New to MFP

Hi to anyone reading this! I am new here and have just started my long journey that will take me from fat to fit. I've never done the whole fitness site thingy before and this is new territory for me. I'm hoping that logging my food and exercise and documenting my weight loss progress will keep me on track toward my goals. I currently, as of 6-12-12, weigh 245.5 lbs. My goal is to get fit so that I am down to my target weight of 165. I am 5'8" and feel that is a reasonable weight for my height.

So about me: I'm a single, high school special education teacher. During the school year I work my "regular" job and teach at the night school 2 days/week. My job is at times emotionally and physically demanding and can be highly stressful. My 2 biggest obstacles for weight loss are that I have had a HUGE decline in energy (often lying on the couch after work and waking up in the early morning hours because I'm so tired) and I will often eat fast food to save time because I am often at work very late.

My goals are to reduce or eliminate any fast food entering my body for a long time, drink at least 2 liters of water/day, eat healthier (fresh fruits and veggies and more protein), NO SOFT DRINKS!!! (an extremely large obstacle for me because I love my cokes!), and getting at least 3-4 days of exercise/week.

This is a large overhaul to my lifestyle but the good (and bad) news is that I'm single so I don't have to worry about anyone else's schedule or eating habits to make this work.

Any and all tips, ideas, and support are appreciate it and I will gladly reciprocate by supporting anyone else on MFP.

Thanks for "listening" to my story!

Jen