4. Try new fruits and vegetables to find some you may like.

Again with the fruits and vegetables, you ask? Of course. Adding more f&v's to your diet can make a big difference on your waistline. F&v's aren't calorie dense and contain lots of fiber that fill you up without calories and keeps the internal plumbing in order.

The purpose of this tip is to encourage you to spend some time in the produce and frozen vegetable sections of your grocery store searching for different options that you may not have tried because the more f&v options you have available to you the more likely you are to eat them.

The staples of my f&v diet are apples (red delicious, braeburn, granny smith, etc.), bananas, pears, blueberries, raspberries, marionberries, broccoli, spinach, green beans (although, technically I think that's a legume) and brussel sprouts. But, I'm always on the lookout for something new. I'll go for carrots, melons and onions occassionally. I love the taste of grilled onion with a little oil or butter. I'm still trying to figure out the pomengranite (sp?).

Costco sells of big back of a frozen berry mix that I love. The berries are always big and juicy. I find that rinsing them in a strainer before throwing them on my cereal thaws them out enough to eat.

I also love fried plantains. Don't eat these banana-looking fruit raw. Slice them lengthwise and brown in a pan with a little dab of oil. They make a great side.

Brussell sprouts are strong flavored by themselves, but make a great complement to most any meat. A little brush of butter will soften the flavor somewhat.

Sweet potatoes are also a healthier alternative to russets and are easy to cook. I might eat a few slices of plain baked sweet potato with as a side dish.

These are just some ideas for new things to try. Trying something different isn't that tough. Once a week or once every two weeks pick up a new fruit or vegetable and try it out. Break out of the rut of getting the same old thing every time you go to the store. Over the course of several months, you will surely find a few things that you like well enough to add to your regular diet.