Let's debunk some of those diet myths.

MYTH 1: If you're going to eat out, order a salad because it's the healthiest choice.

Sad to say, ordering a salad may not always help in your weight loss effort. It is not uncommon to be served a salad that comes with extras such as croutons, mayonnaise, cheese, ham, eggs, chicken and bacon. Don't forget the various salad dressings that lovingly drench the vegetables. Your so-called healthy salad could end up with more calories than Burger King's Bacon Cheeseburger. The salad "extras" are the culprits that raise a salad's calorie, fat and salt content by a substantial amount.

If you want a low calorie salad, pile up on the leafy greens, have a variety of vegetables, choose lean proteins such as grilled chicken, shrimp, eggs, salmon, tuna, black beans, and chickpeas. No fried or crispy stuff. Don't forget to tell the waiter you want the dressing on the side.

MYTH 2: Switching from non-organic to organic foods help you lose weight.

Oh yes, organic food is definitely healthier because it's free from harmful chemicals such as hormones, preservatives and pesticides. Consuming them makes you feel healthier and scientific evidence seems to say it is more nutritious. However, if you are talking about weight loss, organic foods don't contain lower calories than non-organic foods. There isn't less carbs or fat grams. So when it comes to weight loss, eating organic foods may not be your solution.

MYTH 3: Look for "low-fat," "non-fat," or "fat-free" foods to reduce your calories.

If you are concerned about gaining weight, you naturally look for "low-fat," "non-fat," or "fat-free" products when out shopping. Unfortunately, products with these labels do not mean they are "low-calorie" or "calorie free." You might be shocked to learn that they may contain even more, if not the same amount of calories as the normal products due to added sugar, flour or starch thickeners to enhance it's texture and taste. Therefore, with these type of products, you may not be getting the calories from the fat content but from the other contents. So be careful when you shop and check the food labels to determine the amount of calories per serving.

MYTH 4: Really cut down on your eating to drastically reduce your calories.

Eat less, go on a diet -- isn't that the first natural thing we do when we want to lose weight? But be careful that you do not go below 1200 calories per day. You'll end up losing muscle mass which in turn leads to lower metabolism. Also, you may develop other health hazards such as gallstones and digestive problems.

American Psychologist published a report that examined 31 studies of long-term diets which averaged 1200 calories per day. They discovered that most of the subjects put on weight again after 4-5 years. University of Minnesota's associate professor of psychology, Tracy Mann, was the lead author of the report and this is what she had to say, "Psychologically, it's difficult for people to adhere to strict diets over a long period because they feel deprived and hungry."

The right thing to do is to determine the right amount of calories you need. Make it a modest number so you don't find it too difficult and quit half way. This number will depend on you activity level and your weight. Consult a nutritionist to help you plan your diet. Don't just cut down on food but also change your eating habits. Make healthier choices by reducing refined foods and choosing whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and eggs. They have fewer calories but are very rich in nutrition.

MYTH 5: You have to quit snacking.

Actually, snacking is not forbidden when you need to lose weight. If you have an active lifestyle, snacking between meals may be a good idea. Of course, the kind of snacks you eat is important. If you're wondering about potato chips, cookies or cakes for snacks, then of course you have to quit those. Examples of good snacks are fruits, yogurt, tuna and crackers, rice cakes, vegetables, boiled peanuts, granola bars and jelly. These in between snacks help to prevent overeating during meals, maintains your energy levels and keeps your metabolism going strong. Remember, what really matters is the total calories you consumed for the day and not how you did it.

There are many theories out there on how to lose weight. Do a little homework and find out first if what you heard or read is true or not. Remember, you don't just want to lose weight temporarily. Find a way to keep your weight off permanently and stay healthy at the same time.

Eat more fish

You may have read about the benefits of taking fish oil capsules to get those good for you omega-3 fatty acids. You can find omega-3's in fish like sardines, herring, tuna, mackerel, trout, and salmon. Studies have stated that if you consume fish you can boost your calorie burn and burn more fat by as much as 400 calories a day!

Eat more dark green leafy vegetables to burn fat

Dark green leafy vegetables like arugula, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, chard, and spinach are full of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and lots of fiber. These vegetables are packed with loads of antioxidants and they are so healthy for you, but what really helps you increase your metabolism is the fiber content in these vegetables. Your body is going to burn a lot more calories because of the work it takes to digest the fiber in these foods.

Eat more tomatoes

Tomatoes are really great for you because they have lycopene. Lycopene is the antioxidant that has been found to have natural cancer fighting qualities. Tomatoes are also a good source of fiber. The key ingredient for eliminating fat, however, are the acids in tomatoes that help your body get rid of fat from your system.

Eat more fruit

Whole fresh fruits have actually been said to have "negative calories." this means that your body will burn more calories digesting the food than it stores from eating the food. To ramp up your metabolism and burn more fat you may want to try adding fresh fruits like blueberries or strawberries or bananas to your cereal or your smoothies every morning.

Eat spicy foods, chilies, and curries

Have you ever eaten a spicy meal and felt your body break out in a sweat? The capsaicin in many hot peppers and other spices literally fire up your metabolism due to the "fire" it creates inside your body. Some studies have said that there is a 50% increase in metabolism after eating a spicy meal that contains capsaicin. So you may want to keep a bottle of hot sauce on your table and add it to your dishes at meal time.

Now you have five ways you can boost your metabolism and burn more fat. Tonight, you just might want to have some spicy Cajun blackened salmon for dinner, a big salad with lots of dark green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. And for dessert a fresh fruit salad.

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Most people think a diet that can work for their body type has to be as complicated to figure out as rocket science. It truly is not that difficult, but with the many choices and types of diets out there, it's no wonder that most people fail to get the results they are looking for.

When you look at the different weight loss diets, there are many programs and combinations of programs to choose from. The three main nutrients, proteins, fats and carbohydrates can be broken down to different ratios for total daily calorie intake. For example, you can have high, medium, low and zero calorie amounts of fats, proteins or carbohydrates. The calorie ratios of each nutrient set against the others are numerous. This is where a diet “guru” can come up with his or her own program, advertise it as the best and further confuse the general public with yet another choice.

It doesn't have to be this way if we look at the real key to this diet program conundrum. There are some general guidelines to follow when you are shopping for a weight loss diet that will allow you to decide if a particular one is right for you. These guidelines can be found in virtually every diet manual.

The aim here isn't an explanation of what diet you should actually follow, but to give you a logical approach as to how to succeed with whatever program you decide to do. Apply some common sense to a nutritional plan and you will make your weight loss permanent and lifelong.

If we can understand why diets fail in the long term, then we can try to prevent it from failing over and over again. Basically, weight loss goals for most people don't succeed because of the lack of long-term commitment. Most people already know that they need to expend more calories than they are taking in. No real rocket science here. Unfortunately most are not willing to do what it takes to achieve this calories deficient ratio for longer than a few months or less.

Generally all diets work. It can be high fat, low fat, high carbohydrates and the many combinations of fad diets we see so often. In the short term, by burning more calories than you consume there will be some weight loss, but we need to find the real key that will give us permanent weight loss.

Recent studies have shown that when the popular commercial diets were compared to each other over a 6-month to one-year span of time, they generally had the same weight loss results. The conclusion of one major study sited that the adherence level rather than the diet itself was the primary predictor of whether the weight loss program would work.

The bottom line is that even though some diets are healthier than others, or suppress the appetite better, virtually all diets work the same in the short term. What is clear is adhering to the diet becomes the most important thing when looking at weight loss for the long term.

Lifestyle alteration is the basis here and any thoughts of having permanent weight loss need to be addressed as life long management in order to succeed.

Although most people are looking for the magic bullet to end their weight loss woes, there hasn’t been any real advancement in trying to lose weight without drugs or surgery. People for hundreds of years have known about cutting calories as the method for getting leaner. So the guide to permanent weight loss is to reduce your calories and do your diet program for the long term. That is the real secret. Save your money looking for the next best thing and do what has been proven to work for every one throughout the ages.