So I'm not supposed to be using a measuring cup

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  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    rlwilson1967 wrote: »
    Along the same lines, if you cook a zucchini and weigh it at a 100grams, does the calorie count remain the same for 100 grams of uncooked zucchini?

    I'm just so not clear on all of this stuff! Thanks!

    The weight of the zucchini (or any ingredient, really) would change after cooking due to water loss and such. The most accurate way to do it is usually to weigh and log each ingredient raw, but if you want or need to weigh it after cooking then make sure you're choosing an accurate entry in the database for the cooked version (ie, don't choose boiled if it's grilled, etc).

  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
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    onefortyone wrote: »
    I agree with the importance of weighing for accuracy, but if you're losing weight with rough estimates, and you find that easier and more sustainable, that's cool too. I do a mix of weighing and tablespooning for higher calorie foods/liquids, but just randomly throw in veggies and log it as '1 large carrot' or 1/2 a medium bell pepper.


    This. I use a measuring cup for everything. I also lose weight very consistently.
  • mknoyce
    mknoyce Posts: 2 Member
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    I was amazed to see that my 1/2 cup of mashed sweet potatoe says 59 calories when entered as such, but that when entered as the actual 150g, it's 129 calories...
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,041 Member
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    Add713 wrote: »
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    Measuring cups are for liquids.

    Scale for solids.

    Seriously for those folks that say the scale is too expensive - $20ish? I bet you spend that on other worthless stuff every week... Too hard - way easier than dragging out a dozen measuring cups and spoons. Not necessary - well if what you're doing is working then fine, but if you swear you're doing everything right and not losing it is usually due to inaccurate logging.

    Seriously...how do u measure everything u eat? That would drive me crazy. I have lost a good deal of weight by....guessing. Well I also exercise way more than I ever have in the past. A hundred cals plus or minus per day....does it really matter. Maybe I burned an extra 100cals today because I walked the stairs more than I did yesterday or my cycling class was 58 minutes one day but 65 the next etc. etc.ect.
    TDEE's are just estimates. We burn different amounts of cals everyday. Unless we do exactly the same things in exactly the same way everyday. I agree logging food is a great way to stay in the ball park but there is room to play in that ball park.
    Obsessing about every calorie.....that's a full time job.

    Everybody claims to be good at "guessing" or "eyeballing." A lot of times they turn out to be very, very wrong.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
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    habit365 wrote: »
    I use stick butter and get the amount from the measurement lines on the paper wrapping. Shredded cheese I weigh because I am sure I could pack a lot of cheese into a measuring cup. :wink:

    I watched some cooking show months ago that took high calorie recipes and made them over to lower calories etc.

    The family wasn't happy having their shredded cheese knocked down to just a 1/2 cup or whatever it was.

    So they mashed the cheese into the cup and kept putting more and mashing all the while saying they were going to get as much out of that measurement as they could. I'm sure they at least doubled the cheese calories.


    I weigh all solids - even if the package claims a certain weight. I find few things are the weight listed - many are over and some enough to make a significant difference in calories. Especially breads, tortillas, etc.
  • HelenRobertsNZ
    HelenRobertsNZ Posts: 16 Member
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    Kenda2427 wrote: »
    I find a lot of the MFP database calculations are inaccurate, such as using cups for other than liquids and saying 1 g or 30 g but the calories are the same. The database needs a major clean up and should be all in grams/ouncesfor non liquids.

    Yes! I've used the "match ingredients" for recipes, and they've come up with a huge calorie count because the garlic listing has 1300 calories for a clove. Obviously I go through and change it, but clean up and gram amounts for more items would be incredibly helpful.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    habit365 wrote: »
    I use stick butter and get the amount from the measurement lines on the paper wrapping. Shredded cheese I weigh because I am sure I could pack a lot of cheese into a measuring cup. :wink:

    Only issue I see is If the wrapping is off by a millimeter, you don't have an accurate number. Not that a millimeter matters in the grand scheme, but I do weigh my butter. And oooooh yes, one can pack much cheese or pb or rice into a measuring cup. My biggest "aha" was measuring one cup of rice versus one serving by weight. Whew!
  • mlboyer100
    mlboyer100 Posts: 101 Member
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    I use both. If the label is stated in cups, that's what I use to measure mine out. If it's stated in oz, then it's the scale. Basically, liquids are cups and solid foods are weighed. When I measure out every serving of cottage cheese in 1/2 cups, amazingly, when I get to the bottom of the container, it's exactly 1/2 cup!

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