Ben, you're off to a great start and have more background on the plan that I would have thought. That's great.
The Pleasure Trap book that you have is, I think, written by Dr. Lisle rather than Jeff Novick. If you have read that book, you don't need to see Dr. Lisle's video lecture, although it is great.
One of the first things you should do IMO is to find a "go to" recipe that is easy and quick to prepare and will satisfy your hunger. I like the Very Quick Black Bean Chili on p. 228 of the Esselstyn book. It tastes great and keeps well in the (new) refrigerator. Try some other recipes too if they seem more appealing. Another "goto" item for me were Japanese Sweet Potatoes. See if you can find some (oriental food store?) and wash and bake them for about an hour at about 375 degrees. You can keep a few in the refrigerator. They rewarm great in a minute or two at low power.
You want to start developing "go to" foods because it is when you are hungry that you are most likely to go off plan. Make sure that there is always plenty of great food around. Apples, bananas, any whole fruit, are also great things. Do you have any diagnosed medical problems? I am assuming that fruit for you can be eaten relatively freely.
Do you like potatoes? Here is a great and filling potato dish that you can make.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18966 Take a look at it and maybe give it a try. It keeps well and reheats well.
You are going to be faced with a lot changes that will seem difficult at first, and it will be mostly up to you how to deal with them. Before you get serious about adherence, I think it wise to have all your tools and weapons lined up.
Read up on your rice cooker how to use it as a steamer, and if it didn't come with a steamer basket, get one. You don't want a metal one if your rice cooker has an expensive coating on it. Steaming is a great and tasty way to prepare vegetables etc. Also check if your rice cooker has directions for oat meal (if you like it). Or maybe you would like rice and vegetables better for breakfast. Either way - you already have he idea. Prepare breakfast the evening before, and it is warm and ready when you are.
You have Jeff's dvds, so you already know how to read labels. Make sure that any canned items you buy don't have added oils, etc. or have more sodium (salt) per serving than calories per serving. I am assuming that Aussie label laws are similar to US?
Another thing that will be ideal for you is a Bento Box. This is the one I used.
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SL-JAE1 ... 857&sr=1-1What I normally did was put a lot of last night's dinner (e.g. the Chili) into the bento box. I might also have a warmed sweet potato in there, and a salad if you like.
You said that you didn't like vegetables much. Don't worry because your tastes will change. For now, you might want to get a bottle of balsamic vinegar, or some lime juice or limes, to see how you like vegetables with these. I don't like greens very much by themselves, and often start meals with a bed of greens over the rice. Example - pour the Esselstyn Chile over a bed of brown rice and greens. Any greens are fine. I like spinach a lot and often use mixtures that the store prepares to speed preparation time.
It might be fun to post a picture here as another way to follow your progress visually. Also, I think we should have a weekly weigh-in documented. The problem with the tickers is it only shows beginning weight versus current weight. It would be good to have weekly data points both for general knowledge and to alert us of any problems that could creep up in terms of understanding or adherence along the way.
So soon we should have a general plan of attack for every day. Your rice cooker can have most of breakfast ready in the morning. You can put last night's dinner in the Bento Box for lunch, and you will have some favorite recipes for dinner. You may want to set the rice cooker to have brown rice ready when you return home in the evening. You can always snack on a sweet potato or fruit, or warm some chile or whatever and pour it over rice. You will always have warm rice available. If you have extra time, see if you can try another recipe or two.
In the meantime, try to focus more on whole plant foods and taper off or quiet anything with dairy, meat, or oil. Do you find that you have to eat out a lot? Or are restaurants not a necessary evil for you.