How do you weigh your food

[SocioMachiavelli]

I have always weighed meats after cooking, because that is what is left and what I am going to consume. With pasta's or carbs where you add water I weigh before as the added weight is just water weight.

I just stumbled upon something and I have seen an argument for weighing protein before? have you seen how much that shit can shrink.... makes no sense to me

Please provide your rationale

 

[BrotherIron]

Carefully......

I weigh before and not after.

 

[Jin]

I think I'd eat way too many carbs if I weighed my rice before I cooked it.

Unless I'm missing something....

Stuff like ground chicken I can't really weigh before hand and portion out accordingly after cooking. And to cook it in portion sizing would negate the point of meal prepping 1-2x/wk.

So, yes, I've known you should weigh proteins before you cook them, but convenience has led me to weigh them after cooking.

I like to dot the i's and cross the t's but there's a point at which it becomes too combersom. IME.

 

[macgyver]

You can do either as long as you is the correct multiplier.

Eg. 2 oz dry pasta weighs 4.25 oz cooked Al dente

Lean proteins have approx 6g of protein per oz uncooked.

6 oz of chicken loses 30% of it's precooked weight during cooking
Meaning a 6 oz portion weighs 4.25 oz after cooked

Beef is different depending on how cooked. Med rare is aprox 80% of original weight. Can get closer to 90% for very rare.

Meats cooked in soups eg chicken loses 50% of original weight (yes that much)

Jerkey home made loses 70% of original weight.

I know this and many more for just about any food because I did all the before-and-after calculations and tracked very closely for over 4 years.

It is not complicated but if you do not understand the differences between weights of pre cooked and cooked you can make huge mistakes. The idea is not to be perfect but consistent overtime. Even if you are way off if you are adjusting every several weeks you will eventually find the right place even if you are using the wrong multipliers as long as it is consistent

 

[Vick]

I have always weighed meats after cooking, because that is what is left and what I am going to consume. With pasta's or carbs where you add water I weigh before as the added weight is just water weight.

I just stumbled upon something and I have seen an argument for weighing protein before? have you seen how much that shit can shrink.... makes no sense to me

Please provide your rationale

I just eat a fist sized amount of meat at a time unless Im cutting up a known weight. Im convinced overeating protein in one sitting just turns to fat.

 

[CFM]

I just eat a fist sized amount of meat at a time unless Im cutting up a known weight. Im convinced overeating protein in one sitting just turns to fat.

Too much protein will wreck your kidneys, and yes consuming too many calories of carbs, fats or protein is going to make fat.

 

[Shindlerslist]

I have always weighed meats after cooking, because that is what is left and what I am going to consume. With pasta's or carbs where you add water I weigh before as the added weight is just water weight.

I just stumbled upon something and I have seen an argument for weighing protein before? have you seen how much that shit can shrink.... makes no sense to me

Please provide your rationale

It is best to weigh meats after they are cooked due to the water loss (as you mentioned).

 

[Lizard King]

It is best to weigh meats after they are cooked due to the water loss (as you mentioned).

Nutrition info is pre-cooked weight for meats.

Mac has a good post above.