6 years ago, I was 60lbs overweight. My doctor told me the obvious: eat less, exercise more. But she went on to say that weight loss is mostly diet, and cardiovascular health is gained mostly through exercise.

She recommended a couple of things. A health class at a community center. This was mostly looking some food to see what a realistic portion size looks like. (most chain restaurants are serving you 2 meals worth these days. )

She recommended exercise, start slow, work up to it. don't cheat. get an evening walk in 5 times a week. start with a mile, then two. then get a small daypack and put a 2ltr bottle of water in the pack and cary it. Consider a gym.

Finally, my Dr. suggested counting the calories. There are lots of "systems" out there like weight watchers, however you can get free smartphone apps now like "LoseIt" and others that will do the same thing. Get a kitchen scale. Actually measure everything. Spend 2-3 weeks just measuring all your food and counting the calories you are actually eating. You will be surprised. Your weight was similar to mine, and I found that I was eating 3400 calories a day, when in reality it should be more like 2000.

You'll need to cut back on the calories. This is the hard part. Some things you may find that you just have to give up. I had to get to a place where I decided that I wanted to be a healthy weight, more than I wanted Pizza, and icecream. Restaurants are a rare thing for me now. Even after the weight loss, I still have to track what I eat or it will sneak back up on me. I love ice cream; it has been banished from my shopping cart.

The only other thing that I can say is that you'll have to find the motivation to do this. For me, it was when I went on a boy scout outing with my son, and realized that I was so overweight that I was at my limit physically with the group, and that if anything happened to one of the scouts, I would be worthless to help; or if me, I'd be a huge liability to the group. This was the wakeup call I needed and set about making some sacrifices in my daily life to get healthy.

I put on weight because of antidepressants - 10 stone in all. I've lost 7 of them on a low carb diet. I can't exercise so it was the only option for me and the doctor recommended it. I eat mainly lean fish and meat and lots of veggies - steamed, salads, and stir fried. I am also off sugar and starch. Once I've lost another 2 stone I'll start eating normally again. I couldn't just eat less as I got hypoglycemic if I did that. Medication can really affect the way you digest food. I would definitely recommend a low carb diet if you can do it. You can eat til you are full and never go hungry.

Hi! I'm new to this too. Doctor told me I need to lose 20 - 30 pounds and I agree. It snuck up on me over the years and then clobbered me in the last 6 months with a 10 lb. gain. I found a free app called My Fitness Pal. I am really liking it because it not only tracks what I eat and my exercise, but I can share it with friends or the community and my doctor.

I think the big thing is that consistency is more important than trying to make huge changes fast. That's my problem. I'm great at doing it big for about a month. Then I'm done. But if you can start with one change at a time, it's easier to stick with. Eating some protein at breakfast is a great start - an egg, some string cheese, nuts. It has staying power. You might also ask your doctor about what vitamins will help. If your body is short on something it needs, you can wind up feeling incredible cravings that can make things worse.

Dr. Christiane Northrup suggests not denying yourself things you love but remembering the first bite or two is the best. After that, it's just chewing. So if you really want chocolate, have one little piece of really good chocolate that is your favorite. And know the next day you can have another bite. You just can't eat everything all at once.

For exercise, just starting with something slowly is terrific - going for a walk after dinner, walking in the pool, yoga. Most rec centers or Y's, etc. offer low cost memberships where you can take lots of classes, go swimming, walk on the treadmill or lift weights. And usually they offer instruction/ advice on how to get started.

And if you need more help, there are health coaches and sometimes they're covered by insurance. If that's not an avenue you want to explore, you can look through diet books at the library or used book stores to see which you feel might work for you.

I would suggest skipping the diets that are very low calorie (less than 1,000/day) because your body needs fuel. My doctor has suggested the macrobiotic diet for me but there are so many different plans out there. The Mediterranean diet is big right now. There's also a diet that is based on your blood type that seems to be a fit for a lot of people. Work with your doctor on what will be best and safest and most effective for you.

Also, I think it's important to remember that when you eat healthy and exercise, it helps more than just your waistline. If you ever have a day or week when you don't lose weight, remember that there are tons of other benefits. You'll probably feel stronger, healthier, more energetic. Plus all the health benefits.

Good luck!