What is Insulin Resistance and what can I do?

I have been fairly successful with my weight loss so far, however, I just remembered something that came up on some lab tests I had back when I was 230 pounds and considering bypass surgery.  

My stats: 5'41/2", Highest: 230, Current: 185.5, Goal: 130-140ish.  1200 calories per day, 30 min. walk every day, 1 hour at the gym doing intense cardio and weight training 5-6 times a week.

I had a full work up done and they really couldn't find much that was seriously wrong with me, hence, I never was able to have the operation and had to do it the old fashioned way.  They said my thyroid function was on the low end of normal, my cholesterol was a little high, and I was type 2 diabetic.  They also said I was insulin resistant.  

Since losing weight, my cholesterol is completely normal, and I am no longer type 2 diabetic.  However, no one ever explained to me what insulin resistance was!   I have been doing really well with my diet so far and am pleased with the results.  However, I would really like to know if there is anything else I can do to help with this particular problem.  Any information/advise is appreciated!!

Ask your doctor to check for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  One of the criteria is insulin resistance, and a lot of PCOS patients are at risk for diabetes and high cholesterol. 

 To help, you can eat few simple sugars and more protein and complex carbs.  The food will keep you from crashing and will keep you satisfied, whereas a lot of carbs will just make you hungry sooner.  I think it's the same for everyone, but more pronounced with insulin resistance.  Then again, I'm not a doctor and am just going off of what my doctor told me.

Thanks for the advise!  I actually do have PCOS, and forgot to mention that on the post.  I found that out about a year ago as well.  My doctor put me on byetta for it, and it helped, but it was a pain in the butt to keep it refrigerated and carry it around in my purse, giving myself shots in the bathrooms at restaurants and what not.  So I went off of it.

I read that a 10% loss of body weight can greatly reduce the effects of PCOS.  I lost 10% of my body weight in 2006 and another 10% in 2007.  I still have all of the classic PCOS symptoms though - really irregular period, some facial hair, and carrying a lot of weight around the midsection. 

Type II Diabetes = Insulin Resistance to some degree.  It is the precursor to Type II Diabetes which is where your body is resistant to the Insulin and doesn't process sugars properly.  If you are still Insulin Resistant, but not diabetic, then you are borderline diabetic. Probably best to keep your refined sugar intake down.

http://www.mendosa.com 

 look it up on the above site.

it also is an excellent site to find other useful sites for diabetics.

http://www.mendosa.com 

 look it up on the above site.

it also is an excellent site to find other useful sites for diabetics.

Insulin-resistance means your body overproduces insulin because it's not working very well so it pumps out more and more to try and do the job... the problem may have been solved by losing the weight. Weight loss doesn't CURE PCOS (nothing does) but it can alleviate a lot of the symptoms.