You don't have to be an astrologer to find the moon's phase: Your newspaper will give you this in the weather section. New moons are the best time to start a diet, and the time that you might be tempted to nervous eating or overindulgence might be around the time of the full moon. Use the moon rhythms for your individual sign to help you stay in control of your diet during the summer.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) As your willpower tends to come in spurts, the big job is to encourage your body to follow through on your diet. Setting short-term goals will help you stick to your plans, and if you and a friend are dieting together it will be even easier. The exercise part of your diet will be the easiest, since you love to move around and are probably quite active already. Be sure your plan includes enough iron, vitamin A and fresh, raw vegetables. You have a tendency to eat too fast and snack your way through the day. If a snacking program suits you, plan a number of easy, healthy, low-cal ones, including one at mid-afternoon, which is your low-energy time, when you have a tendency to lose willpower and grab a couple of candy bars. Use the kitchen table to sit and make a list of new weight-loss goals - and be realistic about the kind of activities that your diet has to include.

If there are parties, plan to supervise the volleyball game or be in charge of the barbecue, so you won't be sitting at the table during gatherings.

Impulse eating or sugar cravings are possible, so keep plenty of mineral-rich foods in the snacks (celery, carrots or a vitamin-enriched snack bar), and include plenty of protein in your sit-down meals.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Habit, a wise man once said, is either your best friend or your worst enemy. The wise man must have been Taurus. Changing your ways may be tough for you, but once you get going on a diet that is right for you, there's no stopping you. Your acquisitive side tends to acquire weight right along with other possessions, and unless you are one of the physical-type Taureans, exercise may be the hard part for you. Analyze your eating patterns and habits for several weeks before you try to make any changes. Figure out what you want and what kind of new patterns would give you what you want. Move a step at a time, slowly but surely.

The full moons will be your temptation times. Your diet might also be endangered by eating due to sexual frustration. Save up some calories for a little cheating or splurging around this time, rather than fighting your natural urges.

Review your program. Make any revisions to your diet then. You need plenty of iodine in the diet and will probably have to revise the ratio of vegetables and salads to fatty foods and meat. Your biggest temptation: anything salty.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Boredom is your nemesis. And most diet and exercise routines are boring! Plan for this: Make experimentation part of the diet plan. While you are giving one a 6-week tryout, be reading up on another plan or two that you can try when you need to renew your interest. Become the expert in your crowd, and have fun informing everyone of the latest theory. Needless to say, all plans you try should be well balanced nutritionally. Exercise with friends, and incorporate games into the action.

Your will is weakest when the moon is in the sign opposite your own. Impulse eating is the thing to watch for - avoid sudden decisions, unless you feel you can afford a splurge. Stop and think - your natural tendency to indecision can work for you, since once you start thinking something over, you may forget to eat. Nervous eating can be your downfall, and this will be a little test.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) We're not pretending summer will be no challenge - it will. But your slim self is one of the most attractive in the zodiac, and more than worth working toward. The key word is GIVE. The key image is LETTING GO. Let go of worries, moods and those extra pounds. Like all water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) some of your weight problem is due to water retention, which rises and falls with the phases of your moon ruler. Diuretic aids include peppermint and caraway seed tea, asparagus, celery and the following moon-ruled foods: cabbage, lettuce, endive, cucumbers and watercress.

Exercise is not your favorite thing. Have a walking program in place. Walk your way through the moody ups-and-downs you used to eat your way through.

If you reach your weight goal, treat yourself to something new to wear.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) As a habit-oriented fixed sign with impulsive fire-sign urges, you are under a double-whammy of temptation when it comes to weight problems. Fortunately, you also have the power to remake yourself into any image you choose - this is the actor's gift!

Use your excellent powers of observation on yourself during summer time. Keep a diet journal in which you record urges and cravings with an eye to creative substitution. Dinner is probably your weak hour (some Leos go all day without eating, then gain two pounds at dinner). Plan after-dinner activities that limit your time at the table.

Joining a weight loss group is an innovative idea. If you are single, having someone you want to impress with the way you look will be the most effective diet weapon of all.

Set maintenance goals. Romance is the best way out of full-moon temptations.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Now this is going to be fun, Virgo, so relax, OK? Some Virgos worry the weight off, and that takes a toll on health. You may want to begin with a cleansing regimen of fruits and salads. Most of you are way ahead of other signs when it comes to the nutritional part of your diet, since you don't care much for rich, fattening foods, and you love the greens and low-calorie vegetables that are good for you.

You'll approach your exercise program by learning the principles of muscle development before designing your own routine.

Tension may affect your diet. Put yourself under the guidance of a diet and exercise mentor, if possible, or use an authoritative book to begin your program on the new moon.

Take refuge in groups. Join a gym or cycling club with friends. Treat yourself to a piece of home gym equipment or a new workout outfit. Assess your progress, and allow yourself a bit of a splurge if tension rises. Celebrate the new you with a whole new wardrobe and set of goals!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Place a pencil and paper nearby while you stand in front of the mirror - watch yourself undress, turn, twist and take a good look, making written notes on changes you'd like to make. This will help you all the way through your diet. When the beauty of the food in front of you blots out promises you made yourself, it won't blot out the mental picture that you have of your not-the-way-you-want-it body. Organize your diet and fitness plan toward sculpting an ideal form of you.

You're good at dieting but hate exercise, so team up with a friend who loves aerobics class but needs food cravings curbed. Resolve to strengthen each other's weak spots.

Wear a swimsuit if and when possible to give you an advantage of body awareness - this will make you less likely to get lightheaded and hungry during nervous moments. Build a little splurging into to your game plan, then stick to the schedule.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Fixed signs have the advantage of determination and follow-through - that's you. It may take a warning from a doctor to get you started on a fitness program, but once you really decide to do it, you are unstoppable. A quick survey of health-club handball champions might reveal a high proportion of Scorpion. Competitive sports suit you fine.

Overeating is often connected to sexual frustration for Scorpio, but once you figure this out, mastery of these impulses is easier for you than for others. Scorpio knows how to channel sexual energy into other creative activity.

Begin a total regenerative makeover - think health rather than mere weight loss. Powerful cravings are at work - if your diet is thoroughly balanced, body chemistry is working in your favor. Save up for a bit of a splurge here, as repressed desire can sometimes be harmful.

Take stock of progress - go over charts you've kept, and lay out the plan for the whole month ahead based on summer schedule of activities. What will you eat on vacation? Be realistic - life can be both balanced and enjoyable.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Trouble with you is that you are so strong weight doesn't slow you down the way it does some. But at your proper size, you are going to realize how much more life can be. "If I'd known how much better I'd feel I'd have done this earlier," you'll say.

If it's been awhile since you've exercised, walking or climbing is a great start. A natural athlete, it shouldn't take long to find the right form of workout.

Bingeing may be your weakness, so plan your diet very carefully, and make sure you allow for very balanced intake. You'll want to learn which foods have what benefit, so that you can continue to eat properly when traveling or in restaurants. Figure out ways to get plenty of vitamin C and calcium. Cleansing fruits and vegetables (figs and asparagus are Jupiter-ruled) purify blood and give your liver a chance. Start your diet with professional advice.

The urge to binge may be permanently controlled by insights into your psychological makeup. Design this plan now. Allow yourself a non-edible treat at full moon time - a new electronic toy or something.

Use a summer's worth of knowledge to design permanent new patterns. Spend the full moon playing games with other diet-conscious friends.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan 19) Give yourself plenty of time, and avoid going on an extreme program - step-by-step does the trick. Your overachieving tendencies will cause you to pull muscles by over-exercising at the outset, if you aren't careful, and then you'll be discouraged by the setback.

Set goals under the guidance of a professional for a health-oriented weight-loss and fitness program. The first serious temptation is a full moon, when deep-seated emotions are tapped and insecurity may create cravings. Observe yourself as these urges pass through - if you slip up, learn from it, and the problem can be eliminated. Taking charge of serving chores and cleanup may be a big help in controlling yourself: Think of others rather than yourself as much as possible.

Just sit down with someone you love or respect and talk over your diet and health progress and goals for the summer. Pick someone who will listen and help you have a balanced view of yourself.

Avoid eating if someone frustrates your progress by having an alternate escapist activity (such as a movie) already planned. See doctor for a checkup - set new goals now based on the new information you get. Plan plenty of walking and other nerve-steadying activities, and add extra calcium to the diet.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Once you discover the spiritual and psychological benefits of taking care of your body, you are off and running in the diet department - you'll have all your friends trying out the new techniques you discover.

During the summer, particularly, you may take the metaphysical approach to dieting: Yoga may dominate your exercise routine (good for circulation, which is very important for you!), and herb teas and vegetarianism may be the diet plan you find most attractive. Even if you stick to more conventional diets, you'll find that light eating agrees with you and helps you feel more alive.

Let the new moon be a formal start date, since it represents the beginning of a creative cycle for you, and this fitness effort is going to be a truly creative endeavor. You imbue everything you do with your own touch of originality, and dieting is no exception.

Check with a doctor on your progress. Add a new level of exercise goals. It's a time to set new goals with an advisor or partner - if a romance interferes with your diet plan, the romance will suffer. Take a long walk or meditate.

A whole new area of self-development and exploration is revealed during the summer months. Renew, resolve, and set specific new goals.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Dance is the exercise that comes most naturally to Pisces, and it will be the best motivator to get you moving - you tend to enjoy sitting and thinking rather too much. You can learn to use music to trigger your body responses, so that exercise becomes quite painless. Lessons in a form of dance you always wanted to try will be the perfect complement to your diet, which should consist of lots of healthy foods that you love. Make a list of your favorite things to eat - really think, now, of everything you ever liked, even if you haven't had it for ages. Then put a check mark beside every one that has nutritional value and/or low-calorie content. Pisces must have a positive association with a food or it just won't go down.

Think of yourself as caretaker for your body, and approach your plan as a form of nurturing. If your basic feelings are positive and secure in the relationship, there should be no problem sticking to your diet. Plan to do the cooking, if possible, as a way of channeling the family feelings safely.

Assess your progress and set new goals. Again, concentrate on the fun you are having reshaping yourself - hanging out with young people can help you pass the time joyfully, without giving in to temptations.

Give yourself some reassessment time. If you are frustrated with the rest of your life, you will see now that a diet is not enough. But goals already accomplished make it easier to set new levels. If these are satisfactory, you'll discover that your diet has become a natural way of life for you. If not, temptation will let you know that more than diet needs to be changed.