Measuring up

amcarpla

Okay so I'm so confused. This is my first time getting really serious about my weight loss. The big turning point was the A1C of 6.2. I'm way too young to be a diabetic (pre-diabetic is scarey enough at 32) and I know my weight and eating habits are to blame mostly. I'm just so confused about weighing and measuring foods. I figure one thing at a time to change so I don't overwhelm myself and self sabatoge like I have done in the past. I have been walking my dog and walking in the evenings by myself. I figure continue that and work on nutrition. Then I'm fueled properly for adding more activity.

Do meats get measured pre or post cooking?
Same with vegetables and grains. Also, does soup get measured in a dry measuring cup or a wet? It has a liquid base but solid ingredients.

Thanks all in advance!

janejellyroll

For the majority of foods, weighing prior to cooking is going to be the most accurate.

For measuring liquids, you'll want a liquid measuring cup. But for more complex recipes like soup, I will use weight to portion out.

deannalfisher

meat - i weight raw if at all possible (reasoning - amount of cook time can cause different final weights) - unless its bacon, then always cooked
vegetables/grains - typically uncooked; unless the package says weight based on cooked product

for soup (and similar) - i build a recipe in MFP and set the serving size to final cooked product weight in oz - then i just weigh out however much i want