I have been using a scale to weigh my meat. my coach told me 8 onzes is about the size of a deck of cards.. when i weigh it it is alot more than that.. or seems like it...

if you eye ball it, it may seem like a deck of cards or some say its the size of the palm of your hand. Best thing is to use a scale so that you can be accurate with your measurement. 8ozs uncooked!

Whenever I've read the "deck of cards" reference, it's always been for 3-4 ounces of cooked meats (most meats lose about 1/4 to 1/3 volume in cooking so 5-6 ounces of raw meat usually comes out to about 3-4 ounces once it's been cooked).

Agree, that is what I have found too.

Kap, you are approaching the 100 lbs mark, be sure to update us, so we can celebrate with you! You are doing so well

It was my understanding that 3 ounces of meat was about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.

For our meat, are we supposed to be measuring it uncooked? I have been measuring it after it has been cooked.

Yes, its suppose to be measured BEFORE cooking it

our coach told us to weigh the 8 ounces of protein as cooked, and our 2 cups of veggies were to be measured before cooking. I usually have 6 ou of cooked meat, so hopefully this would be close to the same as 8 ou uncooked.I will have to get the clinic to check into this so that we are getting the correct information. Thanks everyone

Yeah, the deck of cards reference never worked for me 'cause I have a small frame even though I'm 5' 5", which translates to itty bitty little hands! Meat should be measured BEFORE cooking, and the trick I use (because I'm so OCD about sanitation) is to lay a piece of plastic wrap across the scale, make sure it's at 0, then lay the meat on top of that. The plastic wrap weighs nothing, and that way I don't have to wash my scale three times a day.

I am sorry, I know you are the encyclopedia of knowledge in here Wuv , but are you sure meat has to be measured before cooking?! I've been told to measure it after being cooked, which to me makes sence, cause after cooking it, lots of liquid is lost from it and it becomes less! This is what I always did: weigh vegetables raw and meat cooked.

Please explain to me.

LOL.....yes it is BEFORE cooking, and so are the veggies.

This is a post I found from Carla, she has been on the program for way longer than me....


Cusu and her coach are not wrong about the meat. It really doesn't make much difference with weighing the meat before or after unless it is fatty. When you cook meat, you lose a lot of water and fluid weight. We are only concerned about the "tissue" volume. So, the weight after cooking is more important.

The veggies should be weighed pre cooking because when veggies shrink down a "cup" is not the same volume anymore and the carbs can be more pronounced. Also, the fiber breaks down.

With veggies we want to keep our carb count low and our fiber counts high so, pre cooked is best. UNLESS the cooking instructions (like for onions, green or colored peppers) say otherwise. In those cases the method of cooking makes fibers and sugars more or less available.

I know the sheets say too little which is aggravating at times. Feel free to ask us or your coach. The key things to watch are: keep your fat low... it helps with the cellulite reduction part of the program and prevents to much of an acidic environment in the body, keep your protein in a moderate to high but NOT high range by not significantly over eating protein (this varies by body needs), keep your carbs low under 40 total per day and some say around 25 net per day. Ideal protein does not state exactly what any of these numbers are. Some people have heard it from coaches and others have been tracking their food for so long it has become obvious to them. As you do this, you will learn just how much your body which, is unique, can tolerate.
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Carla

Meat should be measured before cooking precisely for that reason...different cooking times and methods can affect the amount of liquid lost, so the only way to accurately measure is to do it beforehand. Same thing with veggies since 2 cups of raw vegetables can end up being a very different amount once it's cooked. For example, 2 cups of raw baby spinach cooks down to about 1/2 cup. And 8 oz. of cooked meat is a LOT, but 8 ozs. of raw meat will usually cook down to about 6 ozs, which is a consumable amount for most people. Hope that helps!

I was curious what veggies are higher in carbs.

Well, it now seems we have two schools of thought on the weighing of meat issue.

Thinking about the theory behind the diet, which is that we want a lot more protein than carbohydrate and that protein keeps our lean mass intact while we are loosing fat, I am of the school that we should weigh the meat after cooking. This may also be a rationalization because I like my protein. But it also makes sense, seeing how coaches tell people to up their protein if they are exercising or if their lean mass to fat loss ratio is greater than 1:3.

I would agree with you as well. Our coaches have always told us to weigh the meat after cooking, and if we are hungry to add more protein. My husband stalled out for 3 weeks on his weight loss, he was weighing after cooked, and when he added more protein because of the phase change it seemed to kick his loss back into gear and he has now reached his 50 pounds lost and on maintenance. I also have wondered why there isn't more protein allowed for men than there is for the woman on the IP program, usually men are allowed more calories in a day than a woman.