You know that friend. The one who eats whatever she wants and never gains an ounce. Or what about that other friend, who regularly talks about her next diet but never follows through? You love them, but neither one is very supportive when it comes to your own weight loss goals. In fact, they often urge you to have “just a bite” or to splurge “just this once”.

You don’t want to dump your friends, but you want to stay true to your weight loss plan. So you have to learn how to deal with this kind of peer pressure. Here’s what you should do about those diet saboteurs.

Remember that change is hard for everyone. You’re changing your habits in order to lose weight and get healthier. But your friends are also experiencing a change: You aren’t quite the same person anymore, are you? They might have lost their drinking buddy, or they might miss your weekly ice cream dates. Keep in mind that they’re reacting out of fear of change, and reassure them that you’re still the same person – just thinner and healthier!

Find other ways to “be polite”. You might be afraid to turn down offers of food or drink, because it seems rude. Throw in a compliment for your host alongside your polite decline. Try these: “I think I’m too full for dessert, because I filled up on that delicious fruit platter you served!” or “I’ll skip the drink this time, but I’ll take a water. Wow, your stemware is gorgeous!”

If a friend is extra pushy, remind her of your values. It’s easy to argue with you, and tell you that just one cookie won’t ruin your weight loss plan. But it’s much harder to argue with a value! Remind her that you’re doing this for your health, or because following a healthy eating plan makes you feel good about yourself.

Try a little role playing. If invitations to eat or drink often catch you off guard, ask your partner or an understanding friend to role play with you. You can practice the above methods and feel more comfortable with them before you ever have to use them.