My Body Type!

I recently took a body quiz at bodybuilder.com and www.youthink.com. Both have come up with around the same answer. I am a Mesomorph. Below is the description I got from youthink.com.

What body type are you? Mesomorph You're all muscles. You excel at most sports that you play and don't have a problem running a race or lifting some weights. Sports you would be good at are baseball, basketball, football, soccer, jogging, swimming, boxing, hockey, wrestling, and weightlifting. You'll probably tend to favor sports that require a combination of strength, endurance, speed and power. Therefore you're most likely to play football, wrestle, box, weight lift or hockey.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

This one from Bodybuilder.com

  

 Now for the fun part. Trying to figure out a diet that is best for me. I have done many quiz's telling me what type of body I have. So I have really done some looking around to find this answer. Before I get into what I have found, Let me discuss with you the importance of finding out what your body type is. Well, you have heard of the saying no diets are the same, and that not every diet works for every person. This is true for one main reason. The different body Types. Some diets where designed around people who have one specific kind of body type while others are more helpful with someone of a different type. What helps an Endomorph may not work or an Ectomorph. Below are the descriptions of the 3 body types found at bodybuilder.com

Endomorph:

 An Endomorph's biggest concern should be the losing of fat and adopting a lifestyle that keeps it off. Strength training should be done to get a better muscle to fat ratio and therefore improve metabolism. Use moderate weights at a fast training pace (very little rest between sets and exercises). You should lower your calorie intake (but not try to starve yourself) and should eat frequent but small meals. Sugars, sweets and junk food should be eliminated from your diet. Engage daily in some activity like brisk walking, biking, etc., and try to increase the amount of time you spend each week.

 Mesomorph:

 A Mesomorph has a naturally fit body but to maintain it or improve it they should exercise and diet correctly for their type. Strength training can be done more often and for longer sessions then would be good for an Ectomorph, but you must still be careful not to overdo it. You should train with moderate to heavy weighs and at a moderate pace, not resting too long between sets. You will find you gain muscle quite easy (some women and even men might not want to get too bulky, but this won't happen suddenly. When you are happy with your muscle size simply train to maintain it). Stick to a good healthy diet to keep you lean and muscular, and watch for any slow creeping fat gains. Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, sports, etc. but do not overdo.

 Ectomorph:

 Ectomorphs should concentrate on gaining weight in the form of good lean muscle tissue (some women that are too thin may also want to put on a little fat to look more feminine). Weight training should be done but not too often or for too long each session. Weight should be fairly heavy and workout pace slower (longer rest periods between sets). Diet should be high in calories (good quality food not junk) and you should eat more then you're used to and often. Aerobic and other activities (sports, dancing, etc.) should be kept to a minimum, at least until you are happy with your weight and looks.

 The best way to figure out exactly what you are, go here and take the quiz to find out.

Now for the goody part. Which meal plan I have found to work better for my body type. Let me tell ya, this was no easy task. Especially when a few of them told me to stick with sweet, sugary snacks. I was like ummm NO! Then looked at other places.  I found these 2 articles very interesting and helpful.

  http://www.livestrong.com/article/357330-mesomorph-female-diet/#ixzz2RkCddCgx

  http://www.livestrong.com/article/507926-mesomorph-diet-weight-loss/#ixzz2RkCwTiIY

Basically I need a diet of 30/30/40 balance of protein/fat/carbohydrates. This was a shocker to me as my doctor told me to be on a 15/35/50 diet, which is a balance of Fat/Carbohydrates/Protein. She didn't even try to go into what kind of body I have or anything. Just gave me a paper and said here do this. It hasn't been working to well :( It also told me that I need to have around 2000 calories. OMG! I find it difficult to even eat the 1200 Calories a day let alone 2000. Partly cause my favorite mean consist of Boneless Skinless chicken breast on top of a mound of spinach leaves. It did tell me however, that I am suppose to be consuming 169.5 grams of protein a day.  I have been aiming for the 150 but now I know to aim higher. Also a good standard for me is to eat all my carbs BEFORE 3pm. Giving my body time to digest them properly and to keep it from becoming the spare tire on my waist.

With these being said, I thought it would be a perfect time to look even deeper and get a more in depth diet plan.  Here is what I came up with. I need to stick with a basic Paleo Food Diet. Funny how I was already trying that and on it and loving it so no major diet switch their. It did however tell me to do less cardio and more weight training. This I am honestly not sure about but I will try it and see. Besides, it never hurts to try :) 

Is what got me into discovering my body type and  trying to figure out why I was doing so much with very little results. I was talking with a really close friend of mine that I have actually thought of her a mentor as well, and she told me I may want to look into seeing what my body type was to see what would help. I was shocked that for a Mesomorph like myself, cardio doesn't really do much help. Here I was doing Lots of cardio and not much strength training. When in turn I was suppose to be doing the opposite. With me learning this, I know now how to modify up my diet and workout to fit the body type I have for maximum results. You can also go take a look at her blog and find some awesome articles on the subject and other fitness and health subjects, by visiting http://sportsbrasandsippycups.com/ Trust me, their are lots of good Need-To-Know articles and giveaways their.  If you have any questions regarding the subject, feel free to drop her a line and I bet she will be happy to help you out.

Other great articles on this topic include:

http://paleopowerchallenge90.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/how-to-eat-for-mesomorph-body-type-naturally-muscular/ - Which tells me to loose weight follow the 80/20 rule or 5 days on & 2 days off.

 http://paleopowerchallenge90.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/paleo-food-list/- If you are not sure on what foods you can and should eat.

 

Examples of what to eat are :

Breakfast

• One egg, scrambled with one quarter cup spinach and two tablespoons mozzarella cheese
• One ounce lean ham
• One slice whole-wheat toast with half a teaspoon margarine made with canola oil 

Snack

• One small apple
• One tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch

• Cobb salad: Two cups mixed greens, half a tomato, two ounces sliced cooked skinless chicken breast, one hard-cooked egg, one eighth an avocado, one tablespoon reduced-fat feta cheese tossed with two tablespoons reduced-fat Italian dressing
• Six whole-wheat crackers

Dinner

• Three ounce sirloin steak marinated in one tablespoon each light soy sauce and orange juice and grilled
• One small baked potato, with skin, topped with one tablespoon each light sour cream and chives
• Half cup steamed broccoli with one teaspoon olive oil 

http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Eating_for_Your_Body_Type

(From what I have read, most suggest substituting the peanut butter with nut butter. Like almond butter. I also prefer to use butter found at my local health food store better than margarine due to most margarine you buy in stores is one molecule away from being plastic. I don't that in my body. So natural is better)
I know not everyone is a Mesomorph body type so Tomorrow I will plan to do a post about the other 2 types of body's and links for you to find what is best for you. Sorry for the long post. Hope you guys like it. From my family to yours. Sleep well and remember to Sweat Pink!