Dieting presents its own special set of challenges to people who have diabetes. And while there's no magic weight loss regimen that will effortlessly melt away the pounds while keeping your blood sugar in the ideal range, clearing up misconceptions may help you shed unwanted pounds for keeps.

Here, we've collected the advice of some of the top experts in the field: Mary Gocke, RD, CDN, Carole Marks, MD, at Long Island College Hospital in Queens, New York, Jennifer Regester, RD, CDN, CDE, at the Gerald J. Friedman Diabetes Institute in New York City, and Caroline Bohl, MS, RD, CDE, at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City contribute.

Myth 1: Fruit's healthy so you can eat as much as you want and still lose weight.

Fact: Fruit is chockful of fiber, vitamins and minerals. But it also has sugar and calories,  so it needs to be portion-controlled in order for you to lose weight and keep your blood sugar in the normal range.

Myth 2: You can "save" calories and treat yourself to a big dinner by eating light the rest of the day.

Fact: Eating a large meal floods the body with glucose and can cause blood sugar fluctuations, Bohl explains. Instead, spread out your meals evenly over the day and avoid consuming large quantities of food at one time. This gives your body time to level out your blood glucose before the next meal, and you'll avoid the ravenous feeling that you get when you skip meals that causes you to overeat.

Myth 3: You can't ever eat dessert again if you want to lose weight.

Fact: There's no food that is off limits when you're trying to lose weight. It's all about portion control. You can have your cake and eat it, too, but in reasonably sized servings.

Myth 4: You can't lose weight because you don't have any will power.

Fact: Don't drive yourself crazy trying to develop will power, says Regester. Resisting eating the foods you like can backfire, causing you to finally give in and over-indulge. You may end up having an unhealthy relationship with food. Instead, you need to change your lifestyle so that you'll eat healthily over the long haul, not just until you reach your goal weight.

Myth 5: Eating the same thing every day for breakfast or lunch makes it easy to stay on a diet.

Fact: Not only is it boring to eat the same thing morning and noon, it's not even good for you. Eating a variety of foods ensures that you get all the nutrients that your body needs, and also keeps your taste buds interested. If you routinely consume the same meal, your system gets bored - and you'll end up overeating out of pure boredom.

Myth 6: To really lose weight and keep it off, you need to join a gym and work out a lot.

Fact: Any amount of exercise--even a 10-minute walk twice a day--can be effective at burning calories, Regester says. Get your doctor's okay before embarking on an exercise program if you haven't worked out in awhile, start slow and work up gradually. And check your blood sugar both before and after exercise.

Myth 7: To lose weight and keep it off, you need to give up carbs.

Fact: You don't need to give up carbs, but you do need to watch your intake. Remember this formula when you fill your plate: half vegetables, one quarter carbs, and one quarter protein, Regester suggests.

Myth 8: Writing down everything you eat is a waste of time.

Fact: Keeping a food journal can be a very effective weight loss tool. It works because you can look back on a day's worth of eating and assess how well you've stuck to your meal plan and what poor decisions you might have made. A look back at a day or a week's worth of food intake may also help you learn to make some positive changes so you won't make the same mistakes going forward.