About four years ago I had a health scare. I had some minor surgery and wasn't hungry so I was eating only soup for a few days. When I went for the post-op I had lost ten pounds. That night I had a salad for dinner and haven't looked back. Once I recovered from the surgery a friend set me up with a trainer at a gym (I had never been in a gym in my life). The end result? I lost 90 pounds in eight months and was able to wean off all medications.
I now workout every day, am careful about my meals, and have never felt better. I eat carefully, with breakfast and lunch being the same every day except for an occasional treat, and dinner is a huge salad with some protein. It probably helps that I love to cook and also have acid reflux which limits choices. I also drink two quarts of water every day to flush my system.
I am convinced that diet is most of the struggle. When I get sloppy I gain weight, although the constant exercise limits the damage. A support system also helps. I lost mine recently, and I'm struggling a little to find a new one, but the health benefits are too important to ignore the risks.
Keep at it, find what works, and persevere. It's worth it.