Usefull Tips?

I always look at every day as a new beginning and a new chance to stay on track. If I 'mess up' one day by eating over my calorie goal I just concentrate on the next day without feeling guilty because one meal or even one day won't ruin all the progress. I found at that for me it is easier to work with my TDEE instead of going the MFP way of NEAT. Eating about the same amount of calories every day makes meal planning a lot easier and keeps me from bingeing. Don't make the mistake to think that you have to cut out certain things from your overall diet. As long as you stay at a deficit you can eat whatever you want. Keeping that in mind always helps me because I know I can have cake or a slice of pizza as long as it fits into my calories.
Just be honest with yourself, weigh and log everything correctly. The only person you're going to fool is yourself if you don't log all your food because you feel guilty about eating it. I wish you good luck on getting started (:

thats some really good advice dearmrsowl.

for me, i found out want were my positive motivators. it could be the social element and other peoples cheering you on (i've even seen some people add their exercise a day ahead, so that when other 'like' it they feel more obligated to do the exercise). if you are more competitive, then teaming up with someone else and trying to match them (or even beat them) at doing more exercise and eating less calories. if you are a long term thinker, set yourself a goal such as looking good for the beach or reaching a target weight for a special occasion to help keep you on track.
personally, i find the simple numbers work really well for me. calories in- calories out is straightforward, and having to enter in that extra glass of wine and seeing what it does to your balance is helpful to keep me on track.
i also track lots of different variables, such as body fat %, time i can exercise, weight, calorie deficit, muscle mass, mood, active minutes throughout the week, steps taken, body measurements (such as hips, waist and thigh) and BMI so when it comes time to get on the scales, there is usually some improvement over last week to make me feel good about my progress.

using the nutritional info about what meals and foods you enter can be helpful for you to see what you ought to eat less of and what you can eat more of (it has really helped me with my potion control!)

i have a fitbit charge HR, which i love, and it has really helped me up my active minutes and walking that i do. It is expensive, and may not work for everyone (for example, it is not waterproof, and cannot accurately log swimming sessions) but i really like the dashboard, and it links well with Myfitnesspal and the other app i use called Tictrac, which i use to monitor my mood and energy levels.

lastly, being more active will help. you do not have to run a marathon, but a bit of cardio or weight lifting can help you reach your goal. there are lots of youtube channels with short cardio, toning or muscle building exercises you can do at home. you may find that you do not last very long at the start (i found this highly demotivating!), but your stamina will increase if you stick with it.

best of luck!

First things first but you need to have clear goal in mind. It is not weighing less but being healthy is best objective. If you are too fixated on your weight it is bad. Good objective is health, weight is just another spectrum of it.

Try focusing on the things that you need to increase or add to your diet, as opposed to eliminating at first. For me, that was water, protein and fiber. Increasing those things somewhat naturally crowded out the things that I should not have been eating anyway!