Pasta is a go-to comfort food for many, offering a quick, hearty meal that can be both healthy and satisfying when packed with the good stuff. However, a common cooking error could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Personal trainer Tom Hull has revealed that many people are miscalculating their pasta portions, leading to an inadvertent calorie overload.
In a revealing TikTok video, he explained confusion often arises from misunderstanding the packaging instructions. He said: "You'll see on the pack here it says 75g of dry pasta typically produces 180g of cooked pasta. You're probably not reading that part, and jumping straight to this part, where it says 180g is 286 calories.
" Many people, he suggests, measure out 180g of dry pasta, assuming it equates to 286 calories, but in reality they should be using just 75g. The difference in portion size is significant and, according to Hull, this simple mistake can result in a meal that contains over 600 calories per serving. Basically, a lot of people weigh the pasta all wrong, which means they go onto eat more than they should.
This is the mistake that can cause people to pile on the pounds, according to the fitness guru. Though it seems an easy mistake to make, Hull admitted he previously believed that the calories from pasta cooked in just water didn't count. Now he realises they do.
He admitted the topic can be "confusing" but aimed to clarify it for his audience, especially those looking to lose weight and control their po.