I do the calorie count (stay under 2,000/day), and I eat all day. At least 5 times a day. Breakfast and lunch are my biggest meals (cause my body is active and able to burn it off). Dinner is light cause it's before I go to sleep. I've lost almost 30 lbs doing this. I went from being 228 lbs to 201 in two months. It ONLY took two months because I was hitting the gym heavily during this time. So I'm certain I would have lost more weight, and faster if I hadn't gained so much muscle mass.
1.) Don't skip meals. Keep your body fed, and it'll keep your metabolism going. The thing is, they can't be huge, over-portioned meals. "Feed the fire"
2.) Don't eat too late. Your body slows down at night as it prepares to go to sleep. Lower your energy intake to maximize what your body burns while asleep.
3.) Exercise. This is a demand on your body for energy. Eat about 20 grams of protein before a work out. Right before. This will give the body some protein to burn during your exercises and not cannibalize your own muscles. This will furthermore trigger the body to burn body fat for energy during your workout. Workouts should last at least 45 minutes. Not from start to finish, but 45 minutes at a heightened heart rate. So warm up, get your heart rate up, then keep it there for 45 minutes.
Follow those steps and you'll lose weight faster than you know what to do.
Yes, I agree; it's involved. But so was gaining that weight that you have to lose. Gaining didn't happen overnight, losing wont either. And losing the weight ALWAYS takes longer than gaining it.