Question:
I'm confused about the issue of Weight vs. Volume?

Can someone please explain the difference to me. Isn't an ounce an ounce no matter which way you measure it? And how do we tell if a food should be measured by weight or by volume? I'm so confused. I almost didn't ask this question because I felt so stupid, bu then I realized it's not really stupidity just inexperience because I'm still pre-op and have never bothered to measure my food intake before. I'd appreciate some education in this area please. Thanks    — Elva C. (posted on March 18, 2002)

March 17, 2002
Your Dr. will probably want you to measure by volume because your pouch holds a certain volume. An ounce of meat and an ounce of corn flakes for example weigh the same but have very different volume. Another example is a pound of fat vs. a pound of muscle take up very different amount of space. What you may want to weigh is your meat so that you can calculate how many protein grams you are getting.
   — Candace F.

March 17, 2002
I guess the easiest way to explain this is with this example. Say you have an ounce of beef - it would be fairly small masswise. Now, say you have an ounce of popcorn - it would be a much larger physical mass due to the light weight of each piece. That much popcorn, if eaten, would be impossible to eat with the WLS - it's simply too much physical mass. It's kind of like a pound of lead vs. a pound of feathers. A pound of lead is very small in visible physical mass whereas the visible physical pound of feathers could almost fill a small room. I don't know if this helps but it makes sense to me to look at it this way.
   — Vicki H.

March 18, 2002
Well, I am a scientist, so I should be able to answer this! And you are definately NOT stupid...I think most people don't know. Weight is a measurement of mass such as ounces or grams. You can directly measure it on a scale for example. Volume refers to the amount of space occupied by a 3-dimensional container and is measured in things like liters or gallons. If you are weighing food portions, it would definately be in weight, not volume. Typically people use volume to measure liquids only (although you can do it for solids, but it requires a calculation and you have to know the density). Hope this helps!
   — emilyfink

March 18, 2002
Thanks for the clarifications. I understand now and really feel foolish that I didn't get it before (LOL). So now I understand that basically speaking we'll be more concerned with volume post-op except in the case of meat so we can keep track of our protein intake. I've been drinking alot of Crystal Lite lately and saving the little cups the mix comes in, I'll check them out to see what volume they hold; they may just be exactly what I'll need post op. Thanks again.
   — Elva C.

March 18, 2002
Thank you for asking this question!! I was going to write this exact question yesterday, but ran out of time. I will say this. My surgeon sends us home w/10 medicine cups that hold 1 oz. We are to fill them up w/ some kind of meat, chicken or fish. 5X aday. What's really weird for me, is that if I eat 1-2 oz of meat that is it for me!!! no more. However I can eat 1 C of cornflakes w/ 1/2 C skim milk, I guess that's the volume thing. Good Luck!
   — Cindee A.