I CANT STOP EATING

just take it one day at a time. If you have to go to fast food try and get either a salad with no dressing or any grilled chicken sandwich. Make Subway your new best friend. And drink lots of water. Keep healthy snacks in your car. 100 calorie packs and fruit. Dont beat yourself up. One day at a time. At least you're aware that you need to make a change. that's the first step. You can add me as a friend if you like. Good luck!

i'm brand new as well and definitely understand your struggle...i work full time (120 mile round trip commute)...full time student...and full time mom...i lost about 30 pounds and was doing great...fell completely off and gained it all back...so now i'm starting all over =(

i have quite a bit more weight than you that i want to lose...have you tried finding healthy alternatives that are just as cheap and easy as the fast food? My breakfast takes me 5 mins to cook and it's less than $15 for the week...I love healthy choice steamers for lunch...4 mins and $3 each...not sure about what kind of food you like...

don't get down on yourself...i've struggled with this all my life...

I'm done with school now, but for a few years I was working a full time 8-5 job and attending graduate school for my Master's degree in the evenings (also a commute to get there). There's no magic solution for you - to be honest you have to want to change. If you want to change, you WILL find time for it in your hectic life.

For example, the first thing I thought when you said "Fast Food is jsut cheap, and quick and that's all I really have time for." is that making your own food to go does NOT take that long. Buy some fresh fruit and veggies - plus some things like no-salt-added canned beans, frozen chicken breasts (cooked or uncooked), whole grain wraps, yogurt cups, etc. Pick one day a week to do some cooking - it doesn't really have to take long. I'll take a half an hour to cook up 3 or 4 chicken breasts which last me all week for my lunches. Pre-portion those up so they're ready to grab and go. It only takes five minutes to throw together a salad (or wrap), add some beans for fiber/good carbs/protein, and then add in some of the chicken or whatever protein you cooked and have ready to go. Other easy to use protein sources include hardboiled eggs (again - cook a batch once a week and keep a bowl in your fridge) and canned tuna. You can also take 10 or 20 minutes to cut up some veggies to take as healthy snacks. Baby carrots are great because they're already perfect snacking size! You can include hummus or peanut butter or something like that if you want a little more substance to the snacks.

You CAN do this - just erase from your mind the idea that you "don't have time" - you just have to step out of your comfort box and be willing to make some real changes in your routine. After awhile, making snacks/foods to bring with you will become habit and you won't even give it a second thought.

Edited to add: I'd definitely focus on fixing your diet over fitting in too much extra exercise, though getting in exercise where you can will really help, if it's not feasible to add in many "dedicated" exercise sessions to your week, you can add more exercise by adding spontaneous activity - take the stairs instead of the elevator, take a quick walk during breaks from class, park in the back of the parking lot, if you have a lunch/dinner break at work, go for a quick walk if that's realistic... things like that don't require special trips to the gym and can go a long way in making you feel better.

I'm a busy mom to 5, I don't work full-time but my day is pretty much booked from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning until I get to sit down finally at about 8:30pm.
One of my favorite methods for saving time when on the go (and saving money) is food shopping on Sunday and before putting my groceries away I prepare and measure everything out for the week. . . I'll throw together some egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, put them all in seperate containers in the fridge do the same with salads, I'll cook up a few Turkey burgers measure out all of my healthy snacks, like wheat thins w/ Laughing Cow cheese, celery w/ p.b. carrot's w/ hummus and put them in zip locs or tupper ware and fill all my water bottles. Makes it alot easier to just grab and go and your alot less likely to stop for fast food or even for a snack at the gas station.

Be aware of what fast food place have to offer, such as -

McChicken (no mayo, add ketchup)
SALADS! (everywhere has these)

Avoid anything that say double, anything fried, any french fries, and the words "big" "extra" etc.

Take some time when you're at home to look through each places nutrition and write down a "cheat sheet" to put in your car with some of the foods and the calories they contain so you are aware.

Mak a walk a must do on your to doo list! You have to take care of your self first so you can take care of others and do your best work. Walk briskley for a solid 30-40 mins a day about 4-4.5 miles per hour look at it as a way to increase your productivity. Your task masters will appreciated it especially you. Its important to make the time, because if you dont you will burn out. A walk should be an enjoyable experience too, 30 to 40 mins still leaves you time to eat, bring your lunch, dont eat out it will save you 5-10 $ a day, Good Luck! I have been doing this since last may lost 25 pounds and two pants sizes, and i am much happier my wife likes it too. The exercise lets you enjoy more food too! :-)

My husband really likes fast food, and I have gained about 100 pounds in the 4 years we've been married. When I started last month, I went to the websits of all of his favorite places and figured out what I could eat that wouldn't push me over my calories. Now when he says, "I'm going to get Burger King for dinner" I can say what I want without even thinking about it. The Whopper isn't even tempting anymore. Also, don't let Subway make you think you're eating healthier. I had a sandwich from there recently and it was over 700 calories. Pot Belly's has some healthier options, if there's one in your area, and Jimmy Johns falls in between the two.