BURNING CALORIES

In the never-ending battle to keep my workouts interesting, or at least to make them less boring, this week I'm using a different focus as I run on the treadmill. I generally simply run six miles and that's it. But can you imagine how boring that gets?

The main thing with cardio is to burn a decent amount of calories, so I've been concentrating there, working at 1100 calories a day.

To my great surprise I discovered that I can burn as many calories walking at 4.2 mph on a steep gradient (10) as I do running. With that in mind I've walked more than I have for a long while and have been very pleased with the results.

You have to vary it, mix it up somehow, especially when you're borderline ADD like me.

AN EXPLANATION - THEN CHEESECAKE

Sorry about the silence here over the past few weeks. They have been incredibly busy as we made the last preparations for and then launched a new church in Mastic. Thanks to those that knew about that and were praying for us.

The new church has started very strongly and I now commute between the two places every Sunday morning - exciting stuff.

So here's the recipe for Brownie Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce I promised weeks ago.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Fat Free cream cheese
1 cup FF/Light sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs (add one at a time, beat on low)
1 tsp lemon zest (fold in)

Brownie Mix For Crust
1 Box brownie mix
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
Egg whites to moisten mix

METHOD
Grease your cheesecake pan and pur in 3/4 of the made-up brownie mix for the base of the cake.
Mix the filling ingredients and pour this filling onto the base.
Top with the remaining brownie mix, swirl in the mixture.

Bake at 325 until cake is almost set (45 min)

Open oven door, leave in for 30 minutes. Remove, let cool on rack and when completely cool refrigerate.

Raspberry Topping
1 bag (12 oz) frozen berries. Process abd strain to remove seeds. Add 1 tsp vanilla, 2tsp honey, 1/4 cup sugar, sugar-free raspberry jam. Mix well and pour over.
Add sugar substitute if you want it sweeter.

2 POINTS per serving

I BET YOU FEEL BETTER

When my weight loss was a novelty, I would often meet people I hadn't seen in a while who would marvel at the change. Somewhere among the questions of "How much?" and "How long?", there would generally come the suggestion that I must feel so much better.

At that juncture I generally pointed out that I didn't really see a whole lot of difference.

On reflection, there is. Take this weekend for instance.

We launch another church campus next Sunday morning in Mastic and we took Labor Day weekend to get word out to the community. That meant I was out of the house for 14 straight hours on Sunday and was on my feet for most of that time - all this after a normal tiring Saturday.

Monday morning I was up around 7.00 and walked five miles. The rest of the morning was spent with last minute bits and pieces of preparation for the Fair we hosted outside Island Cinemas in Mastic (which will be the home of that congregation) and I was then at the Fair for the whole afternoon.

Was I tired when the weekend was done? Yes.

Was I ready to sleep? Yes.

Would I have been able to do all that five years ago and 133lb heavier? Who knows? I would never even have tried it!

Feel Free To Visit us this Sunday. September 13th is Back To Church Sunday.
Church At The Movies, Regal Cinemas, Portion Road, Ronkonkoma - 9.30am
Church At The Movies, Island Cinemas, Montauk Highway, Mastic - 11.00am

CHEESECAKE TO COME

Got an amazing recipe for chocolate raspberry cheesecake at WW this morning - and a sample. I know I said I'd put it up here tonight, but please bear with me. I'm shot!

LOOKING GOOD IS OVER-RATED

Over this past couple of evenings I've spent a bit of time chatting with members of my WW groups about why they joined in the first place. Now of course the obvious answer is "to lose weight", but I was looking to go a little beyond that and I did.

Without exception, it was the over-riding pressure of existing or potential health issues that was the most common influence bringing people in our doors.

No one said they wanted to look better in a swimsuit next summer or they wanted to look better in any situation for that matter.

Weight loss isn't a cosmetic thing. It's about quality of life, health and a future free from avoidable complications.

I went from a 50 inch waist to a 36 inch waist, but I never want to lose sight of what it is really all about.

WHAT'S THE BEST CHOICE?

I've decided I'm going to start telling the truth. Now I appreciate that statement may create some grave concerns when it comes from a pastor, but the fact is I don't always tell it like it really is when I'm asked one particular question.

What's best for me at McDonalds, or Wendys or Pizza Hut or KFC or Popeyes or whatever fast-food chain's name you care to insert here?

There may be better choices than others, but the fact is that in a nation overcome with the need for convenience, we'd rather eat unhealthy junk from anywhere we can grab it than actually go home and make something satisfying and wholesome in our own kitchens.

What's best for you? - Diddley squat, that's what.

There's way too much fat in a burger any style and if you do find a low calorie option in any fast-food joint, the portion will be so small that you'll be hungry again pretty soon and will probably end up overeating before the day's out.

The best choice is to cut out the excuses and cook for yourself.

There, I told the truth!