What worked for you??

Good music. Seriously. If I didn't have the music to keep up with I would be lost.

myfitnesspal.com

...and running

MFP and being more active.

logging EVERYTHING.

1. Small deficit (2000 calories), and eating anything I want if it fits in my macros
2. Lifting weights, moderately heavy in the 8-15 rep range
3. Cardio, so I feel good and can eat more...
4. Not beating myself up when I F^&K it all up sometimes

...repeat and repeat and repeat...

This. Except my calories we'e higher and rep ranges lower.

Running AND strength training. I found running was great but the strength training is what has helped to widdle away the inches.

oh yes, forgot weights, though dont overdo it, ive found its better to focus on weights when eating a full calorie diet, and use weights to suppliment cardio when cutting fat. also cycling is good for fasted cardio, because it keeps the heart rate lower so less chance of burning muscle.

1) Hitting rock bottom and deciding that I HAD to do something or I would die. I am only 5ft 3 and I had ballooned up to 179lbs by doing absolutely nothing but sitting on the couch with my laptop, watching tv and eating high calorie, sodium and fat filled junk.
2) Deciding what to do about it, I chose walking at a pace I'd ENJOY for just ten minutes per day, slow enough and easy enough that I would do it again the next day.
3) I did that for 2 weeks, gradually walking 30 minutes per day and noticed that the top of my thighs didn't look so flabby. That was a big motivator!
4) I joined MFP and started logging food. I didn't diet, I just logged.
5) I saw how horrible I was eating so I started adding fresh, real food instead of boxed, canned & frozen food.
6) I started to lose weight. Yay! I also searched the forums on here to get healthy weight loss tips.
7) I started to have more energy. It was kind of like I had ADD. What a change! I moved more, as in cleaning house and walking my dog in addition to my regular walking and lost more weight.
8) I learned to look up restaurant menus online and preplan what I was going to eat, picking healthier choices.
9) I started taking healthier foods to family potlucks and encouraged others to join me in physical activities, games, etc. instead of just sitting around eating cheese potatoes and desserts all afternoon.
10) I discovered clothing that made exercising a LOT more comfortable.
11) Bought a HRM and started biking over summer, then C25K after losing 40lbs in just 4 months.
12) Completed C25K and then finished the C25K bridge to 10K.
13) Started weight lifting 3 x's per week and occasional water aerobics.
14) Now I'm working on eating more protein, fewer carbs, becoming even stronger and healthier.

Ridiculously consistent logging. Even though it's ultimately still an estimate, a consistent estimate is incredibly invaluable. Otherwise, it's impossible to make educated tweaks to your programs when appropriate (and tweaks are an essential part of continued progress).

Planning meals and pre-logging has been one of the foundations of my success thus far. Insanity and running are my workouts of choice - but you have to find which ones you love to stick to them.

Cutting my calories worked most for me. I also don't eat most of them back because if I do I just stay the same and don't lose. But that varies person to person, some people have lots of luck eating them all back, some eat a few back, some none.