Food weights

bethdris
bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
edited October 4 in Food and Nutrition
We recently bought a food scale, and so far we really like it. My question is..do you log your food precooked (ie meats, potatoes) or after its cooked?

Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    <-- saw thread title and thought maybe you were bench pressing turkeys.
  • mirenner
    mirenner Posts: 205
    it should specify on the package if the serving measurements are cooked or not... but if it doesn't, rule of thumb, measure it in its uncooked state
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
    I log after since that's what you're actually eating. :flowerforyou:
  • tiggerbounce411
    tiggerbounce411 Posts: 401 Member
    I have read on several sites that if it isn't specified on the package, generally it is AFTER it is cooked. For example, a cup of cooked rice is far less than uncooked. You would be blowing calories bad if you ate what you measured uncooked..lol. I almost made that mistake at first.
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    Like I made a sweet potato tonight (there was no package for it, of course),..so I weighed it raw, and then cooked..it was almost half the weight. I don't want to over state my cals, nor do I want to cheat myself and understate them...I'd like to eat every cal and enjoy it! :)
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
    Like I made a sweet potato tonight (there was no package for it, of course),..so I weighed it raw, and then cooked..it was almost half the weight. I don't want to over state my cals, nor do I want to cheat myself and understate them...I'd like to eat every cal and enjoy it! :)

    The food scale doesn't lie.....so, still I would go with the weight of the food you're actually eating.
  • allie1904
    allie1904 Posts: 248
    I log all raw weights, as my cooking tends to be a mixture of things chucked in the pan, nothings ever 3 seperate things on the plate.

    So unless i pick apart my meal after I'm not going to weigh cooked weights.

    I know I put 60g of mushrooms on there and unless someone piches them from the pan I'll be getting 60g of mushrooms (just in their cooked form weight) back out :flowerforyou:
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Depends on how you obtained the original data. Uncooked protein will not have less protein after cooking but could weight less for example.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Always weigh uncooked unless something specifically says cooked.

    4oz of meat means raw
    2oz of pasta means uncooked
    100g of any fruit or veggie means raw
    Etc.

    It's done this way because cooking is not exact. That 4oz of meat could weight 3.5oz or 3oz depending on how long it was cooked for and how much juice was cooked out during the process. But if it was 120 cal for 4oz, then it should still be counted as 120 cal, not 105 or 90 cal. The same holds for veggies and fruits since they also lose moisture when cooked. So if you weigh either after you cook it then you can never be as precise and will likely end up entering too few calories. That's why whenever you see things like a 1/4lb burger advertised the fine print says "weight before cooking".

    And that 2oz of pasta may end up weighing 4oz or 4.5oz, depending on how long that was cooked and how much water it absorbed. So you'd actually end up cheating yourself out of pasta. If its 200 calories for a 2oz serving and you take 2oz of cooked pasta, you're actually taking less than than the serving size allotted. The same holds true for rice for the same reason.

    There are entries and data available for cooked weights on food, but again, because nothing is exact, you can't be sure. You don't know if your cooked meat is moister or dryer than than what the entry is based on. So, only weigh after if you have no other choice, but the better way is to weigh before cooking.

    And I worked in a specialty food store with a full kitchen and would often help out in the kitchen when it was needed. The only time we ever weighed food after it was cooked was for even portioning, and had nothing to do with the recipe amounts or other calculations.
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    Since Im on maintaince, its not as important for me, but it is for my husband who is currently losing. Thanks for everyone's imput!:)
  • chikachic817
    chikachic817 Posts: 55 Member
    i weigh mine uncooked
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