When should you measure your food?

I usually measure everything before I cook it, but make sure the calories I put reflect the uncooked quantity.

I usually measure everything before I cook it, but make sure the calories I put reflect the uncooked quantity.

Yep.

I always weigh before cooking, because moisture levels will change depending on how long you cook (an overcooked chicken breast will have less moisture and so will weigh less than it's perfectly cooked counterpart, but the calories are the same). But make sure you're choosing the database entries for raw or uncooked weight if that's the option you choose.

Always weigh before cooking. That is the weight that is reflected on the manufacturer label.

I would concur on the weighing before cooking.

Thank you OP for your topic. This has also helped me. I was weighing afterwards. When I log in food, I don't see many items without an *

Always weigh before cooking. That is the weight that is reflected on the manufacturer label.

This ^^^

I always weigh everything before cooking. Especially meats, because I'd rather err on the side of caution. Meaning I'd rather log the heavier weight of the raw meat.

This^

Before cooking....think about it: when following a recipe the ingredients are always listed in raw..... when we eat out or at a friends house I guess i.e 1 cup of green beans etc.....
I have also noticed that some foods are listed often on MFP . I have found that some people list some of the nutritional value..... I usually check a few.... for per-packaged food and even stuff like noodle etc I use the scan option of my smart phone with the MFP app.... That is also a great way to check things like meats(some of those have no nutrition label) beer or wine (nothing on those either)..... and no I am not a lush, but I do enjoy a glass of wine once in a while and the hubby has his beer with dinner.....
Here is another tip on weighing stuff: I like to use grams or oz: it is more accurate than a the old cup measurement since there is a difference between a cup of sliced and a cup of diced peppers and when we pack a cup we as humans might pack it more than intended (that is okay on veggies, but on cheese it makes a bigger difference)......

Thank you OP for your topic. This has also helped me. I was weighing afterwards. When I log in food, I don't see many items without an *

Putting the word "raw" at the beginning of your search will help bring the USDA entries to the top.

Yes, that is a big one too......

To search for USDA entries for meat type for example Chicken - Breast

From that I found the USDA entry Chicken - Breat, meat only, cooked, roasted, and Chicken - Breast, meat only, raw

and as you scroll down you see the rest of them between user entered data.

The weighing of the meat seems to have worked out well, but every time I've made one 2 oz. portion of pasta (dry, pre-cooked weight) it's been WAY more than I could eat in one serving.

Not a problem -- just cook less and log less. Just because the package says a serving is 2 oz. doesn't mean you have to eat that much. Be happy -- most people find they are disappointed with how small a serving of pasta, cereal, or ice cream, for example, is when they actually weigh it! :brokenheart:

I agree with those who say raw is usually better, because of variables in cooking, and that it's important to make sure that you make sure the database entry you use if for raw or dry (pasta, oats, rice, etc.) if you weighed or measured it raw, and that the entry is for cooked if you weighed or measure it cooked.

To find the non-user entries (I think MFP populated the database with entries from the USDA nutrient database), it often helps either to build your search string starting with a general category, and getting more specific, then finishing with raw or cooking method, e.g., "Beans - black beans, cooked, boiled, without salt" or "Cereals - oats, regular or quick, dry." Another tip: if your first attempt doesn't yield a non-user entry, try changing the food from singular to plural or vice versa (e.g., change "potato" to "potatoes").