The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says most people who try to lose weight fall into diet traps. You know - the diets that promise quick and easy weight loss. The diet industry makes $30 billion a year by offering an easy answer in the magic words: "Modern science has FINALLY discovered an EFFORTLESS way to lose weight!" Have your credit card ready.

The U.S. FDA offers some of the most common diet traps:

• Eat all you want and still lose weight. Sound too good to be true? It is. Your extra weight is energy stored up as fat. To lose weight, more calories need to be burned off than are going in to your body. When you your body moves, it burns calories. When you eat or drink anything other than water, you take in calories. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight. Ta Daaaa! Simple physics.

• You have to starve myself to lose weight. Very low-calorie diets are dangerous and should be undertaken only with medical supervision. Gradual weight loss is healthier.

• You have to diet to lose weight. Dieting isn’t always the answer. Consistency and a plan for a healthier lifestyle produces lasting weight loss.

• A fad diet worked for my friend. We all know someone who went on a fad diet and lost weight. Fad diets rarely work for long. A sudden change in your eating habits can lead to quick weight loss but will be followed by weight gain once you return to a normal diet.

• Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks! Quick weight loss from fad diets is usually from water loss. The bathroom scale may show that you lost weight, but it is water weight, not fat weight. Most experts agree that losing 1 pound a week is an excellent goal. This equates to consuming 500 fewer calories a day.

Before you sign up for a diet, the FDA suggests that you ask questions:

• What are the health risks?

• What data can you show me that your program really works?

• Do your other customers keep their weight off after they leave the program?

• Do you have a weight-maintenance program? Does it cost extra?

• What kind of supervision do you offer? What credentials to these supervisors have?

• What's involved? Are there special foods, counseling visits, or exercise plans?

You don't have to join a diet program to lose weight and keep it off. You do need to make a plan with realistic goals. Here are the first steps:

• Talk to a professional. A doctor, a dietician, or qualified health professional can help you determine your ideal healthy body weight -- and the safest method for getting there.

• Eat smaller portions.

• Eat a wide variety of foods to be sure you're getting the nutrition you need.

• Eat lots of foods with lots of fiber. These include fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

• Eat fewer high-fat foods. These include dairy products like cheese, butter, and whole milk; red meat; cakes; and pastries.

• Exercise for at least 20 minutes at least three times every week.