Seriously...HOW???

The "how" is going to be different for everyone, I expect, but the biggest thing is probably outlook: this isn't a temporary fix, it is a set of new habits. You get into the habit of cooking for yourself, making good and tasty foods and enjoying them. You get into the habit of doing exercise (whether it is a walk, going to the gym, taking a class or playing a sport). You make a habit of serving normal-sized portions and only eating a reasonable amount (normal portions only work if you don't go back for seconds all the time!).

I love having family over for celebrations (which ALWAYS include meals). My parents (morbidly obese) complain gently pretty much every time about the portion sizes. I'm ready to serve them seconds if they want them, but I'm not going to serve myself again...I don't need it. Also, if I've prepared the food well, and have made a good mix of foods, I'm no longer hungry after I've eaten what I served myself. It has become a habit. I have also made a habit of having some desserts I enjoy available (squares, cake, cookies, dark chocolate, whatever), already in appropriate portion sizes and in the freezer so I can have something sweet (I enjoy baking and enjoy eating baked goods), whenever I want - which is now when I know I can fit it into meal planning for the day. It is a habit.

I don't know if this is of any help to you, but try to think of it as forming new habits. You don't have to do everything at once, pick one new habit and work on that (say, portion control). When it starts to feel more natural, pick another one (modest exercise). No one here wants to obsess about weight, counting calories, daily exercise...or very few anyway...most are looking to create better, more healthy habits for themselves.

You just do it. If you want it bad enough you make it happen.

Does it become the most important thing in your life? Do you put tracking your calories and finding healthy food and making time to exercise above everything else in your life?

Well, you eat every day no matter what, right? So how much extra time does it take to eat a little less and write it down?

As for exercise, one hour is 4% of your entire day.

I do plenty of other things and this is not the most important part of my life. It's just a part of my life. And since the PEOPLE in my life are very important and a lot of them are also trying to get or stay in shape, we often go for walks or runs together, so I get friend time (and sometimes SO time, too) right along with that exercise. Beats sitting on the couch staring at the TV together.

Make it a habit. The more habit it becomes, the less time and effort it takes to track.

The "how" is going to be different for everyone, I expect, but the biggest thing is probably outlook: this isn't a temporary fix, it is a set of new habits. You get into the habit of cooking for yourself, making good and tasty foods and enjoying them. You get into the habit of doing exercise (whether it is a walk, going to the gym, taking a class or playing a sport). You make a habit of serving normal-sized portions and only eating a reasonable amount (normal portions only work if you don't go back for seconds all the time!).

I agree with the above.

I also think - for me - it's best viewed as a long term and/or permanent thing that I'm doing. Not "I will maybe sort of try this logging my food and eating healthy and exercising stuff for awhile" but "I am going to log all of my intake from now on to control my weight". I committed to it with no plans of losing 89+ lb, but just the idea that I could possibly get down to my previous low adult weight over a long period of time by changing my habits and keeping track of my food intake. I don't cut anything out entirely, I just change the way I do things.

OP, this may not apply to you at all, but I have seen a lot of people on these forums who get discouraged because they don't lose a lot of weight quickly. I try to think of it like "I'm 210 lb and in a year I want to be below 199 lb" rather than "I need to lose 30 lb by summer for swimsuit season".

In the past I viewed "eating healthy" in a very black/white way and felt that one splurge kind of negated all my progress. That is not helpful at all. If you eat ten Oreos and a mug of milk, log it and move on. Have fish & veggies for dinner the next 2 days. It all works out.

I've been doing it consistently for 7 years ...... lost 40+ pounds & kept it off ...... it becomes second nature .....

BUT YOU'VE GOT TO WANT IT !!!!

You just do it. If you want it bad enough you make it happen.

^

Honestly, you create a new routine, and until you have one, yes you kind of let it take over your life. They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, so learn to do things gradually. Don't come in with a perspective like I'm going to lose 15lbs this month, because when you don't you'll be crushed.

Come in with an attitude like: I'd really like to be more active, maybe I should start getting up half an hour earlier and heading out for a walk, get some "me time". And eventually once that's in your schedule you might be thinking, you know, walking's great, but what if I started doing a walk run combo to get the most out of my time?

Don't think you have to be restrictive with your diet, eat the things you love, but learn moderation. Want to have that piece of cake? That's fine, just make sure it fits your calories (and ideally your macros too).

It's a marathon, not a sprint. You can't view it like this is something I'm going to do for the next 6 months until I'm where I want to be, you have to make gradual changes that are sustainable in your lifestyle.

For example, there are lots of people who work out 6 days a week, I average 3-4 because I know that for my lifestyle that's realistic long term; sure I could do 6 workouts a week right now (I've got the time), but then I feel like this starts to completely take over my life. You have to find the balance for you.

Good luck!

When you are ready....you'll do it.