It's difficult to convey the challenges, the train of thought, and the lucky kneejerk decisions/changes in shorter forum posts. So, if you'll indulge me, I'll expose the madness in a longer post.
If I'm honest, 3 main things forced me into action:
1) My diagnosis scared my kids (9 and 6 years old). They don't know the detail of diabetes obviously, but they've learnt the word at school and know it's bad. I wanted to alleviate that fear, my own panic and disarray took a back seat.
2) My symptoms included wonky vision, unquenchable thirst and needing the toilet every 45 mins tops - day and night. I appreciate these aren't the worst symptoms, but I couldn't take anymore sleep deprivation and I was desperate to make these symptoms subside.
3) An upbringing with an ex-army father. As the saying goes, "you can take the man out of the army, but you can't remove the army from the man". I was brought up to face problems head on, put emotion to one side and ignore it, confront fears, and try to do it with a sense of humour where possible, even in the darkest of times. In the army you focus on the objective and relentlessly chase after it - that was drummed into me. It helped a lot, despite my resentment of that style in my teens!
As for approach following diagnosis, I went from Eat Well, to low carb, to lower carb, to keto in the space of two weeks. It was all based off the research I was doing and seeing BG results slowly improve with each shift, but it was chaotic. When
@ianf0ster warns of reducing BG levels too quickly, as I see him posting, people better believe him. It sent my eyesight wonkier again. My digestive system was all over the place. I went through the keto "flu". When starting keto, I literally ate greek yogurt for breakfast, omelette for lunch, and meat with brocolli for dinner for a week, every day, while I figured out a broader range of meals. I was absolutely committed, losing weight, and seeing improved BG numbers day on day with keto. It was worth the consequences to me at the time, all the while one of my father's favourite quotes running continuously through my mind -
the pain of discipline is less than the pain of regret. I focused on data and numbers, ignoring the emotional side of diagnosis completely.
After a week of keto, so roughly 3 weeks since diagnosis, my BG levels dropped under 10 mmol. The thirst could finally be quenched. I wasn't going to the toilet as much. Despite the side effects, the relief was indescribable. By the end of the second week of keto (4 weeks on from diagnosis), the haze of keto flu started to lift. I joined this forum, getting some amazing and much needed support. It's why I'm so grateful to everyone here, not only did their advice help me so much, but their support came through immediately when I joined. I needed it, without even realising it.
Would I recommend my approach? Not in the way I went about it. I'm as careful as I can be to be gentle in my encouragement of people on their low carb path, if that's what they desire to do. Many of the challenges and side effects I went through can be avoided with a gentler approach. I have no regrets, but through my errors and chaotic approach, I've come to appreciate a better way of getting the same effects, just without as much of the burden along the way.