I was diagnosed in 2018 and have never been on medication. In January of this year i didnt feel well and rang my GP who said I had a UTI. It took ages to clear up and I still wasn't right so he did an HBA1c and it had gone to 84. I was upset because I had been eating well and exercising but hadnt been testing my sugar levels as told not to by the D nurse. I bought a meter and started testing. I found out that any cereals, pasta, rice, and bread spike my levels so I don't eat those now. I also joined the low carb programme via a link on this site. Very helpful and informative. Through following low carb and testing I started to see my weight drop and my numbers. I then got a free place on second nature which is run in conjunction with the NHS ( I looked up diabetic services in my NHS area and found the link there and applied) Again so helpful. I received a recipe book, hand book, digital weighing scales and a fitness tracker and got the services of a nutritionist and health coach. My latest HBA1c was 48 and I have lost 1 stone 10 bs. My DN thinks I could go in to remission.
I think testing before and 2 hours after meals is so helpful to find out what you can and can't eat as we are all different. I can eat berries with no issues but I do watch my portion sizes. I also downloaded the lists of green, amber and red foods and started by only eating those from the green list., Now I eat some foods off the amber list in moderation. I eat an apple occasionally but only a small one as the fibre etc is good for you. It isn't easy but it can be done but I needed that initial support I got and still get from the programmes I joined and sites like this