First lady Michelle Obama opened a two-day North Texas visit by sitting down to dinner with a group of eight parents to discuss the challenge of keeping their children physically fit.
The six women and two men discussed with Obama how they are changing their families' eating and leisure habits to include more exercise and less fat.
To highlight the point, the dinner at an Olive Garden restaurant in Fort Worth consisted of pasta and meat dishes, soup and salad containing reduced calories and fats.
Obama chose Olive Garden because its parent company agreed to cut the amount of sodium and calories in its meals.
Each guest was chosen based on their efforts to fight childhood obesity. Jason and Andrea Roberts started a program in Oak Cliff that gets children riding bicycles.
"You're just trying to impact your own community, but to have it reach the White House is pretty amazing," Jason Roberts said.
The dinner guests said Obama is just like any mother.
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"One of my favorite things she said was, 'I used to be normal. I used to grocery shop. I know what it's like to balance that work-life," Andrea Roberts said.
They said she also talked about her family, including the president.
"President Obama coaches one of her daughter's basketball teams, and it's priority to be there for the girls," said Jenny Hogan, of Frisco.
On Friday, the first lady will join chef contestants from past seasons of the Bravo series "Top Chef" and members of the Dallas Cowboys at a recreation center in southeast Dallas to promote healthier food choices for students in the nation's schools.
NBC 5's Omar Villafranca contributed to this report.
