Hi one8008, welcome to the forum
🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but the good news is that, despite the challenges, the modifications to diet and activity levels often results in people feeling happier and healthier than they may have done for some time - it's manageable with the right knowledge and application
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Good to hear that you are getting a meter, this is the best tool you can hanve for discovering the elements of your diet that you tolerate well, and those you may need to reduce or replace. Have a read of
Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S - it's a good explanation of how to use those precious test strips efficiently and what you need to be looking out for. I'd also highly recommend getting a copy of
Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, probably the best book to learn about Type 2 and how to manage it well.
Regarding diet, I think that, once you have learned more you will be surprised at just how rich and varied a diet you can have. The limits imposed by diabetes tend to be on items that are not really very good for your health anyway, and you will be surprised at how quickly your tastes adapt to the 'new you'
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Ideally, you want meals that release their energy slowly and steadily as they digest, which will reduce the impact on your blood sugar levels - the main aim is to avoid 'spikes' which shoot your levels up quickly after eating, then drop quickly back again as this can make you feel tired and unsatisfied. I would suggest getting a copy of
The GL Diet for Dummies, which describes the principles of selecting food that will keep you satisfied by without playing havoc with your levels. Food is a tricky topic as there is no hard and fast 'list' of things to have and things to avoid - we all have different tolerances, and what suits one person may not suit someone else. The chief thing is to be aware of the carbohydrate content of the things you eat and drink e.g. bread, rice, pasta, potatoes - not just the sugar content, as sugar is just another version of carbohydrate: white bread is actually worse for you than ordinary sugar!
Please let us know if you have any questions - nothing is considered 'silly' - and we will do our best to help!
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Good luck with stopping smoking! It's the best possible thing you can do for your health, particularly when you have diabetes. I stopped 20 years ago and it has been the best thing I did!
