very nervous but here goes.....

Hi Abbey I'm Jorean. Nice to "meet" you.

I agree with the other post about logging your food. It really helped me become more aware of what I was eating. I'm a serial snacking and I had no idea just how much my grazing was adding up.

Just remember. You can do this. There will be days you fall and cheat. You will eat like crap and not workout. But that's ok. Don't let those days defeat you and just remember that one single day doesn't matter in the long run.

Best of luck!

The other posters are correct. Log, log, log. Even when you don't feel like it. And perhaps keep a journal. Then you will see a pattern. Stress=overeating?

I know I turn to wine and desserts when the going gets rough.

Fell free to add me as a friend if you would like some support.

Something that helped me at the beginning was to make small changes every week. I first tackled the impossible one, which was exercising daily for me. Once i conquered that one, i started making other changes.

So i started by going to the gym to do a basic routine every day for fifteen days. Meanwhile, i got an appointment scheduled with a nutritionist and was told to do just that, start logging everything i ate in a notebook (or MFP in your case). And she helped me by teaching me how i should eat on a daily basis for life, and gave me ideas on which changes to make per week. So i made a calendar planning with those changes (for example, week 2 no coke, week 3, no butter, week 4 add a veggie soup every night, week 5, instead of using three teaspoons of sugar on my tea... Use only two. Two months later i was eating completely lean. Six months after that, once i eas in better shape i made my exercise routine considerably more demanding with group classes and activities to stay more social and get more commited.
A year and a half later i am wher i am today and i still have some things i should tackle ASAP. I'm trying hard but it's still tough. And it's drinking only water. I can't seem to stay away from diet coke, i hae to have at least a glass per day.

So, it's going to take long, you won't see results overnight, but it'll be worth it. You'll feel healthier after a couple of months, and that will push you to keep going.

Building habits is key! Also having people around you who don't sabotage your efforts is very important. And if they actually do support you and your progress then it gets even better.

One thing that kept me sane through all of this was to add a day or two per week to eat that lasagna i love so much, or that huge juicy steak from the restaurant nearby, or to try that new ice cream flavor everyone is talking about... You get the idea. Those cheat days shouldn't make you feel you're rewarding yourself, but you will have something to look forward to.

Oh! Also, your measuring tape is your best friend, since the scale will lie from time to time, and it will even discourage you. A nice set of pictures to track your progress from the beginning will be nice to have when you reach your final goal!

Best of luck. Feel free to add me as a friend

Nice to meet you Abbey, and good for you for starting to make the change! I think everyone is giving great advice--make yourself accountable. Keep track of what you do and BE HONEST. I think that's one of my biggest issues. I would keep logs of my diet and exercise, but if I had a bad day I wouldn't record it because I was ashamed of myself, even though nobody else could see it. I think having fitness buddies who can see my actual diet and activity will help a LOT as long as what I'm recording is the truth. I think that might work for you too!