Ali’s Journey: My Personal Battle with PCOS and Insulin Resistance
I was 14 years old when I first started wondering what was wrong with my body.
I wasn’t overweight, but the weight gain had started creeping in—despite exercising, despite eating what I was told was healthy, despite trying every diet I could find.
Then there were the other symptoms.
- Irregular (or completely missing) periods
- Persistent acne that eventually led to two rounds of Accutane
- Mood swings (according to my mom, at least)
I didn’t know it then, but that was the beginning of a battle I would fight for years.
By 18, my cycles were almost nonexistent—maybe once every 6 to 12 months. I had ultrasounds that showed cysts on my ovaries, but I was always told, “It’s ok, that’s normal.”
No matter what I ate, how much I exercised, the weight kept climbing. I was desperate to lose weight, which led to a vicious binge-eating disorder that would go on for the next 10 years.
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when I felt powerless around food. I thought I lacked willpower. I couldn’t understand how other people—thin people—just ate a meal and stopped. Were they not as hungry? Did they have some secret? Why did I always feel like I could eat and eat and never feel satisfied?
At my lowest point, I truly believed there was something wrong with me.
Turns out, there was—but it had nothing to do with willpower.
The Moment I Realized It Wasn’t My Fault
I didn’t get diagnosed with PCOS until I was 21 years old. A nurse practitioner casually mentioned, “You have PCOS. You’ll need to watch your weight.” That was it.
I was handed a pamphlet and sent on my way—no mention of insulin resistance, no explanation for why my body felt completely out of control.
At the time, I was in college studying to become a dietitian. I was literally training in nutrition science, yet no one had ever taught me about PCOS. Even in my own education, PCOS was never mentioned beyond “lose weight and take birth control.”
But I knew there had to be more to it. So I did what I’ve always done when I need answers—I started reading. This was before Instagram, before TikTok, before people were openly talking about insulin resistance. I turned to PubMed and started digging through research.
And that’s when I found it: insulin.
The missing piece. The one thing that no doctor had ever told me. The one thing that explained everything.
How Lowering Insulin Changed Everything
Everything I had been doing—low fat, low calorie, lots of whole grains, exercising more—was only making my insulin worse. And the higher my insulin levels, the worse my symptoms became.
I started making changes, not based on calories or carbs, but based on insulin.
And for the first time in my life, my hunger was gone. No more binge eating. No more obsessive thoughts about food. No more feeling like I was fighting against my own body.
I wasn’t trying to restrict. I just didn’t need to eat constantly anymore.
I lost weight—effortlessly. My skin cleared. My periods came back. And for the first time in my life, I felt in control.
Not because of willpower. Because my body wasn’t working against me anymore.
You Are Not Broken
If you’re struggling with PCOS—the weight gain, the cravings, the irregular cycles, the exhaustion—please hear me when I say this: It is not your fault.
You don’t lack discipline. You don’t need more willpower. You don’t need to punish yourself with more restriction and more exercise.
You need to address the root cause—insulin resistance.
