Looking for advice about exercising and losing weight

amother

Yesterday at 11:09 pm

hi,
I'm almost 50. I am 5 ft 5 in and weigh 185 pounds. I feel like a giant blob. DH is not so attracted to me. DD is in Shidduchim. I want to look and feel more normal at her wedding IYH, may it be soon, than I did at my last child's wedding. I am prediabetic; I want to feel healthy again!
The last time I lost a ton of weight was a few years ago. I lost 20lb over about 6 months through careful dieting and exercise. It was really hard.
Somehow this time its even harder, I assume because I'm getting older.

The only types of exercise I enjoy are:
walking
elliptical
swimming
dancing

I am sure I would lose weight if I went to three weddings each week, but alas I don't get to invited to many weddings lol

Today I walked 15 mins and went on elliptical. This was after a hiatus of about 4 months of no elliptical. I was on it for about 5 mins and my heart rate was so high! Over 175bpm (beats per minute)!
I googled it and learned that it's not a healthy heart rate for my age, a healthy heart rate at exercise should be no more than 170bpm, and really no more than 149 ideally.
How can I get back into exercising while not raising my heart rate so high?
maybe I'm doing something wrong.... I dont know how to do a warm up. How do you warm up before exercise, I never learned this stuff. And if I do warm up first would that make my heart rate more steady and less high?

caould somebody in the know please advise?

(I dont need advice abdout eating healthy, I know how to do it, I'm just not so motivated unfortunately, but I do need to do it!)