I NEED a support group to HELP me meet my goals and to get this thing started!

Hi Kristen. You can do this!

It might help to break things down into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, start logging your food - all of it, every bite, every sauce, every sip. And get a good idea of how many calories you are currently consuming. From there, you can see how much you need to cut and how much of an adjustment that will require.

If you don't have a food scale, invest in one. It really takes much of the guesswork out of logging.

Make a plan for the gym. "I'm going to spend 30 minutes on the elliptical every other day." Make sure it's something that seems attainable. I would encourage you not to think that you need to spend an hour there every day to start off. It might feel like too much.

Look into some weightlifting programs. There are many free ones online. Lifting weights builds muscle, muscle burns calories. Plus, you'll be surprised how much lighter the 4-year-old feels when you've been lifting heavy at the gym for a month or two.

Find what you enjoy or at least can tolerate. Everyone is different when it comes to exercise. Some people love running, some hate it. Try a little of everything until you find something that clicks for you. It took me years to find the right mix that I was willing to stick with.

Some people will knock Planet Fitness, but if it fits your budget and your schedule, then it's what works for you, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't get a good workout there. You can get a good workout anywhere you put your mind to do so.

Be gentle with yourself. You can't lose 25 pounds of body fat overnight. No one can. But you can make a better choice today than you did yesterday. And tomorrow, you can do even better.

Take pictures, before and during. Sometimes the camera sees what the scale does not. Also, pay attention to how your clothes fit, they also will tell you stories the scale will not.

Get the recordings of the type of music they play in zumba and listen to them on the treadmill. Maybe even move the hips a bit. Not exactly the same but music is what I use to get my really long workouts in.

Sometimes you just have to do it. Getting there is the hardest part. Once you go no matter what, it always works on when you get there.

I pay just as much attention to what and how much I consume during the holiday season as I do during the rest of the year.

@lorrikooten - I fully understand. I, too, have gone to the gym before and would get discouraged, quit, start again, quit, etc. It took me a few years to understand that the problem was with my mind, not with how I was doing things. I was looking for an overnight success to a situation that had been 25+ years in the making. Being committed and consistent with your fitness and nutrition regime will be the key to achieving overall health. I don't go the gym anymore, opting to instead walking a lot [an average of 2.5+ miles a day] or 30 minutes on my stationary bike, and doing strength workouts at home. That, and not putting myself down if I go over my numbers here and there and if my weight goes up 1 lb. instead of down.

Change your mindset.

You don't need it.
You want it.

When you want it more than anything else.
Then you will do it.