How does everyone weigh their raw meat?

lemurcat2

steveko89 wrote: »

wilson10102018 wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

Why not just use a cooked weight.

^^^ This

In my experience, this is often harder to find and the USDA database provides decent information based on raw weight that readily available. I would wager there's also less variance in water content based on nuances in cooking conditions, and end cook temp, not to mention necessary for some methods of cooking where the end product weight may include other ingredients. It really doesn't take that much effort to weigh proteins raw, I've never understood why this is such a hotly debated topic.

The person I was replying to said that he or she weighed the meat cooked and used a multipler.
Using an actual cooked weight seems more accurate (although given that the poster apparently cooks to well done, maybe add a bit extra to account for that.)

The USDA database also provides decent, easy to find information based on cooked weight, and specifies cooking method.

I recommend these when it is difficult to weigh proteins raw, such as when they are bone-in or when your portion is not easy to distinguish from someone else's portion or when, like the poster I was replying to, you simply forget to weigh raw. If I roast a chicken, there's no way to accurately to base it on raw weight, better to weigh the cooked portions you eat and specify breast or leg or whatnot, "cooked, roasted."

That's good enough and a lot more accurate than just applying some generic 1.5X or whatever.

kshama2001

steveko89 wrote: »

wilson10102018 wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

Why not just use a cooked weight.

^^^ This

In my experience, this is often harder to find and the USDA database provides decent information based on raw weight that readily available. I would wager there's also less variance in water content based on nuances in cooking conditions, and end cook temp, not to mention necessary for some methods of cooking where the end product weight may include other ingredients. It really doesn't take that much effort to weigh proteins raw, I've never understood why this is such a hotly debated topic.

What's harder to find? Cooked weights? Not if you get the syntax from the USDA database and paste that into MFP.

I do weigh proteins raw under these circumstances:

• I am not sharing them
• There are no bones or skin involved

This actually doesn't happen a lot, so most of the time I do use cooked entries.

kcmcbee

The entry wt is the amount you eat. Not the amount raw that you don’t eat. Cook it and weigh your portion. Then eat it and log it. I believe this is Correct.

steveko89

just_Tomek wrote: »

Too easy. People look for ways to over complicate their life.

I look for ways to ensure my data is as accurate as possible. It's a necessary detail to me.

lemurcat2

kcmcbee wrote: »

The entry wt is the amount you eat. Not the amount raw that you don’t eat. Cook it and weigh your portion. Then eat it and log it. I believe this is Correct.

It is BOTH correct to weigh raw and use an entry for raw meat, or to weigh cooked and use an entry for cooked meat (specifying how the meat was cooked). Both types of entries are easily available from the USDA for most meats. Neither is wrong.

What is wrong is to use an entry for RAW meat and weigh cooked. If the entry doesn't say, it's probably for raw, including package information. This is important since meat shrinks when you cook it, so if you use a raw entry for cooked meat it will have lower cals than the reality.

Not saying you are doing this, but an important point to note.

kshama2001

lemurcat2 wrote: »

kcmcbee wrote: »

The entry wt is the amount you eat. Not the amount raw that you don’t eat. Cook it and weigh your portion. Then eat it and log it. I believe this is Correct.

It is BOTH correct to weigh raw and use an entry for raw meat, or to weigh cooked and use an entry for cooked meat (specifying how the meat was cooked). Both types of entries are easily available from the USDA for most meats. Neither is wrong.

What is wrong is to use an entry for RAW meat and weigh cooked. If the entry doesn't say, it's probably for raw, including package information. This is important since meat shrinks when you cook it, so if you use a raw entry for cooked meat it will have lower cals than the reality.

Not saying you are doing this, but an important point to note.

Additionally, if the entry doesn't say raw or cooked, it was a user-entered entry, rather than one MFP pulled from the USDA database, as all the USDA entries for meat include raw or cooked.

ritzvin

Chelseataylor83 wrote: »

I heard that this app inputs most meats (chicken, beef, etc) as raw and that I should be multiplying by 1.5 for the true amount. What should I be multiplying by 1.5? Or should I be multiplying at all.

I’m doing keto and counting my macros and trying to see how much protein I’m at.

Thank you

For a lot of meats, 4 oz cooks down to about 3ish oz cooked (loss of water).

This database has entries for both raw and cooked, so just make sure you specify which when logging (and log the actual amount).