Hi there,
i think your anxious because of all the things that has happened to you. It`s such a shame you have had to deal with losing family members at such a young age but you are doing the best thing to try to get yourself healthy. Your anxiety has happened because you have lost people close to you and you are worried incase it might happen to you? I think your heart skipping a beat can be just from the anxiety as stress can do wierd things to your body. If you really are worried about it visit your doctor as heart problems seem to run in the family, he/ she should be able to put your mind at rest.
As for a diet I don`t think you should be going on any faddy diet that you won`t stick to, its the most common problem for people failing on diets. You need to make a life change and that doesn`t mean never eat a sweet again but you eat it in moderation, eat healthy, exercise whether you go to a jim, take the dog out for a walk or go up and down the stairs a few times. Build it up when your feeling better add another five minutes onto your walks or something like that.
You don`t need lots of money to be able to make positive changes but you do need a positive attitude and a lot of will power. It is hard and you`ll have days when you feel like your back to the beginning again but pick yourself up and get going again.
Attitude and effort are a big part of losing weight, also the choices in your eating habits will make a huge difference. You will feel a whole lot better when you get started as the momentum kicks in.
Good luck
debs