How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it. Simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

So you say you’ve got no time to comb your own hair let alone make special foods for a diet to make you healthier?  Here are some more menus which are super-fast to prepare and delicious to eat.  As always, planning ahead makes the Fasting Lifestyle go much easier: plan the meals ahead of time and prepare some parts of the meal ahead of time. Try it;  you’ll see how well it works.

Oatmeal for breakfast can be prepared the night before — that saves you time in the morning! The salad for dinner comes together in a snap.

Oatmeal Pudding: 301 cal  3 g fat   3 g fiber   15 g protein    16.3 g carb   199 mg Calcium   GF PB   A riff on a recipe found in Marion Cunningham’s Breakfast Book, this can easily be prepared the night before.      NB: THIS MAKES ENOUGH FOR TWO [2] SERVINGS

1/2 cup rolled oats, cooked in 1 cup water  HINT: do this the night before or days before                                       2 tsp maple syrup                        ½ cup fat free cottage cheese                                                                                                                            pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon          4 Tbsp. blueberries [fresh or frozen]                                                                                                              5-6 oz fruit smoothie or natural apple cider            blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water

Cook the oatmeal in the water. Take off the heat and stir in the maple syrup and nutmeg. While it is still a little warm, stir in the cottage cheese. Let sit to cool. HINT: I did this part the night before while cleaning up after dinner. If making one portion, pour half of the pudding into a freezer container and top with 2 Tbsp blueberries. Freeze it. HINT: make the entire batch, eat half of it today and freeze the rest for a really simple-to-prepare breakfast for another day. With the remainder, stir in 2 Tbsp blueberries and pour the pudding into a ramekin. Nuke it for a minute to heat through – longer than that and it will bubble over. Serve with the fruit smoothie, and hot beverage for a hearty, healthy meal.

Tuna-Egg-Tomato Salad: 262 calories 10 g fat 5.8 g fiber 29 g protein 17 g carbs 79 mg Calcium PB  GF– if using GF bread   This is a Spanish-inspired meal from a cookbook called Everyday Tapas. I took out the potatoes and substituted garbanzo beans. The recipe is very simple and delicious as well – perfect to dress up with pansy blossoms [they are edible].  HINT: This makes enough for two meals. Invite a friend or enjoy it as a lovely lunch the next day. Today’s lettuce will wilt by tomorrow, so plan around that.

5 oz canned white-meat tuna in water                        2 eggs, hardboiled and cut into 1/2” dice                                                                                                          4 oz tomato, cut into 1/2” dice                                  ½ cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed                                                                                                    1 cup baby salad greens                  1 ½ tsp olive oil              1 tsp white wine vinegar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   fresh parsley, salt, pepper               pansy or other edible flowers for garnish                                                                                            optional: 1/2 piece 70-calorie whole grain bread

Drain the tuna and flake the meat into 1” chunks. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss with the lettuce. Add everything else, except the flowers, and gently toss to combine with the salad dressing. Garnish with as many flowers as you wish. Serve at room temperature.