i would also say that what works is specific to the person.
*if you want to be able to eat ANYTHING you want, something like weight watchers is good. they allow you to eat anything, but within certain portion limits. the more of foods that are high in points you choose, the less of other food you get for the day.
*if you can limit carbs to almost no bread, rice, pasta, etc, something like atkins.
*if you want to enjoy carbs AND proteins, but can keep them seperate (in different meals), then something like the diet from suzanne sommers or don lemmon are good.
*if you can handle switching to food that seems bland at first, but you adjust to, then tosca reno has a good book.
if your cals are low and energy output high, your body will hang on to what goes in, fearing starvation.
drink plenty of water to keep your system flushed, no matter what method of weight loss you choose.
*you can do cardio every day, and it is recommended to do weight training only every OTHER day to let your muscles recover.
*start at a pace that is comfortable for you, and work your way up. pushing too much too soon will just get you overly sore, overly tired, and frustrated to the point of quitting.
GOOD LUCK!