We all measure things every day, whether we know it or not. We instinctively measure our bank balance against the desire to own something new. We measure in our heads how wide our car is before trying to get it through a space. We measure how much effort to put into any given task.
Measuring things gives us data. With data we can make informed choices in the future. Should I buy the thing or wait til I have more money saved up? Did my car fit through a similar gap the other day? When I put in loads of effort before, was it worthwhile?
Some people measure their food. This allows them to know exactly what’s going into their body. Exactly.
There’s no guess work. There’s no maybes. Everything becomes very black and white.
So why do some people do it?
- – Data
- The data is unparalleled. Science has relied on quantitative data to help confirm or reject theories forever. It’s virtually impossible to know anything without having a measurable approach that allows us to understand the inputs and outputs objectively.
- – Self awareness
- As technology evolves there are large groups in society who have become more and more mindless in their everyday existence. The thinking is already done for them so they don’t have to through no fault of their own. Measuring what you put in your mouth can be a simple way to develop some more self awareness.
- – Change
- Measuring consistently in any form is one essential tool to help make change. There is no one perfect way of measuring, but if you choose a way you can repeat and be consistent with then you will gather information that helps inform choices around making changes.
- – Self discipline
- Even those people who routinely weigh and measure stuff out don’t enjoy it for what it is. What they do enjoy is the results that it helps them get. We hear people tell us about how boring and tedious it must be to weigh food, but no one tells us how boring getting results is…
We know that it sounds like we are all in favour of everyone weighing and measuring their food all the time, but we live the real world. Measuring food out is just one tool that you can use to start taking control of your nutrition, but it isn’t the only tool. If you want to talk to us more about other ways you can start to take control of your nutrition then get in touch so we can help you with some nutrition coaching.
If you’ve never used a set of food scales before, then don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. Unless you are violently opposed to them, we’d recommend everyone giving it a go for a week or two to gauge exactly what they’re eating. It’s also not something that you have to do forever because once you do it for a while you’ll develop an uncanny ability to eyeball foods. And if you feel like your progress has stalled or our body composition has started going the wrong way, you can always dig the scales back out and get back on track pretty quickly when you’ve got data to hand!