Everyday Systems

I've been using FitDay.com lately to evaluate how many calories I am eating daily ... I came up with a rough estimate of 2,800 calories per day (Actually it's not rough at all, it's quite precise, lol !). They have a software too you can purchase for a few dollars if you like the online version. You can also know easily how many of the calories come from carbs/proteins/fat I've been using the software to tweak things a bit recently. I won't count calories daily though, I just did it for 2-3 typical days in a row to get an idea. The average was 2,800 calories.

2,800 calories, that could seem like a lot but I'm a young man and I work out every day quite hard too so I am losing weight every week even eating that many calories daily. (I stick with good nutritious food of course)

I never really knew how many calories I was eating before, I had no clue. All I knew is I was losing pounds and that was good enough. 87 pounds down over the past 10 and a half months now.

Anyway, I recommend the site and the software since it has helped me to figure it out more precisely.

2nd thing I've been doing is I bought a small digital kitchen scale the other day. It has helped me to control my portions and evaluate all sorts of things I was doing before too. (Using it to evaluate how many calories are in my portions of course)

Precision, I like that so I'm not ball parking it anymore when I'm eating yogurt or something, I put the bowl on the scale and I know how much yogurt I have, it only takes seconds. I don't do that for everything I eat of course, just the things that have more calories, not for lettuce and celery sticks.

I got a really good deal on the scale too, it was half price and I found a few very positive reviews of the product as well. It will make it easier to control my weight later on too. If I decrease my exercise a lil' bit I know I have to decrease the calories I eat too not to gain weight, or if I eat about the same maybe I'll remain at the same weight perhaps - - I'll have to wait and see.

Anyone else uses a kitchen scale sometimes ?

Cheers !

Marc

To me, one of the wonderful things about no-S is NOT having to count calories!

bluebunny27 wrote: Anyone else uses a kitchen scale sometimes ?

I do! I *love* my scale. I use it daily. I don't use it to help keep track of calories or anything quite like that. I prepare nearly all our food (live overseas, few convenience foods) and I find it helpful for all sorts of things. Examples:

1. When a recipe calls for 4oz cheese, no more guessing. For some reason, I am just not good at guessing amounts of cheese--our cheese here comes in slabs, not prepackaged weights.... The same goes for butter--no handy sticks of butter.

2. When making pizza (and I make at least two every Friday), I weigh the dough and divide it proportionally--no more frustrations with Pizza A dough overflowing the pan and Pizza B full of holes trying to stretch it to fit the pan.

3. When putting food by (I've been busy with tomatillos--green salsa and Southwestern Tomatillo Relish--Mmmmm good), I can make any quantity I want with the proper ratio of other ingredients (onions, garlic, chiles, etc) because I really know just how much produce from the garden I have to deal with... I love getting consistent results...

4. The few times I buy meat in bulk (no Costco discount places here, just when the meat happens to look extra good), I can accurately divide it up into family portions.

Anyway, my scale is one of my best kitchen helpers!

Vickie, I've actually thought of getting a kitchen scale for just the kinds of reasons you list. Plus, every now and then, I run across a recipe that gives weight measurements instead of volume for things like flour, etc. (Is that a European thing?)

As far as the counting/not counting calories... we've been over that several times before, and it's much like weighing yourself on the scale. There are people at both ends of the spectrum in terms of "it helps" or "it hurts" - a case where "your mileage will vary."

While I suspect most of the people on No-S tend to fall into the "I don't want to count calories" end of the spectrum (that's why many of us are here instead of on WW or something similar), counting is an approach that works for some people. It worked for me for years, though I'm tremendously glad not to be doing it anymore for a lot of reasons.

So, like much of the advice we get here.. if it helps you, go for it... and if it doesn't, ignore.

guadopt1997 wrote:To me, one of the wonderful things about no-S is NOT having to count calories!

Amen!

I have a kitchen scale and use it but not to keep track of calories or anything like that. As someone else posted, I weigh ingredients for a recipe if necessary and things like that. We also use it for Math occasionally.

Otherwise, I'm definately in the "I NO S so I don't have to" cagegory.

Great work KCCC, that's some kind of record to have done this for so many days in a row ! Thanks for the dietpower site, I'll check it out. I used the fitday software a few days in a row to monitor everything and now I know what's going on ... I won't do that daily, but it was a good thing to do it for a few days, learning new things, making small changes left and right.

Actually I think it's a good thing to know about calories and portion size, it really helps you out in the long run to lose weight and later to maintain. If you have no clue what a portion is supposed to look like or how many calories are in various things you have to guess all the time and this can lead to problems.

Everyone trying/struggling to lose weight (or maintain) should count their calories precisely a few days in a row at least. This way you know what's going on and where the problem may be. Making the changes required to get back on track.

Yogurt is the best example for me as I have some twice a day, I put the empty bowl on the digital scale and then I pour the yogurt until I have the right amount, no more guessing so it's convenient. I do that often but only with food that have a lot of calories. Potatoes, mayonnaise, cheese, pasta, rice, etc.

It will make it easier to know what I have been doing and what I should do next too of course, I can adjust my portion sizes up or down whenever I want, very nice.

Not sure why but I never thought about getting a digital kitchen scale until just a few days ago ... and then I saw one in a local store that was on sale, 60% off, good deal !
I use it daily now so it's a good investment. I read a few positive reviews about that model and I am pleased so far.

Cheers !

Marc

I think you mean BrightAngel, not me.

Oops, yes ... my bad ! Sorry for the confusion,
BrightAngel and KCCC.

Cheers !

Marc

Wow. Just wow.

I use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients when necessary. I don't count calories -- never have and probably never will (never say "never"). I know which foods are more or less calorie dense and try to eat accordingly.

A few years ago I was talking with a friend and she mentioned that she needed to teach her kids about nutrition. I asked "why?" -- and I was dead serious. I don't think (most) parents throughout the ages have taught their kids about nutrition. What they did do is teach by example what to eat.

And there's the problem. People, especially in the U.S., don't know what to eat. We've been so influenced by Big Food and the media that we think Froot Loops made with whole grains and added anti-oxidants is healthy food. We've been encouraged to supersize for so long that we no longer no what a normal portion is.

I use a scale for measuring ingredients. A cup of flour is 120 grams. A cup of milk (and water) is 240 grams. I don't know why, I like knowing that stuff.

Back in the day, I used it for calories but that was too much information.

KCCC wrote:Vickie, I've actually thought of getting a kitchen scale for just the kinds of reasons you list. Plus, every now and then, I run across a recipe that gives weight measurements instead of volume for things like flour, etc. (Is that a European thing?)

KCCC,

Since getting my scale about two months ago (after wanting one for years--I can kick myself for not getting one sooner), I've discovered that I use it EVERY day. Really.

My scale easily switches between kg/gr and lbs/oz, easily lets you add ingredients to a bowl, "zero it out", and then add the next ingredient by weight. I find this very helpful as I cook from both European and American recipes but all my ingredients are in metric.

Overall, recipes with weight measurements may have begun as a European thing but is really catching on in the States--at least in one food magazine that I used to receive (Fine Cooking), it often gave measurements by both volume and weight. Some ingredients (flour, for example) can be measured by the cupful but weigh varying amounts depending on how moist, how "fluffed", etc. Other ingredients (sugar, for example) do not vary nearly so much between volume/weight measurements. So, for consistent results, flour should be weighed, sugar not quite so necessary (but easy to do if you already have the scale out!).

Anyway, long discourse to say "Go For It!"

A scale is great for recipes that require weight measurements (I think that's mostly important if you bake a lot, I just eyeball most regular cooking stuff), and also to amuse small children because you can see how much your guinea pigs weigh.

I control my portions by eating no more than three meals a day, each of which fits easily on a standard dinner plate.

Thalia wrote:A scale is great for recipes that require weight measurements and also to amuse small children because you can see how much your guinea pigs weigh.

You're hilarious Thalia!

Maybe the guinea pigs could go on a diet too. You could monitor their weight every week using the scale, noting the results down carefully - - and then you measure their food intake and make them exercise (!) a lil' bit every day ... Soon, you see the Guinea's are losing weight and this motivates you too :

"If the Guinea pigs can lose weight ... SO--CAN--I !!!"



Cheers !

Marc

OMG, where did you even find that picture?

hehe ! You can find anything on the internet if you apply yourself !

I think guinea pigs like to run around on the floor. That's the way they exercise. I wonder if they use INTERVAL TRAINING methods without even knowing about it. Run-walk-run-walk-run.......

Those pets weight around 2 pounds when they are adults The one in the picture could lose a few grams, that
would be good ! 5g. loss for a guinea pig would be the same as a 1 pound loss for a human being, give or take a lil'.

Cheers !

Marc

They are very active little critters, if they are given enough room.

We're a British/American family, so I do a lot of cooking by weight. If given a choice, I much prefer cooking by weight and convert some of my American recipes to use weight.

Makes it tough when one of my American friends asks for a recipe.