5 Early Signs You May Have Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance happens when your cells stop listening properly to insulin, so your body has to make more and more to keep blood sugars in range. Long before blood sugar climbs, high insulin can lock energy in fat stores and make it hard for your body to access that stored fuel.

That “energy trap” is a key reason people feel flat, foggy, and constantly hungry despite carrying extra weight. 

5 Common Early Clues to Watch For

1. You Carry Extra Weight Around Your Middle

A larger waist (over about 88 cm in women and 102 cm in men) is strongly linked with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, even if the rest of your body does not look “that big.”

This central or “apple-shaped” weight tends to sit deep around the organs and is very hormonally active. It sends inflammatory signals throughout the body and is often referred to as visceral fat.

2. You Get Tired and Hungry

When insulin is high and cells are resistant, fuel gets stored away and your body struggles to access it again. This leaves you tired and hungry throughout the day.

Many people describe afternoon slumps, brain fog, strong sugar cravings, or feeling shaky and irritable if they are late to eat — all signs that your body is locked in an energy trap.

3. Excessive Skin Tags

Skin tags are small, soft, flesh-coloured or slightly darker pieces of skin that hang off the surface, commonly on the neck, underarms, under the breasts, or in the groin.

Several studies link multiple skin tags with insulin resistance and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, especially when they appear alongside other metabolic risk factors.

4. Dark, Velvety Patches on Your Neck or Skin Folds

Acanthosis nigricans is the medical name for areas of darker, thicker, velvety skin that often show up on the back of the neck, armpits, groin, under the breasts, or around the knuckles.

These patches are not “dirt”; they are a common skin sign of high insulin levels and insulin resistance.

5. Blood Pressure, Triglycerides, or HDL Are Off

Most doctors don’t check insulin levels, but there are other important signs. High blood pressure, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol often appear together with insulin resistance as part of metabolic syndrome.

Fatty liver disease is another sign of insulin resistance and often appears as mildly abnormal liver function tests.

Why Early Detection Matters

There are many signs along the way that point to insulin resistance, often years before blood sugar enters the diabetes range.

This gives us precious time to make changes and reverse insulin resistance before more serious conditions develop.

What to Check in Your Blood Tests

Standard blood tests often look only at fasting glucose and HbA1c, which usually rise late in the story. To catch insulin resistance earlier, we advise checking three simple markers:

1. Fasting Glucose

This is your blood sugar level after not eating or drinking (except water) for 8–12 hours. Glucose can stay “normal” for years because your body makes extra insulin to keep it down — so a normal fasting glucose does not rule out insulin resistance.

2. Fasting Insulin

Fasting insulin tells you how hard your pancreas is working behind the scenes to keep your blood sugar stable. Many people have raised fasting insulin (sometimes called hyperinsulinaemia) for years while their glucose and HbA1c remain in the “normal” range.

This is an early sign of metabolic stress.

3. HOMA-IR Score (Insulin Resistance Score)

The HOMA-IR score combines fasting glucose and fasting insulin to estimate how insulin resistant your body is.

In simple terms:

• A higher score means your body needs more insulin to handle your usual fasting glucose (worse insulin resistance).

• A lower score means your body is responding efficiently (better insulin sensitivity).

Taking Action for Better Metabolic Health

We advise checking fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and a calculated HOMA-IR score as part of assessing your metabolic health — so insulin resistance can be found and addressed well before diabetes or other diseases develop.

Insulin resistance is not a personal failure; it’s a metabolic signal that your body is struggling. The encouraging news is that lifestyle changes — especially shifting towards low carb, real food — can make a powerful difference.

You can change your health trajectory and live your glory years with strength, vitality, and confidence.

Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy are the founders of Real Life Medicine. They help women who have been on every diet under the sun, optimise their health and achieve long lasting weight loss without feeling miserable or deprived.

They do this with their 3 step framework:

• Strategies to improve your metabolism
• Brain-based skills to overcome self-sabotage
• Tools to make it easy to implement

With this comes increased energy, vitality and confidence.

You can avoid chronic disease and stop living life on the sidelines!