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.

As children, my sister and I would watch old movies on TV. Our favorites were the Fred Astaire-and-Ginger Rogers hits from the 1930s. Some channels played the same film several times a day, and we would watch them until we had memorized our favorite scenes. To this day, she and I quote lines from The Gay Divorcee. Frederick Austerlitz was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1899. His father hoped his son would follow him as a brewer, his mother hoped he would get a job that would take him away from Omaha. When her husband lost his job, she moved the family to New York and enrolled her children in singing and dance classes. Soon 5-year-old Fred and 8-year-old Adele ‘Astaire’ [note the change] were performing in vaudeville. Adele was a natural dancer and her brother mimicked her well. Cute as a button, they were a hit and soon were touring around the mid-West. Little Fred was always dressed in a top-hat to hide the fact that he was shorter than his partner. When Adele had a growth-spurt, the act was put on hold until Fred grew taller. The time was spent in music and acting lessons. As adult dancers, they performed in shows on Broadway. When Adele retired to marry, Fred moved to Hollywood, hoping for a movie career without a partner. But in 1933, he was paired with veteran actress Ginger Rogers in Flying Down to Rio, and, without his sister, the dances could be more romantic. The pair romanced and danced and sang their way through the 1930s. Song writing legends wrote memorable music for the films, including Jerome Kern, the Gershwin brothers, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin — all of whom made the most of Astaire’s weak singing abilities by composing for his narrow range. But could he dance! Tap and ballroom; on the dance floor and on the ceiling. Astaire did the choreography for all his gigs, assisted by Hermes Pan, insisting that the dance should be part of the acting to further the plot. After Rogers, Astaire partnered many other dancers, then took dramatic roles in films. He died on June 22, 1987, but his elegance, grace, and talent live on in his films.

Breakfast is an echo of the Mid-West origins of Fred Austerlitz, and the dinner evokes Astaire’s California success. What a journey.

Egg-Salad Toast: 167 calories 8 g fat 4.5 g fiber 12 g protein 22 g carbs 101 mg Calcium  PB  Toast ‘n’ Egg for breakfast takes a new twist. If you must grab-and-go, this is a good choice. 

1 slice whole-grain bread [70 calories, 3 g fiber] 1 hardboiled 2-oz egg yellow Sriracha, ad lib + 1 Tbsp reduced-fat ricotta -OR- 1 Tbsp 2%-fat cottage cheese 1 oz sliced tomato OR halved cherry tomatoes 2 oz strawberries -OR- 1 oz blueberries   -OR- 1 oz grapes 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]

Slice the tomato and salt it to develop flavor. Shell the egg and mash it with a fork on a plate. Squirt some Sriracha on it, add the ricotta, and continue to mash and squirt until you get the consistancy you like. Add salt and pepper and herbs to taste. Lightly toast the bread and spread with the egg salad. Top with the tomato and plate with the fruit. Wholesome and hearty.

Santa Barbara Salad: 280 calories 13 g fat 5.5 g fiber 16 g protein 21 g carbs 106 mg Calcium  PB GF  From a Washington Post food column, comes a salad that sings of California.  HINT: This amount serves 2 [two]. Invite a friend or save for lunch later in the week.

½ head Boston or butter crunch lettuce 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes ½ medium apple, cored and diced ½ cup diced chicken breast ¼ cup chickpeas 1 oz soft goat cheese 1½ tsp pine nuts 1 Medjool date ½ two-oz egg, hardboiled  per serving: 1½ tsp cinnamon dressing

First prepare the dressing and refrigerate. Next, toast the pine nuts in a small dry pan until they just begin to brown. Take off heat and set aside. Shred the lettuce and put in a bowl along with all the other ingredients. Toss with 1.5 tsp dressing per serving. Play a Beach Boys song and wear your sunglasses.

CINNAMON DRESSING:  makes 4.5 tsp   ½ shallot [¾ oz], minced 1½ tsp balsamic vinegar or raspberry vinegar 1 Tbsp olive oil ¼ tsp cinnamon Shake together in a jar. Refrigerate until needed.

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

hard-cooked 2-oz egg = US large	1 two-oz egg
whole-grain 70-calorie bread	avocado
prunes	lobster or crab meat
chicken dinner sausage	pear
onion	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

hot dogs <110 calories + yellow sriracha/green chilis	6 oysters per person
cabbage + carrot + celery seed + canned baked beans	Finn Crisp cracker
2-oz hard cooked egg + 2% cottage cheese + cider vinegar	chèvre cheese + cooked spinach
‘mayo dressing with olive oil’ or plain yogurt	oatmeal bread + side salad
Sparkling water	Sparkling water