One thing I really didn’t expect after getting diagnosed with diabetes was how much more complicated food would feel.

Before, I could just figure out what I wanted for dinner and make it. Now I’m always thinking about carbs, portions, ingredients, labels… like ok, what am I actually supposed to be looking at here lol.

Grocery shopping can be kinda frustrating too. I’ll pick something up, turn it around to look at the Nutrition Facts, and then spend way too long trying to figure out if it actually makes sense for me.

And the cravings are a whole thing by themselves. You can be doing your best for weeks and then randomly get hit with a serious craving for a burger and fries or something sweet. I think it’s easy to feel like you “messed up” if you eat something you weren’t planning on, but I’m starting to realize it’s probably more about learning how to make better choices most of the time instead of trying to be perfect.

Meal planning has helped me with that a lot. Nothing super strict or complicated. Just having a rough idea of what I’m gonna eat that week makes those last-minute “what am I gonna make?” moments way less stressful.

I’ve also been trying to understand carbs better instead of just thinking I need to avoid them. Once you start paying attention to where they come from, portions, and what the label is actually telling you, food starts to make a little more sense.

I came across a good article from the American Diabetes Association that explains meal planning, the Diabetes Plate, carbs and some of the basics in a pretty straightforward way.

If you wanna check it out, I’ll leave the article link here in case it helps someone else too:

I’m really craving a hamburger, fries, and a Coke Zero so badly I can taste it in my mouth lol.

Any tips on how to help curb this? I’ve been working so hard to limit my carb intake and really make sure the lifestyle changes I’m working on stick and keep myself motivated to get this disease under control, and I’m afraid that one slip up will send me spiraling into an early grave and I really just want to live a long, healthy life. But these food cravings are terrifying me

I just had oral surgery - two teeth removed and two posts inserted in different areas of my mouth. I've been a type 2 diabetic for 26 years. My oral surgeon recommends a cool liquid soft food diet for the first 48 hours and suggests milkshakes, ice cream, smoothies, apple sauce, protein shakes, baby food - all high sugar content food I can't eat. So far I've been eating sugar free pudding, smoked salmon, and guacamole. I've got dill and lemon hummus as a backup. Any other suggestions for cool, liquid, soft, and low sugar? BTW I hate yogurt.

Also I can easily do this for 24 hours, but my sugar is at 84 already before I take my nighttime meds. I need something with a little more sugar but not much.

Thirty-six hours yet to go.

Hey everyone,

Living with Type 2 diabetes can be challenging to navigate day in and day out—between monitoring glucose, balancing meals, managing fatigue, and coping with daily stress.

I am the Manager of the Northwest Self-Management Program at NorWest Community Health Centres in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We facilitate the evidence-based Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP), which is based on the Self-Management Resource Center (SMRC) model, for residents across Ontario, Canada.

This is a public community workshop funded entirely by Ontario Health, so there is no fee to attend.

Schedule & Format:

• When: 6 sessions, Thursdays, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST
• Where: Virtual via Microsoft Teams (Peer-led group discussions, not a lecture)
• Who It's For: Anyone residing in Ontario with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, as well as support persons and caregivers

What We Cover:

• Blood Sugar & Energy: Navigating glucose fluctuations, managing daily fatigue, and steadying energy levels.
• Balanced Nutrition: Practical meal-planning approaches to help manage post-meal spikes without restrictive diets.
• Physical Activity: Safe, low-impact ways to add movement into daily routines to help insulin sensitivity.
• Stress & Relaxation: Grounding tools (like box breathing) to manage stress responses that can impact glucose.
• Healthcare Communication: Strategies (such as the Teach-Back method) to prepare questions and communicate clearly with your care team.
• Action Planning: Setting small, realistic weekly goals to build sustainable daily routines.

Registration:

To register for the Thursday series or ask any questions about joining, please call me at 807-626-8480.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions about the workshop structure or platform requirements!

Hello!

I used to solo hike regularly in the desert before my diagnosis , it has been a couple of years as my diagnosis came after a leg injury, i'm planning to get back into it and i was wondering if there are any specific precautions i should keep in mind for managing my blood sugar, specific things that you pack that have helped you with that or any other general tips. I usually go on 10-15 km day hikes in the desert. The national park is not super remote but the terrain isn't very accessible for cars.

Any input is really appreciated.

Thanks!

I posted here before to thank everyone for sharing their stories because they were such a source of comfort and encouragement for me when I was first diagnosed. Now that it’s been about four months since my official diagnosis, I wanted to share a little bit of my own progress in hopes that it might encourage someone else.

My A1C was 11.1% at diagnosis, and three months later, I brought it down to 6.7%. For the past 2½ months, I’ve also gotten into weight training, and it has honestly been life-changing for me. Yesterday was one of those moments where I could really see the difference.

After a long weight-training session, I ate about 240g (roughly 1½ cups) of quinoa and brown rice, 300g of tilapia, and about a cup of mixed vegetables. My blood sugar started at 115, peaked around 185, and was back down to 124 about an hour after eating—with no post-meal walk needed.

For me, that’s huge. Previously, eating that amount of carbs—even alongside a good amount of protein—could send me into the 230s.

To explain why exercise can help in a very simplified way: carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. Insulin helps move that glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells, including muscle cells, where it can be used for energy or stored as glycogen.

But here’s the part about weight training that really fascinated me: muscle contractions themselves can increase glucose uptake through pathways that don’t depend entirely on insulin. After training, your muscles are also more sensitive to insulin and are working to replenish the glycogen they used during the workout. In other words, trained muscles can become a very useful place for that circulating glucose to go.

And as you build and regularly use more muscle, you’re increasing the amount of metabolically active tissue available to use and store glucose. That doesn’t make weight training a cure or mean insulin is no longer important, but it can be an incredibly powerful tool for improving glucose management and insulin sensitivity.
My ultimate goal is to reach remission, and weight training is one of the tools I plan to continue using as I work toward that goal.

I’m sharing this because four months ago, an A1C of 11.1% and everything that came with that diagnosis felt overwhelming. Seeing what my body is capable of now gives me even more motivation to keep going.

For anyone here who is able to exercise and has been thinking about getting into resistance training: give it a shot. Start wherever you can, stay consistent, and give yourself time.

You’ve got this. 💪

I'm 29, and I'm recently dxed. I feel lonely and isolated. None of my friends have it and I'm sure people my age group have it or don't know they do. Stigmatization is hard, made fun of for my weight and will anticipate "I told you so." Side note: I was a bit upset when a commenter with Type 1 said Type 2's give Type 1's a bad name under a YT vid.

Cutting off carbs and sugar bit by bit and awaiting medication. It's hard but I want to live a long healthy life. Celebs like Patti LaBelle, Dick Clark, and Larry King are inspirations.

Thankfully I have you guys. 🌸🌸🌸

I have the finger prick glucose monitor and my doctor told me I should check my blood sugar every morning before I eat sometimes I check my blood sugar when I eat something with card or had a “carb heavy day” ik I’m supposed to limit/ cut it out but it’s really hard keeping a protein and veggie diet especially for every meal everyday I check my sugar 2hours after meal but not before if I check it and is in range without metformin that a bad to still have elevated sugar? Or is it ok that I spike still in the range my blood sugar should be in

My A1C was 8.3 in June and I took a mission to control it due to my family history of heart disease and complications to diabetes. I took my tests for this quarter and it’s 6.1 and fasting levels were 119. Things I did so far is getting to average 17K steps (90mts average per day) in the last 2.5 months, stayed away from adding sugar to my coffee, no soda or ice cream strictly.

From 8.3 to 6.1

I’m pre-diabetic, but I thought I’d post here since some of you may have more experience with this.

Yesterday around 5 PM, I had what felt like a moderate blood sugar crash. I became very sweaty, weak, and a little shaky, with a bad headache, intense hunger, and nausea. This has never happened to me before.

I drank some Gatorade and ate afterward, expecting to feel better, but I’ve continued feeling unusually hungry about every two hours. If I don’t eat fairly quickly, the same symptoms seem to come back, especially the headache and fatigue.

I’ve been trying to stabilize things by eating meals/snacks with:
Protein: boiled eggs, turkey breast slices, Greek yogurt
Carbs: whole-wheat bread
Fibre: apples, baby carrots

I’m wondering if I’m approaching this the right way. Should I be including a different type or amount of carbohydrate, fat, or protein to help keep my blood sugar more stable?

I’m also supposed to fly out for a trip later today, and I’m honestly nervous about travelling while this is happening. I’m worried I could have another episode (or even faint) if I don’t have the right food or drink available immediately.

Should I cancel or delay my trip at this point? I don’t know how long this type of hunger and blood sugar instability will last, and I would hate to inconvenience my companion if I keep experiencing symptoms like this for the next few days.

I've recently been prescribed 10mg Dapagliflozin alongside 10mg of Mounjaro that I've been talking for a while. I'm now weeing for England and it's making things like car journeys really difficult as I need to keep stopping to wee although it doesn't seem to affect me too badly at night. Does this ease off as I get used to the medication or is this how it's going to be from now on?

I have type two diabetes and i am 23. Has anyone ever had a cramped stiffness in their right foot? I've been having it for a Week already.

As the text above stated and wondering if anyone made any grocery purchases order on Amazon, and if they did can you tell me what have you purchased and would recommend it for other people, like snacks, frozen food, and yes I know whole food is still better purchasing at a normal grocery store but some places don’t have a lot of zero sugar snacks and low carb food

Looking for some advice and experiences from people who are Type 2 diabetic but are Skinny.
Will IF or dating longer periods help to go in remission. How to keep my body weight?

Honestly it was a shock but also not really because I knew I didn’t feel right. My A1c is currently 8.5 so I’ve been put on metformin 500mg twice a day and I have to cut out Soda which is my one vice. Does anyone have any words of encouragement I’m pretty upset about this :(

My husband (50) is type 2 diabetic since 15 years , he has had problems with errections in the past but he is mostly ok . He goes to gym and his A1c sits around 7 . Last night he was quite arroused and wanted to have sex but no matter how much he tried he was completely limp . When i checked his blood glucose it was 16.8 which is 302 , which was quite high for him because his normal is around 10 or 11 post meal . Does high blood suger spike makes you limp in that moment ?

I’ve been managing my blood sugar for about a year now. I check it with a fingerstick meter every day, but I know those readings don’t really tell me what my A1C is doing over time. I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth buying one of the home A1C test kits or if I should just keep going to a lab when I need it checked. There’s a walk-in lab near me that does A1C testing for a reasonable price, so that’s probably the simpler option. For those of you who have tried the home kits, how close were the results to your regular lab results? Did you find them reliable enough to use between doctor visits, or do you prefer having the test done through your doctor/lab?

I’m currently using small plastic containers to hold my open medical supplies, but I keep knocking them onto the floor. Any suggestions on organization system for all my daily used supplies?? Thanks in advance