When first diagnosed, I reduced the "extras" in my diet - biscuits, crisp etc. I was already on a "eat well" diet at home as my wife follows slimming world - low fat, fruit & veg, cook from scratch etc. Removing the "extra's" did help - In 5 months I lost 6 kg's and my HbA1C dropped from 52 to 48. So the Eat well plan does work. I think it just does not work well enough or is not explained well enough.
Following the education course, I then switched to LCHF. Over the next 3 months, I lost another 6 kgs and my HbA1C dropped to 44.
The biggest unexplained (for me) factors are that the eat well plate advises you to eat brown carbs and allows fruit. The last is probably a mistake for someone like me who was 7-8 pieces of fruit a day before diagnosis. Fruit is very good for you just not in the quantities I was eating
. Typically I would eat 2 apples, 2 bananas. kiwi fruit, oranges, berries (of all kings), Grape and so on in one day. The HCP team reckons the fruit intake (sugar) was a contributory factor.
As my wife pointed out the Eat well plate is aimed at the general population and the NHS is trying to improve the dietary intake which is sustainable. If we were all told to stop eating bread, pasta, rice etc. from day one, how many would succeed and keep on it? I have but I slip every so often. It can be trying and a pain in the rear to measure the carbs. Yesterday on top of my normal meals I had 150g of pistachios and around 75 g of chocolate...the result my carb intake for the day was over 130g (my target is 75). 130g is still low carb it is just over my target.