Overwhelming initially?

Absolutely! I was a mess. This site, in the getting started topics has many topics to help you.

The one that helped me come up with my plan is

"The guide to get you started on your path to sexy pants".

I am sorry I can't post the link for you. Read these links, come up with your plan and go for it.

I think it's normal to be overwhelmed.
Log your food, eat at a deficit and find an exercise you like to do.

Much good luck...

Absolutely....now that the kids have moved out, and I realize how much my body is turning against me with cervical degeneration, torn meniscus x 2 in my knee and loss of muscle mass on that leg, as well as plantar faciitis, I need to do this before I develop more health problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. Not to mention I hate clothes shopping. It has only been two weeks for me too and I have lost 7.5lbs using this app, also using PGX and the vice busting diet which help you realize your diet vice. Feel free to add me as a friend, I will do the same. I would appreciate the extra encouragement. You go girl!

I had absolutely no idea about what was needed for fat loss, about controlled eating (rather than absolutely ridiculous restriction) until only a couple of years ago. I still have struggles with food at times, even after doing this for quite a while, but it is not overwhelming any more.

Just soak up as much knowledge as you can and take a moderate approach in the beginning - that's the best advice I can offer.

I'm new, and after probably 5 years of eating whatever, I feel super overwhelmed! I've been doing good (mostly) at staying within goal the last 10 days, and I think I've lost a bit (don't have a scale yet, but pants are looser), but when I look at myself I think "how did I get like this!!! Also, as I track I realize how badly I used to eat, and I realize I have a long way to go to "fix" all the damage I did the last 1/2 decade anyone else feel this way at first?

Most people get all gun-ho to start and then get that overwhelmed feeling when they get a slap in the face of the reality of what a healthy lifestyle and exercise entails. Mostly that is because they try to do it all at once (we are definitely a world of all or nothing). I've been there too!

For me, I started with small things I could conquer that I knew I needed to do in the bigger pictures. First on the list was cutting out soda as much as possible. next was moderating the amount of food I was eating more often than not. Then was making sure I got at least a few days of extend exercise in each week. Again, I wasn't cracking a whip at myself if I had one soda a week, or ate a bit more in a meal on a weekend, or didn't get a full 60 minutes in for my walks. But I made sure what I did, I did as consistently and often as I could. That set me up to be more diligent and NOT feel like it was an unachievable goal.

Just start with small things and keep building to bigger things! You can do it.

This is NOT a race, but something you do over the rest of your life. Think about this...you say it has taken you five years to get yourself to where you are now and unhappy, you need to get the thought out of your mind that you need to correct it in 6 months.

Consistency over time. That's the ticket.

Remember we are all different and what works brilliantly for one person can be a real struggle for someone else. So think of this as a bit of a science experiment. Find the things that work for you. The big one for me has been to make a small incremental change every 3 weeks. this allows me time for the CHANGE to become a HABIT. The first change I made was to eliminate added sugar from my drinks - no sweetened creamers in my coffee, no hot chocolate. My next change was I got a scale and weighed my portions - boy was that an eye opener.
Some of the comments / ideas below have been covered by other posts but they deserve repeating.

#1: Weigh yourself once a week maximum!! Pick the same place - same time - same clothing.
I weigh every 2nd Thursday ( Payday ) so it is easy to remember. Its a tricky balance: to much scale watching bad for the Mind and Soul. Not enough and its easy to fall off the Wagon and slip into the old Habits.

#2: Buy a small kitchen scale to accurately Log your portions.

#3: Be Brutally Honest in your Log. Garbage in = Garbage Out . We all have Bad Days where we exceed our calorie intake goal. Examine what caused it to happen, Flip the page and move on - don't let a bad day drag you down.

#4: Read the information in the >> Contact Us >> Frequently asked questions. http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/

#5: Read the information in the post by Dad_of_3 : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

#6: Read the information in the post by Side Steel. This is one of the best as he has included links to other notable posts. : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

#7: Read the ideas / information in the posts by Fsunami"s : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/by_user/39118269
The best comment from him was that " All you have to do is lose 1 pound. XXX times. Thats it.
Not all at once. That kick to get it done comes from inside.... "

#8: Having small increments in your goals, this is what really leads to long term success. Especially when you first start. An Olympic Grade Athlete doesn't run a 26 mile marathon on the first day of training. When I started to swim it took me about 8 weeks of lessons to get the technique-coordination down so I was no longer sinking or drinking pool water. Then it took me 8 weeks to progress from a 100 meter swim to a 1000 meter swim. My goals were to increase by 100 meters each week.
So take everything in small steps and continue to make small incremental adjustments to your goals.

I didn't gain the weight in a week so why would I expect to lose it in a week.
Based on my present weight, my average monthly weight loss and my ultimate Goal weight I expect to get there in May 2015. It seems a long way off but it's not really that far away.

Something that another member posted shortly after I started really stuck with me: "this is not a big lifestyle change, it is a series of small lifestyle changes".

Change what you can now, and when you get used to that change, change something else. Don't worry about hitting your calorie goals perfectly at first, get used to logging every day and weighing and measuring your food. If you have trouble understanding what your macros should be, don't worry about them, just aim for your calorie goal and learn about the macros. Later, you can start tweaking to get the calorie and macro goals you have. Don't worry if you are not exercising much right now, do what you can and just try to move more than you used to.

Baby steps, and each positive change you make will benefit you in the long run.