Hey! We are close in age, hopefully we can help each other
It's great to hear you have someone you'd be able to work out with.
I don't know if you have a smart phone but I use an app called "fitbit" it helps me count my calories, you can even set a goal for how many calories to cut each week to lose weight, just a suggestion if you're starting out small and heading into a full on diet. It's what I've done and I've lost 2 pounds in 3 weeks