256 pounds and troubled

It's easiest when you find stuff you enjoy. Rebecca's advice is also good, start small and go from there. My start was portion management, they were way out of whack. Once I got the hang of that I started focusing on making each meal more balanced. Breakfast for example is half a bagel with a tbsp of peanut butter, half a cup of greek yogurt and a cup or two of fruit. 490ish calories, easy. Another is not to deprive yourself if doing so is hard. A lot of people will pick one day a week to have a treat or a cheat day, and that's perfectly fine. I know myself well enough to know that would never work for me, so I work it into my daily calorie goal. Understand that you may have days where it's not so easy, and that's okay - they'll pass. And like markswife said, you are worthy. Think of it as self-love.

Be flexible and dont beat yourself up if your day wasn't perfect. Last night was crazy and life got in the way, and even though I planned on my dinner being chicken veggies and salad, it wound up being a slice of pizza. I didnt go crazy, I actually only had half, and today im right back on track, but the other great thing is, I could have easily fit pizza into my day had I not eaten out earlier in the day.

Dont do anything that is making you feel deprived, I started simply by not drinking my calories, one day I woke up and stopped drinking soda and juice, and from there I continued to make changes.

Something important for me to help me keep going is simply taking note of the things that are bothering me, like back pains or not being able to sleep on my side, or struggling to reach an itch... and realising as I progress that these things are getting better.

Baby steps. My first step was the food diary. Once I saw how much I was consuming, I could make better food choices. I can still eat "the good stuff" and eat healthy too. It's just a matter of balancing it all out and the food diary has really helped me with that.

Then exercise. Find what you like to do. I have an elliptical at my home, if I want to be successful with it, I found I needed to occupy my mind, so I would play an episode of Game of Thrones and it would keep my mind from wandering and becoming bored with the activity. Same for rowing, I keep it outside, and row while looking out at the trees and scenery. Kind of like playing pretend. I don't like to go to gyms, but I also live out in the desert and it's a very long drive to the closest one, so I make do with what I have. Bike rides, yoga, walks with the dogs, whatever keeps my interest. And I love to lift weights. I've become passionate about that. I'm stronger than I ever was, I know I can be even stronger if I keep going. I have to keep a schedule for my workouts or I forget and put it off. Don't let yourself do that.

Reward yourself. Set mini-goals to work towards so you don't get overwhelmed or discouraged. When you hit that goal, you get a reward. Make it something that you normally wouldn't do for yourself. I get a pedicure (something I've never had) and a pair of heels for my most recent success. I tend to wear flip flops or athletic shoes almost all of the time, so it's a big deal for me.

You can do things for other people, but deep down, you have to do it for yourself. It took me a long time to understand that, and I'm also finally coming around to where I like myself again, and it feels very good.

To go along with what other posters have been saying, try to learn how to step back and view the whole process on a larger scale. People tend to focus too much on the little things and they let one bad choice completely derail their progress, which is so dumb. As long as your overall trend line moves towards weight loss and healthier choices, you're on the right track.