On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, M.E. Craddock wrote:

> In a message dated 2/1/01 10:36:57 AM CST, [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>  Anyway, I just thought that short-leggedness might be an aspect
>  of a more "northern" body type in general, perhaps also
>  metabolically.
>
> This is interesting to me, too. I am female, 5'10" and wear a 33-34 inseam.
> My torso is also long. My husband is 6' and has a long torso and long
> legs...34" inseam.

Perfect examples.  Most men who are as tall as I am (6'1") have
at least a 32" inseam, or 34".  When my weight is down, I wear
34-30 pants.  This size is typically for men who are considerably
shorter.

> He has such a high metabolism, he can eat anything and has difficulty gaining
> weight.

Reminds me of a colleague of mine in the philosophy department
here at St. Joseph's U.  He's taller than me (6'3"), has very
long legs (36", I think), and eats everything in sight without
gaining weight.  We often go to lunch together and he typically
buys two lunches -- usually something like Philly cheesesteaks
and "boardwalk" fries.

> I work out alot and find that it I don't consume pretty fair amounts of
> carbs, I have no energy and cannot sustain hard workouts. The heavy emphasis
> on protein and fat does not work for me. I tried it for a long time, over a
> year, and found myself getting sick more often than I ever have...not
> sleeping well...not having enough energy.

Yes, I think this is just more evidence that there really are
metabolic types, and the claim that all humans thrive on the same
sort of diet is just false.  I don't know whether there is
anything to my conjecture of "northern" versus "southern" (in the
northern hemisphere -- apologies to antipodeans) body types as a
marker for metabolic type.

Another aspect of what I am calling a "northern" body is greater
subcutaneous fat, and this is well known to vary racially.
Asians have more subcutaneous fat, African have the least, and
Caucasians are in the middle somewhere, but of course there is
intra-racial variation as well.  I know that I tend to carry more
than average subcutaneous fat, because even when my total body
fat is low, I show less muscle definition than some men with
comparable body fat percentage.  Bodybuilders have to deal with
this all the time, I guess.

Taking an overall appraisal of my body type -- short-legged,
large-boned, heavy-muscled, but with a a liberal amount of
subcutaneous fat and a tendency to gain body fat -- I imagine I
fit a nothern stereotype pretty well.

In dietary terms, even though I don't become "lean" by following
a meat-heavy diet like Neanderthin, this sort of thing does work
better than higher carbohydrate diets for me.

Todd Moody
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