How does one go about breaking years and years of bad eating habits? What is the starting point for someone who wants to start eating healthier?

If there were an easy answer to the question we wouldn’t have
the problems we have today like obesity. Right now in the US
60% of the population has a weight problem. “Morbidly Obese” is
clinically defined as being 100 pounds or more overweight. In
our population, the number of people being morbidly obese is
increasing year after year.
Changing a person’s perception of food starts at an early age.
You can show a person in black and white what foods are good
for them and what isn’t and it pretty much comes down to a
conscious decision to consume healthy foods or not.
It certainly helps to have a mentor or life coach or fitness trainer
or just a friend where there is some kind of relationship when it
comes to dealing with eating healthily.
The fact is that you need support and one of the reasons there
are so many weight loss programs is that they do something a
little different, they have meetings and people get together and
support each other.

When you gauge how much weight people lose on weight loss
programs like Optifast or Atkins and whether they keep it off, all
of those people probably within a 5 year period have gained all
that weight back because they have lost their support group.

It speaks volumes to me that if people are going to lose weight
and keep it off they need a support group. You should not be on a
diet to lose weight, you need to be making a lifestyle change.

It means finding new ways of eating and develop new habits even
for your everyday activities so that the new way you are eating
becomes your new lifestyle.