Hi Aaron, and welcome
The bad news is, there's no way to lose weight quickly, healthily, and in a way that will last (medical recommendations are 1-2 pounds a week at most). The good news is, it's not as hard or as complicated as you think. There are lots of different options out there, but my understanding of weight loss (I'm not an expert by a long shot, but I've done some reading and like to think I'm reasonably capable of synthesising the material) is that it's all about eating less calories than you burn. Of course, this may be easier said than done, but here's how I've gone about it (and it's working for me).
Step 1: calculate your daily calorie requirements. To do this, go to this website and type in your details: (then follow the link and multiply the number you get by your activity level). That's what you need to eat to stay the weight you are. To lose a pound a week, reduce that number by 500 calories- that's your daily allowance. (I asked my doctor this morning whether I was doing the right thing and she said that was a good way of doing it)
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Note: you won't lose weight faster if you slash that number too radically- 500-1000 is the recommendation for most people. If you slash that number too far you may not get the nutrients you need, or begin to starve, and not only will that leave you malnourished, it may provoke "starvation mode" in the body which will cause the body to preserve fat stores- so you may cease weight loss or even put on weight. The absolute minimum for you is 1000 under your maintenance rate, unless than number is under 1800- 1800 is said to be the absolute minimum for men)
Step 2: Work out what foods are high and low calorie choices, and re-evaluate what you're eating. This can take two forms:
(a) I calorie count- I weigh and measure my food (once you get the hang of it it's not that hard), run it through a computer program which will tell me how many calories (and other things like protein, carbs, and fat) I've eaten, and I try to make better decisions to keep my calories at my goal (while still keeping my food interesting and filling). (It's not as hard as it sounds)
(b) Try to eat nutritiously (see below), but take note of the kinds of choices which are good/ bad for you, and how many calories are in certain things. Not as closely as above, but say if you're out and you want a sandwich, look at the label and choose the 300 calorie one rather than the 600 calorie one. It's not as systematic as my system, but it'd definitely help. I'd still recommend keeping an eye on what portions (roughly) you eat and what kinds of things go into your mouth, though.
Step 2a: Make sure you're getting a healthy, nutritious, and satisfying diet. If you're hungry all the time you won't be able to maintain this, nor will you want to. If you make good choices (oatmeal/ porridge for breakfast, for example), you'll be satisfied on a calorie restricted diet. Look at nutritional requirements where you're from- are you getting enough fruit and vegetables? Are you eating too much meat? (It can be as simple as the recommendations on the food pyramid) Also, check out the stickied threads here, particularly the one on easy nutrition- they're very helpful.
Step 3: Get exercise- join a gym, go for walks, join a team sport- anything that you'll enjoy and will get your heartrate at least slightly raised. The more calories you burn exercising, the more calories you can eat (but you don't want to injure yourself or make it so hard you never want to go back to it)
Finally, keep it realistic with your other commitments and your weaknesses. (And check out some of the other threads here for ideas, particularly in the diary section)
