Welcome @batmanladybird. You can definitely do this. We've got a great little community going on here between us, so you'll always feel supported.
I've just checked my Fitbit stats. Exactly a year ago, my BMI was 34.7 
It's now 31.1, so still a way to go as am still officially overweight, but hugely improved. The health benefits of that really are worth the time and effort.
On thé self esteem front we all know that clothes sizes vary between manufacturers, so there is a lot of leeway, but if I say the largest items in my previous wardrobe were size 20, and I can now comfortably fit into size 14 trousers from my favourite outdoor shop, you can see what a difference it has made to how I look and how I feel about myself.
I am finding the last stone and a bit to take me to healthy BMI very challenging, but I expected that. Weight loss has slowed from two pounds a week on average, to two pounds a month, so it will take time. I just need to be patient, and maybe look at some further tweaks to the plan over the winter.
@theleadbetterlife - your bread looks amazing. Are you able to share a recipe? I would love to do more with the whey from my own yoghurt making!
And re worry about the harm done, I feel the same and I think I am a few decades ahead of many of us on here too! but all we can do is learn and eat and live well better now.
Having glanced through the Alzheimer's prevention book Kittyrecommended upthread It has confirmed what I suspected.
Although I eat heaps and heaps of all the right veg, exercise well, pay attention to sleep etc, I eat too much meat. Yet I'm afraid none of the vegan recipes in the book leapt out at me at all. I think that is something I need to incorporate gradually. Maybe start with a meat free day a week and see how I go. Need to be careful as I don't want to undo any of the good work achieved weightloss wise by setting unrealistic expectations in that department.
@Aria999 . My cheekbones have re emerged with the weight loss, which is great. But due to menopause, everything else appears to have sagged and lost its spring- ( rather like my favourite armchair. 
) I am embarrassed to suggest this as it is ludicrously expensive, but Charlotte Tilbury's magic day cream works instant wonders, it really does. Helps with neck and forehead issues also. You only need a little, so it lasts ages. It has made a real difference to my skin.
I've finished the Tim Spector podcast on BBC Sounds. Very interesting, and it has encouraged me to renew my efforts to improve the variety of veg nuts seeds and berries I eat. Like others, I've decided to ignore the no nut suggestion in the book. For me I think benefits outweigh disadvantages.
We had a go at increasing variety of the good stuff over the summer, I recall, so maybe we need a renewed effort for autumn and winter with what's available now. I find it very easy to get into a bit of a rut with my veg buying. 30 different things a week as recommended by Spector ( this is not overtly part of the Jenkinson plan by the way) sounds ridiculous, but is achievable. Not as hard as it sounds if herbs, spices etc are also included.
Dear me what an essay! Sorry. 