Eat Right For Your Body Type

by Dr John Berardi

Simplicity and Individualization
Last week, I posted a short article entitled "It Really Is Simple."

The whole point of the article was that, while nutrition is a source of confusion for many folks, their confusion is usually self-made.

In other words, rather than applying the simple principles of thermodynamics, folks usually "out think" themselves, getting bogged down in advanced details, spinning their wheels the whole way and never really learning how to control their body, never really learning how to be in the driver's seat of their body composition.

In essence, at its most basic level, body change is about controlling energy balance. Therefore:

1) If you aren't losing...
You're not in a negative energy balance

2) If you aren't gaining...
You're not in a positive energy balance

In the article I then went on to discuss how to achieve that seeming elusive negative (or positive) energy balance - simple strategies, for sure - but strategies I see people missing out on time and time again. Strategies that, once mastered, make the biggest difference - much bigger than macronutrient splits, special supplements, and other such techniques.

So, if you haven't read this article, please do by clicking here. And once you've finished reading it, repeat to yourself the fact that understanding how to control energy balance is always the first step to changing your body.

However, once you're done with that article, I want you to come back here and read this one. You see, while basic energy balance information is absolutely necessary for physique change, it's not always sufficient to help everyone achieve their higher level goals. Sometimes, more is required - especially after you've achieved a certain "nutritional age."

Act Your Nutritional Age
I never ask clients - flat out - what they believe their nutritional age to be. Why not? Well, because they usually have no idea since nutritional age, nutritional experience, nutritional level, are all subjective and based on some reference points.

For example, if you eat better than everyone you know, you may think your nutritional level is "advanced." Yet, compared to a different standard, it may be very much "beginner." Likewise, if you hang out with a bunch of "nutrition nuts" who seem to have it all together, you may believe yourself to be "beginner" while maybe you're really more "intermediate" or "advanced."

Of course, you can read a nutrition book every week and still be a beginner as your practice of this information might still be immature. On the other hand, you could never read a single nutrition book or text yet have a high level nutritional intake.

In the end, it's for these reasons that Precision Nutrition V2.0 contains some tools for helping people categorize themselves according to 3 different nutritional levels - Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.

You can call this your "nutritional age," your "nutritional level," etc. Whatever you call it, this categorization is based on how your body looks and performs as well as your specific nutritional habits.

Further, not only does your nutritional level describe you, it also describes how you should approach improving your intake.

Level 1 individuals should concern themselves with the the nutritional programming taught in the Precision Nutrition Diet Guide, using Gourmet Nutrition meals and the Precision Nutrition nutrient timing templates or Super Foods Checklist,

Level 2 individuals should concern themselves with using the activity and goal-based calorie calculations, body type specific macronutrient breakdowns, and nutrient-sensitivity based nutrient timing strategies - all outlined in detail in the Individualization Guide of Precision Nutrition V2.0.

Level 3 individuals should concern themselves with high level individualization like calorie cycling, periodic very low carb diets, periodic very high carb diets, etc. - all outlined in detail in the Individualization Guide of Precision Nutrition V2.0.

In the end, it's important to realize that the nutritional strategies you choose should be based on your current level/nutritional age.

They should not be based on some general ideal, some general program, or on what works for someone who's had success but is at a different level than you.

For The Level 2s and 3s
We always teach Level 1 clients that their primary focus should be on making better food choices and controlling energy balance (without counting calories, etc.). And by focussing on these two things, Level 1 clients proceed at a great pace without being overwhelmed.

However, once a client graduates from Level 1, they have to progress to the next level in terms of their nutritional habits if they hope to continue to improve. This is where we focus on more individualized nutrition - nutrition based on activity levels, goals, body type, and more.

To this end, in Precision Nutrition V2.0 we begin by outlining 3 general body types, the characteristics of each type, and our recommended starting macronutrient intakes. Here's one chart summarizing these details:



Notice that each body type has a different set of characteristics and that each type benefits from a different dietary breakdown. Trust us on this one, by eating according to your body type, you'll experience almost immediate improvements in the way you look and feel.

To Count or Not To Count
Now, once we get to this level of individualization, folks often wonder whether they should start counting calories or not.

Well, it all depends on need.

You know, you can generally tailor your diet to the specifications above without counting calories. Simply, if you shift your fat and carbohydrate intake in the direction that best suits your body type, you'll do well - without counting.

For example, if you've an ectomorph that's graduated from level 1 yet you don't want to really start counting calories and macronutrient percentages, you can simply start paying more attention to keeping your fat intake in check and increasing your carb intake. Likewise, if you're an endomorph, you'd do the opposite - all the while using the "eyeball" method rather than using a weigh scale and calorie calculator.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should never count calories and macronutrients. If you've got no idea how many calories are in the foods you're eating and no idea where your proteins, carbs, and fats are coming from, you'd likely benefit from a lesson on these topics.

Likewise, even if you know these things yet your results aren't falling in line with your expectations, you may need to spend some time counting so that you can better determine where you stand with respect to energy balance and you can decide how to best shift your energy balance in the direction you like.

Ahh, energy balance again! So we've come full circle! Remember, without controlling energy balance, no amount of macronutrient planning will make much of a difference.

Want More Info
Ok, it's time to wrap up this article before I type out the entire Precision Nutrition manual right here on the forum! Now, admittedly, the article above presents just a brief synopsis of the Precision Nutrition system. However, it should give you a good idea as to how you can begin to establish a nutritional plan based specifically on your body type.

Of course, if you're looking for more information about how to determine your nutritional level as well as how to eat for your level and your body type, make sure you get yourself a copy of Precision Nutrition V2.0.