Good luck on your goals. Remember you didnt put the weight on in a month, so dont' expect it to come off that fast either. Weight loss is a long, sometimes frustrating process.
Have you thought about weight watchers? I know many people who have had significant success with their program (40-100lbs!)
My suggestion is to start a food log (my fitness pal is a great app you can get for free on android or iPhone). That way you can track your calorie intake and look at the breakdown of your fats, carbs, proteins daily and weekly.
It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of exercises that will keep you interested. If you have not been active over the time you gained the weight, I would start out a little slow (i.e. work out 2x a week for the first 2) to help prevent muscle soreness and during the first 2 weeks focus primarily on your diet. I have seen many people start a new plan and workout 4x the first week they are on their diet and then the next week they can't really move and they fall off the wagon.
Stay positive, find a couple workouts/exercises you like, and focus on your diet, lots of lean proteins and veggies is the way to go!