Just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes — what do you wish you'd done in the first month?

Seven years in. What I wish someone had told me in week one:

The first month is for learning, not fixing. I tried to overhaul everything at once — diet, gym, no rice ever again — and burned out by week six. What lasted came one change at a time, starting with breakfast.

Learn what your numbers mean before you fear them. Ask your doctor directly: what's my target HbA1c, what should fasting glucose look like, when do you want to see me next? Write the answers down. Half my early panic came from comparing my numbers to random internet thresholds that didn't apply to me.

Walking after dinner was the single highest-value habit I built, and it cost nothing.

And tell one person. Doing this in secret made everything heavier. The fog lifts — truly.

I helped my father through his first year, and the most useful thing we did was arrive at the second appointment with written questions. The ones that mattered most:

• What are my targets — HbA1c, fasting glucose, blood pressure — and how often will we re-test?
• What symptoms or readings should make me contact you before our next appointment?
• Is this metformin dose a starting point, and how will we know it's working?
• Should I see a dietitian, and can you refer one who understands our regular food rather than prescribing a foreign-sounding diet chart?
• What about my eyes, feet and kidneys — when do those checks start?

General information from our experience, not medical advice — but a doctor's answers to a written list beat a week of Google every time.