It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. We’ve all heard those words but fail to believe them. But it is true. Dieting in the traditional sense doesn’t work. Limiting your caloric intake for a period of time will help you lose weight, but once you return to your old habits the weight comes back. So it can be tricky to lose weight and still enjoy family meals, especially when your children love pizza, chicken nuggets and corndogs.

One of the most important things to remember in your lifestyle change is you have to exercise while making healthy food choices. Whether it be walking, swimming, roller blading or exercise videos—it needs to be part of who you are, not just what you do. It’s easy to say you want to achieve a goal, but saying you want to have something rarely ever helps you make changes. It’s all about what you do—not what you say.