Common Food Volumes/Weights Charts and Information

[FluffyChix 17,415]

Thanks to the help of many here, I'm compiling a "dumping" place for important information.

@MarinaGirl Thanks for this most important one!

Volume equivalents:

1 oz = 1/8 cup

2 oz = 1/4 cup

4 oz = 1/2 cup

8 oz = 1 cup

Volume contents of eggs (USDA):

1 small egg: 1.5 ounces per egg (about 3 tbsp)

1 medium egg: 1.75 ounces per egg (about 3 1/2 tbsp)

1 large egg: 2 ounces per egg (about 4 tbsp = 1/4 cup)

1 xlarge egg: 2.25 ounces per egg (about 4 1/2 tbsp)

1 jumbo egg: 2.5 ounces per egg (about 5 tbsp)

Weight/Volume Conversion Chart:

I've used this chart for years when cooking for my old blog (that I no longer update). I first found the chart on a chowhound discussion when I was trying to figure out how much ground beef (cooked) that I'd need to serve 4 people for a recipe I was creating and little did I know it contained such a gold mine of information on ALL. The. Things.

How much is 1 ounce of meat and other cool "meat facts" (WVA Center for Excellence in Disabilities):

1 ounce of meat

• the size of a small matchbook cover (yes, that small!)
• 1/4 cup tuna or ground beef
• 1/2 small chicken leg or thigh
• 1 slice of sandwich size meat
• 1 oz. of cooked, diced meat: fill measuring cup just below the 2 ounce mark.

Substitutes for 1 ounce of meat

• 1/2 cup cooked lentils, peas or Soup Beans
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/3 cup nuts
• 4 ounces tofu
• 1 ounce hard cheese (about 1 3/4 tablespoons)

2 ounces of meat

• 1/2 cup tuna or ground beef
• 1 small chicken leg or thigh
• 2 slices of sandwich size meat
• 2 oz. of cooked, diced meat: fill measuring cup just below the 3 ounce mark.

3 ounces of meat

• 3 oz. of cooked, diced meat: fill measuring cup just below the 5 ounce mark.

4 ounces of meat

• 4 oz. of cooked, diced meat: fill measuring cup just below the 6.5 ounce mark.

Leanest Cuts

• Fish (unbreaded)
• Chicken Breast
• Turkey Breast
• Ground Chicken Breast
• Ground Turkey Breast
• Pork Tenderloin
• Pork Loin Roast or Sirloin Chops
• Fat Free Hot Dogs
• Beef Eye of Round Roast
• Beef Top Round Steak
• Bottom Round Roast
• Top Sirloin Steak
• Deer Meat

Medium Fat

• Chicken, Dark Meat from Thighs or Wings
• Turkey, Dark Meat from Thighs or Wings
• Beef, Ground Sirloin
• Ground Beef, 95% lean
• Beef Chuck Shoulder Roast
• Beef Top Round
• Beef Tenderloin
• Flank Steak (Beef)
• Round Steak

High Fat, High Cholesterol

• Ground Beef (less than 95% leans)
• Ribs (Beef or Pork)
• Chicken - Any cut that includes skin and fat
• Ground Chicken
• Ground Turkey
• Short Loin (Beef or Pork)
• Beef Brisket
• Sausage
• Bacon
• Bologna, Pepperoni, Salami
• Spam®, Vienna Sausages
• Regular Hot Dogs

Please feel free to add to this thread so that we can collate a bunch of useful information!!!

[FluffyChix 17,415]

Common Volume Measurements = Equivalents:

1 cup = 16 tbsp = 8 fl oz

3/4 cup = 12 tbsp = 6 fl oz

2/3 cup = 10 tbsp + 2 tsp = 10.66 tbsp = 5.32 fl oz

1/2 cup = 8 tbsp = 4 fl oz

1/3 cup = 5 tbsp + 1 tsp = 5.33 tbsp = 2.66 fl oz

1/4 cup = 4 tbsp = 2 fl oz

1/8 cup = 2 tbsp = 1 fl oz

Common Weight Equivalents:

1 oz = 28.35g (roughly)

3 oz = 85g (roughly)

3 1/2 oz = 100g (roughly)

4 oz = 112g (roughly)

6 oz = 170g (roughly)

8 oz = 225g (roughly)

16 oz = 1 lb = 450g (roughly)

2.2 lbs = 1 kg

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Those meat measurements make absolutely no sense. 1 ounce of meat is not 1/4 cup cooked or otherwise.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

4 hours ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Those meat measurements make absolutely no sense. 1 ounce of meat is not 1/4 cup cooked or otherwise.

Where abouts hun? Oddly enough I have some ground beef (10% fat) cooked in the fridge. I'll try to remember to go measure and weight it just for grins and giggles. Good times, huh?

Update: So I measured out 1/4 cup of my cooked ground beef and it weighed 1.06 ounces. I'm gonna call that a win for the USDA.

Edited October 8, 2017 by FluffyChix

[FluffyChix 17,415]

On 10/7/2017 at 8:24 PM, FluffyChix said:

Where abouts hun? Oddly enough I have some ground beef (10% fat) cooked in the fridge. I'll try to remember to go measure and weight it just for grins and giggles. Good times, huh?

Update: So I measured out 1/4 cup of my cooked ground beef and it weighed 1.06 ounces. I'm gonna call that a win for the USDA.

Reminder to self:

1 ounce by volume can be dramatically different from 1 ounce by weight (scale). 1 ounce by volume is almost always 2tbsp=1oz. 1 ounce by weight varies according to the density of the substance being measured. (1oz of cannon ball occupies much less volume/space than 1oz of feathers.)

Edited October 9, 2017 by FluffyChix

[FluffyChix 17,415]

@James Marusek James, thanks so much for this very clearly understood food progression! I know I will use it again and again!! When I need to know how much food I should be eating during a given period of recovery, here it is! (I added the italicized measurements at the end if someone is measuring by volume, rather than by weight.)

The directions I received after my RNY gastric bypass surgery was:

First 4 weeks following surgery - (2 ounces per meal) - full liquids. (Approx. 1/4cup by volume.)

Weeks 5-8 - (2 ounces per meal) - pureed foods. (Approx. 1/4cup by volume.)

Weeks 9-15 - (3 ounces per meal) - solid foods. (Approx. 1/3-3/8cup by volume.)

Months 4-6 - (4 ounces per meal) - solid foods. (Approx. 1/2cup by volume)

Months 7-9 - (5 ounces per meal) - solid foods. (Approx. 2/3-5/8cup by volume.)

Months 10-12 - (6 ounces per meal) - solid foods. (Approx. 3/4cup by volume.)

Months 12-18 - (7 ounces per meal) - solid foods. (Approx. 7/8cup by volume.)

18 months and beyond - (8 ounces per meal) - solid foods. (Approx. 1cup by volume.)

Question for James: James, as a pre-surg patient, I routinely eat 6-8oz per meal by weight. But by volume it's dramatically different! My 6-8oz of meal by weight occupies so much more volume than your chart! It's much more than about 1cup of food!!!???

Example: Dinner

3oz ground turkey Protein by weight=3/4cup by volume

2oz of baby spinach raw by weight=2cups by volume

1oz grape tomatoes by weight=4 pieces=about 1/8cup

1oz avocado=about 1/8cup=1/8 large avocado.

So even though I just consumed 7oz of food by weight, I ate 3/4c+2c+1/8c+1/8cup=3c by volume.

That's a dramatic difference!! So with a gastric bypass, do we really have enough room to eat 3c of volume at a meal when it's a mixed meal as described here? I know that dense protein first will fill us up quickly. So assuming at 18months out, I'm making my goal of 3oz of dense protein per meal, that occupies 1/4c volume for every ounce by weight=3/4cup of food just from the ground turkey.

[Sherry Rice 184]

Here Im reposting @Chloebird chart, so all this good info stays together!


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 235
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

[FluffyChix 17,415]

1 minute ago, Sherry Rice said:

Here Im reposting @Chloebird chart, so all this good info stays together!


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 235
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

Oh, great addition hon!!! Keep it coming. I hope this really fills up with all our tips and quantities and measures!! TY! Oh my gosh though, if I'm only 161lbs at 18months, someone is going to have to get grounded!!! I want to be 140lbs 6-9 months. Magical think much? LOL.

Edited November 22, 2017 by FluffyChix

[James Marusek 5,244]

12 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

@James MarusekQuestion for James: James, as a pre-surg patient, I routinely eat 6-8oz per meal by weight. But by volume it's dramatically different! My 6-8oz of meal by weight occupies so much more volume than your chart! It's much more than about 1cup of food!!!???

According to the manual I was given just before surgery, it read

Food is measured by volume and not weight after surgery.

I bought measuring spoons. Some sizes were hard to find. And that is what I used. This approach worked very well for chili and Soups, which is what I primarily stuck to.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

9 hours ago, James Marusek said:

According to the manual I was given just before surgery, it read

Food is measured by volume and not weight after surgery.

I bought measuring spoons. Some sizes were hard to find. And that is what I used. This approach worked very well for chili and Soups, which is what I primarily stuck to.

Oh @James Marusek that makes SO much more sense!!! Then those volumetric measures make perfect sense to me now!! TY for clarifying. Happy Thanksgiving hon!

[Jdserra 78]

Here Im reposting @Chloebird chart, so all this good info stays together!


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 235
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

Hi Sherry! This chart is pretty spot on. I was 235 day of surgery (Sleeved) and I'm 5'5. I'm 1yr 1month (exactly today) post op. As of this morning I'm 160. BUT I do alot of lifting at the gym so my muscle mass is a little higher. My goal is 145 but the weight loss has dramatically slowed down. I'm ok with that! I'm happy where I'm at now. It's slowed to like a pound every other month. Lol. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Sent from my SM-J700T using BariatricPal mobile app

[dreamingsmall 1,125]

Here Im reposting @Chloebird chart, so all this good info stays together!


5' 5"
HW: 259
CW: 235
GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

250 was my heighest. 244 surgery. So what should I be by 3 months hmm.

Sent from my Vivo 5R using BariatricPal mobile app

[dreamingsmall 1,125]

Oh, great addition hon!!! Keep it coming. I hope this really fills up with all our tips and quantities and measures!! TY! Oh my gosh though, if I'm only 161lbs at 18months, someone is going to have to get grounded!!! [emoji20] I want to be 140lbs 6-9 months. [emoji3] Magical think much? LOL.

140lbs by 6 month. How much weight about will you be around surgery day ?

Sent from my Vivo 5R using BariatricPal mobile app

[dreamingsmall 1,125]

Hi Sherry! This chart is pretty spot on. I was 235 day of surgery (Sleeved) and I'm 5'5. I'm 1yr 1month (exactly today) post op. As of this morning I'm 160. BUT I do alot of lifting at the gym so my muscle mass is a little higher. My goal is 145 but the weight loss has dramatically slowed down. I'm ok with that! I'm happy where I'm at now. It's slowed to like a pound every other month. Lol. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Sent from my SM-J700T using BariatricPal mobile app

Your doing great. I don't exersise. So hope to be closer to my goal at a year. What was you weight at the four month mark

Sent from my Vivo 5R using BariatricPal mobile app

[FluffyChix 17,415]

3 hours ago, dreamingsmall said:

140lbs by 6 month. How much weight about will you be around surgery day ?

Sent from my Vivo 5R using BariatricPal mobile app

Well, I'm hoping I will be somewhere around 220-225 on surgery day?

My math was like 12lbs/mo x 6 months = 72lbs (Pssst, my charts show that by consuming 800-850lbs cals/day, my body really digs that amount, and let's go of about 12-13lbs/mo on average. So I'm pretty sure that if after surgery I'm consuming 600-800cals/day, that I will be in a 10-12lbs/mo range.)

220-70=150lbs; that would give me an extra 3 months to lose the last 10lbs. I'm hoping that is do-able.

Edited November 25, 2017 by FluffyChix