Food Scale?

When on a weight gain diet, would it be beneficial to buy a scale to weigh out food, or a waste of money? Obviously even though something says it has "x" amount of calories, it may have more or less depending on its true weight. I usually use measuring cups to measure.

Do you guys use one?

i personally have found it both helpful and kind of not helpful.  It wouldnt really be a waste because well the one i bought was just around 10 dollars...not too much money to spend...and i use it when measuring out alot of things.  You do want to make sure youre not underestimating ur cals...an ounce of nuts is alot more than i thought it was for instance.  So yes it was very helpful in that sense...however when measuring out pasta and such i find that i would sometimes be able to eat a little more but then feel wierd about it because i know its not the "recomended serving size" or whatever.  So i find that a little discouraging..but if you can get over the fact that you may want MORE than wats there then i say buy one!

i think it's kind of a waste of time...though many people will disagree with me. i think it's best to use measuring cups so that once you're maintaing it will be easier to continue with your patterns of healthy eating. using a food scale requires one additional cost and leads to obsessive behaviors. you can't take a food scale to a restaurant but you can visualize a cup if you use a measuring cup enough. usually the variations with measuring cups aren't that far off so you won't derail a diet from using a measuring cup as opposed to a scale. especially because weight loss is relative to what your body is already used to...e.g. if you're consuming roughly 2500 calories based on your measuring cups...and then you decrease to 1800 based on your measuring cups then you're still eating 700 calories less...do you get what i'm saying. the absolutes aren't as important, i think cups allow you to be more flexible once maintenance comes. just my opinion! -)

You both make good points!

I was thinking it might just make me more obsessive with my calorie counting, like you said chrissy. For some reason, I just want to know exactly how much I am consuming lol. That probably is not good though.

i should probably add that my mom is the one that measures my stuff.  i happen to know that i would obsess over the amount...making sure i DO NOT go over...the pshycological part of this has gotten better...but not fully recovered sooo yeah shes in charge of it and she does go over and stuff...but it helps to know that you are getting enough.  I use measuring cups too of course but you cant exactly measure everything with them.  Also you mentioned the visual aspect of things..and the scale can do the same...after you measure the same thing a few times...wat the portion actualy looks like kinda gets stuck in your head.

so i say get a scale if you have someone else to measure for you to make sure your getting enough but dont if its going to be you using it...

My mum measures my foods, but we have always had a scale because we bake a fair bit in my house. We also use it to weight out what a portion size looks like - 3oz of meat, that sort of thing - but also use visual portion guides for that where we can. It's really handy for that purpose because you can weigh what 3oz of salmon fillet or an oz of nuts and so on looks like, take a photo, refer to photo. Etc.

I DO measure myself when I am making a recipe. But that's because I'm making a recipe. x:

i didn't realize you were wanting to gain weight...sorry about that. this does make a world of difference, so yes i would support it.

I would probably measure the stuff on my own, I doubt my mom would do it. Would this be overly obsessive though? :X

it could be triggering..that's the only problem but if you're really committed to GAINING then by all means do it. i just don't see why it would be all that useful. it's better to overestimate than underestimate so your measuring cups should be fine. i just don't see the point really. most things that are measurable are in their natural state and such foods don't really need to be measured when it comes to someone who is trying to gain. i don't know if this makes sense. if you are truly committed to gaining it seems that you are more likely to overestimate a serving size and eat more than you think than to eat less. if you fill up the measuring cup to the estimated amount you can rest assured that you're eating at least the calories listed on the package. so i don't think you really need to. just my opinion though. i think it's replacing one obsession with another and it might be hard to break. it keeps the cycle of counting, ritualizing, and being neurotic over every morsel of food going. I know some people who have more supervision can use these things without worrying but honestly i'd say just serve your food like a normal person and be  generous with your portions =)

If you're trying to gain weight then just eat it :). Don't stress over tiny details or possible discrepancies. Enjoy the food :).

Nike, that's not as easy as you think. Though, as far as I recall - askewing, you're not recovering from an ED if I'm remembering right. Personally I wouldn't consider it obsessive. At the moment you're trying to make sure you eat enough to gain steadily and at a rate you can maintain in the future.

But yeah, as you're not with the warped perceptions an ED can bring you're probably going to have a lot more ease putting a big portion on your plate. Unless you have trouble with portion sizes.

As you're gaining aim for a plate that is 1/2 full of carbohydrate, 1/4 protein and 1/4 fruit or veggies. Have fruit or veg at every main meal and healthy fats in every main meal and get at least three servings of dairy or a calcium fortified product a day, and at least five of fruit and vegetables. Shoot for a ratio of about 55-60% carbs, 10-15% protein and 25-30% fats. Anything you miss out on in main meals, make up in your snacks. Doing that you pretty much cover all your bases calorically.

I am not sure how to calculate if I am meeting the ratio of fats, carbs, and proteins. Seems like I eat a lot of carbs. I do usually get a lot of fruit and some veggies though. :-)

That's true lala,... I can handle the idea of having 2500 calories & big portions and everything.. I just have this nature about it that I want to know exactly what I have consumed lol!

I love my cheap little digital food scale. It weighs up to 5 lbs, so I can use it for mailing packages too. It doesn't seem so hard to me to get out the plate or bowl I'm going to eat out of, put it on the scale, hit the tare button, add my chips/grapes/whatever until I hit the right number of grams/oz. I don't have all of my measuring cups constantly dirty. You can hit the tare button again after you put the first thing on the plate, and just start over for your second item if you're having something else.

I don't think I'm obsessive, but I have a tendency to cheat a bit on things I really love (like evil corn chips). The scale helps me stay honest. Someday, I might be able to eyeball things to see if they're the right amount. 

If you want to try out a scale, hopefully some yoyo dieter like me that you know will have one around for you to borrow for a bit. I know it may sound bad, but you could buy an inexpensive one and try it for a day, then return it if it seems like it's really not your thing. Just tell the store that you didn't like it when you got it home. That would be the truth. At least you wouldn't be stuck with something you don't want.

it sounds to me that if you are really obsessed with knowing how many calories you are consuming that you have disordered eating. I can guarantee that if you asked the majority of your friends if they counted how many calories they ate every day that most of them would probably say no. It isnt a normal habit for people to be consumed with the exact amount of calories they are eating. If you are claiming to want to gain weight and having no problem eating 2500 or more, then you should be eating more and adding in calorie dense foods regularly. Start by making every meal a little bigger and try to break away from the habit of being so anxious about knowing exactly how many calories you consume. I mean, if you are writing down everything and keeping an exact count of every thing you put in your mouth, it is more than just being conscious.

I agree that I should not need to know exactly how many I am consuming, but I would never get 2500 if I did not count them? :X

Overestimate. Take big, big servings. Have seconds. Fill your plate with at least half carbohydrates - and dense ones. Make a conscious effort to pick higher calorie options.

I don't think that a food scale is a bad thing at all (in fatc, I use one for most things), but you don't want to use it for the wrong reasons. For example, measuring out the right portion and then putting some back to make it smaller.

However, it's nice so that you can make sure you're getting ENOUGH and it helps regulate your calorie intake so you get a basic idea of what it takes you to gain. If you're pressed for cash it's nice so that you don't take HUGE portions of meat at a time either. I see a 12 oz. chicken breast and estimate it as 6 oz. I'm horrible at "eyeballing it" so a food scale is a great thing for me. It sure helps to make sure that I don't go over-budget on groceries!

Oooh... haha, I admit I'm not that bad. When I overestimate, I mean, I envision two packs of cards (6oz) but then I add maybe an extra inch to that. Easier when I'm cutting a fillet of salmon than picking chicken fillets up, admittedly.

I could just take big helpings, but I don't think I could live with eating a ton and not knowing how much it is lol. Plus I have a huge family, so I can only take so much at dinner (there is only so much for everyone). :X Hmm, perhaps I will get a food scale. I am so indecisive lol!

I tend to think of carbs as breads. What else is considered carbs?

I used a scale too. Just a cheap one I got for $8. I found it pretty helpful, because once I started to weigh stuff, I realised that I was overestimating my amounts before. It also works nicely with this site, since I can put in accurate numbers, and so I get a more accurate calorie count each day. It defitnely was a little dissapointing the first few weeks after I got the scale, to see that I was short on my calories than I thought, but that just made me work harder. So, overall, I'm happy with my food scale :)

"I could just take big helpings, but I don't think I could live with eating a ton and not knowing how much it is lol.

askewing, I really don't want this to come across as harsh but it really really seems like you are in denial of the fact that you have disordered eating. Why does it matter the exact calories you are consuming if you are just trying to gain weight in general? It seems that you are OBSESSED with counting calories and knowing the exact amount in everything you put in your mouth. This is a very distinctive trait of disordered eating and thinking and it is an obsessive characteristic. Also, the fact that you always seems to put "lol" or "haha" afterwards makes it seem that you are just shrugging it off and not taking it seriously. I think that if you are really serious about gaining you wouldn't care so much or be so preoccupied about your calorie count and you would be eating a ton of healthy, calorie dense food to gain and not just rely on a turkey sandwich, apple, and what not for lunch. I really do apologize if this comes off as strong but if you want to gain then you either need to commit yourself to really doing so or take a look at yourself and realize that perhaps there are more serious issues at hand.