South Beach follow a low glycemic index regime that is helpful for diabetics ...

Losing the excess weight would go a long way toward reversing the Metabolic Syndrome condition ...

I lost nearly 100# using the 5:2 Fast Diet ... It worked for me ...

He is also pre-diabetic. "Stay away from anything white." That means potatoes, sugar, pasta, bread, etc........ You don't necessarily have to go vegan.

Have been for several years. Just made some really bad food choices.

And the potato thing may kill him. He's a potato freak.

and he must! My sister was diagnosed with diabetes and she sticks to the diet and exercise. She is able to control it without medications. He can do it too and it is worth it. Good luck!

As you probably know, you can be a junk food vegan and that's not healthy at all.

This guy, a doctor, has some excellent videos on reversing metabolic syndrome and diabetes through diet, mainly avoiding sugars.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyL4iGArWn5Hu0V_sAhK2w

Another good idea is to fast for 12 hours out of every 24, like 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Gives blood sugar and insulin levels time to go down, and that helps with appetite control. Insulin is the thing that keeps us hungry, and type 2 diabetics usually have more insulin than other people due to insulin resistance.