Hope to lose 50 lb or more

I have a feeling that this time is not going to be like all the other times I've tried to lose weight. Just looking through some of the info here is inspiring and I think I"ll be up late reading!

My 50th birthday is coming up and I"m not happy about it. Not happy about where I am in my life (divorced, job that has me counting down days to maybe retiring, if I can afford it). I just thought hey, maybe I can fix something in my life by losing weight.

I like the idea of counting calories and not cutting out bread and potatoes and stuff. Some days I just crave meat and other days I don't want anything to do with it so following an Atkins type diet is tough for me.

Still figuring everything out but I want to start tracking food tomorrow. 1200 calories sounds low to me so I'm a bit worried. I might even set myself at 1400 or 1500 to see if that works. I would hate to think how many calories I"m eating now but 1500 is for sure smaller.

I was going to say wish me luck, but I don't need luck, just commitment so wish me commitment!