[PrincessAmy]

im not sure if im putting this in the right place..but i figured this is all about calories so you fellow calories counters might know! welllll.. I've been weighing my boneless skinless chicken after its cooked...ive been reading more up on it on different web sites and im starting to think i am suppose to weigh it BEFORE...now i feel like ive gone over on calories every day i've eaten friggin chicken..when i weigh it cooked it seems like i have a lot more to eat then if i weigh it in its raw form. On the back of my package it says 4oz raw (112g) 110 cal..cooked 120 cal...but im thinking that means that just when the raw 4oz is cooked it goes up 10 calories? Or is that saying 120 cals for 4oz of cooked chicken... i hate this im so conflicted on just some dang CHICKEN lol makes me feel crazy..so im wanting some more thoughts on this... weigh raw or cooked??

[WannaBeLoserAgain]

I always weigh my chicken when cooked. I am usually pretty safe just eating a half of a small/medium breast cooked with lots of vegetables.

[astrophe]

I think they assume you add a little oil when you cook it and that's the 10 cal.

Me, I just go with it raw because I add my cooking oil separate in the log.

A.

[Tourny]

Most food loses moisture when cooked making it more calorie dense (that's where the extra 10 calories comes from, ie a 100g piece of chicken might weigh 90g cooked).
Raw food is sold by raw weight, so I count it's calories raw. removes variables from cooking methods.

[freelancemomma]

<<but im thinking that means that just when the raw 4oz is cooked it goes up 10 calories? Or is that saying 120 cals for 4oz of cooked chicken...>>

My assumption is that the figure goes up because 4 oz raw chicken includes some water that evaporates when you cook it, so 4 oz cooked chicken has more actual chicken in it than 4 oz raw. (In fact, I would think the difference would be greater than 10 calories.)

In any case, I wouldn't sweat it over the raw-vs.-cooked issue. The main thing is to be honest with yourself about the portions you're actually eating. If you have that in place, a few calories here or there won't make an appreciable difference, IMO.

F.

[PrincessAmy]

thanks everyone..i think im just gonna weigh raw.

[lin43]

Originally Posted by Tourny

Most food loses moisture when cooked making it more calorie dense (that's where the extra 10 calories comes from, ie a 100g piece of chicken might weigh 90g cooked).
Raw food is sold by raw weight, so I count it's calories raw. removes variables from cooking methods.

I agree. I always weigh food raw and calculate the calories from there.

There's a pretty significant weight difference between cooked chicken and raw chicken. For instance, if I weight out 4 oz raw chicken, it will only come to about 2 1/2 ounces when cooked. So, if I calculate the calories of the cooked chicken based on what the package says are the calories in the raw chicken, I'll be eating more calories than I think.

From what I've researched online, it seems that if you weigh chicken raw, you should count it as about 30 calories an oz. If you weigh it after it's cooked, it's about 50 calories an oz.

[vabs]

I just use a calorie count that specifically lists cooked or raw weight.