First thing I would say is join the diet thread Aaron, there are many different ways to approach dieting and the best way I find is to keep it simple.
Obviously you don't want to withdraw the foods you like completely, that will just lead to rebounds, which I always have and you just end up regressing to yoru previous state (or worse).
If you're working in a calorific deficit over the week, you will lose weight and it's that simple. An easy way to do so is operating at 500 calories per day below your maintenance rate, this will see you lose 1lb a week without exercising and more if you're working out regularly.
When I'm dieting I try to keep proteins high, carbs under 100g and fats under 50g. That means with supplements I can get around 200g protein, 100g carbs and with under 50g fat I am around 500 below maintenance level.
1g of Protein = 4 calories
1g of Carbs = 4 calories
1g of Fat = 9 calories
I've never met you personally, but I would hazard a guess from your height/weight that you're not that thick set and of a medium build. I would guess that you don't need to ditch too much weight, so would be better cleaning up your diet which sounds terrible (like mine atm) and then using exercise to alter your body composition.
I don't like boiled or mashed potato, so that leaves me somewhat limited and the easy way to get around that is replace chips with Sweet Potato wedges.
Wash and cut one s/potato up like chips.
Spray a baking tray with 1cal, spread them evenly across it season, spray again and then cover with foil.
Bake for 20 minutes at Gas 5, remove foil turn them and then put back into the oven until they're cooked to your preference.
Much better for you and with a steak and some pepper sauce it's a nice meal!
Stir fries are an easy way to get good meals in without going overboard on carbs and crappy stuff.
Chicken Breast sliced
Stir Fry Pack
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Uncle Ben's rice or some Rice Noodles and you're away.
Can have a decent meal that's good for you in 20 minutes and it saves doing dough on takeaways too.
If you must drink pop make it diet and replace the sugar with sweetener if you can't lower the amount of real sugar.
Bread has to go, or at least eaten very infrequently. It's one of my trigger foods and like many others I could sit and murder a Tiger loaf in a day no problem!
For chips see above.
I rarely drink anymore and haven't had a drink for almost 4months as it stands, but when I do it's normally Vodka and Diet Coke, or Gin and Slimline Tonic.
When I'm away on weekends, which is even more rarely I will still drink Sambuca, Jaegerbombs etc. and I don't worry because it's such a rarity. Also the fact I can't walk straight without a drink influences my habits too
Replace the chocolate/crisps/crap with fruit,nuts or even vegetables like raw carrot if you can handle it (I can't)
I use protein bars, protein cookies and even protein desserts to quench the pangs for crap and of course once or twice a week allow yourself a treat!
I don't think you need to lose too much weight, but would benefit from recomposition of your body and just trimming yourself down by altering eating habits.
For the gym stuff a good mix of cardio and weights will work wonders. A 5x5 programme is often a good basis for beginners and will see the biggest changes in a short period of time.
Workout A
Squat 5×5
Bench Press 5×5
Barbell Rows 5×5
Workout B
Squat 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5
Deadlift 1x5
Those are all basic compound movements which will help workout your whole body, once you've had a few months on that you can refine your workout and start working on the areas that you feel need more work.
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