Does anyone use one of these? Should I buy one? I am trying to gain weight. My program right now is simply to eat until I am full as often as I can stand to. (And, of course, to lift weights.) It seems to be working; I have gained about 5 lbs over the last month. But would it be worth the trouble to buy a food scale and chart everything I'm eating more exactly?
i have one, it helps till you get used to what certain sizes look like. it also helps to track food so you're more conscience of what you're eating, even if you don't do it all the time. i recommend a digital one though. and i normally set it to grams, it's just more precise.
also it's a handy measuring tool even if you aren't keeping track.
need a cup of milk for something, put the bowl on the scale and measure 240g, you now have a cup of milk (or most other liquids) and don't have a dirty measuring cup. easy to remember because 1ml of water weighs 1g, so check the nutrition label and see that 1 cup is 240ml. weight of milk is close enough to water, some heavier lighter liquids (like oil) could be different.
same for dry stuff like oatmeal. on the nutrition label - 1/2cup is 40g, so if you need 3/4 cup just weigh out 60g.
the nutrition label is your friend here, most of the time it has a dry measurement and then the associated weight in grams.
---------------- edit. as was pointed out to me, the oil would be lighter, not heavier, i was in a rush when i did this.
SockMonkey saidDoes anyone use one of these? Should I buy one? I am trying to gain weight. My program right now is simply to eat until I am full as often as I can stand to. (And, of course, to lift weights.) It seems to be working; I have gained about 5 lbs over the last month. But would it be worth the trouble to buy a food scale and chart everything I'm eating more exactly?
A food scale is more typically used by those trying to lose weight, or who have special dietary restrictions, such as diabetics. If you're trying to eat as much as you "can stand" then what purpose does weighing the food serve? The control is your own tolerance, not the weight of the food.
If you have trouble gaining weight, have you had a medical evaluation to determine why? Causes could be hyper-thyroidism, intestinal parasites, and a host of other medical issues. Plus what you're eating could also be a factor. A nutritionist could advise you about the best foods for the specific goal you have.
Measuring ingredients by weight is more rational than measuring by volume. For example, the volume of an ingredient is often more dependent on how finely it's chopped than on how much of it there is. In many other countries, it's more common to see recipes specify weights than volumes.
That said, I use the kitchen balance mostly when I'm taking stock of my diet - for a week two or three times a year. (Hmm... need to ramp up the protein again...) The rest of the time, unless I'm baking, I'm more likely to go by visual estimation.
