Do you have meter, SFL?
If you do, in your place I would eat just one day of meals exactly as you did before your diabetes diagnosis. Test your blood glucose (bg) fasting, just before every meal, 2 hours after every meal, and before you go to bed. Keep a record of what you eat and what your meter shows. That will show you what's happening on your previous diet.
Then reduce the amount of carbohydrates you've been eating at every meal. Half the breakfast cereal; only one slice of toast; salad instead of a sandwich for lunch; only one potato or spoonful of rice/pasta at your evening meal. No puddings :cry: maybe a small piece of fruit instead, or a sugarless yoghurt with berries. Keep testing so you can see what's going on, and keep a record.
You'll soon see which foods send your bg up. Buy a carbohydrate counter book, and look up everything that you eat so you know what has a lot of carbs and what is fine. The lower the carbs per 100g, the better. You can have meat, fish, eggs, cheese, green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, broccoli and lots of salad without too much trouble, so you don't have to go hungry.
Find a substitute sweetener that you like, and try to reduce sweetness in everything. I use Splenda, but there are others.
I seem to remember you're Type 2. So am I! The NICE guidelines for Type 2 blood glucose levels are in the Introductory Notes that Daisy sent you on your other thread. That's what you're aiming for, and what you should compare your bg readings with when you test.
My daily menu is: 2 eggs for breakfast; fish or meat salad for lunch; meat, fish or poultry with low-carb veg for supper. I'm very low carb 'cos I'm trying to lose weight, which you might not want to do. Maybe aim for 70g - 100g of carb each day to start with, and see what happens. I'd spread it out between the three meals, thoug it doesn't have to be even.
I can eat the occasional slice of wholemeal bread without too much trouble. I'm also okay with lower-carb fruits and cream. Some people can have porridge for breakfast. Some people can manage a potato, or one spoonful of rice or pasta! We are all very different, so we each have to learn our own body's reactions by testing a lot, particularly at the beginning.
No-one is saying that it's easy, but it's not as hard as it seems to begin with. You're learning all the time. It soon becomes second nature, and it's not all deprivation!
I'm going out for a meal tonight. There will be something I can eat for a starter - mushrooms or prawns or pate; even melon; then I'll have meat or fish (no pies!) with green veg, maybe a small portion of carrots, and a potato for a treat! No pudding - I'll have cheese with maybe a couple of oatcakes. I shall drink a couple of small glasses of wine - no more 'cos I'm driving.
I'll have a great night out - good company, no cooking, no washing up, and someone else is paying! There is life after diabetes - don't let it get you down!
Hope this helps
Viv
