How to measure right Chicken Breast / Prepping

nrockit

Hey Community

I got a question about measuring my Chicken Breast which I prepare in advance since I'm not sure how to proceed with an entry.
The chicken amount is 1200grams for 3 days - raw! The average calories for 100grams is 102 calories based on the manufacture label. This would result 408 calories a day for equal portions of chicken at 400grams. So far so good.

However, after cutting it into stripes and just cooking/searing it in the pan it is way more lighter. I guess I remember it came down to 246grams which is a 160grams in weight loss.

I always calculated the 246grams with the label for the raw chicken which might be wrong. What would you suggest to get the perfect and correct amount of calories that I should count. Raw or cooked?

Thanks
Nick

TheRootofGroot

You can do either or, being as when you type "chicken, cooked" or "chicken, raw" you'll get a myriad of verified selections that are from the nutritiondata site.

I favor raw weight for everything.
Might be that you cook your chicken drier than what nutritiondata considers cooked and the weight will be off.

Raw is raw.

nrockit

Yeah I missed that "searching for cooked" part. I always measure the cooked product and used the nutrition information on the label which might be for the raw product.
The same goes for sweet potato which I measured after cooking as well. I find it easier to weight them after cooking since I know exactly what goes into a container.
If I'm using the raw method, it would look like I'm eating 400g chicken a day but cooked, it is just 250gram. I think this is a difference.
Here comes the interesting thing: Does 400g raw chicken have more calories then 250g cooked? I cook/sear them only with one teaspoon oil and bit of spices.
But maybe I'm overcomplicating things, could be possible as well.

sammyliftsandeats

Measure your chicken raw.
Use the raw weights.
If you are meal prepping, you can use the recipe builder to make your life easier.
Enter in the chicken and all the other ingredients, make the serving size '3' or whatever number of servings you want, and then divide it into containers.
When you enter it into your food log, it is just one item you need to enter and no more guesswork.
If it is only you eating it and one day you have more chicken in one container and the next day, more veggies - I wouldn't be too worried because if you eat the whole thing and log it over three days, your body is consuming those calories whether it is 250 cals one day and 255 cals another.

sugaraddict4321

You are over-complicating a bit. If you truly only use one tsp (teaspoon, not tablespoon) of oil, then 250 grams cooked is slightly fewer calories than 400 grams raw (about 40 cals difference)...but if you're using two tsp then it's basically a wash . I always go with raw weights and then figure any deficit from cooking is a bonus. It takes a while to get your diary set up the way you want with frequently used foods, but it's worth it.

As Samantha says, you can use the recipe builder if you do the same recipes over and over. When you use a recipe, you're saying you use the same ingredients in the same proportions each time you make it. I add up all the weights of the individual ingredients and divide by 100 to get the number of servings. Then 1 serving always is 100 grams. Easy.

Recipes are great if you make things the same all the time, but if you change things up then the "save meal" feature might work better for you. Sometimes I eat similar meals, but not exactly the same - for example fajitas might be chicken or beef or veggie. So I entered all the ingredients individually one time for dinner, and then clicked the quick tool to "save meal". Each time I copy the meal to my diary, all the ingredients are there, and I can edit as needed.

Play with it and see what works best for you, but don't overthink it.

glassyo

Soooooooo, was I the only one thinking, "What about the left breast"?

Francl27

Just use the raw weight.

nrockit

@samanthaluangphixay
Thanks, I have to take a look at the builder, didn't used it before. That way makes it a lot easier - in theory. Have to try it on Wednesday.

@sugaraddict4321
Yeah I thought I was making it too complicate. I really have to take a look at the builder. Thanks for clarifying the recipes and builder difference!

@glassyo
Dang, you are "right". I should have read the title twice before posting... but hey, maybe it works like a catching headline ;-)

@Francl27
Thanks, I think this is really the best way.