January 10th…  you’ve made some resolutions and probably broken a few already. But isn’t it time you worked on that dreaded weight loss issue? Yeah, you’ve thought about it… you’ve tried it once or twice… and then you gave up. Time to start again, but this time I’ll help you use the Fast Diet http://thefastdiet.co.uk which isn’t so much of a diet as it is a lifestyle change. And it worked for me and my husband, so it ought to work for you, too.  I’ll make it easy by giving you menus to use, with photos and recipes, too. And handy tips. And encouragement to get through it.

Let’s start with how this works. On Monday and Thursday, you will eat a total of 600 calories. That’s called calorie restriction. You may think that will kill you, but it won’t. The rest of the week, you eat a normal menu.  The amazing thing about this way of life is that you are not depriving yourself of your favorite foods day after day. If on a FAST Day you have a hankering for something that’s not on the menu, you can always have it tomorrow! And the weight will come off. ‘Well, yeah,’ says you ‘I will have starved to death by then — I’ll never stick to that!”    Hold on, take one day at a time!      Start this Monday:

Breakfast menu: Shirred Egg, toast, fruit, smoothie, coffee or tea.        total calories = 297   Recipe for Shirred Egg:  Spray a small [8 oz] ramekin with non-stick cooking spray. Break a 2 oz egg into the ramekin, then salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle  1 Tbsp of half&half over the egg, and sprinkle it with 1.5 tsp grated Parmesan cheese. Pop it in the oven [toaster oven is better than the big one] at 350°F for 10 minutes. Take it out of oven and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. HINT: prep this the night before and put it in the ‘fridge overnight.

Recipe for Breakfast Smoothie:     THIS IS ENOUGH FOR 2 SMOOTHIES                                         Put 6″ of banana [3.5 oz], 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and 2 oz. [1/2 cup] sliced strawberries or raspberries or blueberries in a blender with 7-8 ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Drink half today.  HINT: freeze the rest for Thursday.        Don’t want the smoothie? Then double up on the fruit and have  a full slice of bread.

Sides: Toast half a slice of whole grain bread that has 70 calories per slice. Sorry, no butter.  Put some fruit on the plate: 2 oz strawberries, or 1 oz grapes or half of a small apple [as shown]. Serve with coffee or tea, but limit the sugar to 1 tsp or less.  There’s a little skimmed milk in my coffee.

HINT: How to survive until dinner? Drink water; drink your favorite tea; distract yourself.  If you are used to a snack at a particular time of day, go for a walk or get involved in a project that will keep you busy until the urge to nibble passes.  You could eat a little raw fruit, but that might make you hungrier! You have some calories available to eat some apple slices or grapes if you need to.

Dinner Menu:  Baked fish with cheese and vegetables.              Total calories =  268                Recipe for Baked White Fish: Spray a baking dish with PAM or some other food-safe spray. Put 6 oz of white fish, such as haddock or cod in the dish. Season to taste, adding a little lemon juice if you want, and herbs of your choice. Bake at 400° F. for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 oz grated cheddar cheese and put back in the oven for 5 minutes more.                                                             Sides: Cook 3 oz broccoli  with 1 oz sliced carrot or parsnip [as shown] and prep 1 cup of salad greens tossed with 1/2 tsp olive oil and a splash of lemon juice.     Instead of the broccoli, use 1/3 cup green peas; or 3 oz melon; or 2 oz summer squash; or 2.5 oz green beans.

I sure hope you’ll try this.  Otherwise,  what will you eat on Monday?