So sorry that life has been so difficult for you...as for your questions, there are a couple of things that you can try. Diets, for the most part, do not work. There is plenty of research out there about that. What is necessary is a lifestyle change. You're on the right track with the ideas about diet and exercise. Visit a site called www.myfitnesspal.com and there you will find a lot of free ideas and inspirational stories about people who have lost a lot of weight (100 pounds or more). A lot of people also have success with those workouts that are on the info-mercials like P90x and Insanity.