Few take steps to Control Weight

Only 23 Percent of Americans Take Necessary Steps to Control Weight

Though half of Americans say they're trying to control their weight, only 23% are taking 2 important steps to getting there: watching what they eat AND getting exercise.
Experts recommend:
reducing calorie intake
60 mins of vigorous exercise on most days of the week.

However, data on 4,300 adults from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that:
51% say they tried to either lose or maintain their weight in the previous 12 months.
74% of those who are trying to lose say they ate less food or switched to lower-calorie foods.
Exercise for those trying to maintain weight was 180 mins.
but for those trying to lose weight was 135 mins a week of physical activity.

First calorie intake must be reduced to 1000-1500 cals / day to reduce weight, an easy way of calorie control are meal replacements Formula 1 nutrition shake/ smoothie instead of a meal. Such meal replacement shakes can control calorie intake plus easy fast food.
Second if you are not exercising, you are giving up one of the most essential steps to optimal health. Just aim to do more than you normally do, week 1 do more than previous week, week 2 do more than week 1 etc, gradually increasing your exercise at whatever level you can.
from American Journal of Preventive Medicine July 2006
Herbalife meal replacement shake available from Feel Good Nutrition from more information