Jayjay - I am doing something similiar. I've been on the diet wagon for the past 15 years (well, all my life, really - I've always been a 'weight fighter'), so I've got the experience...I just need to put it all into play again.

I've gained a bunch of weight since I started cycling (it gave me a new reason to EAT!) and the worst of it in the past 6 months or so.

My plan is to eat clean, track calories and nutrition as a reference, exercise consistently again (something I've slacked off on lately), and generally get back into living the way that makes me feel good. It actually should be a lot easier for me now that I live in a place where healthy foods are more plentiful and where people are generally more accepting of a healthy lifestyle. This was sorely lacking in my last city of residence, so it was always a constant battle (to get foods prepared the way I wanted them when we went out, to find healthy ingredients/foods, to not get run over when biking to work, to constantly have to justify my lifestyle choices, etc)

I think you have the makings of a good plan, and I also think you have a good attitude about it. One thing to keep in mind (that it sounds like you already are) is that numbers are one thing, reality is something else. Even if you are hitting all the right numbers and doing all the right things, the human body often doesn't cooperate. There are tons of other factors (hormone balance, age, thyroid function, etc) that can influence how easy or difficult weight loss could be for you as an individual. Keep a healthy perspective on what is a reasonable amount of time in which to reach your goals and what is a reasonable weight for YOU. Mark your progress in the development of healthy habits, your improved health, your improved performance and your improved attitude...that way, when the scale or the measurements don't move the way you expect them to, you can remain positive and on track.

(easy for me to say, not so easy for me to do!!)