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HOWEVER, that said, each person will have their own peace to make with food, medication, exercise, etc.
If you can manage to lose between 10 and 20 lbs. and keep it off, you can probably be a lot more lenient with what you eat.
Here's the secret (your diabetes educator may have already told you this, if s/he doesn't, ask around for another choice in educators):
All you REALLY have to worry about is keeping your blood sugar readings within the target range for you.
That target range is something your endocrinologist should set after reviewing a lot of things related to age, gender, general health, other chronic conditions, etc.
The problem with Type 2 diabetes is the slow, long-term accumulation of damage that comes with running high blood sugars on a regular basis. If you can keep those readings in your target range, you're doing the most important thing you can do to help yourself.
Now, that said, food IS one of the most important aspects of keeping those readings where they need to be. But not the ONLY aspect, and there's a lot of new information and research out there about food that hasn't yet made it into the canned presentations a lot of diabetes educators use. So do your own research.
Other factors: TEST OFTEN (can't emphasize that one too much!) and keep your diary especially for the first year or so. You can see how your body responds and get a feel for what and how you can keep the readings in that optimum range by comparing the readings with what you were doing/eating/etc. according to the diary. Very helpful.
Also: MEDICATION There are some new ones on the market, especially the incretin mimics, that are true "breakthrough" drugs for Type 2 diabetics. Do some research and ask your doctor about trying them.
And: EXERCISE which is practically magic. My sedentary esposo started taking half-hour walks four or five days a week and the effects were miraculous. Not only on the test strips but on his energy level, hunger patterns, etc.
As far as food goes, the important thing is not sugar or carbohydrates per se, but the glycemic index of the foods you eat and how your body responds to them. Which is not the same for everyone, no matter what the cute little pamphlets say. Some people do pretty well dealing with moderate amounts of simple carbs like potato, white bread, even sugar, others do less well. Some people have higher sensitivities to forms of sugars common in dairy products, or some fruits/vegetables, etc. (Another reason why it's so important to keep that diary! No one can tell how you're going to respond to various eating patterns except by experimentation and documenting the results over time.)
It's much, much more important to develop eating patterns you can comfortably sustain over the long haul than to go all hard-core or try one procrustean regimen after another looking for the magic formula. What will work for you will be very individual. My esposo can have almost anything he wants, in moderation, except for HFCS, some kinds of fruit juices, and heavy doses of refined sugar. But I make him oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with real chocolate chips and brown sugar and he can have a couple for an afternoon snack or dessert after dinner without a problem. We have potatoes--even home fries, which I make with half-and-half russet potatoes and sweet potatoes (that is a YUMMY combo, BTW, I'll probably never go back to all russets, even just for me.)
He didn't eat that way at first, though, we had to learn over many years of trial and error and medication experiments, etc., and finally are coming up with a balance. So don't regard your diagnosis as a death-of-eating-anything-good sentence. Keep your eye on the prize (test results in the optimum range) and work with a good nutritionist/educator to sort out what will work for you.
Oh, and as a side benefit-- Since I've had to cook for his health, my own non-diabetic health has also improved. And I'm perfectly happy with the same eating pattern he has (well, I indulge myself in risottos more often...) and don't feel the least bit deprived.
Good luck!
encouragingly, Bright
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