Lanie has given you some excellent advice. I eat like she suggests many times but I do have some carbs, too. I personally don't feel well having practically no carbs so I do have some...in moderation. I lost 90 pounds by counting carbs. This has helped my overall health and my diabetes. This is a way of life for me now and I don't consider this a diet at all. I had been asked before what I generally ate so I wrote it down and kept it in a file. I copy and pasted it below. This will give you a good idea and I'm sure you will come up with your own ideas, too.
Become an avid label reader. You won't believe what you have been putting in your body if you read the labels. I try to stay around 15 carbs for breakfast and lunch but dinner is more in the 30 carb range. Some diabetics cannot handle this. Some cannot handle potatoes but they don't seem to affect me like they do some. BUT I know what a serving size is and looks like. I don't pile them on my plate or eat those gigantic potatoes they sell in the store as baked potatoes. Rice is one thing I can't eat. It really spikes my blood sugar...and pasta is nearly as bad so I don't have those very often.
The best rule of thumb is to eat lean meats, fresh vegetables, and some fruit. You do have to be careful about that, too.
Below is a sample of what I do and perhaps this will give you more ideas.
I see you have lupus and RA and that causes pain. I have fibromyalgia and when I'm in a lot of pain my blood sugar is higher, too. So it is especially important to watch your numbers and eat accordingly. I eliminate nearly all carbs when my blood sugar is out of control.
Breakfast
I eat eggs several times a week and try to limit myself to 4 egg yolks per week. This helps with cholesterol. I will use one whole egg and one egg white. I will thin it with a little water, instead of milk, since that makes the eggs fluffier. I use regular cheese in omelets because I think the fat free cheese is awful! If I'm going to put the calories in my body, I'm going to enjoy them! LOL When I have eggs I have Canadian bacon with them or I'll buy the Real Bacon Pieces and use them in omelets or eggs. ( I also use the Real Bacon Pieces to make BLT's since there is far less fat!) The Canadian bacon is really good and not salty and nearly no carbs. I also use the Canadian bacon as a sandwich meat instead of ham.
I enjoy a toasted English muffin with a thin layer of peanut butter on it for another breakfast idea.
I rarely eat cereal. If you read the labels, you won't believe the carbs and sugar in them...and for only 3/4 of a cup! I always have fresh fruit. Fruit spikes my sugar so I usually only have it for breakfast. Strawberries seem to work well for me.
Lunch
I don't usually have large lunches. I will take sandwich meat, a slice of cheese, a condiment, and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. I'll slice radishes with it that gives me the crunch I really need. If I have a left over vegetable, I'll have some of that too.
I recently discovered Campbell's Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup. When prepared, it makes two bowls, so I eat one and save the other. Today, I had some left over chicken breast so I cut it up and added it to the soup. It's 10 carbs per bowl. I also had left over green beans so I had them too. Home made soup is good too, if you don't put all the pasta in it.
I love avocados and they are one of the best foods you can eat to help your cholesterol. I hope you love them too. They are high in fats but it's the good fats! They lower the overall cholesterol and the bad cholesterol but they raise the good cholesterol! There are 3 net carbs in a whole avocado and a lot of fiber! Did you know they were a fruit? The small Haas avocado is the one that has the most vitamins, potassium, and photochemicals that help protect against cancer. I will sometimes slice avocado, fresh tomato, cucumber, sweet onion, and seasoning and drizzle with the vinaigrette that I make and that will be my lunch. I use the Good Season Italian and use red wine vinegar and canola oil. I rarely use bottled dressings. I also will take a couple of heaping tablespoons of 2% milkfat cottage cheese and slice avocado over it, a little salt and pepper, and my sliced radishes again for another lunch. Another lunch is I'll make a salad with avocado and blue cheese crumbles. Add left over meat if you have it.
I will get zucchini and summer squash, slice it and saute it in a little margarine and canola oil with fresh sliced mushrooms and sweet onion. Right before I serve it, I give it a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
If I really want a sandwich with bread, I buy White Wheat bread. Nearly all regular bread has about 18 carbs in a slice and one slice is considered a serving! This has only 9 carbs per slice...6 1/12 net carbs! So, I can have a sandwich and still stay pretty much under 15 carbs for the meal. I'll use this at breakfast sometimes, too. I keep in the freezer because I don't eat it that often.
Dinner
Ahhhh...my favorite meal of the day! I generally have meat or poultry, a potato or pasta, and a vegetable or salad. I grill, broil, or roast my meat (and fish). If I really have a craving for something, I eat it, but not huge amounts of it. This isn't a diet to me. It's the way I choose to eat. I'm never hungry, either! You can eat as many veggies as you want. They're so good for you.
You do need to know what a serving size it. You can find this online. For meat, it's the size of a deck of cards. A potato would be the size of your fist. Most carbs would be 1/2 cup for a serving. Read labels and see what their portions are. I have a scale that measures in ounces and this has helped me a lot, too.
Snacks
I will usually have a small snack in the afternoon and maybe in the evening. Some of my choices are:
Dean's Lite French Onion Dip served with celery, carrots, or cucumbers
Pop Secret 100 Calorie snack size popcorn (This is 16 carbs so I don't have this as often as I would like.)
A small handful of nuts. (They have fat but they are good fats, especially almonds and English walnuts.)
Philadelphia brand Salmon with Cream Cheese served with celery and carrots.
Popsicles or Jello with Reddi Whip
Salsa using celery or green pepper for the dipping
Sherrine