Welcome the the boards Amy
I'm from Alabama too (war eagle!). You've made a first step in deciding that you want to lose weight. What I did when I first started was went to
www.fitday.com and started logging everything I ate. And I mean
everything, if you cheat the only person you hurt is yourself. It was scary how much calories I was taking in, and how many of those calories were fat.
Right now it's really cold down here, (well it's cold for alabama anyways) so finding and exercise plan that works might be difficult for you. But you can do it... just need some determination. The boards are wonderful support tho if you need a buddy let me know.