Our 11 Favorite Weight-Loss Books To Help You Get Your Skinny On For Summer

The New Low-Carb Diet Cookbook by Laura Lamont

Low-carb diets work, but sometimes they can be unhealthy and hard to stick with—especially when that bread basket comes around. Laura Lamont, a nutritional therapist who introduced us to the revolutionary "Zero Noodles," brings us a healthy new take on low-carb dieting. She explains how eating a nutritionally sound combination of controlled amounts of complex carbohydrates, protein and "good" fats (in foods such as avocados, salmon and flaxseed) at the right times of day can bring about healthy, long-lasting weight loss. Now there's no need to deprive yourself of any food group—and you don't even have to give up bread!

Laura works with clients at her weight-loss clinic, and discovered that including protein and healthy fats in every meal helps to boost metabolism, stabilize blood sugar levels and curb cravings, leading to effective weight loss that could see you shedding at least 2 pounds a week. The book includes information on the nutritional science behind the diet, as well as practical charts to help you identify which foods you should be eating, and meal plans. There are more than 75 mouth-watering recipes (with nutritional information) for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts.

The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast by JJ Virgin

The follow-up book to the New York Times bestseller The Virgin Diet brings the groundbreaking health and weight loss program right into your kitchen with 150 delicious recipes. The Virgin Diet Cookbook shows you how to incorporate anti-inflammatory, healing foods into your diet to reclaim your health and reset your metabolism, while avoiding the seven foods that are most likely to cause food intolerance (gluten, dairy, peanuts, eggs, corn, soy, sugar and artificial sweeteners). With suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks, you'll lose weight fast while enjoying what you eat. This book will also guide you to stock your kitchen, provide delicious substitutes for common ingredients, and offer easy swaps for eating out and on-the-go. Virgin is great with simplifying the science behind the food, as well as making it seem fun and easy.

Love Me Slender: How Smart Couples Team Up to Lose Weight, Exercise More, and Stay Healthy Together by Thomas N. Bradbury and Benjamin R. Karney

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes...a larger pant size? Many couples seem to find themselves gaining weight as they settle into a relationship, but some couples buck this trend. Through exercise (together or separately), they support each other's healthy eating habits, and their relationships are stronger as a result. For more than twenty years, Dr. Thomas Bradbury and Dr. Benjamin Karney, co-directors of the Relationship Institute at UCLA (yes, it's a real thing), have been studying how couples communicate around these issues and witnessing firsthand how partners can help (and hinder) one another's progress toward better health. In Love Me Slender, they identify the specific principles that successful couples use in their quest to improve their health.

The book covers why reassurance and praise can actually backfire when you're trying to change your partner's habits and how to nudge your partner toward a healthier lifestyle in subtle, effective ways—without them even noticing it. The book features useful self-assessments, case studies from real couples, and provides a different angle to look at health, fitness and relationships.

The Healthy Slow Cooker: 135 Gluten-Free Recipes for Health and Wellness by Judith Finlayson

Slow cookers have been around forever, but the definition of "healthy" seems to keep changing. Many experts report that some modern diseases are directly associated with the consumption of wheat and advocate for a reduction in carbohydrates for beneficial health results. Another significant development is the evidence against saturated fat, which is gradually diminishing.

Judith Finlayson takes all this conflicting information and balances it with a common-sense approach that can be customized according to individual needs and turned into delicious, nutrient-dense, balanced meals. From hearty soups to elegant desserts, preparing nutritious and delicious meals with such a wide range of recipes helps strike the perfect balance between achieving healthy eating habits and assuring great tastes. More recipes feature fresh herbs and spices as well as advocate the benefits of eating sustainably caught fish and pasture-raised meat. Nutritional analysis is provided with each recipe.

Year of No Sugar: A Memoir by Eve Schaub

Need inspiration to kick sugar once and for all? Check out this memoir, inspired by recent research about sugar's effect on our health, as one American family set out to see what "kicking sugar addiction" really looks like—for one whole year.

In 2011, Scott and Eve Schaub and their kids—Greta (11) and Ilsa (6)—ate no added sugar. That means no table sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, high fructose corn syrup, crystalline fructose, maple syrup, honey, molasses, evaporated cane juice, fruit juice or artificial sweeteners. Along the way, Eve became a sugar sleuth, science geek and stand-in for the rest of us who aren't quite ready to shun the sugar just yet. Year of No Sugar is her eye-opening, honest and often hilarious account of learning to live without sugar and, along the way, discovering what it's doing to our bodies.

Skinny-Size It: 101 Recipes That Will Fill You Up and Slim You Down by Molly Morgan

Dietician and nutritionist Molly Morgan shares 101 recipes that give your high-calorie faves—think pancakes, muffins and lasagna—a skinny makeover. The only things you'll be missing are those extra pounds. Traditional breakfast burritos have 600 calories and 35 grams of fat while Skinny-Sized burritos have 300 calories and only 9 grams of fat. (The skinny version is a mix of sautéed vegetables, whole eggs, egg whites, corn tortilla and light toppings like nonfat Greek yogurt, salsa and shredded light jalapeño cheese). Blueberry muffins are packed with 380 calories and 19 grams of fat, but Skinny-Sized whole-wheat blueberry muffins have 130 calories and 2 grams of fat. (Also can try carrot cake and apple flavors!) Lasagna has a whopping 870 calories and 47 grams of fat, while Skinny-Sized lasagna has only 260 calories and 7 grams of fat. Morgan proves you can have your cake and eat it too...without packing on the pounds! A perfect book to "diet" and not feel deprived of your favorite foods!

Some of our favorite options include: Avocado Rueben's, Flank Steak sandwiches, Mixed-Up Cobb Salad, French Onion Soup, Cheesy Chicken and Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa.

Snack Girl to the Rescue!: A Real-Life Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Healthy with 100 Recipes Under 400 Calories by Lisa Cain

From popular blogger Lisa Cain, aka "Snack Girl," Snack GIrl to the Rescue! is a common-sense guide to healthier eating and weight loss, including 100 Weight Watchers-friendly recipes. Since 2009, Lisa Cain has been blogging at Snack-Girl.com about how to make healthy changes in your diet and lifestyle. Her mission is to share the secrets and recipes that have helped her stay fit and healthy, without sacrificing fun or flavor. The book contains Lisa's best advice on avoiding common weight-loss pitfalls, shopping healthier on a budget, and getting in shape, along with 100 recipes for fun, quick and affordable meals and snacks. Written in Snack Girl's signature voice—down to earth, encouraging and funny—this is the go-to resource for anyone looking to incorporate healthier food choices into their lives, whether they are looking to lose weight, have more energy, or just feel more confident about their family's nutrition.

OMG. That's Paleo? by Juli Bauer

Juli Bauer is the blogger behind PaleOMG.com. Her debut book features 100 recipes, each with a gorgeous photo. In true Bauer-style, the recipes are paired with funny side stories and pictures, as well as other cooking tips and advice on following a Paleo diet. Recipes are broken into sections, including poultry, beef, pork, fish/seafood, slow cooker, baked goods, sweet and savory breakfasts, snacks, and desserts.

The Recipe for Radiance: Discover Beauty's Best-Kept Secrets in Your Kitchen by Alexis Wolfer 

Want to know the secret to growing gorgeous hair or how your favorite celebrities have such flawless skin? By introducing the power of food into your beauty routine in a whole new way, you'll uncover the recipes that promote beauty from within, as well as topical DIY beauty recipes (for facial masks, body scrubs, and more that are good enough to eat—literally!). Dubbed the "Female Beauty MacGyver" by Access Hollywood, Alexis Wolfer shares with you 131 easy, all-natural, affordable, and effective recipes that feed your beauty.

Combining the best recipes from her personal archives with DIY beauty secrets and food recipes shared with her by chefs, beauty editors and celebrities (including Kristen Chenoweth, Brooklyn Decker, Vanessa Williams, Molly Sims, Byrdie Bell, Donna Karan and more), The Recipe For Radiance will take you into your kitchen to discover the food-based beauty secrets even the most well-pampered women rely on to look their best.

Each chapter in The Recipe for Radiance addresses a different beauty concern—acne, fine lines and wrinkles, brittle nails, lackluster hair, sun spots, cellulite, chapped lips, under-eye circles, and more—giving you the inside scoop on the causes and symptoms of the most common beauty concerns along with their food-based solutions. Some of our favorite recipes include a strawberry and champagne serum to fight wrinkles, an avocado and oatmeal revival mask to heal dry skin, sweet potato chips and cumin dip to even skin tone, creamy kale and walnut salad to reduce under-eye circles and a sweet watermelon serum to soothe sunburn. Be prepared to cook yourself beautiful, all while keeping your beauty routine chemical-free.

Good Food for Life: Eat Well – Love Food – Feel Nourished by Jane Clark

Eating a good, balanced diet is the single biggest contribution you can make to your own health and those around you. Food is a truly empowering force and yet, sadly, many people are both ignorant of its benefits and scared of its potential impact. This approachable and informative volume from Jane Clarke takes us through the stages of our lives—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, retirement and old age. Each section explains what is going on in the body, shares challenges and joys, informs us which foods are best, what to focus on in our diets and the beneficial effects we can expect. Bursting with vital information, sound advice and helpful tips, Good Food for Life is all you need to ensure you eat well, stay healthy and, most importantly—enjoy your food.

Jane Clarke is a trusted nutritionist and trained chef, whose belief is grounded in the simple statement, "food nourishes your life, not just your body." She is a best-selling author and regular media contributor, providing inspirational recipes and nutritional information. Running a private practice in London for over 15 years, she has advised David Beckham during the 2006 World Cup, whilst also working with him and his team at his Football Training Academy.

Year-Round Slow Cooker by Dina Cheney

Slow cookers are becoming more popular again for good reason: they're the ultimate kitchen problem solvers and great for people who aren't so savvy in the kitchen (like me).  Slow cookers also do the hard work, cooking for hours while you're out of the house only to come home to a meal just about ready to eat. And since slow cookers keep food warm, they allow different family members to eat at different times: a practical option in a world of staggered schedules.

Yet, slow cookers have an image problem. Most home cooks use them for cold weather meals only, while others think slow cookers can only produce food that's mushy, bland, and watery or rely solely on shortcut ingredients like spice packets, bouillon cubes and bottled sauces. But no longer does this must-have kitchen tool deserve to be stored away when spring months hit. In Year-Round Slow Cooker, home cooks will find 100 delicious, modern and practical slow cooker recipes featuring seasonal produce. Recipes speak to the home cook whose palate is more sophisticated and who wants to merge seasonal offerings into all of her meals. Organized by season, Year-Round Slow Cooker features notes about ingredients as well as invaluable tips throughout to help cooks maximize the power of the slow cooker.