Hi A.,
My mom was overweight after having 4 children. It is very very dangerous to your health. She passed away at only 49 from heart failure due to this. You do not need a gym membership to get in shape. The 2 most important things are your food intake, and cardio activity. For cardio, you can easily walk around your neighborhood. Power walking is better than running. Just walk for 30 min everyday. Once you have done it for a month, you can start carrying little 5lb weights when you walk. Walk as fast as you comfortably can. Take you're 1 yr old with you in his stroller if possible!
When grocery shopping, stay AWAY from the junk. You do not need to totally cut out carbs,but I would limit them to breakfast and lunch and go light in the evening. Look at your food portions. They say you should not eat more than can fit in your hand but that is hard to do when you're hungry...so the trick is not to get hungry. Snack all day. Low fat mozzerella cheesesticks(not breaded!!),carrots,apples,cottage cheese,protein shakes...you can eat this in between meals. Keep your meals small. If you eat out, you should only eat about half your plate. Soon, your stomach will shrink and you will find yourself getting fuller quicker.
Never skip breakfast. Drink a shake(slimfast) if you dont have time to make breakfast but never skip. Before lunch you should have a little snack. I love cheesticks because you can take them in your purse and they are delicious at room temperature. You dont necessariy have to order a salad for lunch. You can get a burger, just say no to fries(substitue with fruit if possible),and take the top slice of bread off. No mayo either. Cut it and eat with a fork. Later you can have another snack before dinner.
And for dinner, I'd stick with grilled chicken,fish,tuna,greek salad,or you can buy those eat right frozen dinners. I think they are jenny craig dinners??
Stay away from pasta and anything heavy for dinner...eat those type of things for lunch,but again, keep the portions small!!
Keep active with your walking and you will lose weight.
Start tomorrow. There's no reason to put it off.
Remember, for this to work, the trick is not let yourself get hungry. Repeat it like a mantra,"healthy snacks,little portions". And powerwalk.
Good luck! :)
ps- when you crave sugar, try sweets that are made with splenda rather than with real sugar. or eat fruit. mangos are great but try your hardest NOT to eat anything sweet(including fruit)at least 4 hrs beforre you go to bed. you can have a healthy snack after dinner.