Weighing food..

sandrajc042883
sandrajc042883 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
This is probably a silly question.. but, do you weigh meats/chicken/etc. before, or after they are cooked to get accurate oz's?

Replies

  • looopyloops
    looopyloops Posts: 84 Member
    I do cooked
  • rhogr000
    rhogr000 Posts: 126
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Before.
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,253 Member
    Before, unless it is the data bank as cooked, like chicken breast without skin for instance
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    there are entries for both.
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
    before. The weight/calorie information on the package is the raw weight. Cooking dehyrates/removed the water content so the weight will decrease after it is cooked.

    Also for veggies, pasta, rice, anything that you cook by steaming, boiling adding water the weight will increase due to water absorption. So weigh it before otherwise you'll be over estimating (cooking with water does not add calories).
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I weigh meats cooked. That way if I don't finish it I can weigh what's left and make adjustments to my food journal.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    For meat with bone in it, this is what I do:

    Right before I eat, I put my plate (with food on it) on my scale and record the weight.

    After I'm done eating, with leftover bones on the plate, I weigh again. Then I subtract the second weight from the first, and I have an accurate measure of the meat I consumed. Then just find the closest cooked meat entry, and voila!
  • faedreamer1
    faedreamer1 Posts: 47 Member
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This. It helps that I almost always buy boneless meats (steaks, chicken, pork chops etc) so I don't have to account for the bone weight.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    ...bone weight.

    can't. stop. giggling.
  • sandrajc042883
    sandrajc042883 Posts: 7
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)
  • rhogr000
    rhogr000 Posts: 126
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.
  • faedreamer1
    faedreamer1 Posts: 47 Member
    ...bone weight.

    can't. stop. giggling.

    LOL
  • sandrajc042883
    sandrajc042883 Posts: 7
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.

    Well, it's working so far, and I really haven't been weighing food, just guessing oz's. I'd measure out the foods I could, but meats I never did.. just went off what was on the package.
  • ahmadfahmy
    ahmadfahmy Posts: 214 Member
    This is probably a silly question.. but, do you weigh meats/chicken/etc. before, or after they are cooked to get accurate oz's?

    always measure before you cook
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.

    Well, it's working so far, and I really haven't been weighing food, just guessing oz's. I'd measure out the foods I could, but meats I never did.. just went off what was on the package.

    I'd at least estimate. Palm = 4oz, etc.

    I DO really love my food scale though.
  • dawningr
    dawningr Posts: 387 Member
    I weigh after.. handling raw meat grosses me out enough :-)
  • GrammyNanner
    GrammyNanner Posts: 88 Member
    I weigh meat after it's cooked.
  • sandrajc042883
    sandrajc042883 Posts: 7
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.

    Well, it's working so far, and I really haven't been weighing food, just guessing oz's. I'd measure out the foods I could, but meats I never did.. just went off what was on the package.

    I'd at least estimate. Palm = 4oz, etc.

    I DO really love my food scale though.

    I just bought a food scale this morning, and am going to start using it.. keep me more accountable/on track.. That's why I was asking. :smile:
  • rhogr000
    rhogr000 Posts: 126
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.

    Well, it's working so far, and I really haven't been weighing food, just guessing oz's. I'd measure out the foods I could, but meats I never did.. just went off what was on the package.

    I'd at least estimate. Palm = 4oz, etc.

    I DO really love my food scale though.

    I have a food scale as well, but I haven't really ever used it. It's just much simpler for me to go by what the package says. However, I can't do this for everything so that's why I have measuring cups for things like milk and cereal.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I've never had a package of chicken that tells me how many ounces it is...it's always variable. Where are people getting these packaged chicken that are 4 oz. I've found generally that my chicken breasts vary from 8-10 ounces and I buy organic. The package will say 4 oz is a serving, but I've never actually come across a whole chicken breast that small...like I said, usually double that or more.

    To OP...SOP is to weigh meats before...I generally do, but I also eat a lot of stuff like pork tenderloin where I cook a whole 2 Lb tenderloin or whatever and cut it up later...impossible to weigh that before cooking.
  • rhogr000
    rhogr000 Posts: 126
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.

    Well, it's working so far, and I really haven't been weighing food, just guessing oz's. I'd measure out the foods I could, but meats I never did.. just went off what was on the package.

    Yep. Good idea. I'm not saying weighing food is a bad idea, it's a good idea. However a lot of the time it's not practical and it's a hassle...it's much easier to go by what the package says (and if you end up consuming an extra ounce or two, big deal). In addition, there are some people that take weighing food to an obsessive level i.e. "My serving MUST be *EXACTLY* 4.2347 ounces...otherwise I'll ruin my diet!!!" Said people need to relax.
  • rhogr000
    rhogr000 Posts: 126
    I've never had a package of chicken that tells me how many ounces it is...it's always variable. Where are people getting these packaged chicken that are 4 oz. I've found generally that my chicken breasts vary from 8-10 ounces and I buy organic. The package will say 4 oz is a serving, but I've never actually come across a whole chicken breast that small...like I said, usually double that or more.

    To OP...SOP is to weigh meats before...I generally do, but I also eat a lot of stuff like pork tenderloin where I cook a whole 2 Lb tenderloin or whatever and cut it up later...impossible to weigh that before cooking.

    I don't remember the brand of chicken that I buy but the package says: "serving size: 1 piece (approx. 4 oz)" I take "approx." to mean it could be either 3 oz or 5 oz, or maybe even 6 oz. Again, I'm not going to stress over 1-2 oz.

    If it looks too large I'll just "palm it" and save the rest for later.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I've never had a package of chicken that tells me how many ounces it is...it's always variable. Where are people getting these packaged chicken that are 4 oz. I've found generally that my chicken breasts vary from 8-10 ounces and I buy organic. The package will say 4 oz is a serving, but I've never actually come across a whole chicken breast that small...like I said, usually double that or more.

    To OP...SOP is to weigh meats before...I generally do, but I also eat a lot of stuff like pork tenderloin where I cook a whole 2 Lb tenderloin or whatever and cut it up later...impossible to weigh that before cooking.

    I don't remember the brand of chicken that I buy but the package says: "serving size: 1 piece (approx. 4 oz)" I take "approx." to mean it could be either 3 oz or 5 oz, or maybe even 6 oz. Again, I'm not going to stress over 1-2 oz.

    If it looks too large I'll just "palm it" and save the rest for later.

    Mine say a serving size is 4 oz too...but the actual breast is usually around 8, which is a double serving. Not really a big deal for me at this point because I'm eating around 2700 calories...but could make a big difference for someone trying to lose. I get a lot of, "this isn't working for me" comments that come my way and 9 times out of 10 it is because those individuals are vastly underestimating their portions due to relying on a package that tells them a serving is 4 oz or whatever...but the actual product is double that or more. When I was losing, my wife an I routinely split chicken breasts to get 4 oz each.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
    I do not weigh my food. Who has that much time! I use the Palm, Fist, Thumb method. This way it is customized to you specifically. A piece of protein the size, and thickness of your palm (or half for snack portion), One fist size fruit portion, Two fist size veggie portion, One fist size grain portion, and Thumb size (from base to tip) of healthy fat portion. This works for my husband (his size portion), my son his very own portion control size. Me and my right portion size. Since we are all different sizes you can customize :tongue: This also has taught my family how to control portions even when they are not at home where I control the meals! This is something my son can use his whole life to make healthy choices. However, if I had the time to measure I would say you weigh before you cook.
  • mandeenicoleb
    mandeenicoleb Posts: 479 Member
    I do cooked as the entry I use for my chicken is for cooked chicken. Just keep an eye out for weather or not it indicates that.

    BTW I wasn't weighing my meat and I was wayyy off (as in I overestimated everything--I found out once I bought a little scale). I'm glad to know I can have a little more meat than I was having.
  • sandrajc042883
    sandrajc042883 Posts: 7
    Nah, I usually just go by what it says on the package. For example, the chicken breasts I buy are, according to the package, 4 oz each. I trust what the package says. If it's +/- an ounce, I'm not worried about it.

    This is what I had been doing, but wasn't sure if it's entirely accurate.
    Thank you :)

    It may be, or it may not be. All I can say is I've had no problems losing weight and I certainly DON'T weigh everything I eat (I do, however, practice portion control with measuring cups). +/- an ounce or two isn't gonna matter at all.

    In addition, you can also use the "Rule of the Palm" i.e. a single serving of meat (4 oz) should be about the size of your palm, so if you can palm it, you can eat it.

    Well, it's working so far, and I really haven't been weighing food, just guessing oz's. I'd measure out the foods I could, but meats I never did.. just went off what was on the package.

    Yep. Good idea. I'm not saying weighing food is a bad idea, it's a good idea. However a lot of the time it's not practical and it's a hassle...it's much easier to go by what the package says (and if you end up consuming an extra ounce or two, big deal). In addition, there are some people that take weighing food to an obsessive level i.e. "My serving MUST be *EXACTLY* 4.2347 ounces...otherwise I'll ruin my diet!!!" Said people need to relax.

    Oh, agreed! It's not an obsession for me at all...
    I have a friend that carries her measuring cups with her, everywhere.. it's embarrassing, really.

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