Macronutrient Ratios for Different Body Types and Metabolisms

Macronutrient Ratios

The nutritional contents of all foods are a combination of one or more of the following 3 macronutrients: Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates.

Below I have listed the typical recommendations for the percentage of calories each of these should make up in your diet, based on your body type & metabolism.

Ectomorph or "Hard Gainer"














Protein: anywhere from 20 - 25%, or at least 1 g Protein/lb bodyweight

Fat: 15 %

Carbohydrates: 60 - 65%

Notes: Ectomorphs are usually pretty good with carbohydrate metabolism and can handle more carbohydrates in a given meal than a mesomorph and much more than an endo-morph. They also usually have trouble gaining any kind of weight (they can eat anything and everything and not get fat) so it is commonly recommended that they eat anywhere from 60 - 65 % calories to get the scale moving and fuel the compound movements they will need to be performing in order to gain the most amount of muscle in the shortest time (i.e. Deadlift, Squat, etc.)

In short: 25% Protein, 15% Fat, 60% Carbohydrates or 25/15/60 Macronutrient Ratio

Mesomorph or "Genetic Freak"














Mesomorphs can usually get away with pretty much eating anything they want, as long as they have all their nutrional bases covered, are eating enough calories for growth or a little less for fat loss, and are ensuring adequate amounts of the 3 macronutrients of protein, fat and carbohydrates necessary for optimal growth.

They have better carbohydrate metabolism or insulin managment than endomorphs, but not as good as an ectomorph.

For the best results and for even greater performance in the gym, it is commonly recommended that 50% of calories come from carbs (moderate carb intake) from the slow-digesting complex carbs that provide a slower and more sustained energy release over a greater period of time. This will have you looking, performing, and feeling your best both inside and outside of the gym.

Since they build muscle quite easily and have a slight trouble with insulin management, it is commonly recommended that a larger portion of their calories come from protein. 30% or 1 - 1.5 g of protein/lb bodyweight should be enough to cover all their nutritional bases.

Fat will round out the number, anywhere from 15 - 20% whichever one you find you respond best to.

In short: 30% Protein, 20% Fat, 50% Carbohydrates or 30/20/50 Ratio

Endomorph or "I Gain Weight Just Smelling Food"














Most endomorphs will need to go on a lower calorie or maintenance diet even if they are trying to gain weight in the form of muscle. It is a lot easier for them to gain weight, particularly in the form of fat mass, and they are the ones who need to pay extra care and attention to their diets as one misstep here or cheat meal there could throw off their entire progress.

Endomorphs usually have the most trouble with carbohydrates and insulin management, and one of the best ways to get these under control is with regular meals throughout the day every 3 hours. Eating high-quality proteins at the beginning of every meal is key as it will help in balancing your blood sugar levels, and throw off sugar cravings and other related insulin imbalances.

Protein: anywhere from 30 - 40% or 1 - 2 g protein/lb of bodyweight.

Also remember that whenever you decrease your calories from carbohydrates because of carb intolerance or insulin sensitivity, you will need to make up the difference with protein so that you meet your calorie requirements.

Fat: 30% of calories

Carbohydrates: anywhere from 30 - 50%

(keep in mind that if you go below 30 - 40% your energy levels may begin to suffer in the gym and you may not be able to achieve maximum results for whatever goal you are looking to achieve. It is therefore only recommended that you drop your calories from carbs to 30% or below if you are extremely insulin sensitive and have no other choice.)

In short: 30-40% Protein, 30% Fat, 30-40% Carbohydrates or 30/30/40 Ratio
Remember that if you reduce the amount of carbs you will need to make up the difference with protein, and should only be done if you are reasonably sure that you are insulin sensitive and the 30/30/40 ratio fails to provide the weight loss results you were looking for at a maintenance or below maintenance level.

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Note: Please keep in mind that these are only suggestions and typical recommendations. You may need to play around with the numbers a little bit to find the ratio that works best for you, especially if you have problems with carbohydrate or insulin management, or find that personally you can't eat a lot of protein.

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So there you have it, a list of common recommendations for how much of each of the macronutrients you should eat in your diet, depending on your goals, body type, and metabolism.

I hope you found the information you were looking for and wish you all the best.

To your success,

Joeseph C