So I was doing some calculations today for macros/caloric intake for after my cut is done, and it dawned on me…when I use Fitday I always select cooked meat, but the weight I enter is the raw amount. So for instance for my dinner, I select “Chicken Breast, Skin Not Eaten, Broiled” and then for amount I put 8 oz.
The problem is that I cook 8 oz of raw chicken. What I needed to select was Chicken Breast, Skin Not Eaten, Raw (Yield when Cooked). The difference is significant. When eating one pound of chicken per day 262 less calories, 6 less grams of fat, and 49 less grams of protein. I’ve also been doing the same for steak. Fuck.
On the bright side, that means I was bulking on less calories than I thought…
I just wanted to post this as a cautionary tale for anyone else using Fitday, or anything else for calculations in your diet. Make sure you are using yields when cooked, or making sure you select raw if that’s how you weigh your meat.
I’m glad it didn’t affect your results too much.
You could multiply the raw weights by 70-75% to input the cooked meat as there is often fat and micronutrient losses due to cooking (even after accounting for the water). This would give you the best approximation of what you actually consumed.
[quote]Peter Orban wrote:
I’m glad it didn’t affect your results too much.
You could multiply the raw weights by 70-75% to input the cooked meat as there is often fat and micronutrient losses due to cooking (even after accounting for the water). This would give you the best approximation of what you actually consumed.[/quote]
Fortunately I have all my old regimens saved to fitday, it’s as simple as changing the type over for each of them. I’m curious to see what I’ve been bulking & cutting on these last 5 years. LOL
So on the last stage of this cut I thought my macros were at :
2341 69f/144c(33f)/290p
They were actually:
2013 62f/144c(33f)/229p
That protein number HURTS. But on the plus side as long as I’ve been calculating I’ve been overestimating how much protein I’m taking in. So all the records I broke on this recent bulk were with way less calories, and way less protein than I thought I was taking in. Now I can see what I can do when I actually take in the amount I think I am.
I also just realized I have to recalibrate how much calories/fat/protein I need when bulking and cutting, because I was under the impression that I was taking in about 15% more of each than I actually was for the last several years.
For meat with some fat in it, it is not enough to just input the raw weights. For example lean ground beef (15% fat raw) will lose about 5g of fat per 100g while you BBQ it. That is about 100 Kcal per half pound. Similarly chicken legs with skin will also lose about a third of their fat. Then there are the vitamin and mineral loses too, in some cases quite significant. Now if you are eating well, your intake will likely be above required levels.
I used the USDA National Nutrient Database program downloadable here:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=5720
This is the DB fitday and any decent site use. You can put in the raw weight, then play with the weights for the cooked till the protein numbers line up. This will be around 70-75% for most meat. It is based on edible, so no bone weights included.
If anything it is more important to know what amount of food gives you what result rather than the calories. You can always add or subtract intake regardless nutrient levels.
[quote]Peter Orban wrote:
For meat with some fat in it, it is not enough to just input the raw weights. For example lean ground beef (15% fat raw) will lose about 5g of fat per 100g while you BBQ it. That is about 100 Kcal per half pound. Similarly chicken legs with skin will also lose about a third of their fat. Then there are the vitamin and mineral loses too, in some cases quite significant. Now if you are eating well, your intake will likely be above required levels.
I used the USDA National Nutrient Database program downloadable here:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=5720
This is the DB fitday and any decent site use. You can put in the raw weight, then play with the weights for the cooked till the protein numbers line up. This will be around 70-75% for most meat. It is based on edible, so no bone weights included.
If anything it is more important to know what amount of food gives you what result rather than the calories. You can always add or subtract intake regardless nutrient levels.[/quote]
That’s true. I have my baseline for what food does what for me, in the end the numbers don’t matter I suppose. But still…FUCK.
ok…may have over-reacted. Just cooked a 7.9 oz. piece of chicken…I actually overcooked it, and it came out at 7.4
some people think too much