Weight lifting, that's what really gets rid of inches the quickest. Check out the New Rules of Lifting for Women. Granted, you have to pair this with a good diet because if you're eating too many calories you're going to gain both fat and muscle. So I think you're on the right track with calorie counting (make sure you get a good deal of calories from protein).
BTW, if you're new to lifting DON'T freak out if shortly after lifting:
a. the scale goes up and/or stays the same
b. you feel bigger (might measure slightly bigger too immediately after a workout and even up to a day or two afterwards
All this is that when you lift weights your body tears the muscle. You're actually burning a lot of calories while your body repairs the muscle the next day or two after lifting but in that process you retain water, which makes your muscles look bigger and you may weigh more on the scale. However, this is just temporary!!!
A number of people (myself included) have found that when you lift you can actually drop a size or two from where you were previously at the same weight.