When you’re counting calories, it’s easier to dismiss a glass of orange juice than a donut. If you drink lots of orange juice, soda, lattes, and milk, it feels like you’re not really eating. But the calories don’t know whether you’re chewing them or not!

The short of it: Water is the only truly calorie-free drink that exists, and it’s good for you, so drink up! Black tea and black coffee are also very low in calories, but as soon as you start adding sugar, milk, creamers and cappuccino foam to them, they quickly become cupfuls of calories. For example, one Venti Starbucks Vanilla Crème Frappuccino has around 700 calories! A skim milk Iced Café Latte still has 110. Orange juice, milk, and soda also have significant amounts of calories.

If you're trying to lose weight, don’t forget to count what you slurp, as well as what you munch.

Avoiding a potato (100 calories, 0g fat), but eating a 6 oz steak for dinner (565 calories, 44g fat), or refusing a hamburger bun (120 calories, 2g fat) but taking an extra meat patty to make up for it (250 calories, 15g fat) is not the way to control weight.

The short of it: The calorie counts say it all – a 500-calorie steak will make you gain more weight than a 100-calorie potato. Simple. It’s the calories that make the difference to your waistline, not the carbs.

Cutting out carbohydrates can also mean missing out on vital nutrients from healthy carbohydrate foods which should be part of any well-balanced diet, especially those from fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

If you’re considering a low-carb diet for weight loss, remember to count your calories and make sure you get enough nutrients for health needs - including carbohydrates. 40-60 percent of your dailiy calorie intake should come from carbohydrates.

If you've ever visited a gym and seen the displays of protein powders and bars, it's easy to see how you could fall for this myth. Many people overeat protein-rich foods in the hope of bulking up their muscles.

The short of it: While protein is essential for keeping your body healthy and does play an important role in building and maintaining muscle, excess amounts of protein will be stored as fat - just like too much of any other nutrient.

The best way to build muscle is to do regular strength training, and have a healthy calorie intake. Your body needs a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

CalorieKing.com recommends a protein intake of 15 - 20 percent of your daily calorie intake.