Eating correctly for your metabolism and body type is essential to weight management and achieving your fitness goals. There are basically three main body types: ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. No one is a pure ectomorph for example, so these recommendations are merely a starting point. You'll need to continually self-evaluate and experiment to adapt these basic guidelines to your body and fitness goals.
Step 1
Determine your body type. Endomorphs gain weight easily and have a hard time losing body fat. Mesomorphs have a naturally athletic build and gain and lose weight easily with effort. Ectomorphs are naturally thinner with smaller bone structure and faster metabolism. They typically have trouble gaining muscle weight.
Step 2
Eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day regardless of your body type to optimize muscle-building and fat-burning. Hard-gaining ectomorphs may need to add even more meals per day to gain muscle. However, those with slower metabolism (endomorphs) should not remove meals from their diet plan, but adjust macronutrient ratios and more carefully control carbohydrate intake.
Step 3
Take in 1g of protein per pound of body weight regardless of your body type or fitness goals. According to best-selling author Jeff Anderson, this is the optimal amount of protein for burning fat, building muscle or simply maintaining your current weight while improving body composition or body fat percentage.
Step 4
Eat a "clean diet," regardless of metabolism type, to avoid storing body fat. Clean proteins are lean cuts of beef, chicken, fish, turkey or whey protein. Low-glycemic varieties are the best choices for carbohydrates, and include oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain pasta and bread and sweet potatoes. Healthy clean fats include olive oil, avocados, peanut butter and flaxseed oil.
Step 5
Stagger carbohydrate meals if you are an endomorph to prevent fat storage. For example, if you have a 1/2 cup of brown rice at lunch, exclude carbohydrates from your next mid-meal snack, focusing on lean protein and healthy fats. Also, limit carbohydrate intake for the three hours prior to going to bed and take in most of your calories in the earlier part of the day to stay lean. Watch your intake of unhealthy saturated fats, which can also be stored readily by some individuals.
Step 6
Take advantage of your great genetics if you are a mesomorph body type and aim for balanced nutrition. By consuming moderate carbohydrates you can easily build muscle and stay lean at the same time. Neither of the other body types can do this without special attention to their diets. However, do not use your genetics as an excuse to eat junk food and neglect healthy nutrition.
Step 7
Eat a carbohydrate-heavy diet if you are an ectomorph. Many hard-gainer types incorrectly think that they must eat more protein to gain muscle and burn fat, however the thermic effect of protein can actually further speed up metabolism. Instead, focus on healthy carbohydrates and nutrient-dense foods. For example, healthy fats contain 9 calories per gram, double that of protein or carbs, making them a powerful nutrient for reaching your fitness goals. Aim for taking in 55 percent of your calories from low-glycemic carbs. Take in a serving of healthy fat at each meal and add meals as needed to meet your fitness goals.
References
- "Advanced Mass Building Secrets"; Jeff Anderson, CQC LLC
- "Xtreme Lean"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; Ironman Publishing, 2008
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; CQC LLC, 2009
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