chicken!? I dont know what to do

xoAmyxo
xoAmyxo Posts: 110
in Food and Nutrition
I've been weighing my boneless skinless chicken after its cooked...ive been reading more up on it on different web sites and im starting to think i am suppose to weigh it BEFORE...now i feel like ive gone over on calories every day i've eaten friggin chicken..when i weigh it cooked it seems like i have a lot more to eat then if i weigh it in its raw form. On the back of my package it says 4oz raw (112g) 110 cal..cooked 120 cal...but im thinking that means that just when the raw 4oz is cooked it goes up 10 calories? i hate this im so conflicted on just some dang CHICKEN lol makes me feel crazy..so im wanting some more thoughts on this... weigh raw or cooked??

Replies

  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    At http://nutritiondata.self.com/ you can look it up fried, roasted, stewed, conventional oven, microwaved or raw.
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    but that didnt answer your question as to which way is best, sorry.
  • fishes135
    fishes135 Posts: 5
    i think for most meats its the raw weight :)
  • discodaddy61
    discodaddy61 Posts: 161 Member
    dont stress about it. its 110 before cooking and you can eat alot and it is all good for you just make sure it is chicken breasts
  • ronellevan
    ronellevan Posts: 44
    What that labels means is 4oz weighted when raw is 110 calories and 4oz weighed when cooked is 120 calories.
    This means that the way you've been doing it is only 10 calories difference so don't panic about going WAY over your calorie limit.

    I agree that most sites, like this one, use the raw weight.
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    That sucks, I hate how much 4oz of chicken shrinks too! I make little baggies of chicken and eat it plain all the time, its like a tiny snack!
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I've been weighing my boneless skinless chicken after its cooked...ive been reading more up on it on different web sites and im starting to think i am suppose to weigh it BEFORE...now i feel like ive gone over on calories every day i've eaten friggin chicken..when i weigh it cooked it seems like i have a lot more to eat then if i weigh it in its raw form. On the back of my package it says 4oz raw (112g) 110 cal..cooked 120 cal...but im thinking that means that just when the raw 4oz is cooked it goes up 10 calories? i hate this im so conflicted on just some dang CHICKEN lol makes me feel crazy..so im wanting some more thoughts on this... weigh raw or cooked??
    I measure all my meat raw.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    Oh men! Now I'm confused! I always assumed it had to be weighed after cooking because it loses some juice (fat) during the cooking process.
    I don't know anymore :huh:
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I always end up weighing mine cooked because I cook chicken in big batches and just reheat as needed. I'm 65 lbs lost so it must not be too bad. You could always do an experiment; weigh the chicken raw, then weigh again cooked. Reduce the amount you actually eat by the same proportion (If 4 lbs of chicken only weighs 3 lbs after cooking, then eat 3 oz and log as 4).
  • Cytherea
    Cytherea Posts: 515 Member
    I always weigh raw, before cooking. Because it shrinks when cooked you end up eating more than you recorded if you weigh after. Plus, depending on how you've cooked it, there could be other things contributing to the weight of the chicken (marinade, etc.). I find it pretty simple to stick the raw chicken in a baggie and weight it first, then add things/cook it. In fact, when I buy chicken, I package all of the raw chicken into perfectly portioned amounts for my husband and I and freeze the baggies. So all I have to do is thaw the chicken and no weighing is required because I've already done all the work!
  • michael300891
    michael300891 Posts: 275
    Yes weight it before but dont fret. Chicken for the most part is lean protein. I would find it very suprising if you have added more than 28 kcal per day from weighing it after instead of before. 1 g of protein = 4kcal. Assuming in cooking you drive 7ml of water = 7g of chicken not included = about 28kcal more. And to be honest, I dont think you will have added anywhere near that amount, maybe 15kcal at a push? So yeh, weight before but dont worry =)
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    Yes weight it before but dont fret. Chicken for the most part is lean protein. I would find it very suprising if you have added more than 28 kcal per day from weighing it after instead of before. 1 g of protein = 4kcal. Assuming in cooking you drive 7ml of water = 7g of chicken not included = about 28kcal more. And to be honest, I dont think you will have added anywhere near that amount, maybe 15kcal at a push? So yeh, weight before but dont worry =)

    ^^ Thanks

    Honestly, with all the approximation and errors, I don't worry to much about it.
    My kitchen scale goes only by 1 gram increment, which mean I don't know for sure if I weight 5g or 5.2g or 5.4g.
    Then, I'm not 100% sure of my cals burned while exercising.
    Overall, I think if you're losing weight and eating enough, you must do something right.
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    This is a great question and I thank you for asking. If you're hungry for more eat more and adjust the calories in other areas so you can still eat the same size piece. If you're wanting that much you may need that protein fuel.

    I've gone by after cooking serving size estimates too. I base the ounces based on the estimate of a piece the size of my palm is 4 oz. I don't have a food scale yet but will get one when the funding is there. If you've been losing with that configuration then I wouldn't worry too much about it.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Don't stress about it too much - every single food and exercise you enter is an estimate, so you're not going to go too wrong with chicken.

    To answer your actual question - weigh it whenever you prefer, then check in the database for "chicken raw" or "chicken grilled". As most of the entries in the MFP database are entered by users, there is no knowing what people have done if they haven't specified raw or cooked.
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    I've always wondered about this one too! if in doubt I would do both and then go by the lesser amount of calories but as someone said - lean white chicken is good for you so eating more will feed your muscles.
  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
    I've been weighing my boneless skinless chicken after its cooked...ive been reading more up on it on different web sites and im starting to think i am suppose to weigh it BEFORE...now i feel like ive gone over on calories every day i've eaten friggin chicken..when i weigh it cooked it seems like i have a lot more to eat then if i weigh it in its raw form. On the back of my package it says 4oz raw (112g) 110 cal..cooked 120 cal...but im thinking that means that just when the raw 4oz is cooked it goes up 10 calories? i hate this im so conflicted on just some dang CHICKEN lol makes me feel crazy..so im wanting some more thoughts on this... weigh raw or cooked??

    Before is correct. However, 4oz chicken raw is about the size of a deck cards roughly.

    This is nothing to worry about, chicken is a complete source of amino acids and proteins. It has the perfect balance you can only find in nature of the nutrients needed. High in protein, makes this a good "overage". You really cannot have too much protein. 10 calories? who cares, you burned that in typing this up. I would really only worry if you were adding 200+ extra calories and even than wouldn't take action unless you were over estimating 400.

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