Insulin Resistance

You’ve probably heard the term “insulin resistance” thrown around on social media, in wellness circles, or maybe from your doctor. The internet is full of conflicting information—some sources make it sound like a made-up condition, others treat it like a death sentence that requires extreme dieting.

Here’s what’s actually happening: Maybe you’ve noticed that you gain weight easily but struggle to lose it, even when eating well and exercising. Maybe you get intense afternoon energy crashes or feel “hangry” when you haven’t eaten in a few hours. Maybe you have dark patches on your neck or underarms, irregular periods, or you’ve been told you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Or maybe you just feel like your body isn’t working the way it used to, and no one can tell you why.

What makes this especially concerning: among young adults aged 18-44, research shows nearly 40% exhibit insulin resistance, even without a diabetes diagnosis. Yet most women have never had their insulin levels tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 96 million American adults have prediabetes—a condition strongly linked to insulin resistance—but about 80% don’t know they have it.The frustrating part? Insulin resistance is rarely diagnosed until it becomes Type 2 diabetes, even though catching it early makes it much easier to reverse.

What Women Aren’t Hearing Enough

Insulin resistance isn’t a character flaw or a lack of willpower—it’s a metabolic condition that responds to specific interventions. The wellness industry wants to sell you supplements and detoxes. The diet industry blames your portion sizes. The medical system often ignores it until it becomes diabetes.

None of these approaches address what insulin resistance actually is: your cells becoming less responsive to insulin, the hormone that helps your body use glucose for energy. When your cells don’t respond well to insulin, your body makes more of it. High insulin levels make it nearly impossible to lose weight and easy to gain it, especially around your midsection.

This isn’t about being “pre-diabetic” or eating too much sugar. Insulin resistance can develop from chronic stress, lack of sleep, certain medications, genetics, PCOS, or even normal hormonal changes. And while it’s serious, it’s also highly reversible with the right approach.

🚨 Rise Reality Check: The internet is full of “insulin resistance protocols” selling expensive supplements and extreme diets. The medical establishment often dismisses early symptoms until your blood sugar is actually high. The truth is between these extremes: insulin resistance is real, common, and responds well to evidence-based lifestyle changes—but you need the right information and often the right testing to address it effectively.

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What’s Working

The evidence-based strategies that make a difference:

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Research-Backed Insight

The diagnostic gap is real—and it hits women harder. Standard blood tests often miss insulin resistance in early stages because your fasting glucose can appear normal while insulin levels are elevated. Most doctors don’t routinely test insulin levels, so women can have insulin resistance for years without knowing it.

For women specifically, insulin resistance is even more complex:

• 65-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance, which drives many PCOS symptoms
• Perimenopause and menopause can worsen insulin sensitivity as estrogen declines
• Hormonal birth control can affect insulin sensitivity in some women
• Stress and poor sleep (more common in women due to caregiving roles) directly worsen insulin resistance

The encouraging news: Leading health authorities like the Mayo Clinic and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) confirm that insulin resistance is reversible through targeted lifestyle changes, especially when detected early. Research shows that losing just 5-10% of your body weight can significantly enhance insulin sensitivity, though strategies tailored specifically for insulin resistance—beyond conventional weight loss advice—are most effective.🔁 The bottom line: Insulin resistance is incredibly common and often underdiagnosed, but highly treatable when you know what you’re dealing with and use the right approach.

Try This Week

📌 The Post-Meal Walk Test
After your largest meal today, take a 10-15 minute walk. Notice how you feel compared to when you usually sit after eating. This simple habit can improve glucose clearance by 20-30%.
⏱️ 15 minutes • Immediate impact

📌 Track Your Energy Patterns
For 3 days, note your energy levels (1-10) before meals, 1 hour after meals, and 3 hours after meals. Look for patterns of crashes or cravings that might indicate blood sugar swings.
⏱️ 2 minutes, 3x daily • Pattern recognition

📌 Request the Right Tests
At your next doctor visit (or call to schedule), ask for fasting insulin and glucose tests. If they resist, ask them to note in your chart that you requested insulin resistance screening.
⏱️ 5 minutes to call • Health advocacy

Closing Reframe

Insulin resistance isn’t a life sentence, and it’s not your fault. It’s a common metabolic condition that responds incredibly well to the right interventions—but only if you know you have it.

The frustrating symptoms you’ve been dealing with—the stubborn weight, the energy crashes, the mood swings—they might not be character flaws or aging. They might be signs that your body needs a different approach to food, movement, and stress management.

The women who successfully reverse insulin resistance aren’t the ones with perfect willpower. They’re the ones who got the right information, the right testing, and the right support to work with their metabolism instead of against it.

Have a doctor, app, or strategy that helped you address insulin resistance? Share it with us—our best recommendations come from women who’ve been there.