Insulin Resistance: What It Looks Like and How to Fix It

Feeling tired after meals, gaining belly fat, or needing more carbs to feel satisfied? Those are common signs of insulin resistance — when your cells stop responding well to insulin and your pancreas has to make more. That extra insulin keeps blood sugar in a “normal” range for a while, which hides the problem until it becomes prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

How you can check it

Start with simple labs: fasting glucose and A1c. Fasting glucose of 100–125 mg/dL or an A1c of 5.7–6.4% signals prediabetes. A 2-hour OGTT reading of 140–199 mg/dL is impaired glucose tolerance. Some doctors measure fasting insulin or use HOMA-IR; a HOMA-IR above about 2.5 often suggests insulin resistance. If you recognize risk factors — belly fat, family diabetes, PCOS, high blood pressure, or abnormal lipids — ask your provider for these tests.

Practical steps that actually move the needle

Small, targeted changes beat big, vague plans. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that losing about 7% of body weight and doing roughly 150 minutes of exercise a week cut progression to diabetes by about 58%. You don’t need extremes — here’s a simple, realistic plan:

- Eat more protein and fiber: swap a bagel for Greek yogurt + berries, or choose a salad with chicken instead of fries. Protein and fiber slow the glucose spike and lower insulin demand.

- Cut liquid sugar: replace soda and juice with water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea. One sugary drink a day raises your insulin load fast.

- Focus on whole carbs: choose oats, beans, and vegetables over white bread and pastries. If you want numbers, aim for 30–45 g carbs at main meals and fewer at snacks until you see improvement.

- Move daily and add strength work: 30 minutes brisk walk most days plus two 20–30 minute resistance sessions weekly helps muscle use glucose better. Even bodyweight squats and push-ups count.

- Sleep and stress: aim for ~7 hours of sleep. High stress raises cortisol and makes insulin resistance worse — try short breathing breaks, even 5 minutes twice daily.

- Track simple markers: waist circumference (over ~40" men / ~35" women raises risk), fasting glucose trends, and weight. Small wins matter — a 5–10% weight drop often improves insulin sensitivity.

Medications can help if lifestyle alone isn’t enough. Metformin is commonly used to lower insulin levels and delay diabetes; GLP-1 drugs (like semaglutide) help with weight loss and insulin control; pioglitazone improves insulin sensitivity but has side effects you should discuss with your doctor. Never start meds without a provider.

If you suspect insulin resistance, don’t wait. Get basic labs, try the practical steps above, and work with your clinician on a plan that fits your life. Small, consistent changes make the biggest difference over time.