The Body Type Test

Eat Right for your Body Type

Have you ever been on a diet, lost weight and then regained it plus a little extra? If this has been your experience, you are not alone.

The problem with most diets is that they put the body into a starvation mode. The body becomes more efficient and slows down the metabolic rate. Once a person starts eating again, the body puts on what it has lost plus a little extra to prepare for the next famine. The way out of this cycle is to supply the body with the nutrients it needs without the empty calories that create undue stress.

Excess weight is a symptom and can come from a variety of causes. No wonder it is such a wide spread problem. The bottom line is the body is stressed and out of balance. Attaining and maintaining your ideal weight with optimal health, energy and vitality for a lifetime of good health requires addressing all areas. While the broad categories are the same, the specifics vary from person to person. Fortunately, there are some common denominators that will help you sort through the myriad of options and tailor a program ideal for you:

Exercise – interval training is an excellent way to increase your metabolic rate. Rebounding activates the lymphatics, tai chi and chi gong activate the meridian system and build internal energy reserves. Cardiovascular burns calories and increases muscle tone.

Emotional – is food used as a reward? Do you eat when you are stressed? Do you eat out of boredom? Do you use weight to keep attention away? Is excess weight a buffer for energies you are having trouble handling?

Physical – digestive problems resulting in the inability to digest fats, protein or carbohydrates? Do you need to rebuild your digestive tract? Are you producing too much of the adrenal stress hormone, cortisol?

Dietary choices – there are basic, universal fundamentals. There are specifics that are related to your body type and then what is appropriate for you and where you are at a specific point in time.

Basic, universal dietary fundamentals:

Eliminate refined sugar – these are empty calories that pull nutrients from the body as a requirement to be processed.

Avoid refined wheat – soft wheat is a hybrid that the body has difficulty recognizing. This is what is used in breads and pastries.

Avoid GMO (genetically modified organism) foods – typically corn, soy, sugar beet, canola, alfalfa, papaya and zucchini squash. They are hard on the digestive system.

Drink good pure water – half your weight in ounces, exclusive of soups, coffee and other drinks.

Focus on whole natural foods, primarily protein and vegetables – include good quality oils, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits depending on what is right for your particular body.

Specifics according to your body type:

Of the 25 different body types, the biggest difference is the time of day a person can eat fruit. If you are a Stomach body type, eating fruit in the morning for breakfast, like putting a banana on your cereal, creates stress on the body. However, eating the same meal for lunch, dinner, mid-afternoon or evening snack is fine. If you are a Heart body type, eating a banana on your oatmeal for breakfast is beneficial and supportive for weight loss. However, eating fruit with or at the end of dinner is not. Eating fruit after lunch will aid in digestion and satisfy sugar cravings.

Some types, like the Adrenal body type and Stomach body type, can thrive on eating protein for dinner and even eating it late, like between 7:00 and 9:00 PM. On the other hand, the Pituitary body type does best eating dinner early, 5:30 to 6:00 PM, and does not digest protein well at dinner. In fact, eating protein for dinner can actually cause them to gain excess weight. But, steak and eggs for breakfast can help them lose weight. When the Adrenal body type eats a large breakfast, it stimulates their digestive system and they want to eat all day long, so unless they are rebuilding their adrenal glands, they are best with something light like fruit, a vegetable, vegetable juice or yogurt or cottage cheese when they have a more demanding day.

Exercise can also vary between different body types. The Lymph body type needs physical or mental stimulation or they get depressed. Physical exercise in the morning gets the system moving and sets the tone for the day. The Adrenal body type, like Oprah Winfrey, are better off exercising after work at the end of the day, to release any accumulated stress. Adrenals are strong and need to move, so running outside is far more effective than a treadmill. The Intestinal body type needs to exercise between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM, as this is when their energy is the highest. Exercising early in the morning or evening is not sustainable, unless there are stronger more motivating factors present.

Knowing your body type validates what you intuitively know and fills in the gaps. It gives you guidelines, direction and a place to start. It is practical and sustainable. The focus is an eating plan that will allow you to attain and maintain your ideal weight, health, energy and vitality. The profile includes the types of restaurants that best support your body type. It even includes a personality profile, identifying your strengths, motivation and characteristic traits. Identifying your body type is easy.