By Karen Ansel, RD, and Abigail L. Cuffey

Here's how it works:

If you could design your dream diet, what would it include? Lots of variety so meals and snacks never get boring? Plenty of treats? A day to cheat a little? Well, we hear you-and we've worked all that into our program. Follow this easy plan for a month and enjoy real food (not just rice cakes and cottage cheese), your favorite treats, even a glass of wine. The keys: smaller portions, more protein and healthier carbs. Just mix and match one breakfast, lunch and dinner plus two treats for six days of the week. Then, on day seven, indulge with a cheat day. Photo credit: Thinkstock

300 CALORIES PER SERVING

1. Peanut butter and apple quesadilla: 8" whole-wheat tortilla + 1 Tbsp peanut butter + 1 sliced apple

2. Apricot ricotta breakfast sundae: 1 cup nonfat ricotta cheese + pinch nutmeg + ½ tsp agave nectar + 4 chopped apricots

3. 1 egg scrambled in 1 tsp oil; 1 whole-wheat bagel thin; 1 turkey

Get inWhole Living top shape with moves that will sculpt, strengthen, and show off your curves -- not to mention boost your metabolism and your confidence. Follow these steps to make the most of your summer strength-training routine.

Plus: Slim-Down Summer Recipes

1. Cardio
Before you unveil your bikini body at the beach, get it in top shape with moves that will sculpt, strengthen, and show off your curves -- not to mention boost your metabolism and your confidence. Follow these steps to make the most of your summer strength-training routine.

2. Choose Your Moves
Include 3 to 4 days of strength-training in your workout regimen as well: Use our targeted workouts for core, arms, legs, back, and bones to strengthen and tone your trouble spots, or mix and match moves to get a full-body tune-up.

Plus: 8 Bone-Strengthening Moves

3. Strengthen Your Heart
On days you don't do cardio, pair your strength-training with a 30-minute routine designed to improve blood flow and heart health. Gentle poses that

Lazy girls, listen up! With easy hair products and beauty tricks, you'll be looking good all season-long with minimal effort.

#1. Wear a Hat

Be stylish and smart by popping on a floppy topper before heading out to your cabana. The style feels old-school glam, but has the added nicety of covering up your ears and hairline should you forget to reapply sunscreen as often as you should.

#2. Shower Before Swimming

Even if your backyard water is calling your name (loudly), wait a sec before diving in. Step into the outdoor shower that's a fixture at most pools and get your mane wet. Thirsty, dry hair strands will soak up fresh water before being touched by chemical-filled, chlorinated liquid. Makes sense, right?

Read More: Find Cute Summer Accessories!Bold Lips

#3. Go Big with Lips

Rock one of this season's vivid lipsticks, like tangerine. It might sound like extra work, but trust us-just a bright (quick) dash of color lets you tone down the rest of your makeup.

#4.Pick

Cara Birnbaum, Allure magazine

Everyone wants to drop pounds the easy way. Here are 15 simple strategies.

See more from Allure:

The Top 14 New Summer Hair Ideas

The 12 Best Eye Creams

Vote for Allure's Beauty Blogger of the Year

2012 Readers' Choice Awards

Inspiration for this dinner? Two dishes that are bound to be on heavy rotation this summer. So straightforward and unfussy, yet both so luxurious in texture and flavor. A tuna steak slowly poached in olive oil is scattered around a plate with potatoes and green beans like a sort of deconstructed, lazy Nicoise, and a cheery pink homemade sherbet rounds out the meal. A weeknight dinner worthy of a Saturday night dinner party!

Check out some more great summer salads and ideas for quick and easy dinners at Food52.com!

The Menu

Warm Tuna and White Bean Salad by amanda

Serves 4
3/4 pounds best quality tuna, about 2 inches thick
5 thyme sprigs
1 garlic clove
About 1/3 cup olive oil
Salt
12 baby potatoes, boiled with skins on, until tender
7 ounces thin green beans, topped and blanched in salted water
8 ounces cranberry beans, shelled (about 3/4 cup shelled) and blanched in salted water until just tender or dried cranberry beans (see note in Step 4)

Brian Klutch/Fitness MagazineBy Mindy Walker

Sure, she looks sweet, but that cookie monster is up to no good. Here's how to cope when friends and loved ones sabotage your weight-loss success.

Related: Are Your Friends Making You Fat?

Your Partner
See that sweet guy cuddling on the couch with you? Sure, he loves you, but he's feeling lukewarm about the newly energized eat-right part of you. Jennifer Jacks, 29, of Shreveport, Louisiana, who went from a post-pregnancy weight of 230 pounds to 160, can relate. "My husband says, 'Come on, today can be your cheat day.' That wouldn't be an issue if it weren't every day," she says.

Blame insecurity and even jealousy for driving your guy to shoot down your healthy cooking. "Your lifestyle changes can feel threatening to your spouse," psychologist Judith Beck, PhD, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia, and author of The Beck Diet Solution says. "He may feel that if you lose weight, you'll start getting more attention from other

By Megan Cahn, REDBOOK

Shrimp.Shrimp

One upside to the summer heat? We're less likely to crave those heavy foods that weigh us down and pack on the pounds. Even when opting for lighter fare; though, it's still important to get the right amount of protein. Enter shrimp, which is jam-packed with it but also low in fat. According to nutrition expert Keri Glassman of Nutritious Life, it's also high in B12, a vitamin found exclusively in animal products. Try a mix of shrimp, avocado, and cherry tomatoes for a healthy and filling summer dish.

When the temperature rises, it's only natural to crave a frozen treat. Unfortunately, our metabolisms aren't quite on par with those of our energetic kids, and succumbing to that chocolate-covered Drumstick is more trouble than it's worth. Registered dietitian Dawn Jackson suggests keeping grapes or dark sweet cherries in the freezer for a refreshing frozen treat. The iciness gives the fruit a sorbet-like consistency, and

JalapeñosBy Alana Brager, Life2PointOh.com

Summer is almost here and already the sunshine has gotten our minds into bikini body mode. We all want look our best and have the best abs on the beach, but making changes to your diet is where the work lies. Here are the top foods to help get your body beach-ready!

1. Jalapeños
Not only amazing for adding flavor and spice to any dish, jalapeños can fight fat without adding any calories. They contain a natural chemical called capsaicin, which is responsible for the pepper's spicy flavor, and it can help kick-start your metabolism. Who knew eating could be a workout? Start chopping and add them to practically anything, whether it's an omelet, chili, or a stir-fry!

2. Green Tea
Green Tea contains powerful antioxidants called catechins, which help rid your body of any harmful radicals. It also helps lower your cholesterol while the caffeine content can help speed up your metabolism and burn fat, both which are summer do's.

3. Swiss