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. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle.

A characteristic of humans is that we want to understand how things work and why. The Sicilian/Greek philosopher Empedocles in the fifth century BCE proposed that all things were made of 4 Roots: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Plato later called them ‘elements’, believing that the smallest unit of matter was an element. [Later, that smallest unit was called an ‘atom’.] In the fourth century BCE, the Athenian philosopher Aristotle made careful observations of the natural world to try to figure out why things were as they were. He concluded that the natural world was composed of combinations of five basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether. The first four made up earthly things — animals, rocks, oceans, clouds, metals, cooking fires — while Ether made up celestial objects: the sun, planets, stars. The Air or Wind Element in ancient Greece was associated with the season of Spring. Its attributes are warmth and moisture, and therefore in medicine it was related to blood — also warm and wet. Greeks had several deities connected with Air: Aeolus, god of the winds and the four winds from the cardinal points. They said that ‘Air’ concerned the lower atmosphere, what we now call the Troposphere. They were right about that: of the four layers of our atmosphere, the air that we breathe and the winds that circulate it around are found within the Troposphere. We know today that what we call ‘air’ is a mixture of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.3%–0.4% water vapor, and 0.04% carbon dioxide. Instead of being made of one Element, Air is made of many. Clean Air is vital to our health and the health of our planet. If we foul our air with chemicals or dust or smoke, we have no substitute. But the air around us also can deliver deadly storms or droughts, or fuel disastrous fires. We cannot control the weather, but we can control the things we do that affect the atmosphere adversely. Take a deep breath and ponder that.

Our meals today are full of air. Whipping egg whites until they stand up in peaks is one of the marvels of culinary processes. Both of our meals employ eggs, so I wouldn’t recommend preparing them for breakfast and dinner on the same day, since one or two eggs per day is considered to be enough. They are delicious, whether at breakfast or at dinner.

Fruit Souffle Omelette: 128 calories… 5 g fat… 2 g fiber… 9 g protein… 9 g carbs… 34 mg Calcium…  PB GF From the fruited hills and valleys of Gascony comes this dessert which, with a few tweeks, goes to the breakfast table.  HINT: This serves two. The recipe is difficult to cut to serve one, so enjoy it with a friend.

++ 2 egg yolks ++++ 3 egg whites ++++ ¼ c blueberries ++++ ¼ c raspberries ++++ ¼ cup goldenberries [feel free to substitute strawberries or cherries or bluberries] ++++ 2 tsp [5 ml] Armagnac, the brandy of SW France ++++ 1 tsp sugar ++++  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++

If the fruit is frozen, put it in a sieve while it thaws to catch extra juices. Heat fruit and sugar in a small saute pan. Add the Armagnac and flame it, tipping the pan to burn off all the alcohol. Remove from heat. Warm the oven to 375F. Find a saute pan that can be used on the cook-top and in the oven as well. Whisk the yolks with a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. Using a rotary or electric beater, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Whisk a bit of the whites into the yolks to lighten them, then fold the whites and eggs together. Pour into that saute pan which has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Heat on the cook-top until the bottom sets and starts to brown. Pour the fruit on top and put in the upper third of the oven. Cook until the eggs are set and puffed. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. A fine treat.

Souffle Omelette: ..310 calories… 16.5 g fat… 2.5 g fiber… 20 g protein … 19 g carbs… 222.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF SeriousEats provided the basic recipe, which I turned into a meal for two, with two sides. Delicious!  HINT: Serves 2 [two] people. The calories are a tad high, but pair it with a 280-calorie breakfast and all will be well.

4 yolks from 2-oz eggs +++++ pinch salt + black pepper	Beat egg yolks along with a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper until well mixed.
4 whites from 2-oz eggs	In separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites until firm, glossy peaks form.
	Add half beaten egg whites to yolks and stir well until whites are thoroughly combined and soufflé base has a looser consistency.
½ oz grated Gruyere ++++ 2 Tbsp minced fresh chives	Mix in cheese and chives. Add rest of whites, and gently fold into the soufflé base just until well combined.
Smear butter +++ PAM	Smear butter in pan on medium heat. Scrape mixture into pan and spread into a smooth, even circle. Cover and cook until top is barely set.
½ oz grated Gruyere	Scatter cheese on top, cover pan until cheese starts to melt, ~1 min.
Side Salad ++++ <1 oz sour-dough rye bread	Carefully slide omelette from pan onto a warm serving plate, folding it over itself. Serve now with salad and bread.