I started at 241 in March or so, and I'm down to 229 right now. I pretty much eat what I want, but try to keep it healthy if possible. I cycle about 50 miles on the weekend (one long trip) or sometimes a long ride on the weekend and short 20-30 mile rides after work a couple days per week, but I'd like to do more if time would allow. I try to go pretty hard to get the most out of the ride. I'm averaging about 16 mph or so right now. I'm fairly new to "cycling" as opposed to riding my bike everywhere like I did when I was younger.
I'm going to start commuting to work in a month or so when I move, so that will help I would think.
12-16 miles per ride is pretty good. Try increasing the mileage if you think it's not enough.
As for diet tricks, a good way to keep yourself from eating too much at mealtimes is to chug a large amount of water right before you sit down to eat. You'll feel full faster and won't gorge yourself. (That's a big problem for me.) Also, when eating, SLOW DOWN. The food isn't going anywhere, so there's no need to shovel it in. You'll feel full and can stop eating before you've stuffed yourself full of calories.
Those things work well for me, but your mileage may vary.