Food weighing question.

junestarrr
junestarrr Posts: 52 Member
edited November 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys. This is probably a really dumb question, but for something like a sweet potato, do you weigh it before or after microwaving/baking it. I noticed there's a huge difference in weight, so I'm just wondering which one to use. Any other weighing tips would be greatly appreciated, too! :)

Replies

  • JeffBrown3
    JeffBrown3 Posts: 161 Member
    As a rule of thumb, always raw. If you forget and want to weigh it cooked, just search for sweet potato cooked etc...
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I prefer to weigh it cooked and the subtract what I didn't eat to get to net weight. For instance, a nice ribeye steak might weigh eight ounces raw. By the time it's cooked and the fats are burned out, it might be six ounces. By the time there are a couple of bites which have gristle that can't be eaten, that might be another ounce. So if it weighed six ounces and I couldn't eat one of those ounces, I log it as five ounces.

    Same with sweet potatoes. Are you eating the skin and the ends? If not, just weigh when cooked, then subtract the part you didn't eat.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    It all depends which entrees you use from the database or usda site

    In general it is always raw.
    The cooked versions have most of the time a higher calorie amount for less weight..this because it loses juices( water)

    So its not really a matter of what you choose as number but having the right entrees from the database and your food together.
    So when you microwaved your potato choose

    raw potato entree when you weigh raw
    or
    microwaved potato ( or cooked potato) when you weigh it after cooking/microwaving it.

    Up to you
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    I prefer to weigh it cooked and the subtract what I didn't eat to get to net weight. For instance, a nice ribeye steak might weigh eight ounces raw. By the time it's cooked and the fats are burned out, it might be six ounces. By the time there are a couple of bites which have gristle that can't be eaten, that might be another ounce. So if it weighed six ounces and I couldn't eat one of those ounces, I log it as five ounces.

    Same with sweet potatoes. Are you eating the skin and the ends? If not, just weigh when cooked, then subtract the part you didn't eat.

    and for the steak the same
    As long as you choose the right entree so cooked steak.

    Because those 2 ounces you "lose" when cooking isnt less calories! Only what you dont eat indeed.
    But a 6 ounce steak raw and the same steak cooked weighs 5 ounce is still the same calories.
    Calories dont vaporize while cooking... ( just for a couple difference less or more)

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    When I can, I take the cooked weight. When I can't, I use the raw weight. Different people do it differently.

    Whatever you choose, make sure you use the right entry. Don't go entering a cooked weight as a raw entry. With potato, it wouldn't make a huge difference. With meat, it would.
  • junestarrr
    junestarrr Posts: 52 Member
    Alright. That makes sense, everybody. Didn't think to type 'cooked or raw' when looking it up Thanks. :)
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