Nutrition labels reflect raw data unless specifically noted. If your chicken breast lists the serving size of 8 oz on the package, it is for raw chicken. You will see the chicken change in shape, size and weight on the scale after you cook it. The chicken went from being 8 oz raw to 6 oz cooked, about 25% loss in volume but the amount of protein and fat present didn’t change at all. The macros were simply condensed into a smaller piece of chicken.
Tracking Macros in MyFitnessPal | Cooked vs. Raw Food
We need to pay attention to how the food is prepared when we are weighing and logging it. A common mistake is to weigh a food after it has been cooked BUT use the raw nutrition facts to log the food. This can throw off your total macros for the day without you even knowing it. If you do this over the course of a week, you could be eating additional +1,000 calories accidentally !
Example: If you ate 4 oz of cooked chicken 3 times a day and didn’t log it as 5.3 oz of raw chicken, you unintentionally forgot to log 252g protein and 840 calories.
If we weigh out 4 oz of COOKED chicken and log as 125 calories, we are forgetting that 4 oz of chicken is referring to 4 oz RAW chicken. Raw chicken weighs more because of water content. So when it’s cooked and water evaporates, it will weigh less.. We had it cooked which means it weighed even more raw.
The 4 oz cooked is actually 5.3 oz raw chicken which logs as 47g protein, 165 calories
The difference is 12g protein and 40 calories per meal.
3 Ways to Track Your Protein Macros Accurately:
- Weigh food raw and log it as raw | 6 oz raw = 6 oz log in MyFitnessPal
This is the most straightforward way to log, though it may not be the most convenient for you. This method is great for those who enjoy cooking a majority of their meals at home on a meal-to-meal basis, athletes needing to make weight for a particular competition, and those looking to really take their body composition to the highest levels..
- Weigh food cooked and find/create accurate entries for cooked weight | 6 oz cooked = 6 oz COOKED log in MFP
This is a bit easier to track since most of us weigh food after it’s been cooked. The tricky part is lack of accuracy. It’s hard to estimate individual food cooked value and cross-reference it for accuracy. This method works well for those in maintenance who want a quick and easy way to track and care less about the accuracy of it and those working full time with additional jobs, responsibilities, commutes where saving time is the priority. This also can work well for people that want to bulk meal-prep their food out several days in advance.
- Weigh food cooked. Convert to raw weight and log it as the raw equivalent | 6 oz cooked = 8 oz logged in MyFitnessPal
This is the best of both options above and appeals to the most people. You can weigh your food cooked because it’s way easier. Then divide cooked weight by 0.75 to get your equivalent raw weight. Log the food as raw.
Cooked weight in oz / 0.75 = total raw weight
Cooked vs Raw Food Protein: Final Thoughts
We are in the business of sustainability. It’s important that we find a method that fits your goals and you are comfortable with them long term. The cooked-to-raw equation can help because you save time meal prepping by avoiding the “weigh raw then weigh cooked” scenario. It is convenient for restaurants and meals on the go. You can use the formula for more than just meat too. It works for all your vegetable dishes as well.