I'm glad you found out about your diabetes before something really serious happened. I think a couple of the most crazy "world's scariest police chases" I have ever seen on TV involved drivers impaired by their diabetes (never really mentioned whether their blood sugar was too high or low).

I think you're on the right track with your attitude about what to do. The end-all-be-all isn't the blood sugar, A1C or any other measure. Although excess blood sugar causes all the kinds of problems, just popping a pill to lower your blood sugar number isn't really a solution. Just like removing excess fat using liposuction from someone with an awful lifestyle doesn't address the root problems.

Diabetes is the result of a lot of different things getting out of whack in your body. It likely took years of gradual changes to get that way and it could take a long time to really get to where you want, but I think it is well within your means. In my own case, I was surprised to be told that my blood pressure was high (149/95 the first time) and it took a number of years, but I've brought it down under 120/80 without resorting to any meds. It improved part way fairly quickly, then I couldn't seem to improve it for a very long time until it suddenly dropped again, so don't be discouraged by plateaus or setbacks along the way. Stay focussed and I think you'll meet your goals.