Weighing your food on a food scale

[momof3_angels 465]

4 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Holy crap!!!

(runs off to place an Amazon order, stat...)

They weren't cheap... but I plan to keep them for as long as I can, and hopefully never need to replace them. The ceramic plates/bowls were nice and heavy... they shouldn't break too easily. The bowls are quite big but have measurement markings all along the side. The plate is just bigger than a bread plate, but you can see how well a 3oz piece of chicken would fit perfectly in the Protein spot. I can easily see using them regularly when at home. Not sure how the rings will work out... but going to give them a try!

[Deemar007 244]

Fluffy, I knew were were kidding too. I LOL'd at your comment!

[FluffyChix 17,415]

3 hours ago, momof3_angels said:

They weren't cheap... but I plan to keep them for as long as I can, and hopefully never need to replace them. The ceramic plates/bowls were nice and heavy... they shouldn't break too easily. The bowls are quite big but have measurement markings all along the side. The plate is just bigger than a bread plate, but you can see how well a 3oz piece of chicken would fit perfectly in the Protein spot. I can easily see using them regularly when at home. Not sure how the rings will work out... but going to give them a try!

Oh I’m totally on it! 😇Lemme know how the rings work out!!! I saw those but was skeptical!!

Edited August 31, 2019 by FluffyChix

[JanJan19 205]

I weigh (if I'm eating at home) to keep myself in the habit of knowing exactly how little 4oz is. I just hit three months & asked my doctor if 4oz was what I should be shooting for & he actually said - "don't weigh. I want you to eat just till you feel full." I don't actually agree with him him in that I think I still need the accountability at this stage of weighing so I can count my calories & Protein.

[AZhiker 2,252]

I weigh and measure so I know how many actual calories and grams of Protein I am getting. I am not 100% with this every day, But I plan out the day's meals the night before. Then I have concrete targets and a plan, which reduces the risk of haphazard snacking or eating whatever happens to be around. Many days, the plan changes mid stream, but at least I still have a pretty good idea of what is going in. I still have to use Protein Powder in smoothies and Soup, and sometimes a cup of bedtime milk, to be sure to get enough protein in. If left to my own estimations on volume alone, I would be lacking in protein, for sure.

[AZhiker 2,252]

I take a short cut with the weighing/measuring by making up Snacks that I calculate only once. I freeze the portions and I can use them as snacks or as part of a meal. These include salmon patties, turkey or sirloin meatballs, mini quiche cups, mini cheese cakes, pumpkin custard, black bean burgerballs, mini corn tortilla with Beans and cheese. Each snack has 70 - 110 calories and 3-10 gm Protein.

I also use the same recipes for my standby berry green smoothies and power yoghurt cups, so there is no calculation there. When you find something you really like and will cook again, put it on a recipe card, with the macro breakdown and save all the work next time around.

[Tracyringo 503]

I weighed and logged everything the first 16 months, then I stopped. I just started doing it again because my weight crept up on me a few weeks ago 10 lbs !! I have gone back down 5 lb with 5 lb more to go. Your sleeve will eventually relax so knowing how much you are eating is very important. Best of Luck

Edited August 31, 2019 by Tracyringo

[looly 361]

I don't weigh anything or count calories. My portion size is about the same as the palm of my hand (or less if I feel satisfied quickly). I do keep a food diary, to make sure that I'm eating healthily and I probably eat 5 or 6 times a day.

Last week, I went on holiday and had alcohol and one or two Desserts, and I still managed to lose a pound (although I did quite a lot of swimming and walking).

Maybe I'm just lucky in finding a way of eating that works for me. If weighing and counting calories works for you, then it's super that you've found the strategy to suit you! 🙂

[chaibaix 10]

My reply was not meant in any other way but fun. It's actually my favorite question here and we always get SO many different viewpoints! Especially from those who do not weigh or measure and those (like me) who obsessively plan, weigh and measure!
Apologies OP. I did not mean this to discourage you! I should have typed this out in my first response.
(Disclaimer: I am an outlier!)
I actually still plan, weigh AND measure every bite of food that goes in my mouth (unless I'm out at a restaurant. When I'm at a restaurant I use my hand to estimate serving sizes and pack away my extra food immediately).

I use (d) the size of measuring cup appropriate for my stage and place it on the scale. Then I place each item I'm eating into the cup, starting with Protein at the bottom and weigh that in grams. I eat 2-4oz of lean dense protein per meal by weight (that makes about 3/8-3/4 cup of volume just from the protein) and at 18 months I have a 1 cup forever diet maximum per meal--supposedly. I try my best to observe that Maximum limit so I don't fork over my surgery. Then I tare the scale before each new addition so I know exactly how much and of what I'm eating and I also know that I have satisfied my protein goal for the day.
I eat mostly protein + veg + healthy fats at each meal. So it's pretty easy.
I do eat more than 1 cup per meal when I eat salad cuz it scrunches down into a lot of Water when well-chewed.
Hope that helps!

Thanks so much! This was so helpful!

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

[KaysMommy 1,089]

Thank you for this topic. I’m 8 years out and got out of the habit of measuring my food. I finally got back on track and started tracking my food again, and lost the extra weight I added. I never weigh my food, but I do guess the amount of food I eat, and track that. I have a great tracking app, that is actually linked to my surgeon. Baritastic doesn’t have to link to a doctor to use it. I track everything. I have to take 25 grams of psyllium husk a day, I even log that. It adds to my calories and carbs, so I don’t miss tracking even that. I do like to buy things I can scan into the app, so I’ll eat 3/4 of a turkey patty and log that I ate 3/4 of that. My Protein Shakes I measure out the amount of almond milk I use (I’m lactose intolerant now 😫) with the scoop of Protein Powder. I also track all Snacks. I can add how many many blue almonds I eat, stuff like that. I have gotten into the habit of logging everything that goes into my lunch bag during the day, I may not eat everything in my box but I can delete that if I don’t. It’s super easy to scan all the upc labels, or search for what I’m eating. By logging my day food, I know what I need to do for dinner. Tracking just helps me, I can scan labels at the grocery store to see if it’s something I should or shouldn’t eat. And Protein will always be important for you to know, when I stopped tracking I ate way to many carbs and not enough protein. And drinking calories with carbs, when I stopped tracking I stopped looking at labels, so not good for me. Good luck with your journey, you will find what works for you.

[Lynnlovesthebeach 626]

Yep, I weigh and measure everything and then track it! Otherwise, I'd never remember how much of anything I've had. Also, it's kind of cool to see how much Protein you can get in the fewest amount of calories! My eyes are notoriously wrong when "guesstimating" an appropriate serving!

[2Bsmaller18 436]

I never weight food. I use a few small bowls but I measured out a 1/4 and 1/2 servings so now I can just eyeball it. I also googled 1 and 2 oz if chicken, ground beef, cheese etc so I would have a visual. That way I would put in the cruise to amount when I recorded my food on Fitbit and now the MFP app. It was important initially so I knew the Protein but also so I didn’t eat too much too quick and get sick.

[Stitches78 65]

I will weigh my food depending on what it is, and depending on how hungry I am. If I'm really hungry, I measure everything so I don't over do it. However, I'm pretty good at judging size. I was very strict about weighing and measuring at first...but sometimes, I just don't have the time to do that.

[Nonnaof4 54]

On 8/30/2019 at 1:34 PM, chaibaix said:

Can we talk about weighing/measuring your food? I recently just finished my second month and I am down 48 pounds. (woohoo!) However, I have never measured or weighed the amount of food I am eating. I typically just use a small bowl and eat all of my meals out of it, and work to take 30 minutes to eat each meal. However, a family member who also got VSG said I should be weighing and measuring everything I eat, and I should work to understand the volume at which I can consume my foods. I'm not sure I understand what this means and why I have to do it. I suppose I am seeking out advice into what you all do, and how it has helped with your weightloss? Or do you guys think I'm fine just putting my food in my small bowl and eating as is? Do you guys weigh the amount of food you're consuming? Do you count calories? Help? Thanks so much!

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

My nutritionist said right from the start to weigh and measure everything. It was a real eye opener for me on my "guesstimated weights/measures" vs. the real thing. I haven't had my surgery yet, but I plan to continue weighing, measuring and tracking to keep myself on track for long term success.

It's like anything else once you get in the habit it just becomes second nature when you're planning your food.

Good luck on your journey you got this!!!

[Screwballski 540]

I’m a little over 1 year and 3 months out.

I weigh/measure everything. I track everything.

I don’t believe my way is the only way, but I do KNOW it is the only way I CAN continue to maintain this lifestyle.

(I’ve stayed within a 3 pound window for several months that included a cruise, a multi-day family reunion, an out of town graduation gathering and other family trips and events. Without weighing, measuring and, most importantly, tracking on LoseIt, it would be impossible for me.)