Without optimal insulin sensitivity, much of that protein (and everything else) you eat gets delivered to fat storage rather than muscle, and much of the time that fat happily resides around your waist.

While your instinct might be to adopt a low-carb diet, it doesn't fix the problem. What's more, a chronic low-carb diet leaves your muscle-building capabilities impaired. What you need to do instead is optimize insulin sensitivity.

Four Strategies to Optimize Insulin Sensitivity

1. At the start of a meal, eat some protein and fat before you even touch any carbohydrate. This strategy, according to research, leads to significantly lower blood sugar levels (29%, 37%, and 17% lower at 30, 60, and 120 minutes after a meal) than eating carbs first. (You should, however, flip-flop the strategy during meals around your workout and eat some carbs before eating protein.)
2. Use fish oil liberally. New studies show that not only does it rival the effects of exercise on blood sugar but, when combined with exercise, actually has a synergistic effect on blood sugar reduction. We suggest a high potency, molecularly distilled fish oil like Flameout®.
3. Use vinegar as a salad dressing as it attenuates the glucose and insulin response from a carb meal, in addition to raising insulin sensitivity in general. Continued use can lead to an average weight loss of two pounds in four weeks. Also consider taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed, as studies have shown that it can lower morning blood sugar by 4 to 6 percent.
4. Take one teaspoon of psyllium fiber twice a day. It can lower all-day blood sugar levels by 11 percent.