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.

People often think that the start of a new year is a time to reinvent themselves. Do you think so too? The fact is, most people who make resolutions on New Year’s Eve, break those pledges within two weeks. At that point they either give up and castigate themselves as weak-willed losers, or they try again. The thing is, most resolutions are too ambitious and too general, which makes them difficult to keep. Instead of “I promise to lose all that extra weight” [a goal without a plan], swap it for “I will eat no more than 600 quality calories every Monday.” That is a specific, achievable goal which is aligned with a recognized, recommended way of eating called the Fast Diet. Once you have mastered one day a week, you can move on to another day of low-calorie eating for a total of two days of ‘dieting’ each week. That plan is much easier to live with than depriving yourself every day. What if one of those Mondays is your mother’s birthday and you can’t escape a big celebration with cake?!?! No problem, eat your 600 calories on Tuesday instead. See? Flexibility. Instead of “I will get more exercise” [another goal without a plan], try to think this way: “Before I sit down at the computer, I will do 10 Triceps Dips on the chair first”. Or, while I wait for the microwave to reheat my coffee, I will jog in place until it is done.” By pairing a new behavior with an old behavior, your goal becomes more doable. You can figure out some other new exercise behaviors to pair with activities you do every day. Good luck with your resolutions, and have a Happy New Year!

If weight loss is your goal, have I got menus for you! You won’t have to count calories — I already did it for you. Stick to it! The Fast Diet worked for me and my Dear Husband, it should work for you, too. Our menus today are new, like 2026. They are recipes that we tried this year but have not been published here previously. I hope they will help you to meet your goal for a healthy weight this year.

Succotash Bake: 177 calories… 6.5 g fat… 3.5 g fiber… 10.6 g protein… 20 g carbs… 94.4 mg Calcium…  NB: The food values given above are for the egg-bake and fruit only, not the optional hot beverage. —PB GF— Corn and shell-beans were two of the staple crops of First Nations of North America, and they were combined for nutritious meals called ‘succotash’. Here, we bake succotash in eggs. Very good!

++1 two-oz egg++++ ¼ cup corn-lima beans ++++ 1 Tbsp Parmesan, grated++++salt & pepper++++ 2 oz apple++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait  [65 calories] ++++ Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Spritz an oven-proof dish with cooking spray and distribute the succotash on the bottom. Whisk egg, pour on top. Sprinkle with seasoning and cheese. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, plate with apple.

Roasted Zucchini w/ Shrimp + Za’atar: 281 calories… 8.3 g fat… 3.4 g fiber… 28.5 g protein… 21 g carbs … 145.5 mg Calcium…  PB GF Melissa Clark presented this recipe in the NY Times, and I had to try it.  HINT: Recipe serves 4 [four], so this is good for a small dinner party.

4 servings	Put rack 6” from broiler, heat oven to 425F.
18 oz zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced ½” thick.—-2 tsp olive oil– ½ teaspoon salt— pinch red-pepper flakes	In a large bowl, toss these together. Spread evenly on a rimmed sheet pan. Save the bowl — don’t wash it. Roast ~12 mins, then stir/turn zucchini.
	Return to oven. Roast ~12 mins, until golden.
1# shelled shrimp, I used the size 21-26 per pound	Pat shrimp dry, add to same bowl used for zucchini.
2 tsp olive oil—– ½ teaspoon salt—- ¼ tsp red-pepper flakes— 2 tsp za’atar —-zest of 1 lemon	Add these to shrimp, then toss shrimp to coat. Let sit at room temperature.
	Take pan from oven. Turn broiler to high. Add shrimp to pan of zucchini, spreading it out evenly. Broil 2-5 mins, until shrimp just cooks through — don’t overcook.
2/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt——pinch salt———- 1 T juice of zested lemon—2 teaspoons za’atar—— 1 garlic clove	Mince/grate garlic. Whisk these together. Taste, add more salt or lemon juice, if needed. If mixture is very thick, stir in a little water to loosen it.
Chopped mint, cilantro or dill—-1 oz whole-wheat artisinal bread per serving	Spoon yogurt sauce on top of shrimp + zucchini, sprinkle with chopped herbs. Serve with bread.

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

1 two-oz egg = US large	1.5 two-oz eggs
applesauce	one slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread
Pan muffin	Mediterranean Vegetables
optional smoothie	optional smoothie
optional hot beverage	optional hot beverage

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

slivered almonds + bratwurst + celery	2 oz clam meat, fresh or canned + tomato
carrot + sesame seeds + go-chu-jang sauce	parmesan cheese + thyme + red bell pepper
soy sauce + rice wine vinegar	garlic powder + purchased turkey meatballs
brown rice + kale + lettuce + mint	½ slice 70-calorie whole grain bread + Plain, non-fat yogurt
Sparkling water	Sparkling water