Hi Sugarbeat .... per my doctor I am a type II diabetic in remission. In Nov, 2011, I had a fasting glucose of 135. A year later, I had a HbA1C of 5.6 ... high normal! My A1C never got measured when originally diagnosed as borderline type II diabetic. I refused to take medication and my doctor did not prescribe meds for, allowing me several months to demonstrate I could make changes and have an impact on my body.

I moved my diet to one that would lead to ketosis so I could use dietary fat for energy, rather than glucose. I removed all carbs from my diet except those in green, leafy veggies or berries. I never allowed any serving of food to contain more than 5g net carbs. I pushed my fat intake up to 60% + of my daily calories and my protein to the moderate range at 25-30%. My severely restricted carbs generally ran about 5% daily, 25g net carbs, give or take.

No processed foods allowed, no potatoes, rice, pasta, no boxed food, nothing with sucrose, fructose, sweeteners. No artificial sweeteners, either. And nothing that was a "paleo substitute". The first couple months I got rid of alcohol, too. Now I allow myself a glass of wine or a vodka/soda. I find that if I do actually go and drink, after a few drinks I end up hypoglycemic. This isn't good because now I'm tipsy from the alcohol AND messed up from being hypoglycemic.

I also added in exercise. Started with walking and jogging, then running, then at home workouts like Power90, Insanity and Focus T25. Now I'm weightlifting, actually.

My diary is open, feel free to take a look at it.

At the fair, what if you get a hamburger and don't eat much, or none, of the bun?

I was probably very fortunate to be at the beginning of lifestyle induced diabetes and able to correct it. If I had been well into it and on meds and all that good stuff, probably would have been much tougher. I was also very fortunate to have a wife and partner who agreed with me that medication was not the path we were going down (I was actually diagnosed hypertensive, high cholesterol and diabetic, all at once). She helped me immensely, keeping me on track with food, noticing when I was lacking energy or what have you.

It was really tough to get transitioned to low carbs. I think you need to find a nutritionist/dietician who has very specific knowledge about low carb diets for diabetics (assuming you are type II). My advice can only go so far, I highly recommend getting that input from someone who is really knowledgeable on the topic.

Also, feel free to friend me and ask questions any time.

Sorry - not diabetic, but... You bring up that you feel tired and ill when doing low carb. Are you supplementing key minerals, like sodium, potassium, and magnesium? Fatigue, headaches, even dizziness are all symptoms of sodium deficiency. Low Carbers excrete sodium, and need to supplement. A cup or two of salty chicken broth is recommended. Target 3-5 grams of sodium per day.

Good Luck!

Use this website to determine your mix http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ of carbs, protein and fat.
as others have said, don't be afraid of fat. and basically for all the worry, there is not such thing as 'bad' fat. don't worry about that concern. because you're diabetic, you should know how to use ketostix already to determine if your in ketosis.

I don't worry overly much about calories as long as I keep my carbs down. I keep Carbs below 20 net grams of carbs per day consistent with atkins induction methodology. I don't see a purpose to 'needing' carbs. I just avoid them pretty much. but carbs below 50 grams per day will generally be safe.

Eric's right on pretty much everything he says too. don't make it complicated. just cut the carbs and you're energy will come from fat. eat lots of it don't worry about it. Fat consumed will be used for energy. very hard to store it as additional fat. just focus on cutting the carbs.

I use any chicken broth that is labeled organic and NOT low sodium :-D ..... sometimes I make my own just cause I like it better.

I'm not as selective on the broth. You can also make it from bullion. I usually buy the stuff in the carton (probably Swanson). We sometimes make ours too, but that's more of a winter thing.