How to Weigh Food for Weight Loss

Losing weight is hard, but fortunately, a variety of tools exist to help you drop pounds. You probably weigh yourself each week to monitor your progress; however, weighing your food will also assist you in losing weight. If you make a visual guess about serving sizes, you may be hurting your diet by consuming too many or not enough calories. Investing in a food scale gives you the ability to keep a record of the precise number of ounces and calories you're eating.

Instructions

1

Purchase a food scale. You can buy mechanical and digital scales at supermarkets, department stores and online. Although mechanical food scales are inexpensive---less than 10 dollars---it is a good idea to opt for a digital scale if you can. Digital scales are easier to read and provide you with the accuracy you need for measuring food for weight loss. Always wash the surface of your scale with dish detergent before first using it.

2

Clean foods. Rinse fruits and vegetables that you plan to consume to get rid of contamination. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), avoid cleaning meat and poultry before cooking. Rinsing meat can lead to cross-contamination, leaving bacteria in sinks and on counters. Trim all visible fat off of meats as it is high in unhealthy saturated fat.

3

Weigh the food. 4 oz. of fruits and vegetables are usually a recommended serving size for a healthy diet. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a serving of meat is 3 oz. Trim your food until the scale reaches the serving allowance weight. Weigh meats and poultry immediately after you purchase them at the grocery store and freeze portions you don't plan to eat in freezer bags.