The Surprising Scale That Helps You Lose Weight

When you hear “scale,” do you automatically think of weighing yourself? There’s another scale to consider for weight loss: the food scale. It measures the weight of your food in grams or ounces, and experts say it makes portion control easier.

“Many of us, dietitians included, have a hard time estimating portion sizes. Scales are a simple tool to assist with that,” says Dru Rosales, RD, owner of MindFuel Performance in Houston.

Learn why food scales are an effective kitchen gadget for supporting your weight loss efforts and the single indispensable feature that any good home food scale should have.

How a Food Scale Helps With Weight Loss

It’s no secret that accurately measuring portion sizes is an important piece of the weight loss puzzle. Food scales are the most accurate way to measure your food, says Sarah Alsing, RD, owner of Delightfully Fueled in Anaheim, California. “Not all foods fit perfectly in a [measuring] cup, but with a food scale, you will know exactly how much you are eating.”

It can be extremely eye-opening to weigh portions, Alsing says. She recommends a kitchen scale particularly for weight loss beginners who are still familiarizing themselves with what a serving size actually looks like. Alsing says restaurant meals can skew people’s understanding of serving sizes because they tend to be quite large, as research shows.

Rosales encourages her weight loss clients to use a food scale once they have mastered some initial concepts, like knowing what to eat and when to eat, but before really homing in on portion control. “Depending on where a client is in their weight loss journey, I may recommend a food scale as a tool. Typically I would recommend [it] if they have mastered consistency with their eating schedule and have incorporated the initial changes that we have discussed regarding food combinations at meals and snacks,” she says.

Measuring your food also helps ensure you’re eating enough. That is important both for your overall health and to support your weight loss goals. Rosales says her clients often underestimate their portion sizes of certain foods, such as pasta. The different types, shapes, and sizes of pasta and other foods can make it hard to get portions just right, but weighing ensures you’re actually eating a proper serving.

Alsing says measuring nutritious foods like chicken helps you to track your protein amounts accurately. Measuring calorie-dense foods like chips is also a useful exercise, since just a small handful of chips may actually be a few servings’ worth. “Knowing how much you are eating will help you know how many calories you consume, which can help you lose weight,” says Alsing. Research supports that reducing food portion sizes helps prevent weight gain.

How to Use a Food Scale

A food scale can be used in a variety of ways to track calories and other metrics. For a food that doesn’t come with a nutrition label — for example, if you are cooking a piece of fish for dinner or you want to snack on some cheese — you can weigh your food and then use various websites or apps, including Lose It!, to figure out how many calories or macros, such as protein, are in your portion.

You can also use your food scale when you want to accurately understand what a manufacturer’s portion size is. For example, if you’re making overnight oats, you can look at the nutrition facts label on the side of your oatmeal container. You’ll see a serving size followed by a weight in grams. This is the number you’ll aim for on the food scale to ensure you’re eating the correct serving size.

Many professional and home chefs like using a digital scale when cooking and baking. Measuring cups are less precise. (If you’ve ever grabbed a cup of flour using your measuring cup versus taking it out a spoonful at a time, you’ll know what we mean — those two different ways of measuring a cup of flour make a big difference!) A kitchen scale measures by weight, not volume, so it’s more accurate.

What to Look for in the Best Food Scales

When picking a food scale, you have two options: digital or mechanical. Digital ones are more common. Whatever scale you choose, make sure it measures in the units you need — like grams, ounces, pounds, or kilograms.

Since you’ll be using it for food, go for something easy to clean — typically one that allows you to place your food in a bowl or plate — then get an accurate measurement, thanks to what’s called the tare function. That key feature, which is available on most scales, is essential. What this means is you can zero out the scale after placing a container or previous ingredient in it. For example, tare the scale to zero, weigh your first ingredient to the desired amount, tare it again to zero, and then add your next ingredient. Repeat this process until your recipe or meal is complete. This function streamlines the measuring process and minimizes dish washing.

Some scales come with a bowl or have other bells and whistles, so find the one that’s right for your needs — as long as it has that tare setting. Kitchen scales vary in price from about $5 to $50, with plenty of decent options under $20.

How to Measure Portion Sizes When You Don’t Have a Food Scale Handy

If you find yourself without a food scale and still need guidance with portions, consider using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate method. This approach recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with grains, offering a visual way to balance your meals.

You can also eyeball your portions, as in the chart below.