Honestly, Will I Ever Lose the Weight?
Have you been trying to lose weight but just feel too tired, unmotivated and frustrated? Or maybe you’ve only been trying to lose weight mentally but haven’t actually gotten the energy up to put forth the effort to get on the ol’ treadmill.
Last week I did an article addressing the ectomorph body type (thin, high metabolism, struggles to gain muscle and fat). This week I’m going to talk about the endomorph.
The endomorph body type is bigger, has a higher body fat percentage, and is often pear-shaped. This body type has a high tendency to store fat. They also have a larger bone structure and because they store fat easily, they struggle with weight loss.
Endomorphs typically have a difficult time losing fat with just dieting. You gotta put on the tennis shoes and actually do work along with dieting, or you won’t see results very quickly. Along with the higher percentage of body fat, endomorphs also have less muscle mass.
Along with storing more fat than the average person, endomorphs also get tired easier and have a larger appetite which totally goes against weight loss!
The good news is, endomorphs are naturally strong and have great endurance.
Will power is going to be your biggest tool here, because these types like to take it easy, relax and chill. But you need to stay busy!
Blaming genetics is something we all do, no matter our body type. It’s an easy cop out when we don’t want to actually do something to make a change.
The best thing to do is be thankful for your body type. Every person has strengths and weaknesses, and not one person is alike.
I’m going to break this article into 4 sections:
- Training
- Rest
- Nutrition
- Supplements
-
TRAINING
Cardio, cardio, cardio! You have to do cardio, and for at least 30-60 min 4 days a week.
As an endomorph, you have to realize that exercise must to be a lifelong commitment. It should be a way of life for everyone, but for this body type, it is your ticket to lifelong weight control.
Overtraining only happens when you repeat the same thing over and over without rest, or change. In order to keep this from happening, you should rotate between 3 or more different activities to stay active, counteract boredom, and keep the weight off, without overtraining.
- Circuit training with very little break is ideal
- When weight training, do high rep, low weight
- Focus on large muscle groups
- Avoid heavy weight training
- Avoid low reps
- After attaining goal weight – it’s okay to isolate muscle groups to build where you desire
- Low impact cardio is important. Low impact cardio options include:
-
- swimming
- Hiking
- Biking
- Walking
- Yoga
- Pilates
-
-
REST
Avoid excessive sleep.
Get up early and hit the ground running, literally. Put your workout clothes and shoes next to your bed and go for a brisk walk if you’re not ready to hit the gym first thing.
Wake up early, get up, and get moving.
-
NUTRITION
Don’t avoid carbs, you need them for energy. Removing carbs can trigger sluggishness and fatigue. There are some carbs you should avoid. These are simple carbs. Eat complex carbs only.
Simple carbs are:
- White (table) sugar
- Corn syrup
- Candy
- Ice cream
- Cake
- All baked goods with white flour
- Bread with white flour (you should eat a lot of 100% whole wheat/grain bread!)
- Pasta made with white flour
- (Most) packaged cereals
- ALL sodas
- etc.
For more details about what simple and complex carbs are, go to last weeks article, How to Get Gains When Gains are Hard to Get.
If you completely eliminate carbs, you may find an increase in gastrointestinal problems and ketosis. The trick is choosing the right kind of carbs. Again, focus on complex carbohydrates.
Complex carbs like fruits, 100% whole grains, beans (legumes), and vegetables, including starchy vegetables like potatoes and tubers, are going to be your natural energy stimulants. You need these to keep your fatigue away! These foods won’t make you fat. It’s what you put on them that does that; so watch out for the butters, sour creams, oils, and other high fat flavors and sauces. Substitute those for homemade creams/sauces and dressings. (Search Pinterest for vegan creams, dressings and sauces).
Portion control is a must. Don’t eat until you’re super full. Only until you’re satisfied!
Lean protein. Beans/legumes are the best options, but if you haven’t embraced veganism or vegetarianism, stick to your white meats.
No red meats.
Add these foods to the top of your grocery list/weekly menu:
- Oats
- Beans
- Brown rice
- Veggies – especially green ones
- Quinoa
- Potatoes
- Fruits
- Walnuts and avocado for healthy fats
- etc.
Don’t opt for limiting diets with less than 1200 calories a day because the insufficient caloric intake could put your body into survival mode and prompt it to hold onto fat.
-
SUPPLEMENTS
- ENERGY. Before you down any pre-workout, it’s important to select energy sources that won’t give you a quick energy spike and then drop off fast after exercise.
- A great option is botanically sourced energy, and moringa, combined. I use Weyland complimentary formula with botanically sourced caffeine, complete b-complex, and energy supportive herbs. The energy increase is gradual and there’s no energy drop, which I love. There’s nothing synthetic in this product, plus there’s no sugar, and it is much healthier for your body than the pre-workout drinks sold at your gym. (Just be sure to take it with food, or you won’t feel good!)
- Moringa powder has 92 nutrients and 46 antioxidants and no additional supplements are needed when consuming moringa daily. Moringa is natural and there are no side effects it can be taken while on medication and is 100% safe.
- Drink your moringa powder around the same time you take your energy for optimum, sustainable energy. I use Micro Ingredients USDA Moringa Leaf Powder.
- BCAA’s. The Branched-chain amino acids – Luecine, isoleucine and valine – are essential. They differ from the other amino acids because they can be used for energy directly in the muscle without having to go to the liver to be broken down during exercise.
- Plant-based sources of BCAAs include: pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, brown rice and cashews. You can also choose a plant-based protein supplement that contains BCAAs, such as Vega Sport® Premium Protein, which has 5 grams of BCAAs per scoop. I have tried some Vega Sport proteins and they weren’t my favorite. I just use cashew milk for my shakes, add my fave protein powder, toss in raw unsalted pumpkin seeds and a fourth cup of quick oats to my shakes. And then eat beans and rice. This does the trick.
Losing weight is hard.
It takes time, patience and dedication.
But you will be rewarded.
Love yourself, embrace who you are, and make you the absolute best you, you can be!
I’d love to hear your story! And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. You can message me anywhere you’d like. I am on Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life, so wherever you like to communicate best, you can reach me!
