Do you count the weight of the food before or after it is cooked

I have been couting the weight before I cooked it but it just recently dawned on me that there is a difference in weight after it is cooked. Which way are you suppose to count it?

I do it either way.  It's just water that's lost in cooking, so if you have the raw weight, then it's the right number of calories, even if the weight after cooking is less.  Does that make sense?

I usually weigh and measure my ingredients as I cook, writing it all down as I work.  Sometimes, however, I weigh the cooked food right on my plate, zeroing out the scale as I add each thing. 

I typically weigh it before, unless the weight on the nutrition label specifically says that the weight is only applicable after it has been cooked.

For me its after I cooked it.  I only weigh meat like fish chicken etc I measure out veggies and sauces.

It's supposed to be done before it's cooked!

If its before its cooked then why does the way the meat is cooked effect the calories.  For example my chicken breast roasted without skin has a totally different calorie count than chicken breast stewed?  Also 3 oz of Orange roughy before its cooked would cook down to almost nothing I'd starve to death 

It depends what the item is, on whether I use the pre or post cooked weight and info.  For example, if I'm having peas, I'll use the cooked.  If I'm doing meat (especially stuff like hamburg) then I will use the pre cooked (usually).  If I wasn't exactly sure of how much was use before cooking (for example, I didn't make it) then I'll use the cooked version.  I *think* - not 100% sure - that both versions are in the data base (raw & cooked) and if not, they should be.

The reason, in regards to meat (especially with fatty meats like hamburg) is some of the fat is cooked out - and if you drain it away instead of letting it sit in the fat, then you've eliminated some more fat.  Not sure about the chicken, however the meat has natural fat to it so maybe it's the same idea?

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to ask the calorie count people to clarify this.

Roasted chicken has more calories because the fat under the skin is absorbed by the meat as it roasts.  That's why it tastes so good.  Stewed chicken has all the fat cooked out of it.  That's why it can be dry and flavorless.

Chicken is confusing!

If I roast - really I bake or grill skinless chicken breasts sometimes I'll nuke them I'll have a piece for dinner then chop up the rest for chicken salad sandwiches for the next couple days.  So is this chicken ' baked, roasted stewed or what?  Grilled isn't even an option LOL