I really need help getting in shape and don't know where to start

Check your local library. There are oodles of detailed diet plans in books. But, may I suggest different approach?

You already know this way doesn't work for maintaining your weight loss--you've already gone through doing it that way and the weight didn't stay off--and if the weight is not going to stay off, what's the point?

Just start tracking what you are eating right now. Do that for a few days to a week to get a sense of what you are eating. Use the mfp app to set a weightloss goal of 1-2 pounds a week and then look over what you are eating and decide what to cut from your diet--or, as I did--cut down on the amount. (When I want potato chips, I'll have a bowl, not a bag. And I weigh it!)

Good luck to you.

You don't need "strict" anything- that's why it fails and people gain it all back. You need to do something that is sustainable and can easily become part of your new lifestyle.

Before you being keep in mind- losing weight and eating healthy are different things. Weight can be lost without exercising but it's not optimal. Weight is 100% related to how much you eat.

Google "Scooby TDEE calculator" enter your details and you would get an amount that you should eat on a daily basis. Weight will start falling off -if you maintain an honest deficit. I would recommend trying a lifting program like 5/3/1 Wendler- available online.

If not - just 4 exercises that you need to focus on with good form - Squats, deadlifts, Bench press, Overhead press.

Good luck.

You can still eat your favourite foods, whether it pizza and icecream or indian takeaway or a mac donalds. The key is to plan in advance (ideally the day before) what meal you want and shape the rest of your meals around that treat meal. You dont have to be under your calorie goal every day, just 5/6 days a week instead. I have a 1500 calorie goal a day i can usually meet, my treat day (usually saturday) i can sometimes hit double that - but the weekly total i have consumed is so much less still that i would have lost weight.

Now i have said that, you HAVE to understand this won't take a few weeks. This lifestyle will last a minimum of 6 months depending on your goal weight. I am 2.75 months in (for the first time in my life i have kept to a diet plan) because i finally realised this isn't a race where once its finished i can eat all i can eat again. Im being patient and being patient means you can allow yourself to fail one day, two days, sometimes a whole bloody week! (2 weeks ago i had a saturday, sunday, monday, Wednesday, friday and Saturday all over my calorie amount and sometimes way over it). The monday came and i was bang on it again.

Now, in 2.75 months i have lost in total 29 pounds (2 stone and 1 pound) and im bloody delighted. Its all about calories. I have tried intense exercise 4/5 times a week and as soon as i stopped the regular exercise i went straight back to my old ways. This time i based my weightloss ONLY on what i eat, not exercise. Exercise is a bonus, if one week I don't want to do any then its fine because I'm still eating under my calorie deficit. When i do do exercise its a great bonus and nice motivator to keep going. There have been 2 occasions where i have gone out for lunch, ate the cheese burger and chips and so decided that night to go for a jog (a high paced walk would be just as good).

Work out your TDEE (how many daily calories your body needs) and then take off 1000 calories off that amount (for 2 pounds of fat loss a week). You'll find this number will be more accurate after a month or so as you lose more then that to begin with if you are sticking to your plan. If the number of calories you are left with is too low then try taking 500 calories off your TDEE instead for 1 pound off a week.

Sorry for the long post, but i 100% believe this will work because it has for me and now my brother is seeing similar results. I can still eat what i want, its just working my other meals around what i want to eat and working out filling meals but low calories (lean meat and couscous with grilled peppers from a jar is my favourite meal by far - check my diary if you need ideas - but i walk 2.5 hours a day for work so i have quite a high calorie goal each day. Canned soup is ideal if you have over eaten your breakfast and lunch and need a low calorie dinner!

I got you.

Don't worry about weights just yet. Focus on your diet.

1. Get your calories under control first. Find your TDEE, subtract 500 from that number to lose 1 pound a week, or 1000 from that number to lose 2 pounds a week. Eat that much every day, weighing with a food scale. Eat the same foods for now, but stop for the day once you get to those calories. Do this for a while until you're comfortable with this step.
2. Next, consider macronutrients. Structure your diet so you get about 40% of your calories from protein, 30% from carbohydrates, and 30% from fat. Aim for 40g of fiber per day.
3. Next, consider micronutrients. This is easily handled when you start choosing foods that are more nutrient dense. There's no such thing as a bad food, but there is such thing as foods that provide more nutrients than others per calorie. Aim to have some sort of fibrous vegetable with each meal.
4. Meal timing and supplementation come way later, but for now just make sure you're taking a good multivitamin (recommend NOW Foods Adam Superior Men's) and a good fish oil supplement (recommend Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega). Take one of each every day.

Tips:

• Take baby steps, changing only a few things at a time. Move forward when comfortable with those changes. Allow yourself as much time as needed at each step, provided your total calories for the day are respected. That's key for weight loss.
• Every 10 pounds or so, recalculate your TDEE, and adjust calories accordingly. As you get closer to your goal, aim to lose at maximum a pound a week.
• Add me as a friend. I will help you with thorough answers to your questions.
• Use Reddit's /r/loseit and /r/fitness subreddits as a resource. Great FAQs in the sidebar, and lots of other people there on the same journey.
• Don't worry too much about cardio. It's good for you, but can be hard on your joints if you're heavy. If you want to, stick to bike riding, elliptical, and swimming. Walking is fine too. I personally aim for an average of 10,000 steps a day, and don't do anything more cardio-wise.
• Understand weight loss is non-linear on a day-to-day basis. There's a natural fluid flux that goes up and down, and that can be discouraging. Trust the process and stick with it. Recommend you weigh yourself once every 1 or 2 weeks.

You can lift weights while you do all that, but I recommend getting nutrition dialed in first, then focusing on weights. All of that together could be too much, and total changes like that are why so many people quit. When you're ready for weights, get Starting Strength 3rd Edition by Mark Rippetoe. It's the gold standard for those learning to lift real weights. Read it closely and follow form guidelines exactly. Maintain your calorie deficit while lifting for some time. Novices can rapidly gain strength and muscle while losing fat. When you get to the point you're not progressing with your strength development, you'll know enough about fitness and nutrition to determine how to move forward.

One more thing: find something to keep you disciplined. What are you doing this for, or who? Your significant other? Your children? Do you want them to be proud of you and your accomplishments? Write down what it is inside that makes you want to improve. Read it when you're doubting yourself or the process.

There you go man. Get to it. Remember, one step at a time. Go at your own pace, not anybody else's.