Hi hotcubanmama! I'm new, too! I started my focused effort to lose as of the New Year and got rid of 10 pounds so far. It's mostly been due to better eating choices...I haven't changed the frequency with which I eat but I have changed some of the foods themselves.
I've also been doing short bursts of exercise a few times a week, maybe 5-10 minutes. I can't sustain it much past that at this point. I use my exercise machine sometimes and sometimes I sorta just freestyle.
What works for me is that I put music on and will try to sustain particular exercises for at least the length of the song. Like I'll do a little jog in place or around the house for a few minutes, or lay on the floor and do the bicycle move for a few minutes, or sometimes I'll pretend I can actually dance and just shake my groove thing, lol.
(I just about killed Mambo No. 5 the other night, lol.) I definitely find it more enjoyable to move with music.