Take a stroll on over to the WISH board... there are a lot of others around here trying to lose weight too!
I lost about 25lbs using the South Beach Diet- now I don't still follow it to the T but I maintained a lot of the healthy habits I learned on the diet. Lean meats, good fats (like olive oil) lots of veggies, lots of water, try to keep sugar to a minimum, whole grains, etc. I generally live pretty healthy now (good cholesterol is through the roof, bad is incredibly low, etc etc). I do however want to lose those last 5-10lbs which is really hard because I'm already at a normal weight for my height and it takes a lot more effort than the first 25.
I exercise about 60 minutes a day 6 days a week and run 3 of those days/week (averaging 10-12 miles per week, would like to get to 15-18).
I start everyday with oatmeal that has some dried fruit, flax meal and wheat germ in it. I gave up coffee (and esp the creamer that goes in it), I eat lean meats, use olive oil, eat nuts or triscuits for snacks, I count out my servings, I satisfy my sweet tooth with ff sf fudgsicles, I keep breads and pastas to a minimum. [now this is on weekdays... weekends I end up slipping which is where my problems arise!!!]
Don't jump into a crazy exercise plan but increase gradually. Try tracking your calories on a site like sparkpeople.com. Many people don't even realize how much they're eating until they track it.
I talked to my doctor about this just yesterday. He pretty much said cutting calories and eating right CONSISTENTLY is the only way I'm going to kick these last few. To lose a significant amount of weight (20+ pounds) even small lifestyle changes will start to make a difference.
I have to disagree with chocolatechip above when he/she says that cutting calories will only work short term. Or well, maybe I agree- it depends on the context. Drastically cutting calories and losing weight too fast is dangerous for sure. But if you're eating 2500 calories/day you need to permanently cut your calories. I cut my calories for a while, continue to work out like I am, and eventually I get used to that weight and can stand cheats here and there and still maintain the same weight. If I start to creep up (which has happened ~3 times in the past 5 years), I get a handle on my calories again. As you become healthier and build more muscle (through strength training) your body will start to burn more calories too. It's a balancing game and you need to know what you're eating. Too many people are eating WAY more than they should or they think they are. This also depends on the person, someone I know eats 2500 normally and 2000 to lose (she's taller and weighs less than me). I won't lose unless I'm eating an average of 1300-1400. I've cut my calories over the years and built muscle with strength training. I have seen no loss in muscle when I cut calories as long as I'm still nourishing my body to account for what it needs to support that.
Oh and drink tons of water
