Dr. Nancy Snyderman is the author of the New York Times bestselling Medical Myths That Can Kill You. She is also the chief medical editor for NBC news, appearing regularly on "The Today Show," "Weekend Today" and "Nightly News with Brian Williams." She recently spoke with wOw’s Cynthia McFadden about health, her own personal experiences with diet and her new book, Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat and the 101 TRUTHS that will  Save Your Waistline and Maybe Even Your Life. Click here to read the interview.

Chances are, if you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve probably been a victim of one of the following diet myths:

• Myth #1: Calories don’t count.
• Myth #2: It’s your fault you’re fat. (No, it’s not. There are other recently discovered factors that cause people to be overweight and obese other than personal responsibility, including hunger hormones, environmental factors, and genes.)
• Myth #3: Carbs are bad.
• Myth #4: Carbs are good.
• Myth #5: You can get most of your nutrients from supplements.
• Myth #6: Diet drugs are the magic bullet. (Nancy discusses the pros and cons of the current crop of diet pills, how and if they should be used, and by whom in her new book.)
• Myth #7: Exercise is all you need. (Nancy talks about the importance of exercise and how it works hand-in-hand with nutrition, not alone.)
• Myth #8: Diets don’t work. (Nancy says diets do work, it’s just learning to do it right.)

Here are some of the surprising truths:

• Truth #1: A bulging belly now could mean dementia later.
• Truth #2: Bananas are a great diet food.
• Truth #3: Fast foods aren’t off-limits.
• Truth #4: You don’t really gain much weight over the holidays.
• Truth #5: There is a way to spot reduce.
• Truth #6: Yo-yo dieting does not wreck your metabolism.
• Truth #7: You don’t automatically pack on pounds when you get older.
• Truth #8: Chocolate is your friend while dieting.