Food Addiction Diet

So, I'm 56, female, and have never dieted and am now 246lbs at only 5' 5" tall.
I have arthritis in my knees, osteopenia in my hips, depression and NO energy at all.
And no, the only exercise I do is a short 15 min. walk at this point.

A 15-minute walk is way better than NO 15-minute walk. If you don't use your muscles, they'll become extremely weak and you will eventually won't be able to use them at all. Just try to push yourself a little bit each day- try 15 minutes for a week, bump it up to 17 minutes the next week. When I started using an elliptical (hubby bought me one- because I asked lol), I could barely do 10 minutes on it while going at a slow pace. Four months later- I am hitting 30 minutes paced at high to moderate, plus using 3 lb weights at intervals. Baby steps when it comes to exercising, but you MUST have some willpower to increase what you're doing. I suffer from depression and I can tell you how AWESOME I feel after a workout that has kicked my butt, a healthy diet, and plenty of water- if I stick to these three things daily, there is no more depression or anxiety.

I'm starting the no sugar/no wheat/ no flour way of eating, and when I've fallen off the wagon, I feel the difference.
But it's SO hard to go without all that....it's in everything! And I hate soy, I just can't get it down.
Anyone else tried this new way of eating, since it isn't a diet, just a new, for me, completely different way of eating.
Succeeding? Hints?

I also try to avoid soy foods- not because I don't like them, it's mainly because some health professionals stress that we're really eating way too much soy already (it is in EVERYTHING) and it may lead to certain cancers. Being that breast cancer runs in my family, I want to just avoid it if possible.

I highly recommend that you put together your own cookbook of recipes that fit your needs- if you make your own food, you will be able to limit what goes into the food. Then learn to love new foods that fit your needs- this is coming from a pasta, rice, and potatoes type of addict. If I do eat those foods, I portion control them- went out to eat yesterday and got a pasta dish, but I could only eat half of it because of how filling it now is.

My rule of thumb: stick to veggies as much as possible. Your dinner plate (try to purchase small ones if you have huge ones) should be at least half veggies- fresh, steamed, or cooked. A quarter of the plate should be a lean protein (chicken or fish is best). The last quarter can be a small portion of something that fits for you. Look at whole grain meals- Quinoa is super healthy to eat and tastes great when you add some spices or sauce to it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa My sister buys it in bulk and it will last us weeks.

Keep researching and learning about nutrition- it takes time- I've been doing my nutrition journey for about 3 years now. And I'm still learning- I had to do a lot of learning before I got myself serious enough to start working out and dieting it right.

But always remember: BABY STEPS (while pushing yourself) and take it one day at a time- yesterday does not matter and tomorrow can wait.