You've got a good knowledge base. Knowing what's preventing or hindering you from getting your goals is the biggest step IMO. Dropping pop and fast food will definitely help melt off those pounds.
I'm not sure what HIIT your referring to, whether its Mentzer or Cardio....But as far as the cardio goes, I think you would be better of doing HIIT cardio (High Intensity Interval Training <click link>
http://www.bodybuilding.net/fatloss-...view-2326.html) than doing upwards of an hour and a half of regular cardio. Plus the HIIT training will help get your lung power back since you quit smoking. HIIT seems like its gruelling when you read it, but if you pace yourself and build up to the really fast pace and strenuous effort over time, then its not bad at all. Baby steps now means big leaps in the long run
My advice for diet is to track what you would have eaten on a normal day, not what you eat now, but what you are used to eating. Write that down and go here
http://fitday.com/ and see what your caloric intake was and the breakdown of the macros (fat, protein and carbs). Then do the same thing with your new diet and see how your macros and calories compare. Your diet and cardio will melt the fat, so your weight training isn't very critical at this stage IMHO.
Your best motivation will be the mirror and a camera. Take pictures now, and retake them (same pose or position, same background and everything) every 3-4 weeks and compare them. Pictures are by far the most effective way to examine your gains IMO. Pose or check yourself out in a mirror every 2 weeks or so. Nothing happens overnight, so it doesn't make sense to check your progress everyday or everynight. Looking at your progress in 'blocks' of time will really let you see the progress you've made and once you see yourself making progress....you will have to be dragged kicking and screaming from the gym
*I didn't include the scale in there or a tape measure because you said you didn't like the way you
looked and wanted to get rid of your gut lol. So
the scale means nothing, the only thing that matters is how you think you look, when you think you look good....mission accomplished