How much rice

stuarta99
stuarta99 Posts: 93 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

New here and trying out the app to watch what I'm eating. One area of confusion that I've always had is how much uncooked rice would class as 1 serving. It seems to differ between various diets so unsure how much I should be cooking.

Using the basic calories in and out I noticed last night on my Sainsburys White Long Grain rice that 180g cooked was 210 calories which was well within my allowance against burned calories, however, it was a lot. My wife and I normally use a cup of uncooked for the 2 of us but it seems that should be a cup cooked and 1/3 cup uncooked?

Would appreciate any advice so that I start off on the correct track.

Replies

  • stuarta99
    stuarta99 Posts: 93 Member
    ok thanks for the prompt reply. I also think that just saying a 'cup' is a bit vague and last night I did weigh out the 180g cooked as the packet measured the 210 calories as 180g prepared. As mentioned it was well within my calorie intake for the day (total in was 1385, burned 1568 although natural with no exercise) so thought it would be ok but if I'm going to start monitoring, I want to make sure I'm working with correct levels of food.

    I'm new to this calorie in and out monitoring and during the week don't really do any exercise so was amazed to see how much I naturally burn and can eat to keep a deficit. Although it has made me think and watch what I eat to keep at a deficit.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,834 Member
    Calorie counting definitely has a learning curve :smile: I'm still surprised sometimes at how many (or few) calories some foods add up to. And also surprised that based on tracking my weight loss the past 6 months, I have a faster metabolism than I thought.
    Exercise is just a bonus (more food you can eat) but fortunately not strictly necessary to lose weight!
  • stuarta99
    stuarta99 Posts: 93 Member
    ok great that's what I was thinking. So safe just to go along with what I'm doing and reading the calories or barcodes off products and measure if needed (such as rice). And as long as there is a deficit, should start to lose some. If I want some treats or go over, then exercise to increase the 'out'.

    Have noticed when I was using the fitbit app that some barcode scans were showing different values than on the packets. Will be using this one now though so will see how it goes
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,834 Member
    stuarta99 wrote: »
    Have noticed when I was using the fitbit app that some barcode scans were showing different values than on the packets. Will be using this one now though so will see how it goes

    I definitely recommend checking the nutritional values when you scan barcodes! Sometimes the product has changed, or it's even a product from another brand/country/... If needed, you can correct the values and save that food to "My Foods" for future use, or even create your own foods. It gets easier with time, as you build a list of reliable entries, just a bit of hassle in the beginning. I think it also depends on the country you live in, Belgian products are badly represented (products not in the database or with incorrect info), possibly better for the UK and US.

  • stuarta99
    stuarta99 Posts: 93 Member
    Great thank you, been lots of help and confident I'm doing the right thing. Think I'll rely on what the packet shows and give it a couple of weeks to see what happens weight wise
  • vampirequeen1959
    vampirequeen1959 Posts: 196 Member
    I usually have 50g (uncooked weight) rice unless I've added tons of beans and veg to my curry. Then I reduce the rice.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    A serving is how much you want to eat. You can have 100g or you can have 1000g. Both are still a serving.
    Set up the app for calorie tracking and start logging your meals. You will quickly realize that raw 50g (180cal) will be enough.

    Yes, I find a small amount of rice very satisfying so I can be happy with just 75 grams of cooked rice, whereas with pasta and potatoes I want 114 - 142 g cooked . (Well, TBH with pasta I want more than that but limit myself to 5 oz cooked max.)
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    yes, weighing uncooked is more accurate.

    However if it is more convenient you can weigh cooked.

    I always do that - as i cook a batch of rice and then I weigh my cooked portion. Make sure in that case you are using an entry for cooked rice.

    I find about 100g of cooked rice is a standard serving for me - along with whatever else I am having in that meal - curried meat/veg for example.
    I dont eat rice just by itself and I am assuming you do not either.
  • nationalvillage3215
    nationalvillage3215 Posts: 78 Member
    I use 1/2 cup (approx. 60g) of brown rice as a standard size for me. I adjust amount to fit my daily calorie and carb intake.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Like others have said, it really depends on what you find tasty, satisfying, and helps you fit your nutrition goals.

    One of the nutrition goals important to me is protein, and another is fiber. (Others are micros, some of which are hard to track on MFP and probably not worth worrying about when you are just starting.)

    For me, rice is not a favorite food, I am satisfied with less, and other foods I eat with it (beans or meat, veg) tend to be more satisfying, so rice is an easy place to cut cals. It also has less protein and fiber than, say, beans, so if eating both I will have proportionally more beans, which also is more filling to me (but this wouldn't necessarily be the answer if a different proportion was tastier or more satisfying to me).

    If you have plenty of cals available or really find rice delicious and/or satisfying, then, you would probably choose to have more than me, and thus my serving size (or whatever is on the box, which I think differs in different places) is not important, as others have said.

    ,
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    edited February 2020
    I do the cooked weighing .. ymmv.. I been using same rice and 1:1 ratio cooked in a rice cooker.

    Also me.
    5vwbi32rxeyp.gif
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    lx1x wrote: »
    I do the cooked weighing .. ymmv.. I been using same rice and 1:1 ratio cooked in a rice cooker.

    Also me.
    5vwbi32rxeyp.gif

    Is that...did he bring a giant pot of rice to a KFC??? LMAO!
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    lx1x wrote: »
    I do the cooked weighing .. ymmv.. I been using same rice and 1:1 ratio cooked in a rice cooker.

    Also me.
    5vwbi32rxeyp.gif

    Is that...did he bring a giant pot of rice to a KFC??? LMAO!

    Yeah.. saw it on Giphy the other night.. just found it hilarious.. i am a rice eater.. but not that bad . 😂

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