meat weight

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blessingsfromabove721
blessingsfromabove721 Posts: 161 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it better to weigh meats before or after they are cooked? Thanks!
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  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    Before. :)
  • anewday23
    anewday23 Posts: 16 Member
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    Doesn't matter, just pick the right label. The log should say raw or cooked.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Just pick the right entry. No way I'm pre weighing and tracking 10 pounds of chicken breasts.
  • blessingsfromabove721
    blessingsfromabove721 Posts: 161 Member
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    Ok, thanks everyone!
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    After. Because you will lose some fat in some types of meat (especially beef and certain cuts of pork). So if you just weigh it beforehand, you'll think you're eating a lot more fat/cals than you really are. I weigh all my meat cooked for this reason.
  • blessingsfromabove721
    blessingsfromabove721 Posts: 161 Member
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    lindsey1979 wrote: »
    After. Because you will lose some fat in some types of meat (especially beef and certain cuts of pork). So if you just weigh it beforehand, you'll think you're eating a lot more fat/cals than you really are. I weigh all my meat cooked for this reason.

    Makes sense. Thanks!
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    lindsey1979 wrote: »
    After. Because you will lose some fat in some types of meat (especially beef and certain cuts of pork). So if you just weigh it beforehand, you'll think you're eating a lot more fat/cals than you really are. I weigh all my meat cooked for this reason.

    You can't just assume the lost weight is fat, that's just inviting underreporting your intake.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    edited September 2015
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    lindsey1979 wrote: »
    After. Because you will lose some fat in some types of meat (especially beef and certain cuts of pork). So if you just weigh it beforehand, you'll think you're eating a lot more fat/cals than you really are. I weigh all my meat cooked for this reason.

    You can't just assume the lost weight is fat, that's just inviting underreporting your intake.

    Well, if you look at the number of certain types of raw and cooked meats, you'll see the differences. I'm not assuming anything -- I'm just weighing based on the known values of cooked meat (and the cooking type) because after you cook it, you will lose certain things -- like fat, water, etc. For leaner meats, it probably doesn't make much difference but for fattier meat cuts, it certainly can make a difference -- think of how much fat you can pour off ground beef alone or the differences between a slice of raw bacon versus a slice of cooked bacon. The fat percentage is much higher in the raw than in the cooked because when you cook it, a lot of the fat cooks off.

    I don't think you generally lose much in the terms of protein or carbs in cooking. But if you know of any types of meat or processes where you lose protein or carbs, I'd love to hear them.


  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    The amount that cooks out depends a lot on the time you cook it, if you put anything else in the same pan the fat sticks to it, etc.
    I'd rather eat less calories than I thought than not lose because I overestimated how much fat got lost cooking.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    The amount that cooks out depends a lot on the time you cook it, if you put anything else in the same pan the fat sticks to it, etc.
    I'd rather eat less calories than I thought than not lose because I overestimated how much fat got lost cooking.

    That's why I like to weigh before when I can. It accounts for everything in that meat and if some of it cooks off, bonus for me.
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I usually take the meat right from the grocery store and precut it up into portions I can use when I am cooking. I do this especially with kelbasa. I cut the sausage into 1 oz segments and put in a plastic container in the freezer. I usually use meat as a flavor instead of the main course. I make chicken soup by putting in celery, carrots and a cooked chicken. Then I strain it, and put into 1/2 cup containers with 1 oz of chicken in each. That is the basis of alot of my soups.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    edited September 2015
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    The amount that cooks out depends a lot on the time you cook it, if you put anything else in the same pan the fat sticks to it, etc.
    I'd rather eat less calories than I thought than not lose because I overestimated how much fat got lost cooking.

    Once again, I'm not estimating, but just using the values provided for cooked meat. I'm not sure why those values would be any worse than those they provide for raw meat.

    You're going to lose something in the ballpark of 25% of weight when you cook it -- sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the type of meat. For me, getting a good idea of fat and cals I'm actually eating is important -- otherwise, I'm going to be throwing off my macros and cals, which is going to make it much more difficult to adjust accordingly when I tweak my program.

  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I use 1 T. olive oil in the cooking. And I do allow for that in my meals.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    The values are worse for the reasons I named. Fat cooks out of the bacon, the bacon has less calories, cool. You use the same pan to cook your eggs though without cleaning it out and you're getting part of that cooked out fat back into your intake.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    The values are worse for the reasons I named. Fat cooks out of the bacon, the bacon has less calories, cool. You use the same pan to cook your eggs though without cleaning it out and you're getting part of that cooked out fat back into your intake.

    First off, I don't cook my eggs like that -- so it's a faulty assumption on your part. Yes, if you're cooking your food in fat -- whether from bacon or anything else, it's important to know that. I take my bacon fat out of the pan and keep it in a jar because sometimes I do cook with bacon fat, but I know how much I'm actually putting in the pan.

    The values that MFP and calorie counters use take into account the difference in cooking -- that's why they offer different types of cooking. That doesn't mean that you don't have to take into account fat you use to cook other foods in, but the values for cooked meat should be just as good as the values for raw.

    Raw bacon is somewhere between 140- 175 cals per slice. The same slice cooked is something like 40-50 calories (with a lot less fat and the same amount of protein). That's a BIG difference. I don't know why you'd want to be intentionally incorrect, but hey, whatever works for you.

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    The values are worse for the reasons I named. Fat cooks out of the bacon, the bacon has less calories, cool. You use the same pan to cook your eggs though without cleaning it out and you're getting part of that cooked out fat back into your intake.

    This is the correct way to cook eggs.

    Well, I drain out most of the excess bacon grease and leave the chunks and stuff.
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    The values are worse for the reasons I named. Fat cooks out of the bacon, the bacon has less calories, cool. You use the same pan to cook your eggs though without cleaning it out and you're getting part of that cooked out fat back into your intake.

    Who in their right mind doesn't clean out a pan??? Silly thing.
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    Not trashing people that use bacon fat in preparing meals. I do fry bacon for son that is like a "baconholic". I then put the drippings in a small container that I put in the fridge when its cooled. I then use a measurer to portion out the bacon drippings I use for another meal. I don't use this all the time, just because its there....I use olive oil mostly.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    Annr wrote: »
    Not trashing people that use bacon fat in preparing meals. I do fry bacon for son that is like a "baconholic". I then put the drippings in a small container that I put in the fridge when its cooled. I then use a measurer to portion out the bacon drippings I use for another meal. I don't use this all the time, just because its there....I use olive oil mostly.

    The thing that is most confusing to me right now is that apparently your bacons have so much droppings coming out you can put them in a jar for later use. That never happens when I cook bacon, hence why I find it weird how apparently so much fat is supposed to come out of it.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    Annr wrote: »
    Not trashing people that use bacon fat in preparing meals. I do fry bacon for son that is like a "baconholic". I then put the drippings in a small container that I put in the fridge when its cooled. I then use a measurer to portion out the bacon drippings I use for another meal. I don't use this all the time, just because its there....I use olive oil mostly.

    The thing that is most confusing to me right now is that apparently your bacons have so much droppings coming out you can put them in a jar for later use. That never happens when I cook bacon, hence why I find it weird how apparently so much fat is supposed to come out of it.

    Really? We always have tons of fat when we cook bacon, but we usually cook several slices (6-10) at the same time (not just 1-2). Perhaps you just tend to eat bacon from the back, which is the leanest.

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