Hi Mindy:
how do you know that you are IR? did you get all the tests done, like insulin, c-peptide, GTT? for thopse who are IR, actually low carbs for the best. IMHO, there are may be something else, more than just IR. there are so many hormones in human body, and a lot of them control sugar metabolism as well as fat metabolism.
i can only say that i've lost 35 pounds pretty quick on low carbs and moderate/low fat plan, not too low carb to get into ketosis though, without any dramatic changes in my fasting BG. as the matter of fact, my fasting started climbing when i've redused carbs to induction level.and too low carbs and too much fat raises my BG overall as well. the low carb and high fat diets are not for everyone, it's not the matter of food intake solo. there are other factor, like stress, which may be your case if you don't get enough sleep.also, exercise is very crucial, don't just "starve" fat, burn it. weight training is the best, IMO. try replace saturated fat with monosaturated, eat more fish, than red meat and bacon, take some EFA in form of salmon and sardines, flax seed oil, nuts and seeds, less cheese, butter, and bacon. i'd even suggest very little berries to add fiber and variety to your salad. and count calories religiously, IT DOES MATTER!. if you consume more than you expend, the weight loss will stall. you can log your food into
www.fitday.com and see if you are getting right amount of basic nutrients. and again, not everyone benefits from Atkins and such, there are variety of the low carb diets, may be others will be more beneficial for you. have you tried a South beach diet, it is something to lood into, IMHO.
BTW, if you want to stick to Atkins, fitday is a big help, make sure you are at 20 grams, not more. some food like cheese and such seems to be carb free but it will add up if you are not careful.
good luck,
dina