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. 

There is a tall rapids on the Merrimack River. The Abenaki People would gather in the early Summer to catch the leaping salmon and smoke them for future use. They called the area “Amoskeag” — ‘at the fish land.’ European settlers came, sailing up the river until they reached the falls. They settled on the flat flood plains to farm and called the area “Derryfield.” Enter the Industrial Revolution, when factory-builders sought falling water to power the looms. A ‘planned city‘ was built at the foot of the falls and it was named “Manchester,” built to rival the textile city of England. After some false starts, the city was incorporated in 1846. Unlike the slums of Manchester, England, the New Hampshire version was designed with utopian ideals. Model housing for workers; parks and musical events for all; churches and social improvement agencies were all baked in. Local farm youths at first, then Europeans recruited off the docks at Boston and New York, then French Canadians came to work and add to the city’s melting pot. Since the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company took care of workers’ needs, they saw no need for unions and organizing was banned. Yes, there was child labor, as seen in the Lewis Hine’s photos. On the whole, workers liked it there. In its heyday, there were 30 factories in the complex and 17,000 workers. Mill #11 was the largest single cotton mill in the world. A great range of cotton fabrics were produced, including denim for Levi Strauss’ blue jeans in California. The economic depression after WWI caused some mills to close. Worker unrest followed, including attempts to unionize. In 1935, the Manufactuing Company declared bankruptcy which was a terrible blow to the city. Many empty mills were torn down, but several remain in a revitalized “Mill Yard” part of Manchester. Manchester is known as ‘The Queen City’ since it is larger than the capital of the state.

Breakfast is reminiscent of breakfast on a farm in old Derryfield, and features apples that grow in abundance in New Hampshire. Dinner remembers the First Peoples, feasting on fish at Amoskeg Falls.

Rounds, with Egg:  193 calories 9 g fat 2 g fiber 12 g protein 20 g carbs 38 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.Simple to prepare, easy to eat. PB Having a few pan muffins tucked into the freezer makes life easier. The protein and fruit will keep you going.

1 two-oz egg, pan-fried 1 slice Canadian bacon [aka: ‘back bacon’] 2 oz apple, sliced in rounds, not wedges 1 pan muffin   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Thaw or prepare the pan muffin. Warm the bacon and the muffin in a pan spritzed with non-stick spray. Then cook the egg to your taste. Slice the apple. Plated in moments, but be sure to eat it mindfully.

Salmon Roasted with Tomatoes:  288 calories 14.5 g fat 3 g fiber 27.6 g protein 8 g carbs 268 mg Calcium  PB GF  One of the earliest meals we made when starting the Fast Diet, this recipe hails from the Fast Diet book in a slightly altered form. Still a favorite. Quick and delicious.

4 oz salmon 10 cherry tomatoes [5 oz] 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated ½ cup green beans or 2 oz sugar snap peas seasonings to taste

Spritz a small oven-proof pan with olive oil or non-stick spray. Put the salmon in the pan and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. Arrange the tomatoes on/around the salmon. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Meanwhile steam the green vegetables. So easy. So yummy.

Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1.5 two-oz eggs	1 two-oz egg + fat-free milk
feta cheese	4 slices 70-calorie whole-grain bread
moussaka sauce	60-calories of chicken breakfast sausage
strawberries	maple syrup + strawberries
Optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

beets, canned or fresh + bleu cheese	Martin’s whole wheat potato slider buns or 100-calorie rolls
tomato + walnuts/almonds	beef BBQ meat in sauce <60 calories/oz
white beans, canned + edible flowers
salad greens + olive oil + balsamic vinegar	cherry tomatoes + carrots
Sparkling water	Sparkling water