I've been dealing with this a long time after DH had 7 By-passes in two different operation, full cardiac arrest & years of heart attacks until he got a heart transplant. Here are a few tips that have worked for me, (altho' sodium wasn't a problem for him.) He loves peas & beans which made it a lot easier.

Transplant Dietician said he was allowed 60 gr. of fat per day but I try to keep it at 40 since even meds don't control his cholesterol well.

It takes a while to shop 'cause yout must read labels!

Bacon: I do give it to him once a week after rolling in paper towels, cooking in microwave- then pressing to lift grease.

Eggs: Using only egg whites, lightly whipped then one drop
of yellow food coloring swirled a bit before scrambling i non stick skillet.

We're Southern & love the flavor of smoked hog jowls in greens, beans, etc., but I boil it, remove the meat & refrigerate it til' fat congeals so it lifts off...then just use the broth.

Pot Roast & occasional baked Ham is done the same way.

Buy only very lean ground meat & fat free broths for soups.
I also buy Parkay Spray "Butter" 0 fat, calories & cholesterol, and the fat free salad dressings.

Grocery shopping day is also cooking day (no need to put is all away, drag it out to cook a bunch of seperate meals.)

First I build a fire in the grill then make beef patties.
Then using more lean ground meat w/onions I brown it & as it browns I prepare chicken for baking. When beef is well done I put it in colander in the sink & pour boiling water of it & let it drain. Pour into paper towel lined bowl & press. When cool I put it in serving size freezer bags & flatten for quick thawing. Chopped onions are done the same way, so whatever amt is needed can be broken off easily. It can then be used for spaghetti, ect. (Sometimes we have Spaghetti Red (no meat) with lots of garlic & Italian spices.)

Baked chicken breast (skin & fat removed) were so unappealing to him 'til I browned them first in skillet with non-stick spray. I buy large packs & cook them all at the same time for future use (saves on utility bills too.) 8 x 8" Pyrex dishes each get one so I can add different flavorings. One gets Frajita seasoning, one Italian, one Pace Picante. etc.

While the chicken bakes I cook burgers (& sometimes Orange Roughy fish) on the grill- but not all the way thru. Cool & put each in a freezer bag- when ready to use a quick skillet warm up finishes the cooking process (we like ours well done.)

I also make Stir Fry meals a lot. A little meat goes a long way when cut in small pcs. & it's a great way to use leftover meat.

Soups are made with the fat free broths.

Desserts are fat free puddings, jello w/ fruit. I also make this:
Finely shredded cabbage in Lime jello, a layer of crushed canned pineapple, then layer of finely shredded carrots in Orange jello.

AND, look for this *Banana Pops to make chocolate flavored bananas on a stick. It's by Concord Foods & only 5 gr. of fat. (www.concordfoods.com) By the bananas in our store.

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions & Good luck!

Suzi

Go to your favorite bookstore or library, or shop on line at Amazon or Barnes & Noble for cookbooks. There are tons of them out there that will give you ideas. You'll get into the habit of it soon.
Good Luck
Frog

You might want to sit down with a dietitian or nutrition counselor, it's going to be a big change. Fat and salt are what give the foods we love their texture and taste. Elminating them makes food pretty bland, so you'll need to learn ways to put taste and texture back into food. Some changes will be obvious, others will take some experimenting. The American Heart Assoc. has some cookbooks as well as online information on Healthy Lifestyle, and, like Logfrog says, check the library, find some cookbooks that work for you and then you can buy them.

I'm sure there are also advice and recipes on other sites, probably forums and support groups, too.

Good luck.