According to that New Year's resolution you made about six months ago, you should be fit and trim by now, right? If you've had trouble reaching your goal, you might have slipped into behavior patterns that have blocked your path to success.

  In order to reach your destination, whether it's weight loss, weight maintenance or just better nutrition, you should be aware of the biggest mistakes of dieting and why people can fail. The road to successful dieting can be filled with pitfalls, ruts and misleading paths, but with a little strategy you can successfully reach your goals. 

Here is a top 10 list of diet disaster makers:

• Not planning ahead in your grocery shopping, meals and special "food" occasions. If you don't take the time to plan your day-to-day strategies, you are more susceptible to buying and eating the foods you intend to stay away from.
• Getting little or no exercise. The smart way to lose weight and stay fit is to exercise and eat right. If you don't exercise enough, your weight loss will be slower, and you are more likely to gain back any weight you lose. Also, exercise helps maintain muscle weight, which you DO want.
• Making your expectations too high. If you think you can return to your weight at age 15, or develop a body like a supermodel, think again. If you are not realistic in your expectations, you will disappoint yourself and give up. Just plan to be the best you can be, within normal and realistic boundaries. And remember that losing weight is hard work; it takes longer than a couple of weeks to change this part of your life.
• Falling for fad diets or ones that are unsafe or nutritionally unsound. Successful and safe weight loss is a slow, gradual process that should help your health, not put it in jeopardy. In your search for a smaller size, remember that results take a while to manifest themselves. Slow, safe weight loss is better all around.
• Not keeping a log or diary of your diet progress. If you can't keep up with what you are doing, you are more likely to let things slide, like that piece of cake and the soft drinks. Recording your dietary intake helps you to see patterns in your eating. It also helps to write down your feelings about how your diet is progressing. Another smart move: keep a log of your time spent exercising every day, since it is easy to over estimate the amount of time you actually spend. Keeping it recorded keeps you honest to your goals.
• Falling prey to misinformation. There are all sorts of rumors and misconceptions about dieting floating around, and unless you know and follow the basic facts about health and nutrition, you can fall in the traps. Beware of special vitamin and mineral "diet boosters," and "lite" claims on food packages.
• Not using your common sense. Remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Strange diets (such as the hot dog diet or the banana diet), those that are too restrictive, and packages and plans that promise unsupervised rapid weight loss go against common sense. Stick to your basic knowledge.
• Not rewarding yourself for your successes. Any small success is worthy of a pat on the back and perhaps a little reward. Don't hold off on self-congratulations until you reach your total weight goal. Reward yourself for each major step toward your goal.
• Not getting help and support. Whether it is a coworker, spouse, friend or family member, having the right person help you along is crucial. Make sure it is someone who cares, is interested and will not sabotage you on the way with tempting foods or mixed messages.
• Not making yourself a priority. Finally, your weight, diet and health are very important, and must be a priority. If you want to succeed, you may have to give up some things, rearrange some of your habits and schedules, and ask for support from others. Even if you are used to shaping your life around others, you will have to make a few concessions to take care of yourself. For example, you will have to take a little time for exercise and to prepare the right foods for yourself.