Can only afford 80/20 right now, don't like the calorie count but i rinse very well w/hot water after browning, do you think this REALLY lowers the calorie count much? I know it helps with getting rid of a bit of extra fat after browning

Nothing wrong with a little fat in your diet. And who wants to eat wet hamburger? Just plan for the calories and eat it!

LOL, well i'll be crumbling it in my salad, otherwise i wouldn't bother!

Also, are you weighing the meat before or after you cook it? I don't know if this is the "correct" way to do it, but I always weigh after cooking and then use that amount for logging the calories. Five ounces of raw ground beef cooks down to about 3.5 ounces.

I've been taught to measure/weigh before cooking for that reason - because it shrinks after cooking Most foods in MyFitnessPal are the pre-cooked weight, and if you check the packaging/box, it should say "pre-cooking" or "pre-prepared" serving. The exception is foods that come pre-cooked, like frozen shrimp or hot dogs, which should say pre-cooked on the package.

I weighed things after cooking in the beginning and was surprised, after learning to weigh before cooking, that there was as many as 150-250 extra calories that I wasn't accounting for :/

I just looked it up for you - there's 231 calories in 3oz of 80/20 and 196 calories in 3oz of 90/10, so it's a difference of only 35 calories per serving. If you want to save money and/or prefer the taste of 80/20 (I do!!), I'd probably eat the extra 35 calories Even two portions/6oz is an extra 70 calories, which you could easily cut out elsewhere or burn off if you were so inclined

Can you measure or weigh a 3-oz portion once, then use that portion size as your estimate for later meals? I still weigh all of my food, but I've gotten pretty accurate at guesstimating before weighing. That would give you a ballpark for your portion size and calorie count without requiring you to measure/weigh/log every single time!

I'm sorry - I feel kind of dumb asking this but what does 80/20 mean?

I also buy 80/20 for the flavor and also rinse after browning. I learned that tip at a WW class many moons ago and still have that habit. Enjoy!

Thanks!

It means that the meat is 80% lean and 20% fat.

I also weigh my food before cooking and I never would wash the flavor away with the fat. I just add a little more exercise or cut back on something else.