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Measuring Question |
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You're right, dry ounces vs. fluid ounces should really be specified. The average person probably doesn't care. My husband thinks I'm nuts. When he unloads the dishwasher (which isn't often) he can't believe all the little measuring cups. But hey, it all matters.
"I owe everything you see here to spaghetti."
-Sophia Loren
| current weight: 178.8 |
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Weight is definitely more accurate than volume, when it comes to cereal. But if the manufacturer says a serving size is a cup (and many do, such as Cheerios and Special K), then a serving size is a cup, and to assume they actually mean half a pound by weight would be inviting trouble.
"I owe everything you see here to spaghetti."
-Sophia Loren
| current weight: 178.8 |
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Just to clarify, people aren't converting a volume measurement (in this case, a cup) to a weight measurement. Most nutrition labels will give you both options, and when that's the case, going by weight is more accurate. Rather than saying 1 serving = 1 cup (54 grams), the label should say: 1 serving = 54g (approx. 1 cup). In fact, I've seen several labels that do just that, because many factors can change the amount of space food takes up without changing how much you're actually consuming. The amount of cereal in 54g* is always going to be 54g, so if you weigh out that amount you absolutely know that you're getting a single serving. The amount of dry cereal in a cup varies widely based on how much air is between the cereal bits. The volume measurement they give you on the box is an approximation of how much space 54g of perfect, unbroken bits will take up, so in an ideal situation the volume and weight measurements will match up. Since cereal settles in the box and breaks up as you pour it, you're very rarely getting perfect cereal. This isn't something the company can control - I've had a box of kashi measure almost perfectly at the top and give me half the volume for the same weight by the time I get to the bottom. That's great when a cup of cereal weighs 54g on July 1 as I open the box, but not so great two weeks later when a cup of cereal now weighs 90g. Even though it fills the same measuring cup, I'm now eating twice as much (and twice as many calories). That adds up. Or, to put it another way, think about how many big, perfect potato chips would fit in a measuring cup compared to broken chip bits at the bottom of the bag. Most of us would know that you're not suddenly getting away with eating three times the chips just because they're broken, but with things like cereal it's not as obvious. Volume is almost always easier to measure because most people have the instruments (measuring cups) in their kitchen to measure it. That's why companies give volume as an easy shorthand - for most consumers, volume is more familiar than weight and easier to use. If you're just starting out with a food tracking habit, volume is awesome. But if you want to get really accurate for non-liquids, weight is almost always the better choice to make. If you find that you're not losing weight at the expected rate, weighing your food can be an eye-opener. Like I said, it's easy to find that you're consuming double the cereal you think you are, simply because the stuff in your measuring cup is a little more crushed than that ideal '1 cup' the company is talking about on the nutrition label. The best method is to use whichever method works best for you. That's why most labels give you the option  * Not every serving of cereal is 54g. I use that example because it's one I know off the top of my head. Puffed cereals are usually closer to 34g, for example.
Edited by: CHRISTINA791 at: 7/19/2012 (15:06)
| 8 Days until: Calgary Marathon |
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While it's true that cereals are sold by weight, I believe when they say a serving size is one cup, they mean one cup. There is no weight called "cup." Cup is a volume measurement, and I think they think a cup, not half a pound, is what you're supposed to pour into your bowl. It's true that if you crush the cereal you get a lot more in a cup, but I think you can be sure they don't crush their own product before measuring the calories.
"I owe everything you see here to spaghetti."
-Sophia Loren
| current weight: 178.8 |
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Weighing it is much more accurate than measuring it by volume.
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NIRERIN
Posts:
10,776
7/19/12 9:01 A
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just so you know, companies actually go by weight, not volume with their products. for cereals, they don't have a person scooping one cup measurements into the bag so that you get 20 1 cup servings. there is some sort of mechanism that once it reaches the weight of 20 servings, the bag goes off down the line to be sealed. companies include the volume measurement because people feel it's a more accessible measurement than weight. but other than making a cursory conversion, they don't really use volume measurements at all. and do beware of oz and fluid oz. 8 fluid oz is a cup, but we do tend to abbreviate it as 8 oz. and the only thing that is 8oz, 8 fl oz and a cup is water. well, and maybe some other liquids that are pretty much entirely water.
-google first. ask questions later.
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YEah, 8 ounces weight would be half a pound!
Heather Writer, mom, runner (ish), and computer addict. Still trying to run my first 5k. I'm not pregnant, just fat: My blog. fatnotpregnant.blogspot.com/
| current weight: 186.0 |
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There are lots of inexpensive digital scales out there that will tare (you can hit a button and the number will go back to zero, so you can keep adding items to a plate on the scale without having to remove them) and give you multiple unit options. It's a great tool to have. As for units, check the cereal box. I'm Canadian, so we tend to get cups for volume and metric weights. Go figure. Your cereal might list weight in ounces, but failing that you can use the calculator on the site to convert. For example, my standard 54g serving is 1.9 ounces (as opposed to 8 *fluid* ounces - see where it gets confusing?) I don't mean to get overly complicated with the whole weighing vs. measuring thing - the cereal question just jumped out at me because I was completely shocked the first time I realized how much I was actually eating in what I thought was a one cup serving. The fact that you're working with portion control on your third day is fantastic, and you probably don't need to worry about it too much at this point. After you get used to measuring and tracking, little things like this will become second nature.  Just remember to always keep volume and weight separate, since those ounces can mess you up. Weight will be in ounces, pounds, grams, kilograms. Volume will be in cups, fluid ounces, mL, liters, tea/tablespoons.
| 8 Days until: Calgary Marathon |
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Grams are more precise anyway. I would be in big trouble without my scale. Just remember to 'tare' the dish before you put anything in it, or you'll be shrinking your portions.
Britomart
"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to become a butterfly." ~*~ Margaret Fuller
* + * + * + *
Every moment is unique, unknown, completely fresh. ~~ Pema Chodron
* + * + * + *
If nothing changes...nothing changes.
| Pounds lost: 18.0 |
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I'd actually go the opposite way - I find that cereal can be tricky, because the slightly more crushed stuff in the bottom half of the box can actually make a one cup serving closer to a serving and a half by weight. Just think of the difference between a cup of fluffy, unbroken corn flakes vs. a cup of cornflake crumbs. If you take your fluffy corn flakes and crush them until they fill up half the volume, you haven't reduced the amount of food or calories you're eating, just the amount of air between the pieces. Normally, I'm okay with using volume as a quick measurement, but I always, always, always weigh my cereal and I find that a proper serving almost never actually fills up the volume it's supposed to fill. I always try to go by weight (usually grams) with any food that has extra air space. Where you're probably getting different numbers is by using two completely different types of measurement. 8 fluid ounces (or one cup) doesn't translate to eight ounces of weight. Your cereal should list both a volume measurement and a weight measurement, so mine will say 1 serving = 1 cup (54 grams). I ignore the cup and weigh out 54 grams (it doesn't have to be messy. Just put a bowl on your scale, tare, and then pour until you hit the right weight). Honestly, there's nothing wrong with measuring by volume, especially in the beginning, but weight will be more accurate. And after seeing a single cup of cereal weigh in at 84 grams (almost double what an actual serving should have been, for an extra 150 calories), I don't take chances anymore. It could become one of those areas where you're consuming extra calories without realizing it.
Edited by: CHRISTINA791 at: 7/18/2012 (21:58)
| 8 Days until: Calgary Marathon |
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Well, the scale has a bowl, so should I measure the 1 cup using the bowl and scale or the measuring cup???
~ *** Sue in SC*** ~
"Stand for what you believe in even if it means you're standing alone."
~ Author Unknown
"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do it for them."
~ George Orwell
"The bubbling brook would lose its song if you removed the rocks."
~ Author Unknown
| Pounds lost: 2.0 |
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If the serving is 1 cup, go with a measuring cup. :) Measuring dry cereal on a scale would be messy. LOL. I use the scale for things where you're not worried about the mess or volume.
Heather Writer, mom, runner (ish), and computer addict. Still trying to run my first 5k. I'm not pregnant, just fat: My blog. fatnotpregnant.blogspot.com/
| current weight: 186.0 |
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