Wow, there's a lot going on for you. Thanks for sharing and reaching out to the community.
Heart disease and clogged arteries are not related to red meat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, but are the result of diets high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and seed oils, i.e. canola, vegetable, sunflower, grapeseed, cottonseed oil, etc... This is well-documented in Nina Teicholz's 2014 best-seller, THE BIG FAT SURPRISE, as well as the works of Ben Bickman, Tim Noakes, and Anthony Chaffee, among many others. Find their vlogs and books on YouTube.
A shoddy scientist Ancel Keys was paid by the sugar industry in the 1940s to throw red meat and saturated fat under the bus to take the heat off the true culprit, the sugar industry. Teicholz documents this in her book as well.
Another excellent book on fat, cholesterol, and the dangers of statin drugs is THE GREAT CHOLESTEROL MYTH by Jonny Bowden, PH.D and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. all backed by solid science.
Gout is related to high alcohol and sugar consumption, again, red meat gets the bum rap.
You will be extra thirsty in the absence of carbs due to the depletion of glycogen stores which uses water. Keep well-hydrated and add electrolytes to your water to keep your energy up and your leg cramps at bay.
Don't worry about an exercise routine right now as this will have little impact on your weight loss and may overwhelm you at a vulnerable time.
Eating carbs when we're not hungry is indicative of carb/food addiction which is very common in today's landscape. The food industry designs foods for repeat business so they are manufactured to alter brain chemistry for the dire purpose of addiction. Food, and The Food Industry are not related but the industry has created the narrative on nutrition. Basically if it has a barcode and is shown on TV or billboard ads its not food nor fit for human consumption.
Having one meal a day might be an advanced strategy if you're having energy dips. You might be dealing with insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and sugar imbalance. This takes time to heal and shouldn't be rushed to promote weight-loss. If you're not yet fat-adapted, i.e. using ketones as your main energy source instead of glucose (sugar) you will have energy highs and lows and could potentially cause weight gain. Ketone bodies are the by-products of your fat stores being broken down and used as energy. Your body will only switch to using ketones when you eat zero to under 20-50 grams of carbs per day although this varies person to person. You'll get to know your carb tolerance in time and lower to zero is best.
I'm afraid you'll have to toughen up around your wife's cooking and your kids' carby cereals to stay on track but it will be worth it for the self-esteem you'll gain along with the transformational results. Meat heals carb addiction by resetting your brain back to its natural and superior fuel source: ketone bodies!
I can tell you from my own experience that eating 100% ruminant meat (beef) is the quintessential elimination diet and is the most healing diet we can adopt because it's our ancestral diet and every one of our cells has a memory for high meat consumption. We evolved on fatty animals.
Changing one's diet is the most difficult thing anyone will ever do but is also the most rewarding.
As a Holistic Nutritionist and Carnivore I can offer you some free coaching if you'd like. DM me and we can go from there...🐂🤎