Specified calories in pasta. Help! :(

Karma_beast
Karma_beast Posts: 3 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi.

I probably shouldn't be asking dumb questions but I need a little help, I'm currently trying to loose some weight, but I love pasta. And I've been having a hard time figuring out the following:

Every single site I've visited indicates that the specified calories In the pasta packs are for cooked pasta, however here's what I don't get . A Penne pack that weighs 200g says that it contains four 50g portions, each one has 201 calories. However if I cook the pasta it will gain volume and weight due to the water and thus one fourth of the pack will no longer weight 50 g so, how should Iinterpretate that. Please help :(

Replies

  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
    Some companies will specify cooked or uncooked on the box, I just choose to buy those ones where it's spelled out. In the meantime, just estimate conservatively until you finish up that box.
  • SimoneBee12
    SimoneBee12 Posts: 268 Member
    Generally whatever calories are on the packet correspond with how the food comes in the packet. So the calories in the box are for dry pasta. Normally if you are meant to add something it will say both, like a dry cake mix or a cake mix with oil and eggs added as the box instructs.

    Weigh your pasta raw, much easier.
  • Karma_beast
    Karma_beast Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you all :)
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited October 2015
    Your example has to be for dry weight since it has four 50 g servings in a 200 g pack of dry pasta.

    The pasta will weigh more after you cook it but that's just water. One-fourth of the pack will still have 201 calories. If you want to split it into servings after cooking, you can weigh the whole thing after it's cooked and then divide the portions. If you cooked three servings by putting 150 g of dry pasta in the pot, one-third of the cooked amount will be one serving no matter what it weighs.
  • Karma_beast
    Karma_beast Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited October 2015
    weigh it dried, water has zero cals after all. The first time I weighed a 50g portion I noticed how much (or little actually!) there was in the bowl as a portion, that was my guideline from then on. If in doubt just log more, always better to over estimate I find.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    Your example has to be for dry weight since it has four 50 g servings in a 200 g pack of dry pasta.

    The pasta will weigh more after you cook it but that's just water. One-fourth of the pack will still have 201 calories. If you want to split it into servings after cooking, you can weigh the whole thing after it's cooked and then divide the portions. If you cooked three servings by putting 150 g of dry pasta in the pot, one-third of the cooked amount will be one serving no matter what it weighs.

    ^^ This is what I do when I make a large amount of pasta, like for my family. I weigh it all dry beforehand, just so I know how many servings I am making. Then I weigh all the pasta once it's cooked, and divide by 4 (or however many servings) and that's how much I give myself.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    victoria_1024 wrote: »
    seska422 wrote: »
    Your example has to be for dry weight since it has four 50 g servings in a 200 g pack of dry pasta.

    The pasta will weigh more after you cook it but that's just water. One-fourth of the pack will still have 201 calories. If you want to split it into servings after cooking, you can weigh the whole thing after it's cooked and then divide the portions. If you cooked three servings by putting 150 g of dry pasta in the pot, one-third of the cooked amount will be one serving no matter what it weighs.

    ^^ This is what I do when I make a large amount of pasta, like for my family. I weigh it all dry beforehand, just so I know how many servings I am making. Then I weigh all the pasta once it's cooked, and divide by 4 (or however many servings) and that's how much I give myself.

    This.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    In the past, I weighed out one serving of the type of spaghetti that we use, boiled it on its own, and then measured it with a measuring cup. It ended up being just over one 1 cup measuring cup. (What I would call a rounded up.) To make things easier, I now just measure out the cooked pasta into a one cup measuring cup but don't round it.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    In the past, I weighed out one serving of the type of spaghetti that we use, boiled it on its own, and then measured it with a measuring cup. It ended up being just over one 1 cup measuring cup. (What I would call a rounded up.) To make things easier, I now just measure out the cooked pasta into a one cup measuring cup but don't round it.

    I'd rather weigh the cooked portion and not short myself even a bite of the good stuff. :-)

    Agreed! Although in my experience it's always a very similar weight once cooked - usually the pasta I use ends up 130g a serving (Ronzoni whole wheat) and rice 100g. As long as you always cook it the same way, it will always be pretty similar (use the same cooking time).
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    In the past, I weighed out one serving of the type of spaghetti that we use, boiled it on its own, and then measured it with a measuring cup. It ended up being just over one 1 cup measuring cup. (What I would call a rounded up.) To make things easier, I now just measure out the cooked pasta into a one cup measuring cup but don't round it.

    I'd rather weigh the cooked portion and not short myself even a bite of the good stuff. :-)

    I'm more concerned with not missing out on meatballs rather than the pasta :smile:
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,179 Member
    Karma_beast wrote: »
    Hi.

    I probably shouldn't be asking dumb questions but I need a little help, I'm currently trying to loose some weight, but I love pasta. And I've been having a hard time figuring out the following:

    Every single site I've visited indicates that the specified calories In the pasta packs are for cooked pasta, however here's what I don't get . A Penne pack that weighs 200g says that it contains four 50g portions, each one has 201 calories. However if I cook the pasta it will gain volume and weight due to the water and thus one fourth of the pack will no longer weight 50 g so, how should Iinterpretate that. Please help :(


    So what I do , is I weigh before an after
    Before cooked = 2 oz.
    After cook = 5 oz.
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