Hi Lisa,
I started, not that long ago, with the same to lose. It's pretty daunting, isn't it?
I've lost over 100lbs before, so I know how to go about it sensible. The trick for me is to try and keep it off this time!
I think you have to find out what works best for you.
I have found creating my own eating and activity plan was liberating, after years of following others' diets I couldn't stick to. Working out the calories your body needs to maintain your weight is useful, and then you can pick the calorie deficit you need to keep to lose weight sensibly. 500 a day = 1lb a week and 1000 cal deficit would shift 2lbs a week. Keep a food diary and document everything you're eating and calories accurately. I use myfitnesspal.co.uk but there are loads of other ones out there.
I've been losing weight steadily for the last 3 months (34lbs so far) and it is pretty much my calorie deficit plus the exercise I'm doing (walking currently 8000 steps a day and swimming 40 mins 3 x a week). I think with exercise you just have to do a little more than you currently do to challenge your body. So week 1 I was doing around 2500-3000 and I just kept adding 500 each week. When I got to the 7000 mark I started adding 250 per week and then changing up the kind of walks I was doing e.g. doing my steps mostly in one block, doing hills some days, fast walking around flat tracks the next. Same with swimming, I just try and change it up a bit. My weight's still very high so I figure that walking briskly is the right intensity for me to burn fat.....I think I would just give up if I was doing something too strenuous as my confidence would be dented and I know I wouldn't be able to do it most days. I think the trick is to pick activities you will be able to do most days, if not every day, that you can do for sustained periods, so you can burn burn burn. If you like a particular activity start small and then just build a little more each week.
Good luck 😄
