Question about weighing food

sargessexyone

I realize now that I need to get in the habit of not just measuring my food but weighing it. My question is, I do a lot of cooking at home for up to 5 people, so do I weigh the ingredients as I'm cooking the whole meal and then weigh again for my portion or do I cook the meal and then weigh out my portion? Hope that makes sense.

auddii

I weight the food and then log it as a recipe. The recipe builder allows you to say how many servings, and then I log how many of those servings I eat.

SezxyStef

I weight the food and then log it as a recipe. The recipe builder allows you to say how many servings, and then I log how many of those servings I eat.

This...

I cook for 3...2 big active men and myself...
I made stirfry last night and the recipe said served 4...but I added extra veggies so changed the servings to 5...2 for each of them and 1 for me...worked great....

Sometimes I build it but don't know the servings (ie banana bread) so I weigh the loaf when it's done...makes figuring out calories easy too...

ChrisGates61

I do the same thing - measure and add ingredients as I make the dish, then I decide (or watch) and see how many servings it actually makes. You can edit number of servings later if need be.

Annie_01

I weigh before and after. Many foods change weight during the cooking process.

As I cook a recipe I weight out the ingredients and enter that into the recipe builder that MFP furnishes. Enter how many servings that I want to have (sometimes I change this based on how many calories per serving...sometimes higher...sometimes I lower it). After cooking I reweigh and divide my number of servings in to that weight.

2oz of pasta is closer to 4oz after cooking...chicken will go from 4oz raw to 3oz or less after cooking. It is a pain sometimes but I think it is the most accurate way of doing it...or at least the only way that I have come up with.

magicalamanda

I cook and then I weigh the portions for myself. Otherwise it would take too long. When you go to add food into your diary it is usually for cooked food. So for example if you cook some chicken breasts you would weigh the breast after you cook it.

If you are doing a stew, soup, sauce, THEN you weight them before you cook them. That way you can enter it into the recipe maker on here and get a very accurate per portion calorie index.

TIP: If you are eating a meat with bones weigh it before you eat it and weigh the bones when you are finished, and then subtract them for the ounces of meat that you consumed.

auddii

I weigh before and after. Many foods change weight during the cooking process.

As I cook a recipe I weight out the ingredients and enter that into the recipe builder that MFP furnishes. Enter how many servings that I want to have (sometimes I change this based on how many calories per serving...sometimes higher...sometimes I lower it). After cooking I reweigh and divide my number of servings in to that weight.

2oz of pasta is closer to 4oz after cooking...chicken will go from 4oz raw to 3oz or less after cooking. It is a pain sometimes but I think it is the most accurate way of doing it...or at least the only way that I have come up with.

I think that is a bit excessive. Things like pasta change weight due to water. They give the number of calories dry. So, if the pasta weighs slightly more than 4oz after cooking, it doesn't matter because it just absorbed more water after cooking than expected.

It is typically better to use pre cooking measurements and pre-cooking entries (like raw chicken). I like to search for raw USDA on the list. There's also a USDA site that lists calories:
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Weighing both before and after doesn't actually make it more accurate.

tazhinshaw

I have a question about weighing food as well if anyone is still active on this post lol
so i eat sliced apples w/ pb and granola, would I have the plate on the scale so it reads zero then add the apples get their weight then zero it out, add the pb zero it out and add the granola??

Sorry, I've just got a food scale and am not sure exactly what to do hahah

Annie_01

I have a question about weighing food as well if anyone is still active on this post lol
so i eat sliced apples w/ pb and granola, would I have the plate on the scale so it reads zero then add the apples get their weight then zero it out, add the pb zero it out and add the granola??

Sorry, I've just got a food scale and am not sure exactly what to do hahah

Always make sure that you zero out your plate. You can zero out after each food item or just add the weight of each food as you go...I do it both ways. Easier however to just zero out after each one.

sargessexyone

I have a question about weighing food as well if anyone is still active on this post lol
so i eat sliced apples w/ pb and granola, would I have the plate on the scale so it reads zero then add the apples get their weight then zero it out, add the pb zero it out and add the granola??

Sorry, I've just got a food scale and am not sure exactly what to do hahah

That is a good question and since I'm new to weighing food I'd like to know the answer as well.

sargessexyone

Oh and one more thing :embarassed: , I'm going to assume I don't weigh frozen. I let it thaw out first, correct?

tazhinshaw

I have a question about weighing food as well if anyone is still active on this post lol
so i eat sliced apples w/ pb and granola, would I have the plate on the scale so it reads zero then add the apples get their weight then zero it out, add the pb zero it out and add the granola??

Sorry, I've just got a food scale and am not sure exactly what to do hahah

Always make sure that you zero out your plate. You can zero out after each food item or just add the weight of each food as you go...I do it both ways. Easier however to just zero out after each one.

THANK YOU!

tazhinshaw

Oh and one more thing :embarassed: , I'm going to assume I don't weigh frozen. I let it thaw out first, correct?

Oooh I didn't even think about that! Good question!! *waits for answer* lol

Francl27

I weigh before and after. Many foods change weight during the cooking process.

As I cook a recipe I weight out the ingredients and enter that into the recipe builder that MFP furnishes. Enter how many servings that I want to have (sometimes I change this based on how many calories per serving...sometimes higher...sometimes I lower it). After cooking I reweigh and divide my number of servings in to that weight.

2oz of pasta is closer to 4oz after cooking...chicken will go from 4oz raw to 3oz or less after cooking. It is a pain sometimes but I think it is the most accurate way of doing it...or at least the only way that I have come up with.

I think that is a bit excessive. Things like pasta change weight due to water. They give the number of calories dry. So, if the pasta weighs slightly more than 4oz after cooking, it doesn't matter because it just absorbed more water after cooking than expected.

It is typically better to use pre cooking measurements and pre-cooking entries (like raw chicken). I like to search for raw USDA on the list. There's also a USDA site that lists calories:
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Weighing both before and after doesn't actually make it more accurate.

It's actually the best way to do it... how do you know otherwise how much of a serving you are eating?

You enter the ingredients dry, put it in the recipe builder, then weigh the whole thing when it's cooked... If it's 1200g, you can say that there are 10 servings of 120g, for example.

And yes it's a pain in the butt. Sometimes you have to weigh the whole pan, write down how much it weighs, then weigh it after cooking so you know how much your food weighs. Then you have a serving and weigh that, so you know how much exactly you are eating. But it's the only way of being accurate.

Otherwise, yes, that's how you weigh things - tare your plate, but your chicken on it, log it... tare it again, put your veggies, log it... tare it, put your sauce, log it etc. That's why a lot of our dinners are just prepared separately (chicken, rice, veggies for example, in 3 different dishes) so it's easy for me to log.

Also make sure if you only weigh your meat after it's cooked to use a 'cooked' entry.

Annie_01

I weigh before and after. Many foods change weight during the cooking process.

As I cook a recipe I weight out the ingredients and enter that into the recipe builder that MFP furnishes. Enter how many servings that I want to have (sometimes I change this based on how many calories per serving...sometimes higher...sometimes I lower it). After cooking I reweigh and divide my number of servings in to that weight.

2oz of pasta is closer to 4oz after cooking...chicken will go from 4oz raw to 3oz or less after cooking. It is a pain sometimes but I think it is the most accurate way of doing it...or at least the only way that I have come up with.

I think that is a bit excessive. Things like pasta change weight due to water. They give the number of calories dry. So, if the pasta weighs slightly more than 4oz after cooking, it doesn't matter because it just absorbed more water after cooking than expected.

It is typically better to use pre cooking measurements and pre-cooking entries (like raw chicken). I like to search for raw USDA on the list. There's also a USDA site that lists calories:
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Weighing both before and after doesn't actually make it more accurate.

If I cook a casserole that contains chicken and pasta...the weight changes...4oz of cooked chicken has more calories than 4oz of raw.

Things do not weigh the same amount after cooking. The water cooks out of vegetables...pastas weight increases.

So if you cook a whole bag of pasta...how do you know how much of that pasta equates to the 2oz uncooked.

I cooked cajun chicken with pasta on Wednesday that included about 8 different food items. It served 8. The finished weight was much different than the beginning weight. I could have guessed how much was one serving when I dipped it out...but if I am going to the trouble of weighing and logging...I want it accurate.

That's just me...I really don't think that it is excessive but if you do then don't weigh afterwards.

Annie_01

Oh and one more thing :embarassed: , I'm going to assume I don't weigh frozen. I let it thaw out first, correct?

I do. I unthawed chicken that weighted 3lbs frozen...after thawing it only weighed 2 1/2lbs.

Annie_01

I weigh before and after. Many foods change weight during the cooking process.

As I cook a recipe I weight out the ingredients and enter that into the recipe builder that MFP furnishes. Enter how many servings that I want to have (sometimes I change this based on how many calories per serving...sometimes higher...sometimes I lower it). After cooking I reweigh and divide my number of servings in to that weight.

2oz of pasta is closer to 4oz after cooking...chicken will go from 4oz raw to 3oz or less after cooking. It is a pain sometimes but I think it is the most accurate way of doing it...or at least the only way that I have come up with.

I think that is a bit excessive. Things like pasta change weight due to water. They give the number of calories dry. So, if the pasta weighs slightly more than 4oz after cooking, it doesn't matter because it just absorbed more water after cooking than expected.

It is typically better to use pre cooking measurements and pre-cooking entries (like raw chicken). I like to search for raw USDA on the list. There's also a USDA site that lists calories:
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Weighing both before and after doesn't actually make it more accurate.

It's actually the best way to do it... how do you know otherwise how much of a serving you are eating?

You enter the ingredients dry, put it in the recipe builder, then weigh the whole thing when it's cooked... If it's 1200g, you can say that there are 10 servings of 120g, for example.

And yes it's a pain in the butt. Sometimes you have to weigh the whole pan, write down how much it weighs, then weigh it after cooking so you know how much your food weighs. Then you have a serving and weigh that, so you know how much exactly you are eating. But it's the only way of being accurate.

Otherwise, yes, that's how you weigh things - tare your plate, but your chicken on it, log it... tare it again, put your veggies, log it... tare it, put your sauce, log it etc. That's why a lot of our dinners are just prepared separately (chicken, rice, veggies for example, in 3 different dishes) so it's easy for me to log.

Also make sure if you only weigh your meat after it's cooked to use a 'cooked' entry.

I am a casserole cooker...that and even when it is not a casserole I have a tendency to cook with a lot of ingredients. It is a pain but weighing before and after gives me a more accurate serving size.

smilingrn

I weigh before and after. Many foods change weight during the cooking process.

As I cook a recipe I weight out the ingredients and enter that into the recipe builder that MFP furnishes. Enter how many servings that I want to have (sometimes I change this based on how many calories per serving...sometimes higher...sometimes I lower it). After cooking I reweigh and divide my number of servings in to that weight.

2oz of pasta is closer to 4oz after cooking...chicken will go from 4oz raw to 3oz or less after cooking. It is a pain sometimes but I think it is the most accurate way of doing it...or at least the only way that I have come up with.

AGREED! This is exaclty what I do.

C1C2C3

I have a question about weighing food as well if anyone is still active on this post lol
so i eat sliced apples w/ pb and granola, would I have the plate on the scale so it reads zero then add the apples get their weight then zero it out, add the pb zero it out and add the granola??

Sorry, I've just got a food scale and am not sure exactly what to do hahah

Sounds like you are using it correctly to me. You are zeroing it out between each item, so that you are only getting that individual food's weight.

A food scale is a wise purchase, I'm sure you will get alot of use out of it! My food scale has been one of my most used weight loss tools (right after mfp, of course!).

Edited to add:...sorry! question was already answered...that is what happens when you leave your screen up for awhile without refreshing.

sillyvalentine

I also build recipes on here. I add all the food ingredients and then decide how many people that will feed = servings. It's a great tool and the only reason my husband and I can eat the same things for dinner

tazhinshaw

I have a question about weighing food as well if anyone is still active on this post lol
so i eat sliced apples w/ pb and granola, would I have the plate on the scale so it reads zero then add the apples get their weight then zero it out, add the pb zero it out and add the granola??

Sorry, I've just got a food scale and am not sure exactly what to do hahah

Sounds like you are using it correctly to me. You are zeroing it out between each item, so that you are only getting that individual food's weight.

A food scale is a wise purchase, I'm sure you will get alot of use out of it! My food scale has been one of my most used weight loss tools (right after mfp, of course!).

Edited to add:...sorry! question was already answered...that is what happens when you leave your screen up for awhile without refreshing.

haha thats ok! I haven't done it yet because I wasn't quite sure what the heck to do haha