Anyone know of a good low fat diet??? I've been told my dr to start one and see if if helps lower my cholesterol levels. I've got till Nov. till they retest me. If I don't get it lowered. I'll go on meds for it. Really want to avoid that. Any suggestions are welcome right now.

It's not just lower cholesterol food you want, hon, it's also lower sugar. Sugar that isn't metabolized turns into fat and heightens your "bad" cholesterol.

I hated having to give up almost all sugar when I found out that I was diabetic, but it's not so bad now, with stuff like "Splenda" on the market.

One thing that will help for sure is eating lots of veggies--raw is best, but if that isn't your thing, then prepare them as minimally as possible. Try to eat them without dressings of any kind. If that is too bland, try low fat options like fat free or low fat salad dressings to spice them up a little.

Stick to mean serving sizes, if you eat meat. A serving size is about the size of a deck of cards--3 ounces. It shouldn't be the main emphasis on a plate, it should just be there for flavor. The biggest amount of food on there should be the veggies.

Make a fist. That is roughly one cup in measurement. A half cup of rice is a serving, as is a half cup of potatoes or yams. You can see why you can't rely on starches like that to fill you--they are gone in about three bites!

I like baby carrots, celery,snap peas, etc. Experiment and find what you like. You could do something like dip them in low fat Italian dressing (yummy!)

Make sure you eat at least three fruits a day. If you buy the ones that are in season where you are, they aren't all that bad for price. I am lucky enough to have farmer's markets where I am and the fruit......:drool:

Good luck to you, sweetie! You can do it! :thumb:

I have to agree with BrandyBlue about the sugar aspect, as refined sugar in food is one of the worst things. :yesnod:
I'm in the process of completely changing the type of food I eat, and even the way in which it's eaten. For me that involves no longer eating any meat or dairy products, and any processed food what-so-ever. I now eat fruit for breakfast which I really enjoy, and if I feel peckish I'll have fruit instead of chocolate or sweets.
I'm still in the process of emptying my freezer and cupboards of the food I've already got, so it won't be until next week when I'm clear of all the wrong sort of food. I've also stopped drinking Coffee (I never drank Tea) as well, though I kicked the caffine habit quite a while ago anyway. :yucky:

If you can change the sort of food that you eat so that around 70% of what your eating is fresh or natural, then I don't think you would even have to restrict the amount that you eat. So that you could still eat a 'normal' evening meal with family or friends etc. :thumb:

Let us know how you get on and I'll report back on what it's like to go 'Vegan' after 39 years. :yikes: :bouncy: (I am really looking forward to it believe it or not)

Be careful of the phrases, "low fat" and "no fat"...because sometimes they are higher in calories then the full fat products.

In addition to what the others said, I would highly recommend excerising. If you can walk or find some weights to work with, and exercise that will help out a lot. It will take off weight, tone your body, and lower the blood pressure too.

Believe it or not, stress can also cause high cholesterol, and that's why exercising (mainly cardiovascular activity) in addition to better eating habits (see Brandy and PGs posts) will help lower it. It may not lower it a lot by November, but it will some and if he notices that, he might not put you on the medicine. However, you need to stick with it, because if you stop, it could raise back up again.