Precise measurements, simple to use, and an easy way to control portion size. If you are looking for the ultimate weight loss tool, you need to figure out how to use a kitchen scale for exactly this purpose.
If you have been struggling to lose weight, kitchen scales could be the missing ingredient to your success. Even though you may be exercising, eating the right kinds of food, and drinking enough water, you may be consuming more than you realize. This is where a good set of kitchen scales come in.
Kitchen scales are the ultimate tool to aid you on your weight loss journey. Not only do they give you a more accurate picture of what you are eating, the extra process of needing to stop and weigh your food will also make you realize how often you are reaching for a snack.
Kitchen Scales 101
The first thing to note about kitchen scales is that unlike measuring cups, they measure weight, not volume. This is an important distinction because 100ml of milk will actually be 104g. This is especially important to know when measuring macros for your diet.
The good news is that modern scales often come with various settings that allow them to also measure liquids. This is usually found in the unit setting on your scales. Most scales will include g/ml and lb/oz.
Scales that can be set to measure fluids also make cooking faster! Instead of having to use 6 different measuring cups and spoons, you can simply weigh all of your ingredients. This also makes clean up easier as you only need to clean one measuring bowl and then wipe down your scales. Sounds good right?!
Scales have improved drastically over the last few years. In the past you needed to mess around with analog scales and guesstimate the weight, however, we now have modern digital scales. These scales are usually accurate to 1g increments and will tell you the precise weight in an easy-to-read way. If you want to read more about accuracy with kitchen scales, click here.
Common Weight Loss Problems
One of the most common weight loss problems people face is the inability to accurately track their food intake. While an experienced person may be able to estimate portion sizes based on sight alone, an inexperienced person will often over/underestimate the amount of food they are eating.
Both of these can cause major issues. Over-eating is well known for preventing weight loss and causing frustration. But did you know under-eating can also cause your weight loss to come to a halt?
How Kitchen Scales Can Help
Kitchen scales ensure you are eating what you intend to eat. It’s amazing how many additional calories you can consume when you don’t weigh your food and drinks. As an example, 60ml of milk is approx. 31 calories. This makes it very easy to say ‘it’s only 30 calories, it won’t matter if I am a bit over’.
The problem with this thinking is that if you are drinking 4 cups of coffee per day, that’s an extra 60 calories overall. If you do this for every meal, ingredient, and drink, you could be eating 100’s of additional calories each day without ever realizing it.
Recommended Kitchen Scales for Weight Loss
To save you from endless hours of research, we took the liberty of finding great, affordable kitchen scales to help with your weight loss journey. We have selected 4 different scales that we think will make a great addition to your kitchen.
Etekcity Nutrition Smart Food Kitchen Scale
PROS:
- Makes macro-nutrient tracking a breeze. Your macro’s will auto-update in the custom app on your phone.
- Macro’s will sync with Fitbit and Apple health apps
- Access to approx. 1 million pre-loaded food items – This means it will pre-load all of the nutrients in your food, you just have to scan the barcode and weigh your meal!
- Works on both Apple and Android
- Large measurement range from 1g to 5kg/11lb
- Can measure in both imperial and metric units
- 1 year warranty (Option to purchase an additional 1 year warranty)
- Affordable price of $16.99
CONS:
- The barcode scanner works best in the US
- Requires batteries. Some modern scales are now USB rechargeable.
- Requires an app on your phone to access the barcode scanner and food bank
Click here to read relevant reviews about this product.
Etekcity Luminary 22lb Food Kitchen Digital Scale
PROS:
- Can weigh up to 10kg/22lb – The extra weight capacity makes it ideal for bulk meal prepping
- Water resistant – This makes cleaning a breeze (Fully submerging in water is not recommended and may cause damage).
- Rechargeable. Instead of using batteries that have to be replaced all the time, you can easily recharge with your USB-C cable. This means you will never be stuck not being able to weigh your meal!
- Measures in both imperial and metric
- Affordable price of $25.49
CONS:
- The controls aren’t very sensitive and can require multiple presses
- Lower accuracy than more expensive scales
- Requires batteries. Some modern scales are now USB rechargeable.
- Not included on Amazon Prime
Click here to find shipping options for this product.
My Weigh KD-8000 Kitchen and Craft Digital Scale & AC Adapter
PROS:
These scales are perfect for advanced home baking!
- Allows bakers percentage. This means that is will help you scale recipes up or down by automatically adjusting your ratio for you. This feature is great if you are meal prepping for the week and want to cook multiple batches as once
- Includes removable LCD screen covers for fast and effective cleaning
- Can be run on battery power or AC adaptor – This mean that regardless of whether the batteries go flat or if there is a power outage, you do not need to stop your health journey
- Max weight capacity of 8kg/17.6lb
CONS:
- Most expensive on this list $47.99
- Large size 11.7 x 10.2 x 7.4 inches
Find the best value and fastest shipping for this product on Amazon!
Amazon Basics Stainless Steel Digital Kitchen Scale with LCD Display
PROS:
- Cheapest on our list $9.57
- Made of stainless steel not plastic
- Measures in imperial and metric units
- Small size 8.7 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
- BPA free
- Included in Amazon Prime – You can get started on your weight loss journey straight away!
CONS:
- Smaller weight range of 2g to 5kg/11lb
- Auto turn of set to 3 minutes. This can cause loss of measurements during cooking
Click here to know more about this product.
Frequently Asked Questions
What foods and ingredients should I weigh on my kitchen scale?
If your goal is to lose wight you should weigh all food and drink that you are consuming. You don’t need to do this forever, but it is especially important at the beginning of your journey and will help you learn exactly what you are eating in a day.
How do I choose the right scale for weight loss?
First you need to know what you weight loss plan is. If you are wanting to do large amounts of meal prep at the beginning of each week, a small scale that only measure 5kg/11lb is not going to be ideal. Scales that auto calculate ratios for increased portions would be better for meal preppers.
On the other hand, if you are looking to make several small meals a day, a scale that weighs smaller amounts of food would be ideal. Additionally, if you are cooking every meal as you eat it and you are tracking your food intake, a scale that talks directly to your calorie tracker would be a great choice.
What can I do if I’m struggling to lose weight?
Stay consistent! Weight loss takes time. No matter how hard you train or how rigid your diet is, you are unlikely to lose more the 0.5-1kg (1.1-2.2lb) per week. And that would be considered fast weight loss. You are best to aim for much smaller goals like 0.3kg (0.6lb) and making consistent progress.
Also consider shifting your focus from ‘losing weight’ to ‘getting healthy’. Just because you are not seeing your weight go down does not mean your health is not improving. A healthier lifestyle is going to help give you more energy and a clearer mind.
It can also be a good idea to stop weighing yourself. I know that doesn’t make sense but hear me out. If you have started a healthier lifestyle that includes more exercise, even exercise as simple as walking around the block each day, you will be building muscle. This increase in muscle can often offset the fat you have lost when you look at your weight on the scale. But you are likely still losing size! Even the amount of water you have drunk in a day can drastically change your weight on the scale. So instead of using the scales every day, try measuring yourself with a tape measure once a week to get a true feel for what your body is doing.
Conclusion
Scales can be a wonderful tool to help you on your journey to lose weight. When selecting your scale, remember to think about your strategy for planning food and then let that guide you on selecting the right scale. It is also important to remember that even if you feel like you are struggling, consistency is key. The more you accurately track your food, the easier eating healthily will become. Your weight loss may take longer than you would like, but that is why it is a journey and not a race.