Bodybuilding Forums

if i cook a 4 oz ground meat patty and it shrinks to 3oz does that mean the protein count decreases as well? I know that 4oz of 85 lean meat has around 21grams of protein. So would it only have around 10-15 grams after being cooked?

protein doesn't disappear. it shrinks because of water and fat loss.

That's why it's important to choose accurately from the nutrition facts lists. Like if it says 3 oz. cooked, don't use that figure for 3 oz. raw, etc. (obviously!). Depending on the fat content of the ground beef, I think it usually cooks down to about 2/3 its raw weight.

Of course, me being as anal retentive as I am, I always weigh everything raw in individual portions, so even if my husband and I are eating the same thing, I still have to cook twice. How would I know I'm getting exactly the right quantity otherwise?

I don't bother measuring quite that close; I weigh the food raw and put that into livestrong.com's Daily Plate. Realistically, if I'm in the ball park, I'm close enough, and as long as I'm consistent about my measuring method (raw, on a scale) my results will be measurable and adjustable. That said, I may end up with a slightly higher fat count on paper than I'm actually getting in my body.

--Matt B.