newbie here - can anyone tell me straight how to do this!!!

Don't think of it as a diet. It's not a diet - it's a lifestyle change. That might sound daunting, but changing your eating habits, exercise habits, and the way you think about food is the only way that you're going to keep the weight off long-term.

A page that really seems to help a lot of people (including me) figure out what this whole food/exercise/weight relationship is really about can be found here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12. Set reasonable goals for yourself, don't give up because of one bad day, and don't expect the weight to come off all at once - if you're doing it right, it won't.

I also suggest getting some friends on MFP to encourage you! You can add me if you'd like.

Don't think of it as a diet. It's not a diet - it's a lifestyle change. That might sound daunting, but changing your eating habits, exercise habits, and the way you think about food is the only way that you're going to keep the weight off long-term.

A page that really seems to help a lot of people (including me) figure out what this whole food/exercise/weight relationship is really about can be found here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12. Set reasonable goals for yourself, don't give up because of one bad day, and don't expect the weight to come off all at once - if you're doing it right, it won't.

I also suggest getting some friends on MFP to encourage you! You can add me if you'd like.

Your punctuation after the web adress is affecting the link forwarding to a true page

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


I fixed the link
*i fixed it, I fixed the Buntcake

There's some good advice above, and I agree that it's something you have to want. You won't find spare motivation lurking below your couch cushions or stuffed in a junk drawer. You have to pull it up from inside of yourself. You have to believe you can do it and know that you want it.

You need to set goals that are attainable and fit your lifestyle. Don't push too hard right away. Pick an exercise routine you like, not the hardest, most impossible routine out there. Even something as simple as a 30 minute walk will do you good. Set a reasonable calorie goal and don't cut out all the foods you love. A lot of them will still fit in your diet if you can manage to eat them in moderation. Give yourself rest days. And accept that you'll have bad days. Pick yourself up afterward and keep going! You can't let them stop you.

When I started my journey I set a goal of 1700 calories and 20 minutes of exercise 6 days a week. I chose exercises like Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies and Bellydancing for Fitness. I needed something that was a little ridiculous so that I wouldn't take it too seriously. I bought a cheap day planner and gave myself a sticker for every day that I stuck to my goals. This gave me a quick way to see if I was cheating too often and let me give myself a little reward every day that I hit my goals. Maybe that's something that will work for you and maybe not. But the point is to find little changes that will help you stick to it. Even if they seem silly.

As everyone says, you have to want it bad enough. For exercise motivation, just get up and get dressed in your workout clothes. This at least puts you in the mindset of "Well, I'm dressed for it, may as well do something"

Ease into it reducing your calories from maintenance down to the rate you want to lose at in stages otherwise going from overeating to undereating in one go might leave you feeling deprived and unable to cope on the calories.

Set yourself mini goals and rewards and keep it fixed in your mind why you want this.

Don't let yourself get so hungry that you're tempted to quit. Cut down on calorie dense foods and fill up on healthy foods and exercise for the extra calories for treats!

Everyone has given great ideas. You need to want it. But, if it is to overwhelming one thing to do is cut out one thing at a time. Such, as when I first started I cut out soda completely out of my diet. Then I started eating more salads, and then exercising almost every day.