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: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

“Here is your 101 course: It will show you the #1 methods and we will be on your 6 all the way until your get to your 42 and we 86 it. 73! -30-“

Huh? What was that all about? It seems that there are many ways to shorthand a message, and numbers are one way to do it. In college/university, the term ‘101’ refers to an introductory, survey course, often taken in the first year. Thus, you would take Art History 101 before you tried Baroque Art 302. Number 1 has always referred to the ‘best’, unless you want to offend your girlfriend, since a great-looking female is a ’10’ — if you were into that sort of sexist judgements… In the Navy, ‘on your 6‘ means to be right behind you. If your wingman says it, it is a promise. If your superior officer says it, it is a threat. Fans of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy will know that ’42’ is the “answer to everything.” A former student of mine was trying to calculate the size of a galaxy and was awe-struck to find that the first two numbers were ’42!!’ In a restaurant, if the chef tells the wait staff to ‘86 the swordfish’ it means that it has been sold out so don’t take any more orders. In the world of “Ham Radio Operators” there is a lot of numerical lingo, harking back to the time of telegraphers communicating only in Morse Code. When short-hand terms were necessary, ’73’ means ‘best regards.’ In news rooms, the reporter writes ‘-30-‘ at the end of a story. My journalism teacher said that a reporter was given 30 minutes for a rewrite and ran out of time. Annoyed, he typed ‘-30-‘ at the end of the story to protest that he couldn’t finish more fully. BMI is a number that can tell you about your health. Have you calculated your’s lately? Doing so can help you to realize if you are overweight — then you can do something about it. 73 to you all.

When Bo Derrik’s character was described as a “10” in the movie of the same name, many women wished that they had her svelte, swimsuit-worthy body. Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits — with a proper balance of calories and nutrition — can help you to get close. Our veggie-filled breakfast and Mediterranean-style dinner of healthy fish will see you on your way to healthy.

Tomato-Corn-Black Bean Bake: 144 calories 6 g fat 4.5 g fiber 8 g protein 14.5 g carbs 49 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF   Indigenous ingredients of the Americas combine here as a terrific addition to eggs. 

1 two-oz egg ¼ cup T-C-BB Salad** ½ cup mixed berries   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie  [88 calories]  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Whisk egg with salt and pepper. Spritz an oven-proof dish with non-stick spray and distribute the vegetable salad over the bottom. Pour the egg into the dish and bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Plate with the fruit and you are in for an excellent start to your day.

Tomato-Corn-Black Bean Salad	Makes 3 cups
1½ ears of corn  1 c canned black beans	Blanch corn 1 minute in boiling water. Cool + cut kernels off cob. Drain, rinse beans. Put both vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl.
4 oz tomato: cherry tomatoes cut in half OR whole tomato cut in ½” dice ¼ cup red onion, diced	Gently mix beans-corn with tomatoes + onion. Heat vegetables in the microwave 45-60 seconds to warm slightly.
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar salt and pepper	In a small bowl combine the basil, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over the warmed vegetables and stir to combine.

Barramundi a la Midi: 249 calories 9.4 g fat 6 g fiber 21.5 g protein 30 g carbs 147 mg Calcium   PB GF  Barramundi is a fish native to Australian waters. For some reason, I decided to prepare it with ingredients from Southern France. And it was great!

3-4 oz barramundi fillet 2 oz/2 cups fresh spinach leaves ¼ c puttanesca sauce 1 Tbsp black olive sauce** 2 cloves garlic ¼ c Camargue rice, cooked 2 oz green beans

**Black Olive Sauce  makes ¼ cup   good on fish or eggs   1 Tbsp = 44 calories  1 Tbsp lemon juice ¼ cup pitted black olives 1½ tsp red wine vinegar ½ tsp lemon zest ½ tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp olive oil Put olives in a food processor and run the machine until they are ground up. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until they are blended.

Cook the rice [3 parts Water: 1 part Rice] with a clove of garlic, halved. Broil or bake the fish. Slice the other garlic and cook it in a saute pan with some cooking spray and a bit of olive oil. After 30 seconds, add the spinach and 2 Tbsp water. Stir until the spinach begins to wilt, then add the sauce and mix them together. Plate the fish, topping it with the olive sauce. Place the spinach and the rice on the plate around the fish. Such a treat.

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