I had to log in just to respond to all of this.
My mother suffers from type 2 diabetes. Not only is she massively obese, but for years (for YEARS!) she literally fought anyone who tried to pressure her to diet or exercise. At this point she has a heated swimming pool in her backyard that my father built for her for her physical therapy... which she almost never touches.
More to the point? She went out of her way to make all three of her sons overweight in order to justify her own girth on genetics. I was fourteen years old before I learned that not everyone eats large desserts every single night, and I was sixteen when my wrestling coach informed me that for most people two large steaks with a couple of baked potatoes was considered a bit much for a single meal. And it wasn't until I moved out that I found out that not everyone puts sugar on EVERYTHING, including cooked vegetables.
Not only did she metabolically cripple us, but when I started working to lose weight, she actively sabotaged my efforts. When I announced that I was giving up sugar, the very next day she came home with two huge boxes of doughnuts "for whoever wants them." The one time I stated that I wanted to try going on the Atkins Diet, the next day I was told, "I'm making pasta because your brother wants it, and if you don't like it - TOUGH!"
That being said... and I'm saying this for the benefit of everyone who has ever looked in the mirror and wanted to literally rip the belly fat off with their bare hands... it's not that hard to get from obese to merely chubby. First of all, the initial steps you take will have DRAMATIC effects. When I stopped eating sugar, I lost thirty pounds in the first two months. You just have to DO it. Don't talk about it, don't complain, just... do it. Everything that follows is specific advice aimed at the people who want to DO IT.
There ARE exercises you will enjoy. You just have to find them. If you hate to run, try weight lifting. If you hate weight lifting, try dancing - pole dancing, bellydancing, tap dancing, club dancing, whatever. Or circus activities (it's amazing how much of an arm workout juggling some balls can be). Or maybe you're a fan of fantasy genres; how about studying WMA and learning how to wield a sword or hammer in RL? Archery is also a good one - grab a bow with an 80 lb draw and loose arrows at the target for an hour. Or Yoga or Pilates. The webcomic "Manly Guys Doing Manly Things" has been doing a story arc about Jared the Pokemon Professor finding a workout that works for him; he decided weightlifting wasn't for him and neither was yoga, but then he found the elliptical machine. Carrying eggs while doing his thing; he has found the workout that works for him.
(Story arc begins here with the screaming: http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/re-people-who-keep-saying-they-dont-know-why-commander-isnt-tougher-on-jared )
Eating healthy is not only cheaper than eating fast food and restaurant stuff, it can also be easier and more convenient. Half an hour for a pizza delivery? I can make pizzas using Dave's Killer Bread topped with a nice array of healthy toppings in ten minutes. Let me know you want pizza tomorrow and I'll set the dough up for a cool rise in the fridge and make something that will make Pizza Hutt or Dominos employees cry over how crappy their stuff is under all the cheese.
If you think that you don't like fruits and vegetables... you do. You just haven't found the ones you like yet. There's literally dozens of species on sale at the average supermarket. You don't like red delicious apples, what about fuji? What about broccoli, or cauliflower, or artichokes or mangos or papaya? Never tried sugar snap peas in the pod? And that doesn't even touch on how food preparation affects taste; as Alton Brown noted, it's no wonder that Calvin didn't like the vegetables his mom kept turning into brown goop.
It's very hard to drop the last few pounds/inches. But getting into a decent level of basic fitness, where you might have a little spare tire but you're still full of energy and feeling good, that's not hard at all. As for myself... right now I'm back up to 310 lbs (I have a very large frame; when I say I'm big boned I mean that I look like my grandfather was a Neanderthal), but I'm back down to the same belt size I had when I was 260, before I got into a weightlifting kick. And the added muscle... is nice. I very much enjoy how strong I feel, these days.
So... that's why I posted here. Just to let you guys know: you can do it, you're not alone in wanting to do it, and here's some suggestions on how to do it. Beyond that... just do it.