Diabetes really does a number on the body, and it is sort of a wear-out mechanism, those rising A1C numbers are sort of like brakes that aren't stopping your car as quickly as they used to, a sign that a system is wearing out (in this case her insulin sensitivity and ability of her pancreas to pump out ever higher levels of insulin). Not exactly alike, because over a lot of years bodies can recover some, while your car won't, but any recovery of those features in your body tend to be slow.
So she probably really does need to change up her diet to protect her health (including her eye sight, liver health, sensitivity to touch, immune system, brain age, and more). You can find lots of guidance online, but the big first steps are really cutting down on sugar and simple carbs (white flour, potatoes, white rice), and super-especially not having a lot of them at once (spiking her blood sugar).
It can be really hard to replace those calories, but with work she can likely do it. She might lose a bit of weight for a while she and her body adjust to the new diet, and it can take some discipline to eat as much when more of it is sunflower seeds and less is brownies, when more is cream and less is soda, etc. But imagine her still being plump and curvy and wrapping your arms around her without feeling any concern or guilt about her health? Worth maybe the loss of a few pounds for now?
2 years