I am going back in my memory to the first six months in particular after I was diagnosed, and I see it as a time of, apart from dealing with the feelings of a shocking diagnosis, was dealing with my sugar addiction big time.
I went 'cold turkey' on sugar, but with help from simple herbs and spices, a nutritonal overhaul, and LOTS of walking. I understand
@Kitt82 - that you have other medical issues that gives you mobility issues? Have I understood correctly? So lots of physical activity may not be on the cards for you? (Physical activity can be very stress relieving and you get those feel-good hormones flowing, and, helps mop up excess blood glucose so is a win win.) (And the bonus of keeping cardio vascular problems under wraps.)
As for eating. For me - supplementation for sure. Gymnema sylvestre was a good help for getting over sugar addiction. I also had a three month course of olive leaf liquid. I believe that helped me hugely with gut biome issues intertwined with my previous high consumption of sugar. (Candida! In a word.)
I used lots of ceylon cinnamon and vanilla as natural sweeteners in the low-carb baked goods I cooked up like crazy. And I experimented with natural and artificial sweeteners - I'm a great believer in substitution when it comes to dealing with a very real addiction. LIke many longer term type twos, I know the best sweeteners for me, taste and health and blood glucose wise, due to eating and metering, and for me - keeping a food journal.
I also baked a lot of apples! My cold turkey was on sugar, but not on fruit at that stage - I think it took me a year to realise, due to eating and metering and food journaling, that I had to say a big goodbye to fruit except for berries, and then they have to be super portion controled. But I could not have said goodbye to fruit in the first year. And now I have ways to have very very little, seasonally, that helps the loss of those delightful foods.
I discovered Sarah Wilson's 'I quit sugar' cookbooks in a bookshop, and bought them, even. I was also feeding my older teen daughter at my table at that stage, and some of those recipes were really good for both of us - particularly the paleo inside out loaf. (not a sweet, but palatable for the non-diabetic you might have at your table.)
In that period I discovered that no non-diabetic wanted to eat my low-carb diabetic-friendly baking! So I learnt that what was once social is now just between me and my sweet tooth and my desire for decent blood glucose levels. Since then lots more of my friends have also gotten T2D, but they are not recipe sharers, or 'lets have a diabetic friendly afternoon tea party' kind of blokes, sadly for me.
Is sugar addiction still a thing for me? Oh yes! Just a couple of days ago I went into an unknown cafe in a new city to get takeaway coffees, when I discovered that what must be an excellent pastry chef was working and baking in there - the sight that hit me was - ohhhhhhh! I took a photo even. And certainly discussed what I would have bought if only I didn't have T2D (and the eating of would contribute to my too early and unnatural death is my line) to a very tolerant and friendly young server, and a couple of amused cafe-patrons. (I could describe in detail the two baked goods I would have chosen a couple of days later. I don't need the photo!)
I have never and still don't have any shame over either T2D or sugar addiction. Re the latter - the sugar industry knew very well their product is physically addictive, (like with tobacco there is such a thing as 'the sugar papers'), but - oh boy, what a source of revenue. Imagine what it is like now??!!! When sugar is in sooooo many things, and where it does not even belong - like in meat and fish marinades, amongst other otherwise savoury dishes.
That Dr Vera Tarman article on carb and sweet-addiction on the dietdoctor site was a good one. I personally do not use the phrase 'food addiction' as every living human is addicted to food - I think it is excess carbs and sugar that is the issue - not 'food'! But plenty of folks use the phrase.
I love stevia, so I am lucky in that way. And of course - chocolate! I am not a dark chocolate substituter for milk chocolate, but there is a very readily available brand of stevia sweetened chocolate that I like to have for a sweet choccy treat. I admire folks for could get over their desire for sweet treats entirely, but I am not one of them.
Good luck to you on your dealing with an addiction journey! Lots of support out there, and in this forum for sure. And I do hope you find good substitutions.
