-Diablo's Journal, 29 November 2023

that's why I always grab the biggest thing in the package since there all the same calories 😁 

I know! it stinks!  

Could that also take into account the back of the box of powdered MeatShake which says 1 package (154g) = 410 calories, but when weighed out, it's closer to 200g (adding all that extra tasty MeatShakey caloric goodness)? 

ugh I've wondered about this recently.  

It’s really nothing evil, nothing is precise. From the scale to the volume way of measurement there’s always a window of error and it’s taking into account for it. 

20% is a big number. Imagine if you were ketogenarian... that 20% is the difference between being keto or a low-carb heathen  

Yup! Processed and packaged food producers use this 20% edge to substitute to “optional “ ingredients and maintain profit margins. It’s all about $$$. The closer you can stay to real and fresh ingredients the better. 

Super, but if you have two competing protein bars, I think they would both go to the lowest end of the calorie count to look better on paper than the competition. So maybe not evil, but smart. And maybe we should be adding 20% to most packaged goods to account for that marketing trick. 

What are we considering here? That all foods have a 20% margin of error, or that processed foods do? If it's processed foods, then you need to consider what percentage of your diet comes from processed foods. If it's everything we eat, then it might raise more concern. 

Anything prepackaged. You can probably curb inaccuracies by simply weighing portions even when prepackaged to be honest. 

I think its the prepackaged items with multiple macros that are the biggest offender. For example frozen pizza lists protein, carbs and fat. A restaurant or delivery pizza is a crap shoot. Make it from scratch at home and if you use the recipe feature and weigh the entire pizza and then each slice you are likely to be more accurate since each ingredient is typically only one type of macro. 

If you have serving size given on the package as a volume (say, 1/2 cup) followed by weight (52g), check it with your own scale. I eat these rye flakes for breakfast, and discovered that half a cup is more like 67g, not 52g. That’s 23% error! 

I always weigh packaged things. For instance, my bagel this morning was 46g when weighed, the package says they’re 56g. Tomorrows might be 60g. It’s just how it goes.  

So imagine having to mass produce say protein bars and having each one precise to the label with the batch that was measured in. It would be near impossible, that would mean every bar was was off even a little as to be rejected. You would pay 5x to 10x the price lol that margin of error is to make to possible to distribute such quantities. That’s just the production side. Now on to the equipment of measurement. People here knows that just my placing a scale at a different location can change your weight. Buying a new scale will change your weight, weighing in at the doctors can change your weight. So what makes you think your scale at home is more accurate than theirs? You don’t, the fact is you take the same package and weigh it at home and come with a number bigger or smaller and the next person can take the package you weigh and come up with a different number. To say they are using it to their advantage is to say they know what your scale will read lower or higher than theirs. If they can manage that then yes that would be very very smart  

It really only matters to the people that cares about metabolism numbers. You have to be flexible. Use your recommended caloric intake as a base, and adjust to whether you lose or gain. The number is relative to you and your instrument of measurements.  

Agnes Z, by weight, 8 oz = 227 grams, but by volume of course, 1/2 cup depends on what you're measuring. 1/2 cup of cornflakes by volume is very different in weight than 1/2 cup of milk. So, you have to look at how it's listed on the nutrition chart; does it say 1/2 cup (volume) or 4 oz (weight)? 

Shirfleur, it says both. Literally: serving size 1/2 cup (52g). But when I take my half-cup of these flakes and weigh them, I get 67g. Yes, maybe my flakes have absorbed some moisture so they’re heavier than usual, or maybe I’m overfilling my half-cup measure a little bit. Anyway, I’m not upset at it, I’m not recalculating the calories—it’s just to illustrate this kind of disparity. I’ve known about this, so I assume all calories on labels are just approximations for the reason Supergainz is taking about. 

Agnes, if it is working for you that's what matters, isn't it? 

Shirfleur, absolutely! With these flakes, I have solved the perennial problem called breakfast 😀 

I've found the southern style chicken tenders by tyson that I love to eat it stated on the package each one has 180cal and 12carbs and 13protein which I usually eat 2 of them at a time and dip it in sauces, but some of them are really large and then some aren't even half the size of the large one but I still count it as 1 unless they are really really small and then I used to count 2 very small ones as one now I think about it, I'm sure it's about the weight of the whole bag that is actually correct and I will continue with no more 2 at time but will weigh them next time I eat it just to see the difference...