Well I'm pretty thin, but when I was inserting all of a 1" needle, I was hurting myself way more than necessary. I'd have problems walking for 3-4 days as it was horribly sore. I think I was going through a lot of the muscle instead of just reaching it like you need to. I now only insert about 3/4" and I'm still getting the same rate of changes and none leaks back out. It leaves a hard, slightly sore spot for a few days, but there's no pain when walking. That said, even if you're bigger, 1" should be plenty to reach the muscle, but I'd call the doctor or nurse if you're uncertain, they're the professionals after all.