How to calculate calories for a recipe

aawh

So I am really confused on how to calculate the calories for a dinner I am making tonight now that I've been weighing out my food. The problem I am having is with the meat.

My plan is to make boneless skinless chicken breasts stuffed with a mixture of spinach, mushrooms, peppers and a few other ingredients.

So should I weigh out the chicken raw and use the info in the database for raw chicken? Then add in the other ingredients I am using to get the total calorie count for the entire recipe. Then, weigh out everything after it is cooked and then use the grams as a serving size? Obviously each piece of chicken will not weigh the same amount so I'd rather not just divide the whole of it by 4 servings.

Or should I add up my stuffing mixture ingredients and divide that by 4 servings, adding 1 serving of that separately. Then I could weigh my piece of cooked chicken and use the info in the database for roasted chicken? The problem is that the chicken will have stuffing in it after it is cooked so the weight would be a bit higher. There is no way for me to measure out only the cooked chicken.

I compared the two standard chicken entries...

Chicken - Breast, meat only, cooked, roasted, 0.5 breast, bone and skin removed 142 cals, 0 carbs, 27 protein, 3 fat
Chicken - Breast, meat only, raw, 0.5 breast, bone and skin removed 130 cals, 0 carbs, 27 protein, 1 fat

So, the same exact piece of chicken has more calories after it is cooked!? I'm so confused and just trying to be as accurate as I can with my food entries. Any advice?

stormieweather

One is cooked and roasted and one is raw. For a recipe, I would use the raw chicken, then add the other ingredients (be sure to include any oils used to cook the chicken).

Edit: Not sure why the roasted chicken has more calories, but I'm guessing it has to do with a baste or marinade used on it (or sitting in it's own grease while cooking?)

BlueLikeJazz

First of all, I would always weigh the chicken raw and use that amount to calculate your recipe. Also, go by the weight not the "0.5 breast" entries you posted, because every breast is a different size. Whenever I make things like this, in order to avoid getting overly complicated, I add everything together to calculate the recipe, divide by 4 servings, and then when I actually eat the food, I pick the smallest of the servings so that I know for sure I'm not getting a larger-than-average portion and my food will for sure be at or below the amount of calories stated per serving.

shanpgh

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

I've found this site to be EXTREMELY helpful when calculating recipes. Its great when you are trying to make recipes healthier as well because you can put in whatever substitutes you choose and then you can see the difference.

It does take a little bit of time, putting every ingredient in, but it is worth it when you are trying to watch.

Best of Luck!

tommygirl15

This is my biggest pet peeve about tracking my calories - when you love to create your own meals but you have to weigh out every single ingredient and add them all separately to your diary. It's a bit time consuming and a bit frustrating, but there's no other way to do it if you want to be entirely accurate.

stormieweather

You can create and memorize recipes or combo's on MFP now too. It's great!

aawh

Thanks everyone. I've weighed the raw meat and used that info from the database.

I actually used the recipe feature on here to figure out the cals in this one. I only wish I could edit the ingredients after I put them in, instead of having to go back and search for the item and add it again. But it is still much better than using the 'meal' function for my recipes like I always did before.

MOMOFGIRLS45

I just used this site. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Wow. it's excellent but alarming to see how many calories are in my homemade recipes. Now comes the challenge of making the recipes healthier without sacrificing taste.

DwightJenkins

Wow.

We measure and weigh things too, but not to the fine degree as some of the above posters. I know it all counts, but you should be aware that a lot of calorie listings on products and containers may be off by 5 or 10 percent. It varies due to lots of reasons, season of harvest, processing, change in ingredients, etc, so you'll never be totally accurate. I just try to allow a hundred or so calories as wiggle room and not worry about the exact calorie count of each and every meal.

I'm going to be doing this the rest of my life, so I don't need that sort of stress.

BarbieCat1

MFP has a recipe calculator... It's helpful.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator

I like to cook... and it's tough to be 100% accurate, but I think Dwight has the right idea... just do your best and then add in some extra, undesignated calories [instant add] to keep it honest.

A recent study showed that ingredient labels on foods, as well as calorie counting charts, are often "off"... and rarely too low. sigh. So be honest with yourself when calculating amounts, but don't worry too much.

At the end of the day, it's better to be aware of what you ate, honest about portion sizes and include everything you ate, but don't sweat the small stuff down to the last morsel or half tsp of whatever. It'll drive you nuts!

stormieweather

My problem is the opposite, lol. I overestimate the foods. I figured out that I would take a handful of almonds and log an ounce, when it was really 1/2 ounce. Or I'd make a dish, log the whole thing and only eat half. Oh well, I'm getting better at it. :drinker:

DwightJenkins

My problem is the opposite, lol. I overestimate the foods. I figured out that I would take a handful of almonds and log an ounce, when it was really 1/2 ounce. Or I'd make a dish, log the whole thing and only eat half. Oh well, I'm getting better at it. :drinker:

And that's the point... this whole adventure is as much art as science... we learn as we go, and hopefully get better at it... and what works for me may not work for you, but the goal is, find what works!

margielewis

Just read here "MFP has a recipe calculator... recipe/calculator">http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator ". The link didn't work so I am wondering if the address has changed or if it still exists. I like the one at. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp and would like to see something like it here.