Advice?

Well, to start things off, your goal is drastically to big. I have to lose 150+ pounds and when I see that it always puts me in a depressed mood, and I end up failing myself. Set a small goal. You should say, "Let me lose my first 10 pounds, then my next 10, and you will reach each little goal faster, than one big goal. With seeing the small improvements of 10 pounds, you will stick it through and get there.

I have a set goal for the month of July. You can set your goal in time or distance, of how far you are going to walk. My first goal is 70 miles for this month. Which sounds like a lot, but is only like 2.5 to 3 miles a day. And walking with my dog makes that go by in a breeze.

If you want to add me you can.
"Keep your head up. You are so much better than you believe. You can do this. I promise." Good luck.

Good luck on your journey!

-Make sure to get in some exercise most days of the week. As you get stronger and more fit and notice your body changing, you'll be encouraged to do more and eat healthier.
-Incorporate weight training into your routine 3 times a week- your body will FEEL leaner and you'll feel sexier.
-Try to focus on eating healthy for you foods, the less processed the better. There are so many great ways to prepare yummy veggies that you can keep your diet varied and not feel like you're missing out on taste.
-Have cooked ( I like to poach) chicken breast in your fridge at all times (so versatile: add to salad, throw on top of sautéed vegetables, cold chicken strips dipped into mustard (or other low cal dressing) as a high protein snack.
- Plan your menu for the week (or 3 days at a time), measure stuff out into containers so you know how many servings you're getting and bring food to work with you so that you don't feel inclined to order food. Also have high protein snacks around (like little baggies of almonds- they even have chocolate dusted ones for a sweet tooth) so that you don't go to drive thrus or cafes when hungry on your way home from work.
-Have herbal flavored teas around for when you want a bit of a dessert. That hot cup of cinnamon or chocolate tea can give you a "sticks to my ribs" feeling in your belly and can help with dessert cravings (great for that drive home from work when you're tired and a soothing warm drink settles the nerves and fills the belly).
-Stick to the "Three bite rule" when there are desserts around at like a birthday party or wherever: It takes 3 bites to coat your tongue with flavor and saturate your taste buds, after those 3 bites you don't taste anything new. So try a forkful or two of the birthday cake...but then throw it away, or share a slice with two friends.
-Log, log log. You'll feel accountable.
-If you slip up, don't give up. Next meal is another opportunity to do better!

Be consistent in what you do.. Give something a good month before you judge your progress too harshly(within healthy bounds that is)... Even eating at a deficient while starting a new routine will usually lead to some superficial weight gain(muscles generally are retaining water when they're sore). You can judge the effect over the course of a month a lot easier than day by day.

Weight can and will fluctuate 2-10 pounds a day! (http://scoobysworkshop.com/how-to-weigh-yourself-accurately/#dailyweightfluxuations) I try to watch for downward trends. For example- I weigh myself daily... Right now my low weight is 171.6 if in the morning I weigh myself and it's 171.1 I'll record it, if it's 172+ I'll ignore it and go on about my day. I know that as long as I stay in a deficient my body's going to do it's thing, the scale just isn't the best judge.

As mentioned, if you do not have a digital food scale get one if you can(preferable one that measures grams or ounces and 2 decimals on the ounces..

Also- Anything is better than what we were doing. It's hard to be patient, but I tell myself that it's all worth it and as long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing better than I was before I started using MFP.

And if you're in for some good reading- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I set myself up with mini-goals, each one being 10% weight loss. Going from 200 to 180 didn't sound so intimidating, and now going from 180 to 162 doesn't seem to terrible, either. My final goal is 145. Going from 200 to 145 sounded too impossible when I first started.

And I decided to reward myself each time I made a mini-goal - when I got down to 180 I bought a really expensive pair of running shoes. I have not decided what to do for 162, but maybe a full spa day or a mini-vacation with my husband.

I agree with the mini-goals. Instead of looking only toward the end goal, and getting discouraged by the time it takes to get there, set interim goals. I would say every ten to 15 pounds or so. Have a non food reward for reaching each goal. For example, buying a cute piece of clothing or some cute shoes, getting your nails done, going to see a movie. Try not to be in a big hurry, because slower weight loss will give your skin time to shrink up as you lose the fat. Doing exercise that builds muscle is also a good plan. It keeps your metabolism up and helps with the loose skin issue as well. Make sure to drink plenty of water, as that's how your body washes out things it's getting rid of, like byproducts of fat breakdown, fatigue chemicals, lactic acid, etc.

I am now at the point that I lose only about half a pound a week. I try NOT to focus on how long it will take before reaching my goal, but instead to just do the right things one day at a time. Do my workout, eat the right foods, stop when the calorie total of 1200 is reached. Though the weight loss is slow, the woman in the mirror looks MUCH better, due to muscle tone and overall health. You will notice these changes too. That's the most encouraging part.

Oh, I almost forgot! Chew gum. If you crave flavor, they make gum in all sorts of cool flavors now. I have saved myself from bingeing so many times with gum! Also, different flavors of tea.