Need advice - Cholesterol at 275 for over a year

Hi folks,

I am new to this list, and still reading the various postings. I thought I would post my situation, and solicit your advice.

I am a healthy 33 year old male. Up until 3 years ago, I was also fairly fit. However, since my children have been born, my level of fitness has gone down and I have gained about 10-20 lb in fat (and lost some muscle in the process).

A year ago I had 2 blood tests done that returned with alarming results:
Total Cholesterol - 254 & 275
HDL - 36 & 39
LDL (calculated) - 196
Triglycerides - 305 & 182

I declined my Doctor's recommendation to go on medication, choosing instead to modify my diet a bit (cutting out fatty foods), cut stress (quit my high-powered job), and drink more red wine. I should mention that my family has a history of cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. I don't suffer from the latter two.

I just had another test done, and my results are virtually unchanged:
Total Cholesterol - 275
HDL - 38
LDL (calculated) - 195
Triglycerides - 192

My doctor now recommends going on a statin med (simaustatin - 20 mg a day) for a year, and then re-examining if my cholesterol can be controled only by diet and exercise.

I am open to advice:
1. Regarding drugs (I live in Israel, so I am somewhat limited)
2. Dietary recommendations.

Thanks