Calorie Counting

dylbert

I'm trying to get my body fat down at the moment so I bought a scales and am logging everything onto myfitnesspal.com but there's something I'm not sure about,
Should I be weighing things raw or after I cook them?, some veg will take on water and be heavier after cooking whereas meat will be lighter because of loss of fat and juices.

Dee01

I always weigh raw as weighing cooked can vary massively. I think it is recommended to weigh raw as foods change in the cooking process. For example, if you cook the same amount of pasta 10 times and then weigh it cooked, it will weigh a different weight depending on how you like it cooked. Aldente (sp) will take in less water then pasta left a little longer etc.

Im on MFP as well, fee free to add me if you're looking for support (DeeC01)

re.mark.able

weigh raw, there's no calories in water. Or check for calorie counts of cooked foods , calorieking.com has a great database.

But at the same time my advice is to not take calorie counting too seriously - think about fusing it with another health plan. It's impossible to know exactly how many calorie your burning what with your basal calorie rate, every little movement you make during the day, how much stress you're under during the day and then on top of that it's also impossible to know how many calories you're taking in - wholefoods vary extensively and any calorie values are very much approximated, as you said cooking varies it even more, and calorie values on packaging aren't also accurate or even correct - these companies aren't necessarily being checked regularly by some governing body to make sure their calorie count is spot on.

I only use the odd bit of calorie counting as a double check to make sure i'm not under or over eating, your body is pretty good at telling you otherwise. What's more important is where you're calories are coming from, what types of energies they are, how they are reacting with your body and that you're getting proper nourishment as well.

Mellor

To answer your question.
Use the raw weight, and the nutritional data of the food when raw. Best way to be consistant.