My meal prep math was wrong until I weighed the pan

I spent a year logging chicken and rice every Sunday, then at a party a friend who was a nutrition coach asked if I was weighing the cooked food or raw. Turned out my 200 calorie estimate per serving was actually 340 because I never accounted for the oil and water loss, now I weigh everything before cooking. Anyone else find a hidden math error in their routine like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.piper1mo ago

Sticking with one method forever" is what finally clicked for me too. I used to think cooked was more accurate since that's what I actually eat, but weighing raw has been way less confusing and my numbers finally match the labels.

jason_lewis31mo ago

That pan thing got me too. I used to log everything raw but then got lazy and started weighing after cooking. Whole different ballgame. Rice alone can double in weight depending on how you cook it. Chicken loses water and fat, so the numbers shift big time. What worked for me was just picking one method and sticking with it forever. Raw is easier because the label on the package is for raw. Now I weigh everything before it hits the heat and never look back.