Welcome! I started biking just over 2 years ago after a 22 year hiatus myself.
My weight hovers around 350. I started with a Trek 7200 Hybrid which held up well (7,500 miles). You will have to respoke your wheels more often than the featherweights, but a good wrench should be able to build you a wheelset that you can get 2,000-3,000 miles on (depending on conditions).