Weight Problem? Blame it on Your Genes

Circle of Wellness
Know your body type

Yes, it’s true: the code to obesity is written in our genes. How, when, and where we have cellulite, largely depends on our Body Type.

Body types can be divided into 4 categories: Android, Gynaeoid, Thyroid and Lymphatic. Each one of these has distinctive hormonal and metabolic characteristics. By understanding your body type, you can find out whether and where you are prone to gaining weight, and in which areas you are more susceptible to cellulite.

Android Type

If you have broad shoulders, and strong muscular limbs, you belong to this category. Other characteristics include a rather straight torso, without much of a waist, narrow pelvis, and somewhat flat hips.

People with the android body type have an anabolic metabolism, and make good athletes. They are prone to weight gain in the upper body, making them look like apple-shaped. Most of their weight gain happens on the abdomen. They can build muscle mass easily. They also produce more male hormones compared to the other body types. Android types are attracted to high cholesterol foods, and this can cause some cellulite accumulation in the abdominal area, trunk, and upper buttocks, but not below the hips.

Gynaeoid Type

If you have a very feminine and curvy shape, you have the Gynaeoid body type.

People with this type of body havesmall to medium shoulders that taper down to a small waist, and then flare below, to wide curvaceous hips. If you are female, you are blessed to belong to this body type.

Weight gain is restricted to the thighs and lower buttocks. But you may face a problem with cellulite accumulation around the upper thighs and buttocks. The problem can be frustrating, as a low-fat low-calorie diet will shed weight from areas where it’s not a problem, while the fatty deposits and stubborn cellulite on the thighs and buttocks remain unchanged.

You may also be prone to a hormonal imbalance called “oestrogen dominance”, where oestrogen is in overabundance compared to progesterone. A sweet tooth and a craving for fatty foods can add to the oestrogen sensitivity, and lead to more cellulite in the buttocks and thighs.

Plant hormones (phytoestrogens) are your best friends as they produce a balancing effect, and help reduce oestrogen triggered weight gain.

Thyroid Type

A person characterised by a “race-horse” or “grey hound” appearance, with a fine narrow bone structure and long limbs, has the Thyroid body type. Dancers, models and many others with enviable figures often belong to this body type. Thyroid types are generally fond of caffeine, nicotine, artificial sweeteners and other stimulating foods. They are also more prone to missing meals than other body types.

They often have problems of fatigue and, cravings for sugar and stimulants, caused by fluctuating blood sugar levels. Generally speaking, thyroid types have a very high metabolic rate and do not tend to put on weight easily. Of all the body types, they are the luckiest in terms of weight gain problems. They generally do not have cellulite problem, and if they do, it is restricted to the buttocks and the back of the thighs.

Lymphatic Types

If you have a “cuddly baby doll” appearance, you have the Lymphatic body type. Individuals with this type gain weight all over the body. A very low metabolic rate makes them gain weight very easily. This body type is also prone to generalised fluid retention, caused by a dysfunctional lymphatic system. The result? They tend to look fatter than they actually are.

They are likely to suffer from deposits of fat, swollen with lymphatic fluid, resulting in severe cellulite. This gives them thick puffy limbs, to the extent that their bone structure is not visible. They generally like dairy products, and to stay away from exercise. This combination exacerbates their cellulite problem.

Old body type categorization

Before we gained knowledge about how hormonal and metabolic differences affect our tendencies to put on weight, body types were categorised differently. There were only three categories. The android body type was known as Mesomorph, the Thyroid body type was known as Ectomorph, and the Lymphatic body type was known as Endomorph. There was no category to describe the Gynaeoid type.