Should I weigh my food or use measuring cups when tracking macros?

If your numbers look right on paper but your body isn't responding, your measuring method may be the gap, not your effort. On The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey explains that a team member pointed out the problem with cups: you can pack food in, which makes a cupful denser and unreliable. Switching to grams, she says, is a game changer. Grams or ounces both work, so use whichever your recipes call for.

For sticky foods, one WarriorBabe coach shows a cleaner method. Put the whole jar on the scale, tare it to zero, then take out your portion. The negative number shows how much you removed, and you don't dirty an extra dish. She aimed for a 19-gram serving of peanut butter and the scale read negative 24.

Can you eventually eyeball portions? That same coach tested it after years of tracking. She did well with foods she weighs and eats daily, like egg whites and oatmeal. But when she guessed a 3-ounce chicken breast, it came in at 3.8 ounces. She usually eats 5 to 6 ounces, so that smaller size was never ingrained. Eyeballing only works for portions you have weighed again and again. The scale is how you build that skill.

The scale doesn't have to run your life, though. When a listener asked about packing one for vacation, Nikkiey suggested giving yourself some grace. Track through the first part of the day, around workouts and earlier meals, then enjoy an evening meal while staying aware of your choices. Return to your usual macros when you get home.