Well done!
I agree with that exercising makes me want to eat healthier too. :)
How I did it: I actually didn't change all that much, but I'll tell you what I did change:
1) I stopped eating at those oh-so-tempting chain restaurants with their food that is chock full of hidden calories.
2) I started drinking less - from a few drinks a week to maybe 1 a week.
3) I started going to the gym about twice a week.
4) I make a real effort to eat healthy. Strangely, when I exercise, I want to eat healthy food. Yeah, I'm a weirdo.
Lessons & tips: See above. And don't get frustrated when it doesn't fall off immediately.
Also, I don't own a scale and don't see why I have to. I own a pair of jeans from when I was at my ideal (healthy weight and used those occasionally to gauge my progress.