I have lost 40lbs by calorie-counting. I don't restrict too much, but I stopped eating fries, and completely cut out softdrinks. Other than that, it's been fairly easy. I use this free site to help log what I eat, to make sure I'm within my calorie budget for the day.
www.calorie-count.com
I started July 26th, and as of Nov 10, I've lost 40 lbs! I've always been big, and still am, but I feel and look very different. It's great
I've gone from buying size 44 pants (which is what tipped me over the edge into realizing I needed to do something), to now being loose in 38s. Also, I went to old navy lastnight, and could get into 36s! Woo Hoo!