SoTyred (Tony) said:
Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself but tonight it just seems like everything I really enjoy eating or drinking is now on a banned list. Except for my two rich tea biscuits a day
It is more difficult to begin with because you are both trying to get your sugar levels under control by reducing carbs and trying to lose weight. Once you lose weight you just have to watch your carbs and the diet is more relaxed.
Have a look at the recipes section on this site. You more or less have to make your own meals, there is little on the shelves by way of ready meals. I have found that whole grains are OK for me, much better than refined white flour, so rye bread or wholemeal bread rather than standard white, long grain brown rice rather than white rice, wholemeal pasta rather than the usual yellow pasta. It is easy then to make the rest, or have fish or lean meats.
Snacks are a problem. You can eat some fruits but you get a longing for things with a bit of bite or crunch. Rye cripsbreads with thinly slice low fat cheese and slice pickled onion, ryvita with fish paste, pumpernickel with smoked salmon are all the sort of things to allow you to chew or crunch. Even a small bag of pork scratchings, at the cost of 120 kcal, can take away that urge to make a chip buttie.
There are a lot of great low carb meals to make, soups and stews, pseudo oriental dishes using king prawns, some very satisfying big salads using tinned fish such as tuna or salmon. Lamb chops or pork chops grilled and with the excess fat cut off and lots of the right sort of veg are easy to make. Mashed potatoes cause my BG to go up but a small amount mashed with turnip or celeriac, or both makes a good sized portion which is well within limits. But it all takes time to prepare, so you have to make time. It will be time well spent though, you'll eat a lot better and enjoy what you eat.
It gets easier though as you build up stocks of basics in your kitchen and as you learn about what foods work for you. Within a short period of time it becomes second nature.