The first thing I would need you to do is to look at your self in the mirror? What do you see? wide hips and small belly (apple shape)? this is important because knowing where your shape will help you determine the best diet and exercises that will help you lose weight.
Knowing someone’s body type allows us to know a person’s predisposition to different types of exercises and how their body deals with certain food groups. It also gives us a lot of information on how the hormonal and sympathetic nervous systems are working.
In addition, knowing your body type can help you determine the best way to reach your health goals.
What Does Eating For Your Body Type Means?
Because different body types have different metabolic characteristics, it’s crucial to know which body type you have. With this in mind, you can plan what to eat accordingly and what exercises are best to achieve your optimal weight and health.
The Body Types and How to Know Your Type
There are three main body types: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.
You should know most people don’t fall into one category exclusively. Besides, diet and physical activity can change how a body looks.
For example, an endomorph can do bodybuilding exercises for years and end up looking like a mesomorph – a body type that is generally associated with bodybuilders.
Mesomorph
A mesomorph is a person whose build is compact and muscular. People with this build usually have a medium-sized bone structure.
You can identify this body type on someone by their broad shoulders and small waists. They are neither overweight nor underweight.
This body type is also typified by a large heart, heavily muscled arms and legs, and minimal body fat.
Another characteristic of the mesomorph is that this body type can develop muscle very easily.
Many mesomorphs are natural athletes. They don’t struggle to build muscle and can maintain their ideal body weight in the long run. People with this body type are innately muscular and fit, so it’s relatively easy for them to get into shape.
Ectomorph
Ectomorphs tend to be tall and lean individuals with small frames and thin limbs. People who fall into this category usually have a fast metabolic rate and can tolerate carbohydrates very well.
Usually, they have little body fat and it’s difficult for them to build muscle mass or put on weight.
We all know someone like this – they can eat whatever they want whenever they want as much as they want and they just stay the same. People like these, who struggle to build muscle, are referred to as “hard gainers.”
But, the lean look of an ectomorph can be deceiving. An ectomorph may appear lanky, but that doesn’t imply weakness. That sinewy body can be every bit as strong as a more muscular counterpart.
Endomorph
Endomorphs have a larger bone structure with higher amounts of total body mass and fat mass. In proportion, they tend to have more body fat than muscle mass.
An endomorph body type can also appear to be heavier even if the person is not overweight. Endomorphs often have a pear-shaped body.
Excess in calorie intake doesn’t cause endomorphs to become more active, in fact all those extra calories tend to be stored as fat.
People with an endomorph body type tend to put on weight more easily than other body types.
Body Type Combinations
It’s possible to have a combination of two body types where you share some characteristics of each.
Ecto-endomorphs have pear-shaped bodies. Their upper bodies tend to be thin while fat is stored in the lower half of the body.
Endo-ectomorphs tend to be apple-shaped, with fat stored in the upper body while the hips, thighs, and legs are thin.
Ecto-mesomorphs usually have broad shoulders, narrow waists, and small ankles and wrists. They can be very muscular or very lean. If they gain fat, it accumulates on the stomach and buttocks.
What to eat based on your body type
Mesomorph
People with a mesomorph body type thrive on a mixed diet that consists of the same amounts of protein and fat plus some carbohydrates. This works out at around 40% carbohydrates and 30% each of protein and fat. Complex carbohydrates are the most beneficial to have as they provide energy and help feeling fuller for longer.
Here are the diet guidelines for men and women according to precisionnutrition.com.
Mesomorph men should start with:
- 2 palms of protein-dense foods at each meal.
- 2 fists of vegetables at each meal.
- 2 cupped handfuls of carb dense foods at each meal.
- 2 thumb of fat-dense foods at each meal.
Mesomorph women should start with:
- 1 palm of protein-dense foods at each meal.
- 1 fist of vegetables at each meal.
- 1 cupped handful of carb dense foods at each meal.
- 1 thumb of fat-dense foods at each meal.
Endomorph
For endomorphs, experts recommend more fat and protein and fewer carbohydrates. In fact, it’s highly recommended that people with an endomorph body type control their total carb intake and preferably have it after exercise.
The best nutrient proportion for this body type boils down to around 25% carbs, 35% protein, and 40% fat.
Here are the diet guidelines for men and women according to precisionnutrition.com.
Endomorph men should start with:
- 2 palms of protein-dense foods at each meal.
- 2 fists of vegetables at each meal.
- 1 cupped handful of carb dense foods at each meal.
- 3 thumbs of fat-dense foods at each meal.
Endomorph women should start with:
- 1 palm of protein-dense foods at each meal.
- 1 fist of vegetables at each meal.
- 0.5 cupped handful of carb dense foods at each meal.
- 2 thumbs of fat-dense foods at each meal.
Ectomorphs
An Ectomorph body type can tolerate carbohydrates and even do well on them. People with this body type require moderate amounts of protein and less fat.
Here are the diet guidelines for men and women according to precisionnutrition.com.
Ectomorph men start with:
- 2 palms of protein-dense foods at each meal.
- 2 fists of vegetables at each meal.
- 3 cupped handfuls of carb dense foods at each meal.
- 1 thumb of fat-dense foods at each meal.
Ectomorph women start with:
- 1 palm of protein-dense foods at each meal.
- 1 fist of vegetables at each meal.
- 2 cupped handfuls of carb dense foods at each meal.
- 0.5 thumb of fat-dense foods at each meal.
Advantages of Following a Body Type Diet
Learning about your somatotype can provide you with the optimal diet and exercise program for you. It helps you to determine the exact food types your body needs in order to gain, lose or maintain weight.
With a body type diet, you will know in what proportions you should eat protein, fat, and carbohydrates. At the same time, you also learn what foods are better to avoid.
One of the most important benefits of a body type diet is that when you understand your body type and its strengths and limitations, you can have a more realistic expectation of your body’s probable response to diet and exercise.
If you know that you don’t have a naturally athletic body of a mesomorph, you will be primed not to be disappointed when you don’t develop muscles after weeks of intense exercise.
Also, by knowing your body type you won’t be tempted to go to extreme lengths to lose weight.
If you know that you are an endomorph, you will also know that you naturally have more body fat than muscles and that due to your large bone structure, you will always tend to appear a bit bigger.
On the other hand, ectomorphs do well on a diet that allows for more carbohydrates. If such a person tries to follow a diet that is very low in carbohydrates, they may never reach their body weight goals.
This just shows again that the same diet cannot work for different people. The latest diet that did wonders for your teammates may do absolutely nothing for you.
Knowing your body type and following a body type diet lets you set realistic goals for your body. For instance, for most ectomorphs, it’s not realistic to strive for a six-pack.
Disadvantages of Doing a Body Type Diet
Many experts feel that there’s not enough research done to prove that a body type diet works.
“There’s just no research out there on using your somatotype to define your diet,” says Melina Jampolis, MD, an internist and board-certified physician nutrition specialist in Valley Village, California.
She admits that ectomorphs and mesomorphs are likely to lose weight easier but says that, “in terms of body type, the only type that matters for your diet is whether you’re an apple versus pear.”
We must also remember that many people don’t fit neatly into a body type. Says Nanci Guest, Ph.D., RD, a nutritional scientist, genetic researcher, and personal trainer in Toronto: “People exist in between each one of the body types — we come in every shape out there. There are so many exceptions to the rule [of who fits into what somatotype] that after that, this isn’t a rule anymore,” she says.
Dr. Guest also points out that there isn’t enough science to suggest that you can exercise specifically for your type.
She told everydayhealth.com: “We don’t know if you should do the opposite [of your strengths] to balance yourself out or do what you’re good at to capitalize on your abilities. It’s not yet clear how to train people based on their body type.”
How to Workout Based on Your Specific Body Type
The Mesomorph Body Types
Mesomorphs have an athletic built and usually carry little body fat. This body type has a natural ability to build muscle with high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
They are advised to lift moderate weights on a regular basis and to also include aerobics as part of their exercise routine.
Mesomorphs who exercise regularly can reach a fitness plateau, but this can be easily fixed by regularly changing up workout routines.
The Ectomorph Body Types
Ectomorphs struggle to build muscle and gain weight.
They excel at endurance sports like running which involves long stretches of cardio. However, cardio helps you to become faster, but it doesn’t help you to build muscles.
An Ectomorph that wants to build muscles should do resistance training like lifting heavy weights in compound movements as well as body weight exercises such as the walking lunge. HIIT is beneficial because it can improve oxygen consumption while adding to muscle mass and building strength.
Experts point out that ectomorphs who want to build muscle must eat plenty of protein and carbohydrates as this body type burns calories fast.
The Endomorph Body Types
The Endomorph body type tends to have a large bone structure with higher amounts of total body mass and fat mass. This body type also easily gains weight and muscle.
People who have an endomorph body type usually benefit from long walks and some muscle training.
Muscle training helps this body type enormously as the muscles keep burning calories even after the workout session has ended. They should do some activity daily that raises their heart rate.
Endomorphs should avoid highly processed carbohydrates like pasta and bread and rather go for carbs present in vegetables like sweet potatoes and butternut.
Conclusion
There are three major body types with a few types that incorporate characteristics of two body types. Although there is not a lot of scientific research on body types and the optimal diets and exercise programs for each one, many people are taking these classifications seriously.