Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
Okay, so usually I buy frozen skinless chicken breasts, Tyson brand or store brand, because I'm on a budget. I get confused on how to weigh it though. I know people said you should weigh it frozen if it comes frozen, but the amount of water frozen onto the chicken changes depending how long it has been in the freezer, if it gets freezer burn, or has any chance to thaw and refreeze. Anyway, it would also be easier for me to weigh it after I defrost it in the microwave or after I cook it. What are my options here for the most accuracy? 3 oz frozen, raw, and cooked are MASSIVELY different!
Second question, a few months ago I read an article
that basically states that if you drain, rinse, and blot your ground beef you cut out a lot of fat and calories. This is very beneficial for me because it allows me to buy the cheaper 80/20 beef rather than more expensive, leaner beef. I've tried to use the given nutrition facts, but they make such a MASSIVE change from what is normally accepted, I'm nervous to count it that way. Also, it shows that with the change in fat/calorie content, the amount of protein stays constant. Any insight into whether this information is true and how the protein is affected? Also, if someone could address the difference between raw and cooked nutritionally and which is the most accurate to use (8 oz raw is roughly 5.5 oz cooked when I do it)
Great site! It still doesn't address the changes in beef when blotted and drained though... maybe I should just buy leaner beef, spend the extra cash :/
Hopefully, Roland will pop in here. He did an experiment with ground beef, weighing the fat after draining and rinsing and came up with a bunch of numbers. Of course, I can't lay my hands on it at this moment!
Haha, yeah they measured it in a lab I'm pretty sure, and you're right, it seems nit-picky. I wouldn't worry about it if it didn't say the difference would be 100 calories and 10 g of fat. That's quite a bit!
By the time you've rinsed and drained, you can save the paper towels...
Quote:
I did a little experiment with some 80/20 ground beef.
I browned the meat, poured off most of the fat (saving it), and then rinsed it (saving all the liquid). I separated the fat from the rinse water, then measured all of the liquid fat. 5 tbsp of it.
So, in theory, you could subtract 577 calories and 64g of fat from the 1lbs of 80/20 hamburger in fitday.
1,152 - 557 = 595 calories
91 - 64 = 27g F
Your mileage may vary..
The above was just my test. That's not how I make it, just how I collected the fat for measuring that one time.
To make it, I brown it, making sure it's actually cooked. If you only semi-brown it, there's still a lot of fat that needs to be rendered and you will see juices with the fat still. After browning, fill the pan with HOT water and stir. Wait until the fat floats up, then pour it off along with most of the water. I do it once more, stir again, wait, pour. Cook off any remaining water, because it's easier than draining it all and watching chunks of beef go down the disposal...
For fitday, I just made my own custom food, and even though I cook it, I assume 1lb of raw 80/20 ground beef, cooked, rinsed, and drained, has 27g F and 80g P, and 563 calories. So, last night, I had .25 of "it" in my taco salad. 20g P, 7g F, and 141 Cals.
Warning - much flavor is lost in the fat removal process, so make your spices count.
Great site! It still doesn't address the changes in beef when blotted and drained though... maybe I should just buy leaner beef, spend the extra cash :/
Frozen chicken I weigh frozen and subtract 5-10 gram & use the nutritional data on the label or when it wouldn't be listed: use the nutritional data for raw chicken breasts.
I don't bother weighing after it's cooked.
If you do it like Roland suggests.. do your own experiment, take those numbers and go with these as long as you keep doing it the same way.
I've found that once I get to about 95% lean for ground beef there really isn't any fat to blot off. When I've used beef with more fat, I've drained and rinse (under hot water) and then I just counted it as the leaned beef I could find on the charts.
I can buy beef that claims it's up to 97% lean.
I'm at the point where I'm not sure if it's really as lean as it claims, and I don't want to fret over the few calories and I just buy 95% lean and track it as such.
Seriously though, as Karla said, go for the 99% turkey breast if you want no fat. Tastes like cardboard though. I use it in my taco salads a lot.
Well, I'm not a fat-phobic I just wanted to buy the higher fat beef (80/20) because it is cheaper, and be able to take some of the fat off myself to get it a bit leaner and easier to eat in a full meal rather than by itself lol.
I've always wanted to get ground turkey, but I've yet to find a decent price on the stuff. It comes in these tiny rolls and is really expensive! I try to buy my meat in bulk and freeze it.
Well, I'm not a fat-phobic I just wanted to buy the higher fat beef (80/20) because it is cheaper, and be able to take some of the fat off myself to get it a bit leaner and easier to eat in a full meal rather than by itself lol.
I've always wanted to get ground turkey, but I've yet to find a decent price on the stuff. It comes in these tiny rolls and is really expensive! I try to buy my meat in bulk and freeze it.
Costco has a great deal on turkeyburgers. Boy is it bland tho. Second the tons of spices.
I'm curious, Annette - where do you get that? Hy-Vee has 95% and I've never found anything leaner in the area.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Costco has a great deal on turkeyburgers. Boy is it bland tho. Second the tons of spices.
Yes, I was thinking Costco and Sam's club would be good places to look. I'll just have to bribe my grandparents (who live in my area) to let me tag along next time they go. I'm a college student so I don't have the funds for a membership myself.
Question about chicken and beef.
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