Maybe you've been cheated on before, or maybe you want to guarantee you'll never be cheated on again. Whichever, you want to know how to spot a cheating man before you date him so you avoid the entire situation. Here are seven different characteristics of men that cheat. Watch out for them and you might save yourself some serious heartache.

1. He always has an excuse for everything, and he delivers these lines as if he is practiced them in the mirror. Even more, the way he says them makes you reconsider every bad thought you have ever had about him. He will look you straight in the eye and tell you he was not with her, was not doing anything wrong, and you will want to believe him.

2. All of your dates and other activities are planned around his schedule. He decides when you do anything. If you suggest something or casually drop by his place (if he even tells you where his place is), you are likely to get some flimsy excuse. If it seems like he is scheduling you around his other women, he probably is.

3. He tells you everything you want to hear. OK, some guys who do not cheat will do this, too, especially the needy ones who do not want to lose you. However, a cheating guy is going to do everything he can to make you think he is completely devoted to you when the very opposite is true.

4. He never turns off his cell phone, and he is always getting calls. They are always supposedly very important, and he has to take them. While on the phone, he refers to you as a friend or says that he is not really doing anything instead of saying he is on a date with you.

5. Even worse, whenever he gets a call, he leaves the room or, if you are out somewhere, gets up and takes the call either outside or in the restroom. Privacy is one thing, and there are legitimate cases where the call is really that important (urgent business calls, for example), but if he is just chatting with his mother, he should be able to do that in front of you.

6. He does not introduce you to his friends. This might be because he already has a girlfriend they know about, or it might be because he knows they will not be able to keep his secrets. Either way, he will always have some reason why you cannot meet them.

7. There are specific places he never wants to go. Maybe it is because one of his other women works there, or one of her friends does. Whatever the reason, if he is specifically avoiding a place for no good reason, you might be a little suspicious.