Persist
First of all I think it's important for you to think about your health as your 1st priority. Think about what the fast foods, pre-packaged foods, preservatives, additives etc and what they ultimately do to your body. I think it's important to understand that un-natural or artificial foods are really not meant to for our bodies.
You are still young and this is the best time to establish a healthy life and good eating patterns.
It can be hard to adjust to a healthy eating pattern when your taste buds have adapted to sugary and salty tastes, but with with a little persistence and reserach you will find ways to make vegetables taste nice!....it's all a matter of experimentation. Keep trying new foods, try putting vegetables into a stir fry (use virgin olive oil SPRAY for cooking).
I'm sure you will find some fruits that you would like....if you like sweeter fruits try oranges, peaches, nectarines, mangoes, grapes and pineapple. Just persist until you find some that you like. (I'm Australian, so I'm not sure if all those fruits are named the same in USA - so you might want to double check them if you don't know what they are
As for exercise, your dog will love the walks. Perhaps try with a 30minute walk to get you started. Do you have a local park that you can take your dog to? Or maybe you could change your route every day and alternate the type of workout you will get. For example, one day you could do a fast 30minute walk on flat ground, then Day 2 you could try to include some hills and so on.
The best thing for now, is to just GET STARTED...worry about increasing the intensity later.
If it's raining outside, make use of the indoor exercise equipment that you have and start with 20-30minutes.
Find exercise that you will enjoy beacuse you will be more likely to stick with it
It would be good if you bought a 'Pedometer'....it's a little calculator that you attach to your belt, pants or skirt and it counts the number of steps that you make in a day. The general rule is to try to get 10,000 steps per day.
It's a great tool to figure out how much physical movement you really do make every day and it will make you more conscious of your inactivity.
You should try and view this as a lifestyle change, NOT a diet. The healthy foods and exercise will make you feel better, will help you lose weight and give you more energy. You will be much happier too.
I have been through the same process. I got caught up in calories and exercise and stupid diets. But at the end of the day it's about a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, good food and enjoying life.....you need to make this a life goal, not just a short term goal because that won't work, focus on how you need to change your life....you don't need to give up the things you enjoy - just be sure to limit them! If you love chocolate cake, it doesn't mean that you have to give it up for good - allow yourself a small slice every month or every 2 weeks or so.....just be aware of what you put into your system and how it will affect you.
As for soft drinks (I think you may call this "pop") - there is nothing good in them - you are better off drinking 100% juices in small quantities! Water should be your new best friend
I wish you all the best, feel free to respond or ask any questions, i'd be happy to offer you some support - we all need it
