Let's face it, there is no "secret" to losing weight. It's simple -- bank less calories than you spend and the weight will come off. You don't need to take pills or buy into the latest diet craze. Common sense is all you need.

I spoke with my oncologist the other day about my own weight loss -- I have lost nearly 14 pounds since the beginning of May, thanks to a no-sweets, low-sugar, low-fat, water-only diet with an emphasis on high fruit and veggie intake. Now this is no temporary diet. This is for life. My goal was never to lose a bunch of weight and then go back to eating junk -- I just wanted to shed a few cancer treatment-induced pounds while embracing a brand new healthy lifestyle.

My doctor was proud of my progress and shared his too -- he's lost eight pounds by cutting 500 calories from his diet each day. It sounds like a lot but this can be accomplished by cutting down on portions, giving up soda, and ditching high-calorie snacks. Observing the physical changes we both had made, he announced to the medical students in the room with us at the time that weight loss is not so hard -- well, maybe mentally hard, but not physically. He talked with his students about how to advise overweight patients -- surely a large percentage of people they see -- and reminded them of this formula: take in less than you spend. They nodded in agreement. And we moved on to other topics. There really was nothing more to say. Simple, I tell you. Give it a try.

Based solely on personal observation, I believe one of the reasons most of us do not eat the recommended daily required servings of fruits and vegetables is because what we do choose to eat -- the way we prepare it and the way we serve it -- is boring. Traditionally, the standards fit into a narrow category. With an interest in expanding the menu selection, I went on a search for recipes. Something new to try.

The Raw Foods -- or Living Foods -- diet is considered by some to be a celebrity food fad, with Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Robin Williams as celebrities reported to have adopted the diet. Other followers are strict adherents to eating only raw and unprocessed organic foods that would be acceptable to vegans. But you do not have to be a vegan, or a raw-foodist who chooses to stick to a diet consisting only of raw foods, to benefit from raw food recipes.

If you are looking for new recipes -- a new way of choosing and preparing fruits and vegetables -- finding the people and places whose focus is primarily on raw foods seems a likely direction to follow. One of the online resources I found, Living and Raw Foods -- the largest community on the internet dedicated to educating the world about the power of living and raw foods -- offers a healthy selection of recipes for Appetizers and Finger Foods; Entrees and Side Dishes; Crackers Breads and Cereals; Cookies and Treats and Desserts.

The group states on the homepage they are not out to convert anyone, simply to educate. They offer creative ways to prepare dishes, side dishes and treats that pack more nutrition into your diet, like mashed potatoes that use cauliflower or Sea Veggie Pizza.