorie Factors guide - Portion Control and calorie counting made easy!
Tare feature eliminates the weight of a plate; 3 Minute Auto-Shutoff lets you prepare ingredients while maintaining battery life
2 AAA batteries included; 100% EatSmart Guaranteed Satisfaction

[AlanaRN 419]

I bought a inexpensive one from Walmart. At 9 months out, I still use it daily.

[stacyg1 136]

I'm 13 months out and still use my scale every singable day.

[amazon 579]

It's been a necessity for me.

I'm at the point where sometimes I don't weight/measure a portion. But it's very much the exception.

I'm over 10 months out. It may change at some point, but at this stage I still need and use it.

[anahajara 16]

Is go with using a good ol tablespoon. For example, 3 ounces of popcorn takes up a ton of space compared to 3oz of a shake. (I know we don't do popcorn).

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I do use a scale and found it especially useful in the early days post-op.

I still can't tell how much cheese I'm eating if I don't weigh it.

And while we're talking about measuring, one tablespoon of Peanut Butter is a helluva lot less than you think it is.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I use a food scale but mostly use measuring cups (for volume).

[Soapandcandlequeen 124]

I say yes. I wanted to be as accurate as possible

[Hopscotch 57]

I'm a little over two months out and still use my scale religiously. I got one from Target during my 6 month mando nutrition training so I already had it for post-op. I do this because when I eyeball it, even a small bite more HURTS so bad. Not worth the minor inconvenience of weighing. It helps my peace of mind too - lets me know I'm not overeating.

Edited July 8, 2015 by LadyRouge

[Jb1176 79]

I use a food scale on and off. Especially when I'm not sure of a portion size, like Cereal. I needed to weigh it to be sure of the calorie count. I bought a good cheap one off Amazon a few years ago and it has served me well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CM6TVI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url

This is the one I got.

Easy to use multifunction home scale - Perfect for cooks, dieters and families

Max weight 11lbs; Displays ounces/lbs/grams/kgs; Graduation .05 oz / 1 gram

Includes FREE EatSmart Calorie Factors guide - Portion Control and calorie counting made easy!

Tare feature eliminates the weight of a plate; 3 Minute Auto-Shutoff lets you prepare ingredients while maintaining battery life

2 AAA batteries included; 100% EatSmart Guaranteed Satisfaction

[url=http://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=54741]Food_scale.jpg

I have the exact same scale and use it religiously three times a day. I am terrible at eyeballing a portion especially because some Proteins are more dense than others and what looks like 4 ounces of one food is not the same size as 4 ounces of another food.