First, if you are over weighted then anything you use will have some performance issues. A lot of instructors/guides will overweight people who seek input either due to carelessness or lack of interest or because their biggest concern is you not being able to get down or to hold a safety stop, and they would rather you carry around a ton of lead than cause problems or have safety issues. Your goal should be to have the BC empty or close to it for as much of the dive as possible, assuming we are talking warm water recreational stuff. When you have the opportunity, try to take some time to figure out what is right for you and then rely on that instead of letting a boat dude tell you what to use.
I think you might like the Scubapro Litehawk or Aqualung Zuma. I have not used either of those, but know a number of people who use them and like them and have been on plenty of boats with folks using them and they generally people seem pleased. The are both pretty good fro travel and are two of the most commonly recommended travel BCs in the USA.. I have a Scubapro Hydros and when used with what they call their trav-tek belt and a couple of small weight pockets (instead of the big weight pockets that also come with it), it is light and packs up small. I can recommend it, but it is expensive. They come in a women's model.
There are a number of other similar products like the Oceanic Biolite, Cressi and Zeagle offerings. Try several if you can.