Reduced Recipe for Fudge Brownies

Reduced Recipe for New York Style Cheese Cake

Different Ways of Losing Weight, One Way to Keep it Off.

I've gone on many diets in the past. Some successful, some not. These are just a few.

1000 calorie diet:
           Lost 15 pounds, but felt deprived. Finally admitted defeat and went back to eating what I wanted and gained the weight back.

The eat what I want and do intense aerobics 5 days a week an hour at a time, diet:
          I gained 20 pounds:(

Martial Arts weight loss plan:
           Lost 40 pounds without even intending to lose weight. When I realized I couldn't eat desserts on the nights I worked out (hypoglycemia) I stopped eating the sugary stuff the six days I was at the studio. Then I lost 40 pounds over the next few months (great surprise:) Regained the weight after having children and not stepping on the bathroom scale.

Portion Sizing Plan:
            Ate 1 a small breakfast, 1 cup of what ever lunch food I wanted, had 1 very small desserts, and finished with 1 cup of whatever dinner food I wanted. I lost 50 pounds. Kept it off for over a year, until I got pregnant.

Calorie counting plan (1200 calories):
            (started 2 months after I had my baby) Lost 2 pounds each week, like clockwork. Found I could eat more if I ate healthy. Final weight loss: 10 pounds lower than my previous pre-baby weight (seen above). Have kept that weight loss off for 2 years and counting.

Only Way to Keep it Off: Stay accountable by stepping on the scale daily and adjusting your diet as you see any increase in weight.

Stress Diet

The following diet is designed to help you cope with the stress that builds up in life.

Breakfast:

- ½ grapefruit
- 1 slice whole wheat toast
- 8 oz. skim milk

Lunch:

- 4 oz. lean broiled chicken breast
- 1 cup steamed spinach
- 1 cup herb tea
- 1 Oreo cookie

Mid-Afternoon snack:

- The rest of Oreos in the package
- 2 pints Rocky Road ice cream nuts, cherries and whipped cream 1
- jar hot fudge sauce

Dinner:

- 2 loaves garlic bread
- 4 cans or 1 large pitcher Coke
- 1 large sausage, mushroom and cheese pizza
- 3 Snickers bars

Late Evening News:

- Entire frozen Sara Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from freezer)

Does this diet look familiar? Maybe you want to lose weight but are not ready for the commitment it takes. Don't wait for a heart attack or diabetes to motivate you. Make a commitment to live a healthier life. (What the heck are you doing with all that junk food in the house in the first place? Get rid of the temptation.)

My New York Style Cheese Cake Recipe

1 1/2 cup Pecan Sandie Cookie Crumbs
1/4 cup Melted Butter
5 (8oz.) Packages cream cheese softened
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup heavy cream

1) Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter then press into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.
3) In a large bowl combine cream cheese, eggs, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Add sugar, flour and cream. Blend until smooth.
4) Pour into prepared pan.
5) Bake at 400 for 10 minutes then turn the temp down to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to bake for 1 to 2 hours until set.
6) Turn off the oven (don't open the door) and cool for an hour before removing and putting into the refrigerator. Cool completely before serving (overnight).

With the recipe adjuster:
For a 1/2 measure use a 7 inch spring form pan and for a 1/4 measure use a 4.5 or 5 inch . If you don't have smaller spring form pans, you can use muffin tins-- just use aluminum liners with vanilla wafers for the crust (whole, not crumbled) and fill 2/3.

It's All About Balance

For those of you who think I'm promoting unhealthy eating: that is not my goal. I have spent years dieting and feeling like I couldn't have this and couldn't have that. Well I'm here to say, yes you can. But it needs to be in balance with healthy foods. Increase the "healthy" foods in proportion to the unhealthy ones. There are no forbidden foods, there are just foods that need to be eaten sparingly or in moderation.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Reduced