Raw vs. Cooked Meat Weight: How to Track Protein Without Going Crazy

One of the most frequent arguments in the fitness and bodybuilding community is whether food should be logged raw or cooked.

When animal protein is subjected to heat, muscle fibers contract and squeeze out bound water. A 4 oz (113g) raw boneless skinless chicken breast will typically weigh approximately 3 oz (85g) once grilled or pan-seared—a 25% moisture loss.

However, cooking removes water, not protein! That 3 oz cooked chicken cutlet still retains the exact same ~25.5 grams of complete protein that was present in the 4 oz raw breast.

If you log 4 oz of cooked chicken in your calorie tracker using a generic database entry based on raw meat, you will inadvertently consume 33% more calories and protein than you calculated.

Rule of Thumb: Whenever possible, weigh meat raw. If you must weigh it cooked, multiply the cooked weight by 1.33 to derive the equivalent raw portion.