Hi Mike,
I appreciate what you're trying to do here, and I hope you do great!
I'm 9 years older than you are, but in a very similar situation. I'm about 55 lbs above my target weight, and I too think it's a great idea to chart progress publicly, so I'll subscribe to this thread and post my numbers, too.
I won't debate you on methods, but I will offer encouragement. Maybe even a (fairly) gentle kick in the *** now and then if you'd like. You can do the same for me maybe?
I'm also posting my results on a blog:
http://budster-fitness.blogspot.com/
Well, let's do this thing!
Bud