Many people are unaware of the 4 body types that predispose us to different physical traits, such as fluid retention, ability to build muscle and weight gain. In this podcast, Dr Sandra Cabot goes into detail about the 4 different body types, so you can gain a better understanding of your body composition and what you can do specifically for your body type, including dietary changes and supplementation. She talks to Jodie, who is a mix of two body types – gynaeoid and lymphatic. Dr Cabot is a thyroid body type, which have the tendency to have long, narrow limbs and don’t put weight on easily. There are healthy and unhealthy variations of all the body types. Learn about yours, in this podcast.

Listen to this podcast and leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Want to know your body type? Find out if your body type is Android, Gynaecoid, Lymphatic or Thyroid. Take the Body Type Quiz on the Liver Doctor website.

DR CABOT: Hello. My name is Dr Sandra Cabot and today I’m talking to you about the four body types. And I’m joined by one of our lovely Weight Loss Detective Counsellors, Jodie.

Hi Jodie!

JODIE: Hi Sandra! How are we today?

DR CABOT: We’re good! Yeah! It’s a lovely day here in Sydney, sunny and everything. And we thought, well, why not talk about this wonderful subject?

JODIE: And it is a good subject because it leaves a lot of us at home not knowing which body type we are and what category to fit in. So, it’s very interesting for me.

DR CABOT: Yeah! Well, people always love to know what their body type is. I used to find that after I’d given a seminar and talked about the body types, it might be midnight, but people wouldn’t go home until they were told what body type they were. They’d line up.

JODIE: That’s right! Because the body types that you’ve got listed, I wasn’t aware of what body type I am. Because I feel I fit into more than one category.

DR CABOT: You can. About 10% of people will fall into two categories But you’re more of a pear-shaped. So, you’re 80% Gynaeoid but 20% Lymphatic, because you do retain a bit of fluid.

JODIE: Yes.

DR CABOT: So that’s where it gets confusing. But some people just fit into one and it’s really easy for them.

So, we’ve got the skinny type, which is the Thyroid body type and that’s my type. And Thyroid body types find it hard to put on weight. So, they’re not the most common body type.

JODIE: Okay! The more fortunate, I think.

DR CABOT: Well, they’re always wanting to put on weight and it’s not easy. But Thyroid [sic] body types tend to have long, narrow bones. So, they’re very fine bones, they have long legs, long arms, and they don’t have as many fat cells as the other body types. So, there’s not enough fat cells to store fat. That’s why they have difficulty storing fat and putting on the weight. They can put the weight on inside their abdomen, if they have a bad diet which is full of sugar. They can still get a fatty liver and they can get abdominal fat. But it’s inside the abdominal cavity. Not so much on the abdominal wall.

JODIE: So, it’s not showing in your clothes.

DR CABOT: No! They look slim, but they might be unhealthy with the fatty liver. But even so, they don’t tend to be insulin resistant. So, they can often tolerate carbohydrates a lot more than the other body types. So, they’re lucky in that way.

So, the Thyroid body type doesn’t put on weight easily, fine boned, long, narrow legs and arms, more prone to osteoporosis and they create stimulants. They like sugar and nicotine and caffeine, anything that will stimulate their energy. So, if they keep having too many stimulants, they can get adrenal exhaustion. And if they get too underweight, they can have problems with their hormones; in that if they’re female, then they’ll stop menstruating.

JODIE: Well, that’s sort of lucky for some.

DR CABOT: But it’ll increase their risk of osteoporosis.

JODIE: Well, that’s the unfortunate part. You can’t have everything, can we?

DR CABOT: No! So, the Thyroid body types, they need to eat regular meals. They need to eat plenty of protein and they can have carbohydrates. But hopefully they choose the healthy, complex carbohydrates. And they really need to keep their intake of calories up. Otherwise, they’ll lose weight very quickly. They don’t do well in a famine. They don’t have stores.

JODIE: Fair enough!

DR CABOT: Whereas, the opposite to the Thyroid body type is the Lymphatic body type. Now, the Lymphatic body type has very slow metabolic rate, puts on weight very easily and retains fluid. And they have more fat cells than the other body types, what we call subcutaneous fat. So, it’s all over their body. So, they can look puffy in the legs and arms and that puffiness makes them look younger. That’s one advantage. So, they don’t get as many wrinkles and they often look 10, 15 years younger.

JODIE: That’s a blessing!

DR CABOT: Yes. But they often battle with their weight from a very young age, because their metabolism is so slow. So, they can use things that stimulate the metabolism that are natural, such as Metabocel, which is a formula designed to stimulate your metabolism in a healthy way. You have to take the Metabocel tablets 10 minutes before you eat with a whole glass of water. And they can eat more spicy food.

JODIE: Oh, okay!

DR CABOT: Yeah! So, things like chili and curry and all the Indian or Asian spices.

JODIE: So, how does that help with the fluid in their legs and body?

DR CABOT: Well, the fluid will be helped if they avoid foods that will stimulate their insulin. So, they’re better off with a low-carbohydrate diet. And by stimulating their metabolism, they’ll lose weight and that will reduce their fluid retention. But they do need to exercise. So, an exercise bike or walking, aerobic exercise. All that is really good.

JODIE: And spicy foods help with their metabolism?

DR CABOT: Yes. Spicy foods speed up the metabolism. If they don’t like spicy food, well, they can use things like garlic and onions, radish. If they don’t like that, well, they can eat more citrus fruit. They can have bioflavonoids, which we find in quercitrin or rose hips, that helps to tighten their lymphatic system. Yoga is good, particularly like the inverted postures. They help to drain fluid. So, there’s a lot that you can do. And we find that dairy products don’t really suit Lymphatic body types.

JODIE: I think that’s part of me.

DR CABOT: Yes. Because they cause congestion in the lymphatic system and that leads to more fluid retention. So, they’re better to go on a dairy-free, lower carbohydrate-type of eating.

JODIE: Oh, that’s good to know!

DR CABOT: But the Metabocel is very helpful for the Lymphatic body type. And they can lose a lot of weight, but they’ve always got to be watching it because they put on weight so easily. So, protein is their best friend.

JODIE: Yep. Okay. So don’t look at the foods, ladies. Just avoid them.

DR CABOT: You don’t need low calorie, though. You can eat still protein and healthy fats.

JODIE: Well, that’s good!

DR CABOT: Yeah! So, you can have avocado. You can have eggs. You can have coconut cream, coconut oil. You can have meat that’s got some fat on it. You can have nuts.

JODIE: So, coconut cream isn’t a dairy?

DR CABOT: No, coconut isn’t dairy. You know, it’s a plant. So dairy is milk, butter, cheese, cream, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate… sorry! But you can get dairy-free chocolate made with coconut. It’s nice!

JODIE: Well, there you go! There’s got to be benefits. You can find them.

DR CABOT: And, of course, occasionally you can have a little treat, but it’s what you do 90% of the time. I mean, you’ve done very well.

JODIE: Yes, I think so. But I’ve had a lot of guidance from being here and learning from you ladies.  So, I’ve been very blessed. And I haven’t missed the dairy as much as what I thought I would. And so, yes, that’s helped. I have been having coconut cream, but I did think it might have been dairy. So now I might have a bit more!

DR CABOT: Did you?

JODIE: Yes.

DR CABOT: I guess, people get a bit confused. They think coconut’s fattening.

JODIE: Well, I think the cream word, too! We all associate cream with dairies.

DR CABOT: Yeah, yeah! Okay. Well now you can have more! Coconut is so healthy!

JODIE: Woohoo!

DR CABOT: So, you’ve got the Thyroid, which is the skinny one with a high metabolism. Then you’ve got the Lymphatic, which is the cuddly baby doll with a slow metabolic rate. So, they’re the opposite.

And then you’ve got the Android body type. Now, most men are Android shape, but a lot of women are, too. And Android is characterized by big muscles. Nice, strong, well-formed, well-defined muscles. And they’re often very good athletes. They have fairly straight up-and-down physique. So, they have broad shoulders and their shoulders and hips generally taper in. So, from the shoulders to the hips, it tapers in it. So, they have narrow hips. And we call that the android pelvis. So that sometimes have trouble during delivery. They may need a cesarean or forceps delivery because their pelvis is more narrow. But they have wonderful shapely, muscular legs. They look great in high heels.

JODIE: Oh, wow! I love it! And mini skirts.

DR CABOT: Yeah! And if they put on weight, it’s in the upper body. So, it’ll be the abdomen, particularly around the upper abdomen. They tend to get a fatty liver, where they get that liver roll. Or we call it the muffin roll. Their legs will stay nice and slim and muscular. If they do get really overweight, they might put on weight in the inside of the upper thighs. But they don’t get those big hips or a big buttock. Big butt, they never get a big butt.

JODIE: They’re lucky.

DR CABOT: They have this kind of a square, muscular butt.

JODIE: Do they put much weight on in their back?

DR CABOT: Yeah! The upper-level body obesity, they get. So, they get the abdominal obesity and they get rolls of fat around their thorax, around their chest. And that’s unhealthy because we know that intra-abdominal fat and abdominal fat and thoracic fat and fat that builds up around your neck is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And people who are Android-shaped and become overweight are always insulin resistant. So, they have too much insulin. And insulin is a fat-storing hormone. So, they can put on weight easily if their insulin is too high. So, they have to be very careful with carbohydrates. So, often they’re better off on a grain-free diet.

Now, what are grains?

JODIE: Well, guess. What are grains?

DR CABOT: They are wheat, rye, barley, oats, rice and corn. They’re all your grains.

JODIE: Okay. So, the rice is in there. Even brown rice?

DR CABOT: Yeah.

JODIE: And what about legumes?

DR CABOT: Well, legumes are less carbohydrate than grains, but they still have to be careful. If you go on a ketogenic diet, you don’t have any legumes. That’s really low carb, until you’ve got the weight off. But in general, for overweight Androids or Lymphatics, they go grain-free until they’ve lost the weight. And people don’t always know what grains are. So, it’s very simple. It’s wheat, rye, barley, oats, rice and corn or anything made with those grains.

JODIE: So, flours etc.

DR CABOT: Yeah, pastry, muffins, crackers. So, if they want bread, they can have the nut and seed bread, which is really low carb. It’s a little bit harder and tough.

JODIE: It’s great when you toast it.

DR CABOT: Have you tried it?

JODIE: Yeah. I like my toast quite hard. So that works out well for me. With a bit of butter.

DR CABOT: Well, butter’s good. Butter is very healthy.

JODIE: If it’s real.

DR CABOT: Yeah. If you’re a Lymphatic, you have to be careful. Not too much dairy. But, for the Androids, butter’s great. But you put it on nut and seed bread. So, the Androids need the low carb.

Now, Android women, when they get overweight in the upper part of their body, they often have too much testosterone. It’s the male hormone.

JODIE: Of course! Yes.

DR CABOT: And then they can get polycystic ovaries and they don’t menstruate regularly and they have reduced fertility. And that can be helped with the natural progesterone cream.

JODIE: Well, that’s good to know.

DR CABOT: So, if Android women are overweight and they eat too much carbohydrate, that puts their testosterone up. Whereas, men who are Android and overweight, it’s the opposite.

JODIE: Oh, really?

DR CABOT: Isn’t that interesting?

JODIE: That’s fascinating!

DR CABOT: So, if they eat too much carbohydrate, that kills their testosterone and they turn into Mickey Mouse. So, you tell that to a guy and they’ll lose weight. Because they want their testosterone. Say “You got to eat meat, cut out all that carb.”

JODIE: That’s it! Do what you were built to do! Eat meat!

DR CABOT: Yes. So, that’s the Android. They often make very good athletes. They’re strong, they’ve got a great physique, but they’ve got to watch…

JODIE: Like a fine horse. They’ve got to be looked after and do the right thing to keep that shape.

DR CABOT: Yes, definitely! Exercise, of course, for all body types. It’s imperative.

JODIE: It’s needed.

DR CABOT: Yes. But they build muscle easily, the Androids.

JODIE: They’re very lucky, aren’t they?

DR CABOT: They are lucky. They’ve got great muscular strength and formation. Whereas, the Thyroid body types, they really struggle to build muscle. They really do. You know, they can work out at the gym 2 hours a day and one little fiber of muscle. They can be helped by testosterone, if their testosterone is low – but that’s a little bit controversial. But for some women who have very low testosterone, they feel very weak on that. So that can be balanced with a natural testosterone cream.

JODIE: Sometimes you need to do what you need to do.

DR CABOT: Well look, it’s really interesting Jodie, because there’s basically four different body types, and each one has unique hormonal and metabolic differences.

JODIE: Of course.

DR CABOT: And that’s why one diet doesn’t always work for everybody. And that’s why we put on weight in different areas and some of us put on weight easily and some don’t.

JODIE: And that’s why it’s very good we have the Weight Loss Detectives, so that you can be pinpointed what body type you are. So, you know where you’re going. I am fascinated now I know where I’m going. So, it’s good to hear.

DR CABOT: And if people want to know their body type, they can go on to LiverDoctor.com and they can do the body type quiz. It’s very accurate.

JODIE: That’s great!

DR CABOT: Yeah! It’s good fun! LiverDoctor.com – do the body type quiz.

Now there’s one body type we haven’t talked about and that’s you. You’re 80% Gynaeoid.

JODIE: Me! Superstar!

DR CABOT: We left the best till last.

JODIE: We did!

DR CABOT: So, the Gynaeoid is the curvy, kind of voluptuous, feminine one.

JODIE: Call me Marilyn. C’mon! Let’s say it how it is.

DR CABOT: That’s right! Well, why not? So, they have a curvy physique. They go in at the waist and then they curve out at the hips and they’ll put on weight in their buttocks, their upper thighs. And they can get a big butt, if they’re not careful.

JODIE: Which in some young people, that’s very, very nice. But in most of us, it’s not so comforting.

DR CABOT: No. It’s good if you’re sitting on a hard chair. So, if you’re a skinny Thyroid type, those hard chairs, they’re not comfortable.

JODIE: But, when you’ve got a small waist and a rather large booty, getting a nice pair of jeans isn’t that easy to find. Because jeans aren’t really nipped in at the waist. There’s a lot of ups and downs with every body type, but that’s one that you’d find with the Gynaeoid.

DR CABOT: Yeah, right! Well, so the fat that builds up in the lower part of the body, around your upper thighs and your butt and your lower abdomen, is not as dangerous. That’s more… that’s safer than the upper-level body fat.

JODIE: Well, that’s good to know.

DR CABOT: It’s not associated with diabetes or cardiovascular disease. But still, women don’t want to be carrying too much weight in that area, because they want to look nice in their clothes.

JODIE: And plus it makes you ache. If you get too heavy, you ache in your knees and your ankles.

DR CABOT: Yes, you do. And your lower back. So, the Gynaeoid body type needs to avoid foods where you combine fat with sugar.

JODIE: Right!

DR CABOT: So creamy, sweet cakes and ice creams and things like that.

JODIE: Out! Forget the afternoon tea, ladies! They’re gone.

DR CABOT: You can have nuts or you can have some fruit. Or you can have some vegetable sticks with hummus. But you want to avoid the cakes and biscuits.

Now, the fat in the lower part of the body, around the butt, produces a type of estrogen hormone called estron. And that can cause some hormonal imbalances, resulting in heavy menstruation, sore breasts, lumpy breasts, endometriosis. And it can increase your risk of breast cancer. So, you need a healthy liver to break that estron hormone down. And so, the LivaTone Plus is very good for that – to keep your liver healthy and to make sure it’s breaking down the excessive amounts of estrogen.

And the natural progesterone, which is usually given in the form of cream, can balance the estrogen excess as well. And that will often help women with gynecological problems, like heavy menstruation or endometriosis.

JODIE: So, which one’s the hormone that produces excess facial hair, etc?

DR CABOT: That’s testosterone.

JODIE: Okay. So, that’s not my type. That’s good to know.

DR CABOT: Yeah. That’s the Android. You know, the apple-shaped.

JODIE: Okay. Beautiful.

DR CABOT: Apple-shaped, Android women, if they eat too much carbohydrate, they can get a lot of testosterone and that can cause facial hair and even hair loss on the scalp. So, you know, it’s very interesting.

JODIE: So, fat and sugar isn’t combined for my type.

DR CABOT: Correct! You don’t combine fat and sugar. You can have fat by itself, the healthy fats, but don’t have it in desserts with sugar. I mean, you can have it as an occasional treat but we’re talking about in general.

JODIE: Every day…

DR CABOT: Some people will eat dessert four or five times a week. If you’re a Gynaeoid, you’ll struggle with your weight. You do that.

And the progesterone is good to know about, if you’re a Gynaeoid. And exercise that will reduce fluid and fat in the upper legs and butt. Like, your exercise bike is excellent! Walking.

And as we said, if you want to know your body type, go and do the body type quiz on LiverDoctor.com. And you can also email us and send us a photo.

JODIE: Definitely! Because the more you know about your body type, the more you can help yourself.

DR CABOT: Definitely! You need to know your body type. It’s very important, if you’re trying to lose weight.

JODIE: Thanks so much for sharing with me, because that’s amazing. So good to know.

DR CABOT: It is. People love to know their body type.

Okay! Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this and we hope that we haven’t left you with an identity crisis. Just go on the body type quiz and find out.

JODIE: Please do.

DR CABOT: Have a great day. Bye!

JODIE: Bye!