Weigh food before or after cooking?

[cranny]

When do you? Maybe I'm being a bit anal but it seems as if the amount would vary a great deal over the course of a day by using one over the other. I've always weighed food before hand.

[DrewDog]

I'd do it after.

for example, if you're cooking beef and you drain off the fat, if you used the before weight, that fat would be taken into account in you macronutrient breakdown, even though you didn't eat it. so you daily breakdown would be wrong.

[trivial]

I always wondered if the calorie and fat counts of lean beef are if you ate the fat liquid or didn't. Of course it would be gross not to drain it, but how did they measure it?

Lol...I guess I am anal about it too.

[JG1]

Always measure prior.

[jpt]

i'm anal about that as well....

when you guys say you ate one cup of rice do you mean 1 cup pre-cooked? or after it's cooked? i know one cup of cooked rice is about 200 calories and 40g of carbs....that is how i usually measure my rice

[cranny]

I'd do it after.

for example, if you're cooking beef and you drain off the fat, if you used the before weight, that fat would be taken into account in you macronutrient breakdown, even though you didn't eat it. so you daily breakdown would be wrong.

I hear what you're saying as far as beef but I was mainly considering chicken b/c that's about all I'm going to eat besides turkey and fish when counting macros as far as meat. I should have been a little more specific. I know chicken weighs a good bit less after cooking so I was somewhat puzzled as to the correct protein content.

[*Bunny*]

I hear what you're saying as far as beef but I was mainly considering chicken b/c that's about all I'm going to eat besides turkey and fish when counting macros as far as meat. I should have been a little more specific. I know chicken weighs a good bit less after cooking so I was somewhat puzzled as to the correct protein content.

Cran I am like you

Potatoes I usually weigh AFTER cooking b/c you are basically cooking only the water out of it (Im being very very generic here)

Chicken, always after.

Weigh 6 ounces before then cook it and eat it...

I can feel my stomach eating itself from starvation the meat shrinks so much. :)

On the meat package or even fitday, it will give you the 'cooked' option. That is how I track my protein either way.

[Hidngod]

Not sure if it's right, but I always measure after cooking. I usually cook in bulk and divvy it up into portions after.

[Cynical Simian]

Most nutrition databases have both "cooked" and "uncooked" values. While I'm going to state my anal preference/reasoning below, the main thing is to make sure you're basing your intake on the right one (i.e., "cooked" if you're measuring it after cooking) and being consistent.

As for me, I always weigh my foods raw for reasons of convenience and a slight advantage in consistency (since for stuff like meats there's less variation in the "weight" due to day-to-day differences in water lost while cooking).

[Dragon Wolf]

I always weigh food before cooking it.

[dubdubs]

before

[Auzzie]

I'm also a before person.

[NubianBeauty]

I'm also a before person. Same here!

[get456]

Cran I am like you

Potatoes I usually weigh AFTER cooking b/c you are basically cooking only the water out of it (Im being very very generic here)

Chicken, always after.

Weigh 6 ounces before then cook it and eat it...

I can feel my stomach eating itself from starvation the meat shrinks so much. :)

On the meat package or even fitday, it will give you the 'cooked' option. That is how I track my protein either way.

Bunny,

I am supposed to be eating 8oz chix per meal, and my trainer said "after" cooking very specifically, but damn I cooked up a LOT of chicken today and it doesnt Weigh anything!

I cooked 12 "5 oz portion" frozen breasts from Sams.. All of the breasts cut up FILL a 48oz/6 cup tupperware but it only came out to a weight of about 24oz!! Doesnt that seem odd?

I mean, visually its a LOT of chicken, but according to my scale it isnt much...

[andrew_plamondon]

Depends on what the nutrition info says. Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com (http://www.nutritiondata.com) contains both cooked or uncooked value. Most of the time, the values on the label are uncooked though.

[andrew_plamondon]

Oh and avoid measuring by volume. It's not precise. Weight is better. For example, the oats I use says 1/2 = 150 cals. I measure one raw level (not rounded) cup and it's actually more than what it should be. The actual weight fitted in 1/3 cup. So if you're counting cals, things like this add up.

[andrew_plamondon]

YouTube - Shocking Fat Loss Tip! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY&eurl=http://forums.jpfitness.com/diet-nutrition-supplementation/28300-something-fun-pass-around.html)

[get456]

Oh and avoid measuring by volume. It's not precise. Weight is better. For example, the oats I use says 1/2 = 150 cals. I measure one raw level (not rounded) cup and it's actually more than what it should be. The actual weight fitted in 1/3 cup. So if you're counting cals, things like this add up.

thats interesting! I eat a lot of oats now, so if I want 1/2 cup per the label, I should really be using 1/3 cup measured

[bigsix]

YouTube - Shocking Fat Loss Tip! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY&eurl=http://forums.jpfitness.com/diet-nutrition-supplementation/28300-something-fun-pass-around.html)

Good link

[JG1]

thats interesting! I eat a lot of oats now, so if I want 1/2 cup per the label, I should really be using 1/3 cup measured


No you should buy a digital scale and measure out 40g (1/2c approx volume)

[Nick]

I always measure before.

The truth is that whatever you do.... you have to track your progress. If you are always measuring before and trying to cut and seemingly are not losing weight, then take out 100 "before" calories and see what happens. If you are trying to gain and not gaining, add 100 "before" calories and see what happens.

Same thing if you always measure after. Your body, not the labels or even the scale, will tell you if you are taking in the right amount of food for your goal.

[get456]

YouTube - Shocking Fat Loss Tip! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY&eurl=http://forums.jpfitness.com/diet-nutrition-supplementation/28300-something-fun-pass-around.html)

where did they get that scale from????!! lol

[kweenkandykorn]

No you should buy a digital scale and measure out 40g (1/2c approx volume)

:hi5: