Summer's here, the fun has begun, and you're probably wondeing how to send those extra 10 pounds packing. Don't have time to work out all those meal plans with just the right amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat and fiber? We're here to help you safely and effectively get into shape without lots of stress, worry or even much effort! Just keep in mind these ideas about healthy eating and follow the 14-day meal plan we developed specifically for you -- the active woman who wants to lose weight and maintain lean muscle mass, but still has to keep up with a hectic schedule!

Follow the meal plan for two weeks and then begin again. Remember, weight loss doesn't happen ovemight. A loss of 1-2 pounds per week is ideal since this will allow you to maintain lean muscle and lose bodyfat; a very-low-calorie diet would cause you to lose muscle mass along with the bodyfat. Muscle is tied to your metabolism, so a well-planned and well-executed program is much more sensible than extreme plans. Anyway, you can follow such meal-skipping, extreme-calorie-cutting, energy-depriving plans for only a short period before you get fed up!

tips to guide you through summer

Eat a variety of foods that you like. Eating many different foods ensures that you get all the nutrients (and non-nutrient compounds) you need for optimal health without getting too much of things that may not be as nutritious. Choosing a variety of foods also prevents boredom and increases the number of foods for you to choose from.

Snack. Snacking is a great way to "take five" and relieve stress. Always have nutritious snacks on hand to munch on. Choose nutrient-dense foods to fill in the gaps in your diet. If, for example, you have difficulty meeting your daily calcium requirements, choose low-fat yogurt, pudding, cheese or milk for snacking. Snacking helps you refuel and prevents you from becoming so hungry that you overeat.

Plan. Plan what, when, where and how. Schedule time to eat, just like you schedule meetings. Busy lives mean planning and compromising, and you can compromise on time without skimping on nutritional quality. Plan break fast meetings, and develop a list of lunches and snacks you can eat at your desk or while you're on the go.

Be an educated eater. Learn the basics of good nutrition, label-reading and dining out. Being an educated eater means you have the knowledge necessary to make informed choices no matter how crunched for time you become. Look at reliable websites for sound nutrition information; some of these include www.eatright.org of the American Dietetic Association, www.sensiblenutrition.com of The Sensible Nutrition Connection (author's website), and www.navigator.tufts.edu of Tufts University.

Don't skip meals. Skipping meals not only causes you to miss nutrients important for your health and performance but it can also lead to overeating. You become so hungry that "anything goes" (into your mouth) and all good intentions go out the window. Oftentimes you end up eating the first thing you can grab, which may not be very nutritious.

Be creative. Think of timesaving eating opportunities such as: planning meals that can be used as leftovers, lunches you can eat at your desk, snacks you can munch on when you're on the go, crock-pot meals that cook on their own during the day, and other dinners you can fix in 10 minutes or less. Keep in mind that dinner doesn't have to be hot to be nutritious, and breakfast can be leftovers from a previous meal.

Be flexible. Things don't always work out the way we planned. Be prepared and have an alternative or two. Don't give up or give in, and always try to make the best of bad situations.

Speedy black-been burritos

8 oz. chicken breast meat (uncooked)
15-oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 cup salsa
3 Tbsp. uncooked bulgur wheat
Leaf lettuce
1 tomato
4 flour tortillas

Slice chicken thinly and saute in a lightly oiled pan until thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Combine black beans, salsa and bulgur in a saucepan; simmer gently five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and heat 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand Five minutes. Meanwhile, shred 1 cup lettuce and dice tomato. Heat a tortilla in an ungreased skillet until warm and soft, then spread a line of the bean mixture down center of tortilla. Top with lettuce, tomato and additional salsa, if desired. Roll tortilla around filling, then repeat with remaining tortillas. Makes 4 burritos.

PER BURRITO: 236 calories, 15 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 6 g fiber.