Help and motivation needed, please - I need some positive change!

[wobblyflump]

I have name changed as I am a bit mortified with myself and this has been on my mind for a while; I have been trying to make positive changes but am a bit stuck.
I am 45, a single parent (DD15) and a full time teacher/manager.
I love my job, my daughter is fabulous and I have lovely home....but I am not too keen on myself at the moment.
Basically, I am about 1-1/2 stone overweight, and very unfit and feel just 'lumpen' and suddenly like I am aging and aching. My clothes are getting tight and my body doesn't feel like 'mine' anymore iyswim.
I eat really well, and then it all falls apart in the evenings or when I am on my own, with eating chocolate, nuts, popcorn, and usually quite a lot - not every day but quite often.
Because I am heavier than I should be and have been, I am not exercising - I can't even do the beginning session of the couch to 5K as I can run for that long.
I feel uncomfortable in my body and need this to change.
My job is crazy busy, and full on, I don't have too much time for myself + my DD does activities (dance/drama ) nearly every evening so I am also a taxi service :) as well as doing marking/planning to keep on top of work.
I have tried cutting out sugar - my will power seems to have diminished as my weight has increased, i cave in after a couple of days.
Any suggestions, advice, success stories would be really, really welcome, as would any kick up the backside I may need...

hopeful bump.

Just for encouragement, I was more like 3+ stone overweight when I started couch to 5k and 60 secs running made me genuinely wonder if I would die! I persisted, the programme took me longer as I could only squeeze in 2 sessions per week...I'm now overall 5 stone down and run 5k three times a week. A year ago I would have had hysterics at anyone who suggested that. I'm your age and a working single parent - it can be done! Still find evening snacking a real battle some nights though...

Do you eat when you are working/marking in the evening or is it in front of the TV? If it is the latter then could you do something to occupy your hands to help combat the snacking? Colouring in/knitting/crochet? If you knit or crochet squares in a simple repetitive stitch then it can be easily picked up and put down and once you get the hang of it you can work and watch TV at the same time.

Logging everything you eat in My Fitness Pal can give you a bit of motivation too - seeing how many additional calories come from snacks can be quite a jolt. I have been tracking on MFP for just over 3 weeks and I'm 6 pounds down.

Thank you both magickeys, when you started coach to 5K did you run? I can literally only shuffly jog, everything feels so uncomfortable. 5 stone is an amazing achievement...and it would seem that it therefore can indeed be done!
TheWoollybacksWife, thank you, and congratulations, I would love to be 6lbs down so soon. It is a little bit of both, I guess, but the sitting and relaxing whilst eating is the worse habit.I have never knitted but there is a lunchtime club at school - I could easily get some of the Y7 and Y8s to teach me and I will download a counting app.
Thank you - it has seemed a little too much to fit in with life in general; I have been putting myself at the bottom of a never ending 'to do' list so this feels like a positive start.

I am very slow! Someone tipped me off about deliberate "slow running" which is keeping weight on your balls of your feet, getting into a gentle jogging rhythm, and it makes a real difference to how long you can carry on for. Gradually you get faster, but it's principally about helping you build stamina. It's got a name and there's another thread on here with a video link that explains it much better, I'll have a look in a minute...

I picked running because it was low cost (just trainers!) and I figured it could be done almost anywhere so would be easiest to fit in round life. I was delighted and surprised to find I ended up liking it - it really clears my head, makes me feel so much better mentally. A lot of the pleasure is also because I really never thought I'd be able to do it If you give it a good shot and it's not making you happy, then maybe it's not your thing, but something else will be.

Niko Niko running technique experiences - this is the one I was thinking of:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/exercise/3273109-niko-niko-running-technique-experiences