I’m confused about steak portion sizes...?

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It is recommended that you eat no more than 70 grams of red meat per day, yet almost every steak in my local supermarket weighs 200+ grams and the serving size on the packet is half of the steak (100g) . I have always eaten full steaks because I assumed 1 steak = 1 portion... Are you really supposed to only eat less than half of it?? Do you do this?? l feel like my whole life is a lie

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  • nooboots
    nooboots Posts: 480 Member
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    Thats an 8oz steak in old money isnt it?

    Thats a restaurant size or a nice meal size, I wouldnt really consider that appropriate for a bog standard tea time.

    How often are you eating them?
  • ConfidentRaven
    ConfidentRaven Posts: 1,428 Member
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    A serving of steak is 3 oz or about 85 grams, pre cooked. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you’re eating a 200 gram steak you’re at over double the serving. And yes if I’m cooking at home I’ll weigh out a 3oz portion of steak, or whatever I need for my calorie allotment. If you have the calories though and your doctor hasn’t told you that you need to eat less red meat there’s no reason you can’t eat the entire 200 grams
  • notagryffindor
    notagryffindor Posts: 3 Member
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    nooboots wrote: »
    Thats an 8oz steak in old money isnt it?

    Thats a restaurant size or a nice meal size, I wouldnt really consider that appropriate for a bog standard tea time.

    How often are you eating them?

    I don’t eat them often. Maybe once a week if that. But I am trying to zone in on correct portion sizes right now so if 200g really is excessive I don’t mind changing to a smaller portion
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    I buy huge Cod fillets, cut them into portions that I've weighed, put them in freezer bags, mark the weight on the bags and freeze the individual portions. I rarely eat red meat but don't know why you couldn't do the same. ☺
  • nooboots
    nooboots Posts: 480 Member
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    nooboots wrote: »
    Thats an 8oz steak in old money isnt it?

    Thats a restaurant size or a nice meal size, I wouldnt really consider that appropriate for a bog standard tea time.

    How often are you eating them?

    I don’t eat them often. Maybe once a week if that. But I am trying to zone in on correct portion sizes right now so if 200g really is excessive I don’t mind changing to a smaller portion

    Well what do you mean by excessive? As I have lost some weight now, my stomach cant take the portion sizes I used to, much to my disappointment. So in the past say, a dinner for me might be a couple of burgers (supermarket) with some pittas or sandwich thins, plus oven chips, plus some coleslaw. Now I can only eat one without the chips or the coleslaw.

    So you'll probably find that 200g is now too much for you anyway as you go along.

    However if I was offered burger, chips, sides and a massive glass of wine in a restaurant because we were eating out, I would conveniently manage to eat the whole lot, no problem.

    Most restaurants would offer around a 8oz steak, its a usual size and if its only once a week and you can fit it in your calories then I wouldnt worry.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    "they say" a lot of things. There is observational evidence that increased red meat intake can raise the risk of colon cancer. But it hasn't been definitively established yet. But red meat also has beneficial compounds, like protein and iron. So removing it from your diet has some negatives too. I eat a moderate amount of red meat in my diet, and I'm not really worried about it.

    A "portion" is however much you want it to be. Just make sure to do proper calorie calculations of how many calories your portion is to see how it fits in your goals. Usually a serving size is 4 Oz uncooked (112g) or 3 Oz cooked (85 grams). Water cooks out when you cook meat, which is why there is a serving size difference. I usually eat 2 servings of meat when I have it, so I am around the 200g+ level too. I just make sure it fits in my calorie goals.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
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    Recommended serving sizes for meat are typically 3-4 oz, I often have 2 servings if it fits into my calorie budget. I don’t have beef very often, maybe once a month, but I did have a 6 oz NY strip steak last night for supper. Steak is the only beef I eat now. Had a lettuce salad with it. My dog got the fat.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    It is recommended that you eat no more than 70 grams of red meat per day, yet almost every steak in my local supermarket weighs 200+ grams and the serving size on the packet is half of the steak (100g) . I have always eaten full steaks because I assumed 1 steak = 1 portion... Are you really supposed to only eat less than half of it?? Do you do this?? l feel like my whole life is a lie

    I eat 90 - 100 g of red meat per serving but my OH eats closer to 226 g (8 oz). However, we don't have red meat every day.

    You could do a weekly average - 70 g * 7 = 490, and then have 2.5 steaks per week. I have smaller amounts of steak with eggs, in a wrap, with cheese and crackers, etc.

    For those who are not familiar with the 70 g recommendation, here is a reference: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/meat-nutrition/
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Your life is not a lie. 16 oz or a steak is a serving in my house.
  • MyBoyG
    MyBoyG Posts: 104 Member
    edited July 2019
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    It is recommended that you eat no more than 70 grams of red meat per day, yet almost every steak in my local supermarket weighs 200+ grams and the serving size on the packet is half of the steak (100g) . I have always eaten full steaks because I assumed 1 steak = 1 portion... Are you really supposed to only eat less than half of it?? Do you do this?? l feel like my whole life is a lie

    Seriously, a day? Yikes. We now limit red meat to once a week and try to stay within the limits it as the size of a deck of cards. Most all steaks in the market are too big for us in one sitting, so we split a steak or cook two and save one for a few days later and put it on salad. That said, I do remember a day when I would pound a 12 oz + steak without a thought. If I did that now, I feel horrible *heavy, bogged down” and my system slows to a crawl.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,977 Member
    edited July 2019
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    I've eaten meat all of my life. I seldom eat red meat every day but I usually eat some kind of meat - beef, pork, lamb, chicken and/or seafood - daily.

    I buy strip loin in bulk and cut it myself into 1.5" steaks which weigh about 1# each, which in my experience is the best size for grilling on the stovetop or outdoor grill to prepare a perfect medium rare steak.

    However, I seldom eat an entire 1# steak in one sitting. I usually eat only 1/2 (or 8 ounces) of it and save the rest to eat as leftovers later. So, my "normal" serving size for a NY strip steak is 8 oz.