Eating according to your body type

These days, with the ridiculous number of proven diets out there, nutrition has become a mysterious subject very few really understand.

The truth is nutrition is not as complex as you may think. It’s all about eating what’s right for your body type. The three major body types are the ectomorph, the mesomorph and the endomorph.  The following are some very useful diet and nutrition-related tips that if you include your daily eating routine, can have an astounding effect on your body, your mind and your ultimate goal weight and physique.

Eating according to your body type:

Ectomorph

An ectomorph is someone who is naturally thin and struggles to put on weight.  This is an advantage and disadvantage. An advantage because an ectomorph will naturally burn fat faster than other body types but a disadvantage for men who want to bulk up and add size to their frame. Although it's another obstacle in the way, an ectomorph can achieve their dream physique with some hard work and dedication.

Mesomorph

A mesomorph can generally put on quality mass or reduce body fat relatively easily. Once the desired body composition and appearance is achieved, the mesomorph can usually just maintain muscularity and weight, making sure to continue exercising regularly and living a healthy lifestyle.

 Endomorph

An endomorph is someone that generally carries more weight and fat, and struggles to lose weight. Endomorphs must focus on burning as many calories as possible to decrease body fat during resistance training and cardio training.

Weight loss for men and women

When it comes to weight loss, very simply, you need to be burning more calories than you consume in a day and keep portion sizes smaller than usual.

Calorie facts:

• Proteins have 4 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram
• Fats have 9 calories per gram
• Alcohol has 7 calories per gram

Sugars, for the most part, have no place in your diet. Sugars in dairy products are alright, as well as some simple sugars, like bananas, pineapple, and most fruit and ideal for post workout meals (restores depleted glycogen stores and repairs muscle).

Stick to complex carbohydrates and high protein such as sweet potatoes, brown basmati rice, dry grilled chicken breasts, dry grilled fish fillets and egg whites.

Stick to unsaturated fats such as olives, olive oil, nuts, peanut oil, canola oil and avocados.

When dieting, you should not feel like you are very hungry or starving. Eating every two to three hours is the most important thing for you to do. Get enough protein each day, this isn't an option. Approx.1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kg body weight is a good number to aim for. So a person who weight 65 kgs needs to consume at least 65 grams protein every day.

Now you may wonder how a low calorie diet consisting of cookies throughout the day will result in weight loss in the same way that a low calorie diet consisting of green vegetables and chicken breast fillets does. When considering which is more nutritious the vegetables and chicken wins hands down. Which is more filling? Vegetables and chicken wins again. Low calorie diets of any kind do work to lose weight. But the more nutritious choices will not only keep your energy levels stable and keep your skin and body looking healthier, they will also provide you with a much more sustainable dietary life-style and maintainable weight, than a “quick fix” ‘apple diet’ or ‘cookie diet’.

Low-carb diets do work, although one must also keep in mind that it’s a LOW-carb diet, not a ZERO-carb diet. Complex carbohydrates help to regulate metabolism and stabilise blood sugar levels to avoid spiking insulin. When insulin levels are high, your body goes into “storage” mode and stores fat as glycogen in all those parts of your body that you don’t want excess glycogen. Also, because carbs retain water, low-carb diets work at the beginning due to excess water loss, but should not be used as a life-style way of eating.

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