Welcome to the club
The best usual advice to a new T2DM is to eat to your meter. It is just one change rather than too many all at once, it gives instant feedback, and usually results in food changes over a couple of weeks that mean ever improving numbers and health. I think from reading your posts that this method alone wouldn't suit your personality. You seem like a planner, researcher, and similar to myself - have a great need for information. The main drawback to this is that is increases stress in the short term - as there is SO MUCH STUFF to figure out all at once. Also some things you decide now, you will change your mind about later so just try and remember it's a journey - and the only person you are competing with/answering to is yourself.
I don't understand why you would go Vegan if you like meat and have no ethical issues with eating it. I get that it has suited your brother and I read the study you linked but I have seen a lot of studies that say better things about true LCHF. Also someone can always seem to find a study that says the opposite to another study. Nutrition studies can have a lot of underlying issues.
Also try and not worry about cholesterol for now - eating good (especially animal) fat won't clog up your arteries. Losing weight can also do weird things with your lipid profile. So if it's me - I just get the blood glucose numbers into range, this also reduces your insulin and you lose weight. After you are nice and settled there - then you can maybe worry about cholesterol numbers, or any other health tweaks. There is a really good, and long cholesterol thread somewhere on the forum that would be a good read.
I am not sure if you have heard of it yet but I use the Freestyle Libre rather than testing strips. It is expensive but the feedback I get from it is so much more extensive than what I can get jabbing my fingers. I do have to self-fund as I am also T2 and only on metformin. Just something to add to your "thinking about it" stack
It is really great that your husband is supporting you so much - that's going to help a lot. You got this - I promise you are going to feel healthier than ever very soon.