Please Help

I am new and I really desperatley need to lose weight, My Dr did a blood work up on me only for me to find out that my Cholesterol was at high risk, and I am borderline Diabetic. I am 43 and this really scares me. I am about to celebrate my 1st wedding Anniversary to my 3rd husband. I divorced my first husband and my 2nd husband was killed in an auto accident 3 years ago. I was fortunate enough to find a wonderful man to ask me to become his wife, and I would like to spend the rest of my life with him, but I want and need to get healthy. I want a lot of years to be left in my life. So any advice would be great, Thanks...

I am sorry for the loss of your last husband. What are you stats? Height? Current weight? Goal weight? Based on your height and weight you can figure out how many calories you should consume during a day. It also depends on how much exercise you do.

Don't panic karlyinwy.  There are some really easy things you can do to start the ball rolling, reduce the cholesterol, stabilise the blood-sugars and with a bit of luck, reduce your weight at the same time. 

 - Get 5-a-day fruit and vegetables... minimum.  Fill half your plate with vegetables or salads at each meal before adding anything else.  Snack on fruit.  When meals are mostly vegetables they are less calorific but more filling.  If you get a good variety of different colour fruit and veg you're also getting excellent nutrition. 

- Switch to low-fat dairy products.  The calcium in dairy products helps the body absorb less fat from foods and low-fat dairy products are lower in calories and will help the cholesterol levels reduce.

- Eat less meat.... choose leaner cuts and grill it rather than frying it.  If you replace a third or half of your meat-based meals with meals based around things like beans, lentils or tofu you will be consuming fewer calories and it will also help reduce your cholesterol levels

- Choose wholegrain foods.... wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, high-fibre breakfast cereals, oats, etc.  Foods with a high fibre content are more filling in smaller amounts than simple/refined starches and sugary foods.  High fibre foods actively help reduce cholesterol levels and also stabilise blood-sugars. 

- Exercise for half an hour a day...  e.g. a brisk walk.  This helps reduce fasting sugar levels and also reduces cholesterol levels.   Regular daily exercise means the body burns energy more quickly which makes weight-control easier

- Always have breakfast and eat and snack regularly rather than skipping meals.   This helps stabilise blood-sugars and makes weight-control easier.  

- Prepare/cook as much of your own food as possible so that you know exactly what's going into it.  Ready-made and restaurant food often contains things you don't expect! 

On top of those... use the CC food log to keep track of what you're eating.   The sheer act of keeping a diary and being more conscious of what you eat and drink will mean you eat less.  You'll also be able to identify areas to brush up on.  

That's probably enough to be going on with.     Best of luck.

Gi Jane knows her stuff!... It's great advice, and relatively easy to follow. just don't try to do everything at once. If you only achieve half of this in a few weeks, you can be proud of yourself! Good luck!