You are welcome here.

Try this:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/diet.htm

Remember this dieting equation:

(calories burned - calories eaten)/3500 = weight loss in pounds.

So, eat less, exercise more. Dropping sugar, junk food and eating less
starchy stuff like brea/potatoes/rice etc, helps with appetite
somewhat. So you can eat less without being terribly hungry. There is
a concept of low carb dieting, which is more radical than I described,
and that works for most fat people. Some though have reservations
about its long term sustainability and safety.

There is no way to lose weight and keep it off without committing some
time daily to it -- to eating right, to exercising, and to learning
about health.

Lots of people fail to lose weight, and of those who succeed, most
regain within a few years. So you have to go into it with proper
motivation. Examine why you need to lose weight.

Some people try to lose weight while they are at normal weight, and
this is a very different situation from a fat person trying to get
into the normal range.

There is no easy weight loss solution, in the sense that all require a
time commitment and some willpower (ability to resist temptation and
stay on course).

So, how tall are you and what is your weight? Are you unusually
muscular?

i

Welcome!

The how much carbohydrate/fat/protein question is really kinda open to
debate.  We all have different strategies (low-fat, low-carb,
high-fiber, combinations within that, eat less, exercise more, etc.)
that work well for us.  I think that Ig posted a nice site that should
be helpful.  I would also suggest using something like fitday.com to
track your food intake so you can see where you are at now.  Sometimes
there is something to be said for making changes bit by bit.  Also, set
yourself up for success -- get  rid of the foods that you will no longer
be eating, etc. and learn about portion sizes (and exercise portion
control).  Enough advice already!    Again, welcome to the ng!

First start with an exercise program.  You can't be healthy without
exercise.  Walking is a terrific exercise because it's aerobic and
you need aerobic exercise for heart fitness.  There are a million
other benefits of exercise (ok I'm exaggerating but not much) but
the bottom line is, if you want to be healthy, you have to exercise.

Second start keeping track of everything you eat.  Once you know
what you eat, you can start substituting high-fiber low fat foods
for the high-fat foods.  But let yourself have a treat once in a
while.  

Third repeat the above for life.