Where do I start?

I'd say log what you eat here on the site and try to stick to the recommended calories. If you don't manage it one day, don't be disheartened or angry, no-one's perfect. Just try again the next day.

Also, you don't say if you do any exercise or not. If you do, then great, if you don't, try and find something active that you also find fun. Don't forget, even walking around shopping burns calories.

Different people will tell you different things. This is a very personal journey. Some will workout for hundreds of calories at day, some will cut out carbs almost completely, some will go primal and some will wear a heart rate monitor from morning to night. It's all about finding what works for you.

This is what worked for me.

Start by logging what you eat and what exercise you're getting for a week. Don't try to diet or cut back, just become aware of what you're eating and what the quantities are. When you've established what your patterns are, try substituting lower calorie foods the ones you are eating for one meal a day. So if you're eating two toasts with butter and peanut butter every morning try eating one instead or try eating oatmeal for breakfast. Or if you're usually eating white rice or pasta for supper, try to eat boiled turnip or squash instead.

Along with that add 10-15 minutes of cardio a day. This can be dancing, walking, cleaning whatever. 15 mins a day is not hard.

The next week try lowering the calories for another meal and bump up your workouts to 15-20 mins a day. You can rest one day if you're tired, but try to get at least 6 days in.

The next week work on adding more veggies and fruit to your diet. Try working out for 15-20 mins a day and add 5-10 minutes of weights to your workout 2-3 times a week. This can be as little as lifting cans of beans or just doing squats or situps. Whatever. Just start building muscle.

The next week re-evaluate. Are you eating optimally? Are you staying under the recommended calories now? Do you still need to make adjustments? Do you still feel hungry? Are you getting 3 meals and 3 snacks in a day? Are you getting enough protein? Work on balancing your diet and focus on getting healthy snacks with protein in (Greek Yogurt, Almonds, Hard boiled eggs). This will also help with your weights training.

Exercise wise keep you aerobic activity to 20-25 mins, increase your weights but stick to 5-15 mins 3 times a week and now add some flexibility training (stretching, yoga, pilates) 2-3 times a week.

By this point you should be well on your way and feeling very confident about your ability to keep the lifestyle changes you have made. Every week tweek your diet and exercise as necessary but try to keep it within what you honestly feel you can maintain over the rest of your life.

Good luck!

I want to lose weight and be healthy. I eat when I'm hungry or when something sounds good. I love sweets and desserts and literally CRAVE them sometimes like I used to crave a cigarette (I quit 8 years ago). I'm able to eat small portions at some meals and others I binge eat and gorge myself. I have little willpower. My husband and son have no desire to change how they eat.

I need help with where to start. Do I count and cut calories? Watch fat/protein/carbs? I feel completely overwhelmed. Each night I tell myself tomorrow, I'll do better. And the next day after I've eaten far too much, I get angry with myself.

It's great that you have started this journey and it is by no means an easy one. It is a worth while one however. You learn how to be healthy, you learn about yourself and through that you become a better you.

I'd like to point out...that you do know some of your down falls and that is a huge step. If you emotional eat, if you binge eat and if you eat when you aren't hungry these are things that can be worked one. Just takes time and patients.

If you are craving things like sweets it is normal food is can be an addiction like anything. The difference is you can't avoid food so you have to learn to control and submit at the right times. It is ok to have some sweets. Denying yourself things is not the way to go especially if you already tend to binge eat. What is the way to go is to follow the portion sizes.

Your best friend in the beginning is learning portion sizes and sticking to them. Now is not the time to cut calories, if you have put your information into this site and set your weight loss go you need to follow the guidelines set so you can start learning what works for you and THEN you can start tweaking things.

This site helps you count the calories, don't eat under 1200 and you should be fine. You can set this site to track carbs, fats, proteins which it is probably already tracking a few of those. Seeing those numbers and seeing how they change when you enter what you are putting in is usually an eye opening moment. But soon you learn your habits and can start changing your food choices even a small thing like getting lower sodium food or going to whole grains will reflect in your diary and in your weight loss.

You gotta be open to trying new things foods and working out. This is a new life style, not a diet. It's about being educated about what you put into your body and how your body handles what is going on. Soon alot of it becomes habit or just common knowledge. Like eating fruit might help you with your sweet tooth and is natural sugar or getting more fiber in your diet will help you feel fuller longer.

I've been on here over 215 days now, it's taken that whole time to learn how devastating sodium is to my diet. It is a learning process and it takes time. You need to allow for the bad days because that is where you learn the most about yourself. It is understandable to get emotional, but you do have the right attitude because tomorrow is a new day. Now it's just about putting what you have learned and know about yourself into practice.

Lastly...this journey is about you. It is the most selfish thing you can do, but it benefits everyone around you in the end and makes you feel better physically, mentally and end up being in a more self confident place because you've taken control over something that can so easily get out of control.

Alot of people on this site do not have support from their immediate family, it is unfortunate, but it is the world we live in. You can't force someone to do something if they aren't ready, but you also can't let them hold you back from doing what you need to do from you. If your husband and son don't want to change how they eat while you are moving forward...let them see you do it and succeed. You can talk to them. Set down a rule or two, but in the end you gotta decide for yourself that this is what you need and want for your self and perhaps if you are the one making the meals...that you make healthy ones and if they don't want to eat it they have to go and make their own food because you won't support an unhealthy life style any more.

You CAN do this and admitting to your down falls is a good first step to moving forward with the journey of becoming healthy. Be proud of the little steps because that is what gets you to the big accomplishments.

Friend me if you want, i'm always glad to support and help with what I can.

Welcome to the journey! It can feel overwhelming when you start, but it's worth it. Listen to the people who tell you that it's about lifestyle change, not a quick diet. This is a process and it's okay to go one step at a time. In fact, you're more likely to see long term success if you do it that way.

Like Juliebo said, it's personal, so do what works best for you. Here's what's working for me.

Log everything you eat - good days and bad. Start just by being honest with yourself about what you're eating.
Use the MFP tools to figure out what a good calorie count for you is and slowly work your way to eating that instead of eating over it.
There are NO EVIL FOODS - there are some foods you should eat in smaller amounts, but no foods you can't ever eat again.
Get your 5 servings of veggies no matter what. Your body will be getting better nutrition this way, you'll feel fuller which will help with the cravings, and you'll have more energy for the exercise.
Exercise - even if it's just a little bit. Don't try to run a 5k on your first day. Aim to sweat for 15 minutes. Do that for a week or two. Then up the amount. Aim for a regular routine of 30 minutes 3-5 times a week, but let yourself work up to it. Don't expect radical overnight change. Do expect yourself to be consistent and to keep going. Persistence is the key.

Work through the emotional issues that got you where you are today. There are very few people on this board who got over weight without an emotional component. We eat to fill emotional voids, to reward ourselves, to fit in socially. We eat because we feel like we're already fat, so why not eat more. We eat because we're over worked and tired and a candy bar seems like good quick energy. Spend some time thinking through why you eat. Learn to identify what triggers those insane cravings and you'll be better able to head them off.

And keep posting. The support here really helps. Welcome!