Originally Posted by 370Z Purist

Well uh, you forgot to mention your height.
Just gain muscle, and that muscle will burn more energy to work just by being there, and as you do exercise, you'll progressively burn more weight.
Drop soda completely. It has to be done. If you absolutely need the flavor, go for something flavored, like Propel or similar. If you need the carbonation (a friend of mine drank soda because of the acidic bite that carbonation gives), drink sparkling water, or a sugar free sparkling drink (they're not bad really).

I'm guessing all your joints hurt? It's probably because you're just not used to it, but be sure to take in all the needed vitamins and minerals for a day, and lots of calcium. You can never have too much calcium. You can, however, get too much iron, which will lead to stones in organs, and they're likely not very fun.

Other than that, good luck, and you're on your way to a better quality of life.