HELP!!! Do you weigh your meat cooked or uncooked?

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  • jonnywright1
    jonnywright1 Posts: 3
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    I've just been reading another post, which is the same issue - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1276168-cooked-vs-uncooked-confused

    I think the way forward may be to cook as per instructions, weigh it and convert back to the raw weight, or find something similar which gives raw values. Otherwise I'm overstating in my diary and not eating as much as I want (I'm trying to bulk btw so trying to create a calorie surplus!)
  • oldford911
    oldford911 Posts: 2
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    If you are dieting to lose weight it would make alot more sense to weigh before cooking.. In my opinion it's better to over estimate what your eating then underestimate and end up going over your daily intake allowance.
  • Miltr007
    Miltr007 Posts: 1 Member
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    If you are going to eat it raw then weigh it raw, if you are going to eat it cooked weigh it cooked. There is a difference for a given weight, for example, assuming the USDA Nutrition tables are correct.

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods

    Beef, top sirloin, steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades,

    Nutrient Unit Broiled Value per 100 g Raw Value per 100 g
    Water g 58.36 66.09
    Energy cal 243 201.0
    Protein g 26.96 20.3
    Total lipid (fat) g 14.23 12.71
    Fatty acids, total saturated g 5.603 5.127
    Fatty acids, total monounsaturated g 5.93 5.44
    Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated g 0.547 0.483
    Carbohydrate, by difference g 0 0
    Fiber, total dietary g 0 0
    Sugars, total g 0 0
    Calcium, Ca mg 20 24
    Iron, Fe mg 1.73 1.48
  • Mcbummers
    Mcbummers Posts: 6 Member
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    People are getting mixed up with cooked/uncooked when they needn't be.

    All you need to do if you weigh your food AFTER cooking is make sure you enter the cooked value. If you weigh it raw then make sure the raw values are used! Why is this so difficult? Just be consistent with your method and you won't tangle yourself up.

    In the example of chicken, if you cook it and it now weighs 4oz, but you select the raw data by mistake, you'll be under reporting your macros. Reason being is that 4oz of cooked chicken was probably 5oz raw. The nutritional data for 4oz raw chicken and 5oz raw chicken is obviously going to be different!
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Always Raw weight here...... :drinker:
  • StrawberryJam40
    StrawberryJam40 Posts: 274 Member
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    People are getting mixed up with cooked/uncooked when they needn't be.

    All you need to do if you weigh your food AFTER cooking is make sure you enter the cooked value. If you weigh it raw then make sure the raw values are used! Why is this so difficult? Just be consistent with your method and you won't tangle yourself up.

    In the example of chicken, if you cook it and it now weighs 4oz, but you select the raw data by mistake, you'll be under reporting your macros. Reason being is that 4oz of cooked chicken was probably 5oz raw. The nutritional data for 4oz raw chicken and 5oz raw chicken is obviously going to be different!

    Yep.

    And if I precook 2 or 3 chicken breast and cut into chunks, or get split breast and cook and debone to use all week, how am I going to weigh that raw. I just look for the food log to tell me....baked, fried, raw...whatever my case may be at the time.
  • ZBuffBod
    ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
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    I have been doing cooked all along. But then I overestimate calories eaten and underestimate calories burned as a habit so I think it evens out for me.

    I think if you are consistent in whichever method you choose, you should do fine.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    People are getting mixed up with cooked/uncooked when they needn't be.

    All you need to do if you weigh your food AFTER cooking is make sure you enter the cooked value. If you weigh it raw then make sure the raw values are used! Why is this so difficult? Just be consistent with your method and you won't tangle yourself up.

    In the example of chicken, if you cook it and it now weighs 4oz, but you select the raw data by mistake, you'll be under reporting your macros. Reason being is that 4oz of cooked chicken was probably 5oz raw. The nutritional data for 4oz raw chicken and 5oz raw chicken is obviously going to be different!

    Yep.

    And if I precook 2 or 3 chicken breast and cut into chunks, or get split breast and cook and debone to use all week, how am I going to weigh that raw. I just look for the food log to tell me....baked, fried, raw...whatever my case may be at the time.

    Right. The only problem I see is if someone weighs it cooked and uses the raw (or package) information. Then you are undercounting by a significant amount.

    But on the whole just use the correct entry and it doesn't matter much.
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
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    Initially, I do both. I weigh it raw and then I cook it and weigh it again. Then I make an entry under My Foods with the weight it was cooked yielding from the weight it was raw. That way, I can confidently cook the meat without weighing before every time because I already know what a serving will weigh. i do the same thing with pasta.
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
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    It is fine to weigh food before you eat it if it is steak or children breast but what if it is a roast or turkey. Pretty hard to weigh it then.

    LOL @children breast
  • Uandir1
    Uandir1 Posts: 2
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    It took 5 min. To stop laughing about children breast. Child welfare needs to make a home visit to see if her children still have their breast. Since she likes to eat children breast. Just kidding, that was so funny!
  • Uandir1
    Uandir1 Posts: 2
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    I was so hoping a exercise guru or Alton Brown would have given an answer! I still don't know which is better raw or cooked.Alton where are you?
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I don't understand the confusion. The most accurate in my opinion is raw weight.
    Here's why:
    I take two identical pieces of sirloin which weigh 300 grams each. They have the exact same raw value and macro profile.
    I cook mine medium rare and my wife's well done.
    Now the cooked weight of mine is 250 grams, but my wife's is 200 grams (It lost more water)..
    If you use the cooked values, one of those same pieces of meat will be logged incorrectly.
    The same goes for chicken. I like mine just cooked but still juicy. She likes hers almost powdered I call it. :)
    To me it only makes logical sense to weigh raw.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
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    I weigh it cooked, subtracting an ounce from the raw serving size.
  • lisele03
    lisele03 Posts: 133 Member
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    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/

    I like this website where you can determine the cals and nutrients of many foods whether raw or cooked. These are often already listed in the MFP database. I generally weigh my meat/veggies cooked when it’s feasible since the cals and nutrients definitely change after cooking (although not always by much.) When it’s not feasible (like a casserole) I weigh the raw ingredients. I don’t think either method is “wrong” I just think weighing after cooking is slightly more accurate since that is generally how we ingest it. My tip: Don’t sweat the details too much - If we’re being THAT exact about our intake – we’ll all be successful…..!
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I like this website where you can determine the cals and nutrients of many foods whether raw or cooked. These are often already listed in the MFP database. I generally weigh my meat/veggies cooked when it’s feasible since the cals and nutrients definitely change after cooking (although not always by much.) When it’s not feasible (like a casserole) I weigh the raw ingredients. I don’t think either method is “wrong” I just think weighing after cooking is slightly more accurate since that is generally how we ingest it. My tip: Don’t sweat the details too much - If we’re being THAT exact about our intake – we’ll all be successful…..!
    It's not more accurate for the exact reason I posted two posts above yours. I guess people just post and don't read.
    That said, I'm just a nerd for accuracy and if you are losing weight as you intended, your method is working so don't sweat it.
  • formerfatboy1
    formerfatboy1 Posts: 76 Member
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    I have been weighing my food cooked for the past couple of years and steady dropping weight. Its really no biggie IMO just as long as you weigh your food.
    The app on my phone has the barcode scanner so you can scan the code and all the info will pop up for that serving. after a while of doing this you will train yourself to know which is which and how much your average portion size should look. Good Luck!
  • JoyeII
    JoyeII Posts: 240 Member
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    I weigh my meats cooked. I only have one scale and I don't want to contaminate it with raw meats especially chicken. I do wash it, but I don't want to wash it several times every time I eat.

    Put the meat on a plate. No contamination necessary.
  • jtotyler
    jtotyler Posts: 5
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    I had the same question so I contacted foster farms who sells boneless skinless chicken breasts at costco. The rep who emailed me back stated the norm for nutritional values are based on how the product is sold unless it states otherwise. So if you buy raw chicken you weigh it raw. If you buy cooked meat it is of course is the weight cooked. Hope this helps sorry if you now have to cut the protein intake back a little.
  • EvgenyP
    EvgenyP Posts: 19 Member
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    lol @ measuring cooked meats. no wonder some people have troubles losing weight.

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