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Thomas DeLauer Recap: Five Everyday Signs He Links to Early Insulin Resistance

Takeaways and a chaptered guide to Thomas DeLauer's video on skin changes, night-time urination, thirst, blurry vision and workout fatigue as possible early insulin resistance signs, plus the habits he suggests.

By the GNOUP team · · 7 min read

The latest full video on Thomas DeLauer's official YouTube channel, "Insulin Resistance has Already Started - Here's What to Look for", was posted on November 8, 2026 and runs about 14 minutes. DeLauer, a fitness and nutrition content creator, talks solo about five signs he says can show up before insulin resistance appears on a standard blood test, why he thinks struggling mitochondria (the energy-producing parts of cells) sit underneath them, and the everyday habits he would use to respond. Several of these signs can also point to diabetes or other conditions that need a proper diagnosis, so read this as his interpretation, not a checklist for self-diagnosis.

This is an independent summary written by GNOUP. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Thomas DeLauer, his channel, website or any sponsor. The views and claims described below belong to the speaker, not to GNOUP. This is general information only and is not medical advice. Frequent urination, constant thirst and blurry or changing vision can be signs of high blood sugar or diabetes; if you notice them, see a doctor promptly rather than waiting or self-treating. Do not start, stop or change any medication without talking to your prescriber. Please talk with a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before changing your diet, eating schedule or exercise routine. This matters especially if you have a medical condition, take any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under 18, or have a history of an eating disorder. GNOUP has no connection to any product, supplement, brand or paid offer mentioned in or around the video and does not promote any of them.

Key health tips and takeaways

These are ideas DeLauer shared in the video, not instructions. We do not include amounts, stacks or schedules.

  • The mitochondria angle. DeLauer's framing is that when the cell's "engines" run poorly, cells use glucose less efficiently, the body releases more insulin to push it in, and over time cells respond less. He says researchers still debate whether mitochondrial problems or insulin resistance come first, and calls it a feedback loop.
  • Sign 1: skin changes. He points to skin tags (for example on the neck or armpits), darker velvety patches and rough or blotchy skin, and says these tend to go along with higher insulin-resistance scores such as HOMA-IR. He adds that having them does not mean you have insulin resistance. Skin changes have many causes, so a doctor or dermatologist is the right person to ask.
  • Sign 2: getting up to pee more at night. He explains that when blood sugar runs high, the kidneys pass extra glucose in the urine and it pulls water with it, which can mean more trips to the bathroom at night. He suggests looking at the pattern rather than only blaming late-evening drinks.
  • Sign 3: thirst that never goes away. He links that extra urination to feeling dry and thirsty no matter how much you drink, and says it should not be taken lightly even if insulin resistance turns out not to be the cause, since it can also involve the kidneys.
  • Sign 4: vision that blurs and clears. He says the eye's lens is sensitive to blood sugar swings, so focus can drift as fluid shifts, and that new glasses alone will not address an unstable glucose pattern.
  • Sign 5: hitting a wall during hard efforts. He says sprints, heavy sets and other hard efforts lean on fast glucose use, so poor glucose handling can make you tire early, and jokes that some people may favor easy cardio partly because hard intervals feel worse.
  • Habits he suggests. His responses are eating earlier in the day on some days, eating vegetables and protein before starches and sweets, moving briefly after meals, doing workouts that use lots of muscle at once (such as compound lifts or kettlebell work), and staying hydrated. He also talks about timing carbohydrates around training; we are not repeating his eating-window or workout-fueling suggestions as advice, so check with a professional before changing how or when you eat.
  • His own story. DeLauer says he was technically diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 13 or 14 years ago and points viewers to another of his videos on what he would do differently today.

Newsworthy insights

These are claims and opinions from the video, set next to the references listed in its description. GNOUP checked the bibliographic records of the linked studies but did not review the full papers.

  • Mitochondria and insulin resistance. DeLauer cites work in Circulation Research. The description links "Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Insulin Resistance" (Kim, Wei and Sowers, Circulation Research, 2008), a review article rather than a new trial.
  • Eating earlier in the day. He describes a tightly controlled trial in people with prediabetes where early time-restricted eating improved insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress without weight loss. The linked paper is "Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes" (Sutton and colleagues, Cell Metabolism, 2018, PMID 29754952). Its abstract describes a small proof-of-concept crossover trial in men with prediabetes, so it does not show the same effect for everyone.
  • Food order. He says a clinical study found that eating vegetables, then protein, then carbohydrates lowered post-meal glucose and insulin. The linked paper is "Food order affects blood glucose and insulin levels in women with gestational diabetes" (Murugesan and colleagues, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024), so its participants were pregnant women with gestational diabetes, not the general public.
  • Moving after meals. His point that muscles can take up glucose during contraction without needing as much insulin is tied to "Walking Attenuates Postprandial Glycemic Response: What Else Can We Do without Leaving Home or the Office?" (Bellini and colleagues, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022), which looks at walking and other light activity after eating.
  • One more reference. The description also links a StatPearls reference chapter on the NCBI Bookshelf (NBK431057). We could not load it to confirm its topic, so we do not describe it here.

Watch the video

Insulin Resistance has Already Started - Here's What to Look for on YouTube (official channel "Thomas DeLauer," @ThomasDeLauerOfficial, published November 8, 2026, about 14 minutes)

Episode guide

These chapters come from the video's own description (titles lightly reworded). Each link opens the video at that point.

About this summary

This recap was prepared from the video's title, description and chapter list, and a transcript of the video. We checked the bibliographic records of the studies the video links to (the 2008 Circulation Research review, PMID 29754952, and the 2024 and 2022 papers listed above), but we did not review the full papers. We left out a paid sponsor segment for a urolithin A supplement, along with its brand, claims and discount code, and we did not repeat specific meal times, eating windows, exercise counts or workout-fueling suggestions as advice. Transcripts can contain errors, so for the exact words and context, watch the video. This article is general information, not medical advice, and is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.