I'm not a doctor or dietitian by any means, so keep that in mind when you read what I'm about to say. I can only share what worked for me. Keep in mind that every situation is different and each person will respond differently - physically and mentally.
I peaked at about 250 pounds in the spring of 2008 when I was 29 years old. I decided that if I wanted to be around and enjoy my kids and grandkids, I needed to start living healthy. Not just going on a diet - but actually making a permanent change to the way I lived and ate. Fad diets sure do like to promote their successes, but always point out that "results not typical. Individual results may vary." I needed something proven that I could believe in and stick to in the long run. (I'm now down to 200 pounds and counting)
It's simplest math formula in the book: more calories out than taken in = weight loss.
Everything starts in the home, so our shopping and cooking had to change. Skim milk, reduced fat cheese, diet cola, and water water water! Drink water with every meal. Carry a bottle of water around with you. Drink water at work. It's calorie free, it helps fill you up, it keeps your systems flushed clean, and it helps keep your hands busy so you can't reach for snacks. Plus you're going to be exercising more, so you need it to keep hydrated.
Grill more food, pan fry less. Make sure each meal includes fruit and veggies. Get a light cooking cook book. And most of all - get over the notion that healthy food tastes bad. Does a grilled chicken breast, lightly buttered noodles and corn taste as good as a bacon cheese burger and chili cheese fries? Believe it or not - yes. Keep the big picture in mind, stick to your new lifestyle and it will. Of course, that's not saying you have to cut out your favorite foods, but pare them back a little.
Read labels and find out what a portion size is. Just because the plate will hold 3 big scoops of mashed potatoes, that doesn't mean you should eat all of them. You'd be surprised not only at how small some portions are meant to be, but how your body will actually adjust and get by on that amount.
Next, almost every national food chain lists all nutritional content on their website. A Big Mouth Bacon Burger and fries at Chili's is 1500 calories. An average male needs 2000 in a day! Substitute a grilled chicken sandwich and seasonal veggies, and you only consume 460 calories. Information is your friend. Remember kids, more calories out than taken in = weight loss.
Get a support team. Don't try to do this yourself. Enlist your family, tell them what you're doing. (but for God's sake, don't tell your wife to join you. Calling her fat is not going to help anyone.) You've got over 300 Dis Dads right here that know exactly what you are going through.
I also found
www.livestrong.com. You sign up (its free) and tell it what you ate today. They have a database of thousands of foods. It calculates how many calories, fat, etc that you consumed. You can specify goals, and it tells you how many calories you can consume to meet your goals. You can also track your exercise and it calculates how many calories you burn. You can also become "friends" with other people on there. You can see what your friends ate. This way, you have to not only be accountable to yourself, but to others as well. Feel free to look me up - my user name is bsommer.
Start walking. Park at the far end of the parking lot at the store and walk in. Walk around the block, around the neighborhood, around town. Make time to do it. Start slow if you haven't done much lately, but work up to 30, 60, 90 minutes a day. Eventually, it will get easier. And it will make those days in the parks sooo much easier. Get an iPod or other music player and listen to something while you walk. I listen to podcasts, so I get exercise and knowledge.
I'm sorry I've I'm rambling and incoherent. It's hard thing to loose weight and keep it off, but it can be done. If I've helped or inspired anyone, this post was worth it.
WELCOME TO THE DIS DAD'S CLUB! 
on the DIS is in honor of Noah.
