r/InsulinResistance

From the article:

"The doctor also found she had insulin resistance, which affects most women (about 85%) with PCOS."

"Doctors initially thought of the condition as a disease of the ovaries when it was named in 1935.

Research in the decades since found it is caused by an imbalance of hormones, the chemical messengers in the body. The two main hormones affected are insulin, which controls the way the body manages all fuels – sugars, proteins and fats – and the androgen group of hormones.

Imbalance of these hormones affects multiple systems in the body, including metabolic, mental, skin and reproductive health, as well as the risk of diabetes and heart disease."

Hi all,

I’ve been diagnosed with insulin resistant PCOS (it took years for this) and my nutritionist referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist told me they suggest I start a GLP-1 (which I have tried Zepbound in the past) and that I would have to stay on this my whole life (32F). She also said she won’t prescribe it to me without my starting birth control because of pregnancy risks while on a GLP-1, and can’t help me if I don’t consider this. As of today, she said if I don’t have cysts (had ultrasound and hysteroscopy to test) then I don’t have PCOS. I found this crazy due to the switch from PCOS—> PMOS today. They said this was to practice in good faith due to issues with GLP pregnancies. I get this but also felt uncomfortable considering birth control has been consistently pushed on me since I was 15 and deeply know it’s not right for my system and values at this time.

I have been on birth control for 15 years (stopped it 2 years ago) which was masking all of these issues and imbalances such as long periods, and it no longer aligns with my life nor sustainable to my mental health. I felt extremely pressured and overwhelmed being told this, and am wondering why I was prescribed a GLP-1 in the past by my primary care without being told I have to start birth control. They also told me HIIT workouts are fine… and that I am doing nothing helpful by cutting out some dairy and gluten (I have eczema in my ears and scalp).

I know I can find another provider and everything, just was disappointed by this reaction and the way this Dr. made me feel I was dumb and doing everything wrong, especially taking the Inositol and other “non FDA approved supplements”. I felt judged and misunderstood. Anyone else have an experience like this? I’m just starting to navigate my IR and could use any thoughts here! Thank you <3

Hi,

acc. to my labs I am NOT insulin resistant. BUT nevertheless, as I am eating pretty low carb (not very intentionally, this is just what I do), I have problems when eating carbs.

I spike very high and crash afterwards. I tried eating protein first, pair with fat, eat my fibres, walk after meals with carbs but still I can notice it.

Yesterday evening at 6 pm, I ate a bread roll with fish and mayonnaise (something that does not happen very often). I felt fine afterwards.

As it was only half of the fish, I just ate the same today at 9 am. One hour later I feel like crap. Cold, heart racing and palpitations, trembling hands. So I guess I spiked high and feel the crash.

At least this is what I could see wearing once a CGM.

I am sure I spiked just the same in the evening. But I do not have those symptoms.

Any ideas, explanations for that? Do you experience similar issues?

I have had a fasted glucose level of 100 or right above or below ever since around 2019 and have undergone changes to flaccid penile length and I am for lack of a better term numb ,really it’s more like a complete absence of feeling. Is this common with insulin resistance ?

I ate flourless bread along with soup, meat and veggies for the past week. Exercising daily as well. Will it be okay to eat ramen then go exercise after? I’m really craving it. Thank you! 🙏

I haven’t yet seen my provider to discuss these results. My fasting insulin level was 25. My fasting glucose was 93, with a HOMA-IR of 5.7. I also noticed on this bloodwork my ALT level was 39, a bit high out of range. Does this indicate an issue with my liver, even though it’s not astronomically high, and are the two related?

Hello, I am trying to apply all the recommendations to lower my insulin and HOMA but the one thing that I cannot do is to follow the food order when eating, which is fiber->protein->carbs. I know some studies say that it helps to prevent insulin spikes but I find it so boring to eat the salad first, then the chicken, and lastly the carbs for example. Will I still be able to reverse my IR if I don't follow this specific rule? Thanks

Im insulin resistant and pregnant and I am craving the heck out of some stuffing. Is there like anything I can use in place of bread for stuffing? Like lentils? Squash? Carrots with like stuffing seasoning?

Has anyone successfully achieved a pregnancy despite having insulin resistance? I am starting IVF this month. I feel like my doctor isn't giving me many chances, and I cannot postpone the procedure.., is there any hope? Please share

Last year, I went a week w/o carbs and sugar. I did lose weight. I stopped out of pure laziness. I’m going to start back again. I did struggle with eating. Do you guys eat when you aren’t hungry? What was your motivation to continue? Please and Thanks!

I’m 40F

Didn’t get my period in March or April. My period is normally like clockwork. Don’t have any symptoms of perimenopause.

Lab work - hormones normal. I know this isn’t set in stone.

.4% away from being diabetic
Triple the normal range for liver enzymes
High cholesterol
High bp almost to hypertension level 3

Under massive amounts of stress for the past 3 years due to getting injured in car accidents. Rear ended both times, mobility is limited. Cooking and grocery shopping are hard so I mainly eat out. I’ve been living with a broken back for 3 years. I also have trigeminal neuralgia which my doctor thinks is due to stress. It got so bad in February, I couldn’t sleep bc my cheek kept getting electrocuted randomly. Went away for a few weeks but now it’s back.

Now I’m more stressed out due to loss of period, liver issues, etc. Idk what to do. I try to alleviate the stress but bc of the car accidents, I encountered a lot of financial issues which causes stress.

Prior to accidents, I rarely ate fast food especially McDonalds which I never ate. I rarely did Uber Eats. For the past 3 years, I feel like all I eat is fast food or get deals on Uber Eats.

I also have adhd and normally take adderall. But in February, when my sleep schedule flipped bc of the trigeminal neuralgia, I stopped taking adderall. Since Feb, I have not been able to fix my sleep schedule. I have a lot of stress about the future and also bc my broken back has been progressively getting worse, it’s been harder to find a good sleeping position. I also need a new mattress.

Edit: I’m also obese obviously. I gained 50 lbs from steroid use in the Feb to April 2025 timeframe. I’m down by ~20 ish lbs now.

Send me all the recs and add the recipe!! I try to do whole-foods diet

I'm a 38 year old guy. My current weight is 76kg, and my height is 177cm.

I don't drink. I quit smoking 6 years ago.

I workout 4 times a week. This includes resistance and 20 minutes of cardio.

I generally have a healthy diet with at least 130g proteins per day, and about 190g carbs from good quality foods(generally). I almost never eat carbs alone.

I have 0 other health issues, that I know of at least.

My fasting blood glucose is 93.4 mg/dL

Homa B is at 154%

Homa-ir at 3

And fasting insulin at 13 µU/mL

The lab results say that homa b and homa ir are waaaaay above normal.

I have a doctor appointment next week.

But I honestly don't know what I could do different. Maybe cut down on the carbs?

Could this be some genetic stuff? Or am I worried about nothing?

Back in Dec 2024, I went for my annual checkup and asked my new doc for help in getting my weight under control. I've always been a bit husky since I was young, and had gotten up to 230 lbs (5'10" M) at this time. He suggested giving a GLP a try, and to be quite frank I hadn't really thought about it, or knew anything about it at that time. So I started taking Zepbound under his direction, when a week later, he calls me back with my lab results and says my A1C is 6.6.

Of course, I've gone through this world a bit oblivious to what an A1C is, though upon looking back at previous labwork it looks like I had been testing in the 5.7 range for about 10 years up until this time. I had a blood clot 15 years ago, and the doctors at that time could not come up with a reason why, but now I'm of the belief that this may have been an early warning shot of metabolic issues ahead.

Anyway, so I continued along with the Zepbound, and ended up losing about 45 lbs, in a very steady, pretty much (for the most part free of side effects) for about 9 months.

We took a relatively straight route to 15.0 mg, as I think that was the trend amongst many prescribing GP's back then given the Lilly directives at that time. Never really lost any weight on 15.0, as most of it came off at the 7.5 and 10.0 levels over those first 9 months.

I'm now on Mounjaro (given my 6.6 score back then, and the fact that my insurance ended my Zepbound coverage in July 2025), and over the last almost 9 months I really haven't lost any additional weight, and it feels like the weight loss benefits of the GLP are likely no longer applicable for me.

At 180 lbs, and with pretty good labwork (A1C is currently holding steady at 5.4) across the board except for a higher than ideal LDL, which I think is in part because I've been focused a bit on eating less carbs and more fat than in the past. A year and a half after starting the GLP, I'm left pondering next steps, if any. I have no issues with continuing on with the drug, as I'm sure it's likely providing benefits in terms of glucose control, inflammation, etc. But do I need to be on 15mg, or should it be a smaller dose, and does it matter? And how would I tell?

Again, no real negative effects to the drug at this point on my end, but just trying to figure out future plans, recognizing that as time goes on circumstances could always change.

I've never seen an endocrinologist, but my understanding is that as long as I'm taking Mounjaro that there is little testing they could do to give me any sense as to insulin resistance levels or other notable diabetic markers, which given my current situation, may not be all that important to know anyway. Any thoughts on the value of seeing one at this time?

Appreciate any and all thoughts, thanks!

I have PCOS and insulin resistance, and honestly my biggest struggle is the belly fat. It just feels like no matter what I do, it does NOT move. I can be consistent with eating better, working out, etc., and it still feels stuck. Super frustrating.

I’m starting to think the insulin resistance piece is what I’m not fully understanding, so I wanted to ask a few things:

1. What apps are you using (if any)?
For tracking weight, food, symptoms, blood sugar, etc.
I’ve seen stuff like MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, and some PCOS-specific apps, but I don’t know what’s actually helpful vs overwhelming—especially with insulin resistance in the mix.

2. What kind of workouts actually helped you?
I’ve seen so much mixed advice:

• weight training + walking
• low-impact workouts
• avoiding super intense cardio because of cortisol

For those with insulin resistance, what combo made a difference for you (especially with belly fat)?

3. Micronutrients / diet — what should I be focusing on?
I feel kind of lost here. Should I prioritize:

• protein?
• fiber?
• iron?
• something specific for insulin resistance?

If you’ve figured out ways to eat that actually helped with insulin resistance + weight loss, I’d love to hear what worked.

Also if you’ve been in that spot where your body just feels “stuck,” what finally helped things start moving?

Appreciate any insight 🙏

im currently on my journey to reverse my IR. I’m quite low weight as it is so im not looking to lose any weight but instead gain muscle as i have practically 0 muscle mass. since i started the journey, i’ve been eating carbs as normal, the only major changes i’ve made is significantly increasing my protein and fibre intake and also strength training 4x a week. i feel good so far but yet to see any major changes. i want to know if this is this a good way to approach IR? i would like to know if anyone else has not went keto/low carb and managed to reverse their symptoms

quick disclaimer - previous attempts to cut carbs were too hard on me and i found myself binging at the end of the week, which is why I’m choosing to take this approach

I am desperate here, guys, and this is a little bit of a long post and I’m not sure if this is the best thread to post this to, but here goes. I’m hoping someone here can help me.

In October 2024 I started a really intense diet/exercise program to get the baby weight off from my summer 2023 baby. For about 6 months, I was on a diet of about 1,200-1,500 calories of daily intake with over an hour of intense cardio and resistance training 6 days a week and IF with a pretty short eating window and a skipped breakfast every day. I tracked religiously so I know what I was eating. This was quite a deficit for me and I started to notice it was affecting my fertility so I did some research and realised I had way overdone it. Since I was going to start TTC April 2024, and this was March, I pulled back. I didn’t go back to full eating but I started eating a more reasonable amount and had to stop running because of an injury. I also started seeing a naturopath at the same time. I’ll add I was on a daily progesterone supplement (a bad advisement from a practitioner who almost never worked with women who weren’t in perimenopause or menopause) - neither of us realised this was wreaking havoc on my fertility and I was on it for a year.

Bloodwork at this time was showing my thyroid was not doing great, but neither were any of my other hormones. I did a 9-month protocol to recover from diagnosed adrenal insufficiency and everything except my thyroid has steadily improved.

Fast-forward again to today. I have had 7 pregnancy losses in the last year. I have gained 40 lbs since last year. 10 lbs was after coming off that over the top program and took several months. The last 30+ have been since August and I continue to gain - I’m over 200 lbs now with a waist circumference of 36+ inches, and I’m only 5ft 6in so I am considerably overweight. My TSH is at 3.22 mIU/L (I’m in Canada for reference) and my fasting blood insulin is at 60 nmol/L. I have a severe history of type 2 diabetes on my dad’s side so I don’t know how much of this is just lousy genetics.

So - Here are my questions. If you have been in a similar boat, what did you do that actually helped? How did you improve your thyroid function before it got worse? How did you lower your fasting insulin? I already eat limited sugar, do weights 3-4 days a week and lots of walking, eat primarily whole/homemade diet, prioritize healthy fats and protein and track my calories/macros. I can’t go on anything more than a mild deficit or it immediately and very negatively impacts my fertility and I’m still TTC.

(PS - If this is the wrong place to post this, please let me know.)

Hey guys, just wanted to know if someone was actually diagnosed with Insulinoma?
What were your readings.

I personally had 24 fasting insulin about 3 months ago. With 2 months of metformin and daily walks and good diet, I have managed to bring it down to 11.
Homa IR is 1.41 and fasting glucose is now 79 which earlier was 96.

I also have 160 Beta cell function value but I have no idea what that is.

The problem is that I still get very very hungry, though I am able to control my hunger for longer now than before.

Is it possible I have insulinoma? If so how did I see an improvement in the readings?

Edit: Also wanted to mention that I had to get off metformin after 2 months because I had a very bad incident where my sugar went below dangerously low levels.
Not sure if I should still continue with it?