Welcome to the forum
@AmyT
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis
How long have your BG levels been creeping upwards? Did you make significant changes to your menu, but not see the effects you had expected? Is there a family history of T2?
I only ask because at 35 you are right in the middle of the zone where people can get mis-classified in terms of their diabetes type. There are forms of autoimmune diabetes that can come on much more slowly in some adults, sometimes over several years. And if early raised glucose levels are picked up at a routine healthcheck some of the ‘red flags’ (eg unintentional weight loss) may not yet have happened, and people can be assumed to be T2, but whose diabetes may have another cause.
It might be worth keeping this in mind if your early treatment plan and any meds that are recommended don’t seem to work as expected?
Try not to worry about ‘right and wrong’ foods - what really matters is finding a flexible, sustainable, and enjoyable way of eating that gets your weight where you want it, and which your metabolism can deal with in terms of glucose levels.
There are two main approaches to diabetes management that are popular on the forum (with many variants among them). One is to focus on weight loss, particularly weight around the abdomen which can indicate visceral fat built up around organs like the liver and pancreas, stopping them working properly. Many members using this approach find that glucose levels improve naturally as their weight reduces - particularly if using a short term intervention such as the Newcastle / 800 calorie diet. You could check out the NHS Path to Remission programme to see if it appeals.
The other approach is to focus on blood glucose management with a lower carbohydrate way of eating (typically less than 130g of carbohydrates a day). Reducing portions of all carbohydrates, not just the obvious sweet and sugary things, but bread, pasta, potatoes, grains, rice, and many fruits. Many members using this approach find that weight reduces naturally as their glucose levels improve.
Of course there are some that use a combination approach too!
Good luck finding an approach that works for you.
