Hi, I go off what my specialist nurse tells me. My pancreas was damaged during a procedure at the hospital which should have blasted gall stones but instead blasted air directly into my pancreas, whilst it functions, it now functions sporadically. Add to this I was put onto sitagliptin for 2 years after the resulting procedure gave me acute pancreatitus and left me in hospital for over a month, if you read the instruction pamphlet, you will know, this is bad for people who have had this illness. This once again gave me pancreatitus.
I am sorry I don't fit the a-typical type 2 format, but my aunt has type 2 and shes managed differently to me (diet and metformin) also so its not a "1 label fits all illness". My doctors surgery told me to quit as many carbs as possible, 1 meal of carbs per day, no more so I went the route everyone here is throwing out there. My morning sugars were around 18-22 because I am advised that my body didnt have enough carbs to function over night (my last meal was around 6-7pm, breakfast 7:30-8am) so my liver kicked in and took them from my body which long term we all know is bad.
When I was referred to my diabetic specialist, she said 3 meals per day with carbs was essential because of the damage to my pancreas and not knowing how well it was working, plus snacks - not 6 meals - that would be both stupid and fattening. My day snacks are usually 2 oat cakes (approx 100 calories total each time) - similar to eating a piece of fruit (which as I said, I cant tolerate anymore as sugars cause my pancreatitus to flare and leaves me stuck at home the whole day). As I said in my post, I make healthy choices in my carbs but do not eliminate them and that works best for me, it may not work for others. I do not eat a high fat diet, and follow low GI with my carbs but don't forget I am also on insulin and as such I can suffer hypos on the days my pancreas decides to kick some insulin out so carbs assist me in maintaining my sugars whilst I am at work throughout the day. As an example, I ate a roast turkey dinner with 2 potatoes (boiled new potatoes no fat), cabbage, carrots and swede. That left me with a hypo because there were not sufficient carbs for my body in it for the afternoon... I was full as a frog but too ill to function which left me craving sugar and shaking at my desk unable to drive home until I fixed it.
Each of us if different, I am working at the gym to remove my excess weight, currently 5 stone down, but this has not had any affect on my blood sugars at all. If I was simply diabetic because of my weight, it should have had an affect by now. Lucky you that you have found something that works for you, I have my specialist working hard with me to figure myself and my body out.