INTRO Hi, new from California

[JLOZZ]

Hey all,

I figured I’d post a quick intro since I just joined. I’m a guy in his early 50s, and for the last 2 years or so I’ve been working on my metabolic health. My A1c sat in the prediabetic range for quite a while, but I got it down to 5.3 recently, and that’s something I feel good about. The two things I keep struggling with are triglycerides and insulin resistance in general.

Semaglutide was part of my routine for roughly 2 years, and it helped a lot with both weight and keeping blood sugar in check. I’ve just switched over to retatrutide, so right now I’m figuring out dosing and how well I tolerate it, while still getting labs done regularly.

Body recomposition is what I’m aiming for. I’ve got about 10 to 15 pounds left to go, and my focus is on dropping fat without losing muscle, or ideally adding some. I work out at home on a regular schedule and do my best to keep diet and recovery on track.

I’m here to pick up things from everyone else, swap stories, and add whatever I can, particularly when it comes to labs, protocols, and what genuinely works outside of theory.

Glad to be here.

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

Have you worked out your

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance)

You’ll need fasting insulin along with fasting glucose.

That’s the method I use to track my insulin resistance and gauge how I’m doing in my fight against diabetes.

In my case, the fasting insulin costs extra because my insurance’s yearly physical doesn’t include it. On my latest physical, I discovered my A1c had dropped from the pre diabetes range into the normal range. But my insulin level remained elevated, so my

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) was still greater than expected.

Best of luck on your journey

 

[JLOZZ]

Turbo-Farmer said:

Have you worked out your

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance)

You’ll need fasting insulin along with fasting glucose.

That’s the method I use to track my insulin resistance and gauge how I’m doing in my fight against diabetes.

In my case, the fasting insulin costs extra because my insurance’s yearly physical doesn’t include it. On my latest physical, I discovered my A1c had dropped from the pre diabetes range into the normal range. But my insulin level remained elevated, so my

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) was still greater than expected.

Best of luck on your journey

Turbo-Farmer said:

Have you worked out your

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance)

You’ll need fasting insulin along with fasting glucose.

That’s the method I use to track my insulin resistance and gauge how I’m doing in my fight against diabetes.

In my case, the fasting insulin costs extra because my insurance’s yearly physical doesn’t include it. On my latest physical, I discovered my A1c had dropped from the pre diabetes range into the normal range. But my insulin level remained elevated, so my

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) was still greater than expected.

Best of luck on your journey

Yes — I'd actually worked that out from the labs that landed in my inbox this morning.

Fasting glucose came in at 96 and fasting insulin at 16.6, which lands my HOMA-IR around 3.9. So there's still a degree of insulin resistance in play even with an A1c of 5.5.

The lipid picture shifted a lot. Triglycerides fell from 277 down to 81, HDL went from 37 up to 45, LDL sits at 59, and ApoB came back at 61.

So much the same as you described. A1c looks fine, yet insulin and HOMA-IR say there's more work ahead. That said, the lipid movement tells me I'm heading the right way.

I've got roughly 10 to 15 pounds left to goal and I'm only now getting back to consistent training, so I'm hoping that pulls HOMA-IR down further.

Thanks for raising it — it's clearly a fuller way to track where I'm at.

 

[Turbo-Farmer]

JLOZZ said:

Turbo-Farmer said:

Have you worked out your

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance)

You’ll need fasting insulin along with fasting glucose.

That’s the method I use to track my insulin resistance and gauge how I’m doing in my fight against diabetes.

In my case, the fasting insulin costs extra because my insurance’s yearly physical doesn’t include it. On my latest physical, I discovered my A1c had dropped from the pre diabetes range into the normal range. But my insulin level remained elevated, so my

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) was still greater than expected.

Best of luck on your journey

Turbo-Farmer said:

Have you worked out your

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance)

You’ll need fasting insulin along with fasting glucose.

That’s the method I use to track my insulin resistance and gauge how I’m doing in my fight against diabetes.

In my case, the fasting insulin costs extra because my insurance’s yearly physical doesn’t include it. On my latest physical, I discovered my A1c had dropped from the pre diabetes range into the normal range. But my insulin level remained elevated, so my

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) was still greater than expected.

Best of luck on your journey

Yes — I'd actually worked that out from the labs that landed in my inbox this morning.

Fasting glucose came in at 96 and fasting insulin at 16.6, which lands my HOMA-IR around 3.9. So there's still a degree of insulin resistance in play even with an A1c of 5.5.

The lipid picture shifted a lot. Triglycerides fell from 277 down to 81, HDL went from 37 up to 45, LDL sits at 59, and ApoB came back at 61.

So much the same as you described. A1c looks fine, yet insulin and HOMA-IR say there's more work ahead. That said, the lipid movement tells me I'm heading the right way.

I've got roughly 10 to 15 pounds left to goal and I'm only now getting back to consistent training, so I'm hoping that pulls HOMA-IR down further.

Thanks for raising it — it's clearly a fuller way to track where I'm at.

A widely repeated misconception regarding diabetes holds that elevated blood sugar is what produces the harm.

Dementia, heart disease, kidney failure and similar conditions are linked to high insulin levels. Until your pancreatic b-cells are no longer able to compensate — at which point blood glucose climbs — your A1C fails to reveal the whole situation.