Can someone tell me more about insulin resistance?

I am not sure that it is possible to "beat" insulin resistance. By definition insulin resistance is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes. I shall not too technical with you but essentially what is happening is that your blood sugar levels are not responding to the insulin that your pancreas is producing in a consistent manner. This is why you are experiencing fluctuations in your energy levels. My suggestion would be to adopt a diabetic diet. The best way to potentially ward off diabetes is diet control with a good balance of carbs, fats, and protein. I would also recommend you research metabolic syndrome. I hope that this might help. If I may answer any other questions, send me a message. Good luck.

I was insulin resistant for months. I have controlled my diet and my A1C is down from over 7 to just over 6. My Dr now says that I am diabetic. I am hoping with continued healthier choices and exercise it will continue to get better and I will no longer have to take meds and can control with diet. My mother had same issue and she has been able to control with diet so I am very hopefull.

I've had insulin resistance/PCOS since I was a teen.. it's very frustrating to lose weight, so I understand. Have you ever heard of PCOSdiva? Even though you may not have been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), usually these two ailments go hand in hand. Her website and/or facebook page is a wonderful resource for women with hormonal weight issues, including insulin resistance. She writes great blogs about supplements, diet, exercise, and just overall wellness to treat the symptoms. Check out her website and facebook page!! :-) http://pcosdiva.com/ http://www.facebook.com/pcosdiva Hope this helps!!! -Kim

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with insulin resistance back at the end of June. I've been working with a dietitian and we're starting to see a recent breakthrough. She has me on 1500mg of Metformin a day. Also, throughout this process we learned that I am wheat intolerant to make matters worse. Low carb diets historically were the only way I would see weight loss in the past but they are incredibly hard to maintain. She insisted I increase my carb count to 55-60% with the incorporation of more whole grains... Well I gained 10 pds. We played around with the types of carbs and finally came to the conclusion that I'm wheat intolerance with the numerous GI side effects I also getting by eating them. We also tried gluten free products but to no success. I am now eating approx 55% carbs with the elimination of bread, pasta, corn and processed foods. I mainly eat protein, lots of fruit/veggies, salads, potato, beans and dairy. I like to say I eat 80% grain free since I don't have the time to micromanage every small ingredient that I can't even pronounce. In two weeks I've lost 4 pounds and I'm seeing a huge difference with my energy. I am averaging 1400-1600 calories a day with an average of 45-60 min of exercise 6 days a week. You are welcome to friend me.

I have learned insulin resistance is an added challenge in the struggle to lose weight however, not unmanagable. You just have to find what works for your body. In my research, I learned some people have tremendous success with the GI diet where you eliminate the complex carbs and balance your other carb intake with protein or dairy to lower the GI value of the carb to help manage your blood sugar levels.

It seems to me that you're not missing too much of anything! I was diagnosed with insulin resistance around 10 years ago, and it was a struggle for a while to adjust my eating habits. It seems that you've got the gist of it- eating regularly, high protein- I would suggest being sure that the majority of the carbs you take in are of the whole grain variety- wheat bread, brown rice, etc. Also, be sure that those high protein items aren't carrying high sugar contents along with them.. sometimes traditional "protein bars" or "protein shakes" won't necessarily be right for us insulin resistant folks. Aim for snacks such as almonds, a wedge of cheese or even a little chicken salad on a whole grain cracker, and be careful to watch your portions! The key is to keep going with this as a routine, even though your results may not be overwhelming or fast. I have lost around 20 pounds and have successfully managed my IR- it is possible! With patience and so long as your biggest goal is your health and well-being, rather than to "get skinny". Perhaps talking with a nutritionist may help? It's what I did early on, and mine was able to help me create a well-balanced meal plan and had lots of yummy IR-friendly snack ideas that I still implement into my daily routine. Best of luck!

Low blood sugar is dangerous (same as high blood sugar), and must be treated immediately. I am surprised that your Endocrinologist is not worried at all about hypoglycemia. You also have mentioned high blood sugar periods during the day. I will skip the part of beating or not the insulin resistance, but will recommend talking to your doctor about having a Continuous glucose monitoring system for 5-6 days. This will give you and your doctor precise picture of blood sugar variations.

Bump

I have PCOS with insulin resistance. Not fun for sure. It is very hard for me to lose weight and I have been doing tons of research with the help of my nurse practitioner mom. I have learned a few things that helped me to lose almost 50lbs. Testosterone is a weight loss stopper. You can exercise too much with insulin resistance. No more than an hour a day and try to only exercise 5 days of the week and keep a few rest days. When lifting weights, go for the smaller weight so you can do more reps. If a 15lb weight only lets you do 10 reps then step down and use 10lb weight and do 20 reps. That will keep the testosterone levels from going up. I have also used the Atkins diet to lose the weight. Nothing else works for me because my insulin resistance is so bad. Vitamins are key too. If you don't have enough of zinc and magnesium it is hard to lose weight with insulin resistance. I have also found a mushroom complex supplement keeps me from feeling sooooo hungry because my insulin levels go so high. I know this all goes against everything I have ever learned but it is working. I feel like I can reach my goal now.

Now these things are what I have learned about myself. I'm not saying that this is the only way to do it either. Just sharing what I'm doing. I'm in no way a doctor and my Mom because she is in health care can keep a very close eye on my labs. I would find a doctor that would listen to me and talk to them. I am also still learning. I am working on my degree in biochemistry for this very reason. I want to know what is going on. There is not enough research out there and tons of women who have this problem.

Anyone here at MFP have it and successfully beat insulin resistance? Not looking for medical advice just experience with losing weight while having it.

I know I have it but not being very successful at treating it. I had gestational diabetes w/insulin with both my children and my fasting glucose runs higher than normal BUT I have very low blood sugar the rest of the day, sometimes too low if I'm not careful and don't eat before I work out. I have seen an endocronologist who insists I'm fine. She did not care about me going low during the day or my higher than normal fasting numbers. I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic at this point.

I eat every 3-5 hours, keep a very high protein level, moderate carb intake, workout consistantly. What am I missing in this equation?

Thanks for the help!
5'5" 29% bodyfat, 162lbs, 33 yrs old.

What's your typical fasting blood sugar? And what's your A1C?

Factor that will help you can do to improve insulin sensitivity or to fight insulin resistance that I know of, its.

1. Weight Training
1. Fish Oil (EPA/ DHA)

NOTE:
Now the thing is you need to keep in mind when making your Diet, are you insulin resistant or you secrete to much insulin in response to a meal.

1. If you feel sloppy and tired after big carbs intake, chances are you are insulin resistance.
2. If your energy level suddenly crash in the day, and you feel sleepy and more hungry after carb intake, chances are you have high insulin secretion.

Anyway you should consider ketogenic diet, or low carb diet to fruther "tune" your diet in terms of your goals (weight loss, although I have seen people bulking with keto), keep in mind if you are not experience with keto diet you should ask help from professional, possible even doctor opinion!

My wife had a very similar situation, gestational diabetes, pre-diabetic. We both switched to "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman, and she has had no problems whatsoever since then. It's worth looking into at least. Check out the below link to his website about diabetes and insulin resistance.

http://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/Diabetes.aspx

was insulin resistant for years, took metformin to slow the progress. Now 20 YEARS later I am diabetic. Still take metformin and on 1800 ADA, A1C is just over 6 and lost 24 lbs since I started it in Jan. Anything is possible, you just have to be willing to make the effort it takes to change.

I've had a lot of success with metformin + diet/exercise. I was diagnosed with PCOS by my gynecologist, so you might want to make an appointment with one, especially if you are having any of the other symptoms associated with PCOS.

I'm not really sure about the true differences between insulin resistance and full blown diabetes

Diabetes is defined by blood glucose levels.

Insulin resistance means various organs don't respond correctly to elevated insulin levels, so for example the liver keeps producing glucose when it's already elevated, or the fat tissues don't release or store fat when they should.

A Type 1 diabetic doesn't produce insulin and will have high blood sugar (hence they are diabetic !) but not be insulin resistant. Insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes as the blood sugar level will tend to rise.

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/

It is absolutely possible to reverse diabetes in many cases.

http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?field-keywords=reversing diabetes&linkCode=ur2&tag=zerot0d-20&url=search-alias=aps

I got the book Reversing Diabetes and it is a great read with lots of practical advice and tips for improving and / or eliminating blood sugar problems.