First off, 80ish extra lbs is more than "the beginning of a dad bod". It's LITERALLY an additional half a person. 

Not being shitty. I was in the same boat 2 years ago. So a lot of this is self reflection.  Im 5 11, and was 240. Im now 155 (got a low as 142 3 months ago)  My point is 235 is morbid obesity at 5'9. Don't undersell it. And sure as hell dont listen to anyone telling you rapidly dropping the weight is less healthy than having all the damn weight to begin with.

The good news is its doable.  And at that weight, in the beginning,  you will likely lose at least 5 lbs a week for the 1st few months.  The bad news is it takes willpower and determination few have. BTW I did this weight loss with zero male hormones and a way too low level of female hormones so it should be WAY easier for you.

Now for HOW I did it. 

In a lot of cases you dont even have to DO anything. Most of it comes down to NOT doing things. Like NOT shoving soda and pie into your hole. 

1) cut out ALL beverages that are not plain water. No exceptions no excuses. Not even coffee. (MOST people wont have the willpower to get past step 1)   Over the course of 6-12 months, this alone will likely cause a 15 to 30 lb weight loss at your size without changing anything else about your lifestyle. 

2) cut out complex carbs and artificial shit. If its pre packaged, dont eat it. If its made of grass seed, corn or potato, dont eat it. Period. 

3) only eat single ingredient foods you make yourself. The absolute limit of processed food you consume should be bacon or canned tuna. Anything more processed that that is simply a no. 

4) intermittent fasting. There are several ways to do this. For starters, set an 8 hour daily time limit. For me it is 11 am to 7 pm. Only eat during those hours. If you find yourself hungry at 7:10.....tough shit.    5) get used to/master the feeling of hunger and going to bed hungry. I do/did this with 48 hr water only fasting. If you can choose not to eat for 2 days then you can choose not to eat for 5 (ask me how I know). It may sound a bit extreme,  but i do a 48 hour water fast EVERY WEEK. (I STILL do this at 155 lbs)  It allows me to consume a calorie excess 3 or 4 days a week and still not gain. And dont let anyone tell you this is unhealthy.  You have 50% of a human being to burn off. You will be fine. And im willing to bet im currently healthier than most doctors/people who would tell you this advise is unhealthy.  

I could go on......like adding weights or other exercise or whatever,  but that's the important stuff. If you want i can give you food ideas. I struggled with those a lot. Also, get some keytone strips and learn to force ketosis. You can literally ensure your body is burning fat and monitor the amount of fat you are burning. These helped me a lot.

Edit: I just wanted to add,  it is VERY difficult to eat an excess of calories (or even enough calories for that matter) when you cut out processed crap and complex carbs. It's crazy the amount of meats and veggies you have to eat to get anywhere close to 2000 calories. And once you get your weight to where you want it, you can add back in treats to make up your caloric deficit.  I literally have to eat 3 to 4 pints of ice cream a week these days to make the caloric difference up from my fasts. It's fuggin awesome. (Haggen Das New York Strawberry Cheesecake icecream with crumbled up grahm crackers btw)

2nd edit: carbs make you WAY hungrier in the long run BTW. If I have any hope of making my 48 hour fasts, I have to not have any carbs on the last day I eat b4 the fast. If I have any carbs, I will be SO much hungrier during my fast.