By Tracy Olgeaty Gensler, R.D., Best Life nutritionist

Three roadblocks commonly interfere with the best laid weight-loss plans: Food, family and friends. The first one is a cinch to overcome—with the Best Life recipes and meal plans, you'll learn how to choose nutritious, low-calorie and delicious food.

That leaves just two obstacles—family and friends. If you're lucky, they will rally around you to encourage you as you try to slim down. But realistically, this isn't always the case. Maybe your pal won't take no for an answer about joining her for drinks during happy hour. Or perhaps it's a spouse or your kids who tempt you with junk food. Armed with these simple tricks, you can take responsibility for your new health habits and stick to them in the face of opposition:

Deflect comments swiftly. When you find yourself challenged by insensitive comments from an aunt or mother-in-law, change the subject; talk about sports, the weather or anything that gets the focus off of you.

Skip double duty. Your husband and/or kids refuse to eat your healthier, low-calorie food, which means you often have to make two separate meals. Try to avoid the extra work by choosing family-friendly recipes, like many of the dishes in the Best Life recipe database.

Let them have their cake. It might be impossible to rid your kitchen of all treats, but you can at least limit it to one or two. And make sure to stash them in an out-of-the-way cabinet so they don't tempt you.

Bring your own food. For your next get-together, offer to bring along a healthy dish so you know there's at least one nutritious food. And allow yourself to splurge on one treat, like a glass of wine or slice of pie.