Are you overweight, balding and living a miserable life because you can't make perfect smoothies at home? Does you life feel incomplete because you don't have a pilates chair? Or maybe it's the boflex that makes your heart go pitty-pat? And can you really live your life another day without that miracle wrinkle cream or magical mineral makeup?

We've all done it. We probably didn't mean to, but somehow it happened anyway. But don't worry. I share your dark secret. I too watch infomercials. Sometimes…

It usually starts off innocently. You just want a little background noise while you wash dishes, or maybe you're looking for something boring when you're trying to go to sleep at night. But infomercials have the amazing ability to suck you right in.

I have a degree in public relations and a minor in marketing. I spent years studying what it takes to draw in consumers and effectively communicating your advertising message. I should know better than be shockingly amazed at testimonials and awe filled demonstrations. But I'm just a big sucker like the rest of us.

My theory is that if you watch an infomercial enough, by the end of the thing you'll really have a desire to buy the product.

Here's a perfect example. I was cleaning Saturday when I ended up on the home shopping network or a similar channel. When you have basic cable about half your channels are shopping channels. They were selling some sort of "Malt Shop Memories" collection of hit songs from the 50's and 60's. There was even an old guy I'd never heard of on there singing his songs from back in the day.

When they first started their pitch I thought good -- here's one I won't be tempted to buy. Boy, was I wrong. About 15 minutes into the thing I started hearing songs and thinking, wow… I love that song. Oh, and that's a great song too. Then I found myself drifting to the television to see what the deal was. For only $99.99 you could get the four CD set with over 120 hit songs. And they break it up into three easy payments!

Where you know they've really got you is when you start picturing yourself using the product, making it part of your everyday life. And then that thought brings you happiness. You picture yourself driving down the road listening to those wonderful CDs.

Then the put on these callers who own the CDs and talk about how they've been such a great addition to their own quality of life. "I just can't imagine living without these," they say.

Before you know it, you end up mentally figuring the $99.99 -- No! The easy payment of only $33 -- into your spending money budget. For some of us -- and luckily for me and the healthiness of my marriage -- I had a brief moment of sanity when I decided to change the channel.

My most pathetic example of being sucked into to an infomercial was when I watched one about electric wheelchairs. I think I watched it about 15 minutes, and got all misty eyed by the testimonials, before something in the back of my mind clicked. Why was I watching something about wheelchairs when I'm perfectly mobile, by God's grace of course?

My favorite infomercials are the ones that promise miracle results. If there was really a pill where you could eat anything you want and still lose weight, don't you think doctors across the nation would be prescribing them by the fistful? And if that product really and truly cured baldness, why isn't it in the hands of every bald man in America? And I hardly doubt plastic surgery would be a multi-billion dollar industry if that miracle cream really worked like they say.

Of course, there are a lot of good products out there, like the ones advertised in our paper here. And most of them can be yours for three easy payments!