Thank you for your replies.
I wouldn't say I was obese, but I do need to loose a fair bit of weight to get down to a reasonable level before I start anything as I don't really want to worry about that along with everything else.
The pounds are dropping of now I have something to work towards but I'm trying not to rush it because if I exercise a lot I tend to build a lot of muscle mass especially around my arms and shoulders even when doing a low impact exercise like cycling which isn't really desirable, so I'm trying to loose it mainly through sensible eating and a light exercise regime like walking instead of taking the car, using stairs instead of elevators and taking the dogs out instead of letting my partner do it all the time. It seems to be working but at a slow steady pace. I loose a few pounds every week. Its just the time scale and, I guess, impatience on my part.
My main problem is giving up smoking. My work is one that requires a lot of concentration and I find that when I'm under a lot of pressure I smoke constantly without realizing I'm doing it even though it is now against the law to smoke in the workplace here in the UK, but as I work alone a lot of the time nobody says anything so I just carry on doing it. I have spoken about it with my GP and hes given me lots of advice and people to contact who will help me but its really down to me to find the will power. Having a goal to aim for is helping and I've set a date to quit after my holiday in two weeks so I've told everyone around me to get on my case which they assure me they are going to do. I know I can do it. I just need a kick in the butt.
Transitioning has been a life long dream, and I'm willing to sacrifice anything that stands in the way of achieving it, good or bad.
Bobbie XX