Several years ago, I went from 250 to 180 over the course of about 6 months. I logged the calories in everything I ate, holding myself to 1500 per day, and running for an hour every other day. It takes a couple of really hard weeks to get used to 1500 calories. The trick for me was logging all of my meals at the beginning of the day and then putting away the leftovers before I started eating. Also drinking nothing but water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee. I still drank about 3 beers 1 day per week, but the food intake was very low that day to compensate.
For the running, I was able to get around 10 miles per week starting out, and that was absolutely brutal. I was logging closer to 30 miles per week by the time I was down to 180 and could run a half marathon without needing to start walking, not even feeling like I might die. It was truly an amazing experience. Going to keep running as long as my knees will let me, because it absolutely puts me in a better state of mind.
Not saying that everyone can do it, because some can't. And there's no shame in weighing too much. It's only natural in the culture we live in. But most people never really try to lose weight. I would have said that I had tried before I actually went out and did it, but I would have been lying to myself. Everyone owes it to themselves to really, honest to God, give it a try, because if you can do it without hurting yourself, you will get results, and those results are life changing.