Is Keto Right For Your Body Type?

Body type categorization brings out the worst in everyone. Are you peach? Pear? Pizza? It makes no sense. For the most part, people have a body type where you can kind of tell that they don’t say no to the odd treadmill session. But they also don’t say no to an ice cream either. That’s somewhere in the middle. If you’re a sport scientist, you like three strict categorizations that are approved by science, so while it’s massively reductive to think of people in three shapes, this is what we’re using to see if a ketogenic lifestyle will work for you. Even if you’re shaped like overcooked cauliflower.

Ectomorph On Ketosis

This person has the metabolism of a racing snake. They’re slim and probably have trouble adding muscle. Trouble is, you do well on a high carb eating plan. That pretty much sits as a juxtaposition to all low carb ketogenic eating guidelines. So, should you completely avoid keto? Nope, but the advice is to do it for a set amount of time, say 3-4 weeks, especially if you’ve slipped into that skinny-fat body shape. It will help you trim the excess wobbly bits and give you a good gauge about how well your muscles function when in ketosis. If you’re looking to gain muscle, you can still eat the 1g of protein per pound of body weight but use that metric for the weight you want to be at. Learning to count your macros is a valuable daily habit that you may not have been following which is why you’re too skinny. It will help you get to your ideal body weight, regardless of how fast your metabolism might be.

Mesomorph On Ketosis

These are the people you hate. They’re naturally athletic and make muscle gains just by shooting a blue steel look at the dumbbells. When this description fits you, you probably play to your strengths and are already exercising regularly. If you aren’t then you’ve probably got an impressive physique underneath your covering layer of fat. This means you’ll respond to a two-month plan of ketosis with rapid results. Keep your carb intake to below 10% of your total calories, even if you have you have a fast metabolism. This will make sure you’re losing fat but making muscle gains at the same time.

Endomorph On Ketosis

Your genes have cursed you. Except they haven’t. Most people who are naturally heavier set have this body type which is categorized by thicker joints and more innate strength. Yes, there is a covering layer of fat for those impressive muscles and that may be why you’ve got beef with your DNA. Push it aside and jump into the ketogenic lifestyle but go slow. Aim for the long haul. Find the foods you like. Eat them often. Gain enjoyment from them because they’re going to serve you over the long term. Do not set an end date for this way of eating because it could serve you for the rest of your life. Sure, you can have your favorite foods eventually, but you’ll be wearing their consequences within weeks because the bodyweight regain after keto can be severe. Tread carefully when hitting the eject button.

The ketogenic eating plan isn’t something that you always need to commit to forever. Instead, you can strategize how to use it, depending on your goals for various times of the year. Figure out what your body shape is and eat accordingly. You can’t fight who you are, but you sure can change yourself into the shape you want to be.