Andy,
I'm a former boxer and currently train amateurs,
If i just sit around and pig out, which i'm prone to do now more often due to being an old fart, my weight will go up to about 180 lbs. Then when the kids have got regionals coming up and i get all fired up and want to get in and spar with them i'll bust my ass and get back down to my old fight weight of 140 to 147 (junior welterweight). A couple of 3 thoughts on losing weight.
First: road work in the morning. I hate it, but damn if it don't work. You get your ass up at 4 and go do 3-5 miles on an empty stomach (i usally drink 2 glasses of water first). You burn calories and it fires up metablism for the whole morning. Now there are lots of "physical trainers" that will tell you thats old fashioned and is a waste of time. Bullshit, they don't fight, they just look pretty. They say it ain't scientific. But boxing's rules haven't changed in 100 years and trainers who have been around will tell you fighters from the 30's-50's were alot better than the guys today.AND they all did roadwork, period. Rocky Marciano would do 8 miles on a "rest day" Check out the documentary "when we were kings" about the Ali-Foreman fight. They show Ali in Africa before the fight doing roadwork in the morning.......in combat boots!! Marvin Hagler use to do the same thing, combat boots on the beach. So did Ray Leonard. You don't have to run fast, just a nice easy jog, same the hard work for the gym later in the day.
Second: you will hit a plateau. Think about it. There are thousands of folks in the USA who eat more calories per day than they burn. Are they over weight? Yes, but do they continue to increase in weight in a linear fashion??? NO. If you over eat and gain 10 lbs of fat, starting at age twenty at 200lbs, then by age fifty you should be 500 lbs. And there are lots of folks who consume enough excess calories to add up to 10 lbs a year, But you see few folks walking around at 500 lbs. WHY??? The body's metabolism changes to the higher calorie intake, sure they keep getting fat, but at a slower rate because the body adjusts.THE SAME THING HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT. At first when you restrict your calories you loss the easy 5-10 lbs. Then for a stretch, no matter what you do you can't loss weight. THATS WHEN MOST FOLKS GIVE UP. The thing is, is that the body is adjusting to the restriction is calories. Its at this point that you have to just hang in there. Once the body adjusts and you keep working out on a restricted diet, you will drop more weight. This cycle will keep repeating itself. I use to get stuck at 160, nothing i did (save from radical starving which is stupid) would work. But if i just stuck with it at 160, after about 3 weeks BOOM i'd drop to 154, then another 2 weeks BOOM, down th 147. I found once the BOOM happened, i could actually increase by food intake and not gain weight, so long as i kept bustin my ass in the gym.
Third: Third, simple and easy.......eat meat, vegtables, fruit and some dairy (cheese and eggs), drink water...lots. Anything that comes in a can or a box or a bag is bad news.