Hello.
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 18 months ago. To be honest I haven't taken it very seriously and have recently been put on metformin. I also have medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Yesterday I had a phone call appointment with my GP and I found out I have elevated liver function tests so will need further tests including a liver scan. He asked me was I overweight. I am easily 4 to 5 stones overweight. I have struggled with my weight all of my life. I know what I should and shouldn't eat but just cannot stick to a healthy diet. I feel very low. And sad. And find it hard to see a happy future where I cannot eat the things I want.
When I was first diagnosed I woke up in the mornings to find I'd been crying in my sleep. I was pretty downhearted, and felt like I had one foot in the grave. So, here I am, little over 2 years later, with 52 pounds less of me than there were to begin with, more active, healthier, happier, and like last week, actually able to fight off a bladderinfection without the aid of antibiotics. My HbA1c is 34 at the moment, and dropping. I started out on a low-carb, high fat diet, and upped the ante about 5 months ago to Keto with IF. And I'm not feeling like I'm missing out on anything, really... Thing is, we're used to sugar. I always dumped 5 spoonfulls in my coffee or tea, multiple times a day. Once you kick that habit (and it is a habit, honestly; sugars make the same part of the brain light up as hard drugs do), you don't really miss it... The cravings just go, so it won't always be something you're hungering after. And whenever I do have a single bite of something sweet, I find it is sweeter than I care for. Usually much to my surprise; in my mind I still have a sweet tooth, even if it's long gone. So it can be done, honest! Check dietdoctor.com for snacks like mug cake and the like, and hey, chocolate's still on the menu if you get used to the extra strong variety. Here in the Netherlands we have a brand (Cereal) that sells 'em sweetened with Stevia, but Labooka's Peruvian chocolate is really nice too. Or Lindt. Key being not to eat the whole bar, but with that much cocoa content, one or two squares are quite enough. I keep mine in the fridge, and they can last me a month, sometimes longer. In any case, on Dietdoctor you can find a whole lot of things that can stave off hunger AND taste great at the same time. I rather enjoy my food, which is key to sticking with a lifelong diet. If I didn't like my food, I wouldn't last a week. It was a whole lot of trial and error, but these days, eggs with bacon, mushrooms and cheese keep me full for hours. Salad with tuna, salmon of goat's cheese with mayo, wine vinigar, capers, olives or whatever, hit the spot. Rather enjoy celery sticks with a bit of hummus for a snack, or chocolate, olives, cheese, nuts... In the evening I have meat or fish with cauliflower rice, bacon and cheese. I skip breakfast more often than not, which falls under Intermittent Fasting, nowadays. I don't go hungry at all. And when I'm out and about and the only (affordable) option is a MacD's, I just order a big burger without the bun, and thus still stick with my diet. But only if there's nowhere around where I can get eggs or salads without breaking the bank. My diet's made a complete 180, and it worked, for me. And as Sani stated, there are more options. For me personally, the meds had too many side effects. And I didn't want to get into insulin unless it was a last ditch thing, and for some people it really is their only true option because their pancreas is just too knackered to do anything. (Insulin can cause weight gain. And when you're insulin-resistant, putting even more in seems, to ME at least, counter-productive. But again, that's me.). Thing is... You have options. You can go the diet route, have meds, have insulin, or a combination of two or all of the above. You can choose! Read up on all options as much as you can, then decide for yourself what is do-able. And by do-able, I mean, what makes you feel happiest in the long run. If you really, really, really cannot leave the sweet stuff behind without being absolutely miserable, then yeah... Insulin might be right for you after all. Find out what works for you. You've got options!
Good luck,
Jo
What do you call your normal eating? What sort of foods? A lot of us have done very well with both weight loss, sorting Blood Glucose (Bg) and even coming of medication by following Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) way of eating. You can still have very good meals, like eggs, bacon, mushrooms etc for breakfast. The main thing is cutting your carb intake. I would also advise getting a Bg meter so that you can test your Bg and see what foods spike you. There are a few on the market but I have a couple of the CodeFree ones off e-bay. They are a fair price and the test strips are reasonable. 
