Hey there Impossible Dream. It has been a long, long time since I contributed to this thread! Page 2 was where I chimed in.
First of all, congratulations on becoming a fitter (and lighter) human being. I am sure that aspect of your journey has got to bring some feeling of satisfaction, even if the running is not quite where you'd like it to be.
I posted, and continue to post, under the handle armchair, because i have gone through the same things as you. When I shared my two cents back in November I was at the tail end of my most recent comeback. One sidelined by, you guessed it, achilles trouble. I went from zero to one hour a day of running with some "quality" sprinkled in for good measure. First the right achilles started, and then the left.
I can tell you in hindsight, that the only thing that eventually worked for me was to stop running. I just told myself that I was no longer a runner and focused on riding a bike a little bit, and a lot of strength training and some mobility work. I even stayed away from Letsrun for a whole 6 months ! This past June I went for a run (if you can call it that) for 20 minutes around my neighborhood and had no symptoms whatsoever. About a week later, i went for another. Now, I'm up to maybe a run every 2 or 3 days or so. All 20 to 30 minutes, and really, really easy and with no problems. I'm still not a runner though ; ) Self-delusion ain't always bad, you know.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I think you're on the right track. Get yourself fit, lean and strong and then down the road, maybe then you can start sneaking in some real training. I'm not saying you should do exactly what I'm doing, but just thought I'd share my experience.
BTW - I think Euro or PM (not sure, sorry guys) chimed in at one point and described achilles tendon problems as more a symptom than the actual problem, and that is 100% right. Get your calves, soleus and feet supple and loose and you'll place less of a load on that tendon. Tight, knotted and junky soft tissue is the root.