I got to talk to the Diabetics Nurse at the VA; she confirmed that I had a pretty good handle on how to manage my diabetes. I finally have some numbers on the amount of carbs I should strive for at each meal. She told me that in all likelihood it was the stress of starting a new diet that caused my sugar to start going "wonky" and it will probably settle back down as my body gets used to the new eating style. She also agreed with me that checking my blood sugar a little more often would probably do two things: first, it would allow my to track patterns in sugar levels based on what I eat, and secondly, it might reduce the blood sugar by reducing the stress I'm feeling about it (kinda circular logic there). Anyway, she's authorized extending my prescription for test strips to once a day. Not perfect, but a great deal better than it was.