Best advice is two-fold: educate yourself on the dynamics of diabetes (and how carbs figure into things.... This place's low carb program and dietdoctor.com will help), and buy a meter. Being a type 2 the NHS won't provide one, but most people here self-fund. Should you choose to make lifestyle changes, it is a priceless tool. As a type 2 your body is unable to properly process carbs. All carbs, fast, slow, brown, white, sugar, starch... So if you ditch cereal, bread or any kind of dough really, potatoes, pasta, corn and rice, as well as fruit (fruit is healthy, just not for us... Though most of us can handle berries with double cream)... Might see a really big improvement in your bloodsugars straight off the bat. Fat, as it turns out, isn't the obesity-culprit, and it doesn't have that much impact on cholesterol either. So yay for bacon! Eat above ground veggies, meat, fish, dairy, eggs... Go for full-fat, as it slows down any sugar spikes, and low fat is usually loaded with carbs, so steer clear! If you have a meter, check before eating and 2 hours after first bite; if you go up more than 2 mmol/l, the meal was too carby for your body to handle. (Once you know how your body responds to certain meals, you can test a whole lot less.). For me, when I'm not fasting, it's eggs and bacon, cheese and mushrooms in the morning. Salad with tuna, olives, capers and mayo for lunch. Dinner is cauliflower rice/broccoli rice with bacon and cheese, and whatever meat/fish we fancy having that day. Maybe have some walnuts or pecans if I'm peckish or in a social situation where people get antsy if I don't munch with them.
They're filling meals, I want for nothing, and I don't know if HbA1c means anything to you, but mine is currently 34. HbA1c is an average of 3 months' bloodglucose. Mine is in the non-diabetic range. And I've dropped 44 pounds, though currently plateauing, much to my chagrin.(after 44 pounds though, that's not bad... I'm just a little strickt with myself.) No idea if weight is an issue for you, but if it is, it's a nice bonus to getting your bloodsugars under control. Meds are of course an option, but without dietary changes T2 is a progressive disease. And for me, the side effects were horrid, so... Diet-only for me. I realise it's not for everyone, as it is a choice, up to a point, and we're all different; sometimes low carbing alone just isn't enough because our bodies simply don't cooperate. But for quite a few people... It's working.
Good luck!
