Regardless of size, BMI or weight, before dieting it is wise to seek the advice of your GP.

A healthy amount of weight to loose is between 500g - 1 Kg per week or 1-2lb.

Dieting is a dirty word as far as I am concerned and I lost 35kg in just over 1 year and all I did was to look at what I was eating and getting a bit more exercise, but most importantly I ate 3 balanced meals a day, cut out alcohol, fizzy drink, fatty food as well as high sugar foods, but I did not starve my self in fact with a good breakfast inside me such as porridge, or brown toast, cornflakes (half fat milk) a coffee and occasionally a grilled breakfast of bacon, egg, tomatoes and toast.
Lunches were cooked and for evening meals I ate less than at lunch by way of carbs. I changed my plate size for a small dinner plate - that way the meal looked bigger on it and I always made sure that half of the plate was veg, a quarter carbs such as pasta, rice or baked potato and the remainder was protein, either white meat - lean, grilled or steamed fish or chicken and sometimes a steak (lamb, beef or pork)

I walked instead of taking the car when I could and used the stairs more and the weight just came off bit by bit.

I could still have a treat but if it was chocolate or something sweet I just adjusted my meal that followed a little to reduce the carbs and fat.

The only way to loose weight is to either reduce input, increase output or a bit of both - oh and a positive mental attitude of if you don't succeed then - keep at it a tiny bit harder and don't give up giving up the unhealthy lifestyle - oh and your not loosing weight your gaining a new you...

Most health advisors seem to agree that losing 1lb to 2lb a week is a healthy rate of weight loss, for anyone. If you need a specific diet for your particular body, you should visit your doctor, who can do more or less what you described.

You can calculate your own body mass index and check whether you have a healthy weight and measure your waitse, another method of assessing whether you're a healthy weight.

You are right though, you need to get the whole picture. There are lots of other measurements such as body fat percentage, blood pressure, resting heart rate, cholesterol and other measurements that may be relevant. Some of these can only be measured or evaluated by a doctor or dietician.

If you want a diet that you're sure will be healthy for you, see your doctor

Eat less, exercise more...if you can run and catch your dinner your weight ratio will be fine....the Americanisation of weight gain/loss and blood pressure, or cholesterol
and blood sugar levels has got me totally baffled.

Fast for a month, drink plenty water and things balance out again...my Grandad lived to be 102 on such advice!

This is him as a young man...he was also Tall!!