burgers on george foreman- how do u figure the calories?

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ShampooIsBetter
ShampooIsBetter Posts: 114
in Food and Nutrition
I just ate 2 1/4 burgers fixed on a GF grill. They were originally 80/20. should i have weighed the meat before i ate it? how do y'all figure the calories?
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  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
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    There's a listing for 20% ground beef cooked in the database. 230 calories per 3 ounces. I grill mine out the bbq and use that listing. I'd think the foreman grill would be the same.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Yup, weigh the meat raw and that is what you add into your diary
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Yeap, weight before cooking and also record all the ingredients that you used for flavor.
  • SetecAstronomy
    SetecAstronomy Posts: 470 Member
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    I just ate 2 1/4 burgers fixed on a GF grill. They were originally 80/20. should i have weighed the meat before i ate it? how do y'all figure the calories?
    I personally figure the calories based on how it is consumed, much like McDonald's calculates nutritional information for their patrons on their website. Were the patties pre-packaged? Perhaps you can get information from there? If you made them yourself, well, unless there is posted information for 80/20 ground (meat? beef? chuck?) out there -- and I'm sure there is -- then it just becomes a matter of estimating the weight.
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
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    I probably overestimate, but I use precook measures. I made burgers on the GFG tonight using 93/7 and took the original nutritional data from 4oz as my 1/4lb burger data. There may be a much better way, but this is what I have always done.
  • aa1440
    aa1440 Posts: 956 Member
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    Yes. How do you know how much you ate without weighing it? And start using the better meat if you are going to eat hamburger. I use 97/3 if I can find it. Cost a little more but it is much better for you. Also, try to start mixing ground turkey with your hamburger. Even better for your body.

    Normal serving is about 4 ounces per burger, depending on how big your patties were.

    Good luck.
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
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    I can give you a gauge to guesstimate the size-

    a 4 ounce patty (cooked) is about 3" in diameter and about 3/4" thick

    Look up ground beef 80/20 grilled in the database- it'll give you a rough idea.

    But, in the future, you might want to save the package- if it gives you nutritional info

    and for greater accuracy, spend $5 and buy an inexpensive kitchen scale. I weigh BEFORE cooking.


    And, I agree about buying leaner ground beef ( ground sirloin)....I *just* compared labels and realized
    I'm saving a ton of calories/fat grams

    Compare:
    Giant Eagle: Ground Beef (4 oz) 270 calories, 21 fat grams
    Ground Sirloin(4 oz) 160 calories, 8 fat grams........

    and who doesn't like a nice steak anyhow????????
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
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    I think the OPs question is regarding the fat content. The grill claims there is less fat in your food because of the way it is cooked. I have ran into the same problem with my Nu-Wave oven. You consume less of the fat but really, there is no way to tell.
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
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    OP, I keep the original nutrition data no matter what George says his grill does LOL.
  • ShampooIsBetter
    ShampooIsBetter Posts: 114
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    it is simply impossible that the grill doesnt change the fat/calorie content somewhat. the package says 240 calories per patty, and that is the number I would use if I let it thaw and made a meatloaf or something out of it (ie something where I wouldnt drain any fat). but there's a ton of white gluey fat in tray. that's fat that would be in my body and on my list had i eaten those patties in a meatloaf. but because i didnt, i have to augment the numbers somewhat.

    if you buy a patty that says it has 240 calories in it and you record the same nutritional info regardless of how you prepare it (esp if we're talking about grilling versus frying), then you shouldnt have any faith in your numbers.
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
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    I hear you, trust me I do. Bacon for example, a serving size is two pan fried slices. When I cook it in my Nu-Wave oven, it is baked and all the fat drips to the pan, it isn't stewing in it. I am not arguing with you regarding the fat content, I am just saying there is no way to calculate what the loss is. It's frustrating for sure.
  • ShampooIsBetter
    ShampooIsBetter Posts: 114
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    i suppose my only option if i want to keep accurate books is to lick the drip tray clean after each burger
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i suppose my only option if i want to keep accurate books is to lick the drip tray clean after each burger
    or use that grease to saute some onions and mushrooms to top your burger ;)
  • Agito
    Agito Posts: 45 Member
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    it is simply impossible that the grill doesnt change the fat/calorie content somewhat. the package says 240 calories per patty, and that is the number I would use if I let it thaw and made a meatloaf or something out of it (ie something where I wouldnt drain any fat). but there's a ton of white gluey fat in tray. that's fat that would be in my body and on my list had i eaten those patties in a meatloaf. but because i didnt, i have to augment the numbers somewhat.

    if you buy a patty that says it has 240 calories in it and you record the same nutritional info regardless of how you prepare it (esp if we're talking about grilling versus frying), then you shouldnt have any faith in your numbers.

    You can't count on packages to be 100% accurate either. They are allowed to be off by a certain percentage (I think 20 or so) and things are allowed to be marked as "0 calories" if they contain less than 5 calories per serving. Leaving in the fat that is removed from your burger probably evens out whatever calories my be sneaking by you every day.

    Edit to add: if it really bothers you, measure how many tbsp of fat are removed. 1 tbsp of butter or oil comes in at about 100 - 120 calories so you could estimate based on that?
  • ShampooIsBetter
    ShampooIsBetter Posts: 114
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    You can't count on packages to be 100% accurate either. They are allowed to be off by a certain percentage (I think 20 or so) and things are allowed to be marked as "0 calories" if they contain less than 5 calories per serving. Leaving in the fat that is removed from your burger probably evens out whatever calories my be sneaking by you every day.

    This is an attitude I could simply never have. If I could be happy with my stats by saying "whatever fat came out in the grilling process only evens out what sneaks in throughout the day", then my numbers for all days when I dont grill would then have to be adjusted.

    If I eat the exact same thing for two days in a row, except on day 1 I make my hamburger patty on a GFG and a day 2, i pan fry it and let it absorb all the fat, then I must be able to see that difference in how I record that. By your comments on here, some of you make me think you would record the same total calories for those days. I just dont know what to say to that.
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
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    You'll have to do some math if you're that gung-ho about accounting for the calories you've saved by grilling. I would think you could get a fair estimate with a little weighing and the knowledge that 1 g of fat is about 9 cal.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,011 Member
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    You can't count on packages to be 100% accurate either. They are allowed to be off by a certain percentage (I think 20 or so) and things are allowed to be marked as "0 calories" if they contain less than 5 calories per serving. Leaving in the fat that is removed from your burger probably evens out whatever calories my be sneaking by you every day.

    This is an attitude I could simply never have. If I could be happy with my stats by saying "whatever fat came out in the grilling process only evens out what sneaks in throughout the day", then my numbers for all days when I dont grill would then have to be adjusted.

    If I eat the exact same thing for two days in a row, except on day 1 I make my hamburger patty on a GFG and a day 2, i pan fry it and let it absorb all the fat, then I must be able to see that difference in how I record that. By your comments on here, some of you make me think you would record the same total calories for those days. I just dont know what to say to that.
    Fat in the frying pan doesn't get reabsorbed..........and most of that liquid/fat in the frying pan or the GF is water, which also contains the flavor. People are over think this.........the savings in calories is in the purchase of leaner meat, if it's the fat you think is causing your problems.
  • ShampooIsBetter
    ShampooIsBetter Posts: 114
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    Fat in the frying pan doesn't get reabsorbed..........and most of that liquid/fat in the frying pan or the GF is water, which also contains the flavor.

    When I make hamburgers in the pan, the pan is dry at the end. That fat has to be somewhere (ie in my stomach). When I make it on the GFG, there is a huge, disgusting layer of fat on the grill and in the tray. If you dont see a difference in calories consumed in those two methods, then I dont know what to tell you.
    the savings in calories is in the purchase of leaner meat, if it's the fat you think is causing your problems.

    That's not what I think. I just want my stats to be as accurate as possible, because I have the most success when I set a calorie bar for the day and try to hit it. When I have gone for that number (usually 1400-1500), I often had horribly unhealthy foods throughout the day. I just made sure to log them all.
  • ShampooIsBetter
    ShampooIsBetter Posts: 114
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    threads like this are so frustrating and found all over the wide, wide world of the interweb.

    Question - How do I calculate the reduction in calories when I prepare my food X way?

    Answer - I am going to totally ignore what you are asking and instead tell you something else.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    You'll have to do some math if you're that gung-ho about accounting for the calories you've saved by grilling. I would think you could get a fair estimate with a little weighing and the knowledge that 1 g of fat is about 9 cal.

    This is what I was going to suggest too. If the OP really NEEDS to know. Personally, I'd just use the nutrition information on the package.

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