Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s; All the weights in the bag are His work. – Proverbs 16:11 NKJV

When many people ask me how I am losing so much weight, they ask with eager anticipation, as though I am about to reveal some dark, mysterious secret.

When I say it’s because I measure and log all my food, their eyes quickly glaze over and they usually comment about how much work it takes to do that.

Yes, it is work. Yes, it takes planning and initiative. Yes, it is totally worth it!

Yesterday, I commented on Perfection and how we are prone to religious perfectionism. At the risk of of sounding the hypocrite, I need to stress the importance of an accurate scale, accuracy in measurement and accuracy in logging food and drink.

I treat food like medicine. And when a pharmacist is careless in measuring one’s prescriptions, one tends to sue over it.

This is about being honest with yourself.

If you are not accurate in scale, measurement and documentation, then you will not be able to figure out why you did not lose weight from one week to the next.

This accuracy is also needed on keto diets, but in keto you are measuring to count carbs instead of calories.

I do have a few shortcuts I take.

First, I get within one gram when measuring weight. I do something similar when balancing my checkbook where I just make sure I get within one dollar. I don’t go chasing after the lost penny.

Second, when measuring some foods, like cheese, I measure by sight. When I am cutting an eight-ounce block of cheese, I halve it. Then I halve it again, and so on, until I have 16 pieces. Each piece is a half-serving if cheese.

Third, I don’t weigh pre-measured food items, like sliced bread. I take their word that a slice is a slice. Cans of tuna, hot dogs, hamburger patties and such are typically pre-measured within an acceptable standard and will be consistent enough for you to problem solve your diet later.

Fourth, use containers such as cups and bowls that you’ve already measured once. I use this to measure and log most drinks. Now, I don’t measure decaf coffee. But I do measure regular coffee, sodas, juices and water.

Be honest with yourself. You’re worth it.