NatalieJ, I crossed over from pre-diabetes to diabetes in 2006. I also didn't take it seriously enough, but I, like you, am now.
As a type 2 diabetic, testing frequently is the BEST gift I gave myself this year. By switching to the cheapest test strips available with the meter needed for them, I was able to reduce my cost from 88 cents to 18 cents a strip.
So exciting that you're trying to get pregnant!
Here's what I've learned to tightly control my blood glucose since I was re-diagnosed with T2D in mid-February.
When I'm eating well and my blood glucose is stable, I test 4 times a day: fasting upon awakening, and 2-hours post each meal. Initially I allowed myself small snacks of nuts, cheese, avocado, or raw vegetables dipped in plain yoghurt, but greatly cut back on snacking over time. Eating every 4 hours works well for me now.
When I get a spike in blood sugar, I add testing before meals too until my blood glucose comes back down and stays down. Two hours post meal, my blood glucose typically goes up 20 mg/dL (1.1 mmol/L), sometimes more, but in the beginning, it might go up 40 mg/dL (2.2 mmol/L).
When I get a spike in blood glucose 2-hours post dinner, I go for a walk then test again to insure my level is low enough before going to bed. (And if it's still higher than I want it be, I'll stay up and drink a glass of water over an hour period, then test one more time). Doing one or both of those things has really helped to lower my fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels over time.
Diet, daily exercise, and drinking water make the biggest difference of course. Any reasonably healthy diet will work so long as
it eliminates or greatly limits sugary, processed foods and foods cooked in vegetable oils; and encourages eating whole, nutrient dense, plant based foods that are high in fiber.
A book that does a great job of overviewing the science on what is known about unhealthy and healthy eating is
Fat Chance by Robert Lustig, MD. He's a pediatric endocrinologist at University of California, San Francisco (UCLA) who specializes in treating obese infants, children, and adolescents, sometimes the parents too. (Insulin resistance is a common cause of obesity in children). I read the first couple of chapters then skipped to the chapters in Part V that explain how to eat and how to reduce insulin resistance. (Eventually, I'll go back and read the mid-chapters).
I eat eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and seafood too, cheese, nuts - (raw or roasted without added oil) - as well as butter, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, green olives, pimientos removed, and avocados. I try to eat leafy greens and/or non-starchy vegetables at every meal, raw, steamed, or pan fried in butter or coconut oil.
Starchy, root vegetables and legumes are fine in small amounts, as are berries, but I prefer to not eat fruit as it spikes my blood sugar too much. But again, berries in small amounts are fine. I love a few sliced fresh strawberries on my daily salad at lunch. I use a big bowl, and lots of leafy greens and vegetables - (a quarter of red and green peppers, a quarter of a carrot julienned, 1 or 2 cherry tomatoes). I often add mushrooms, or nuts, or cheese too. Adding a slice of red cabbage adds color and bulk so I don't get hungry until dinner.
I feel best when I eat foods that include a
protein, fat, and a whole-food carbohydrate at every meal.
For an alternative to sugary dressings, I use
vinaigrettes. I use 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar. There are lots of vinagrette recipes to choose from online.
For exercise, I walk, typically an hour or more after dinner to
clean up any left over, excess glucose in my blood so I get off to a good start the next day.
I found that by eliminating sugar, flours, and corn meal from my diet, fruit too, I was able to get off the up and down carbohydrate roller coaster. By that I mean, every time I eat something made with sugar or flour, I get really hungry within an hour or two. And another benefit of giving up sugar is that within a few days to a few weeks, food will taste so much better - (sugar dulls our sense of taste).
For an
after dinner treat, one small glass of red wine or some dark chocolate, 70% cocoa or higher is good, or perhaps a few fresh berries is lovely.
I find that drinking
green tea after breakfast and again after lunch calm or eliminate the desire to snack, but if I'm really hungry, it's better to eat a healthy snack, particularly in the beginning.
If I need a sweetener, I use
Stevia in liquid extract form because it's natural and has no effect on glucose. The only time I've used it since I began this journey in February has been to sweeten the whipped cream for in season berries as a special treat.
One of the things that testing frequently will do is help you determine how different foods affect your blood glucose levels.
Once you become pregnant, the doctors will want you to tightly control your blood glucose levels. Knowing how foods affect you ahead of time will greatly enhance your ability to manage your blood glucose levels throughout your pregnancy.
Wishing for you a happy and pleasant pregnancy.