Endomorphs

JoeyFitness1718

If you are an Endomorph you will be like me and struggle to lose weight. How do you do it and how successful have you been? I’ve seen some people say they Intermittently fast and others just stick to a normal 3 meal clean diet. Any tips?

harper16

Count calories. Weight loss comes down to a calorie deficit.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Oh, @harper16, like it is that easy!

@JoeyFitness1718 : There is no easy answer here. I am slightly prone to over eating, meaning that if I don't override my natural tendencies, I will gradually gain weight. I still count myself lucky that it isn't that hard for me to lose weight with just a little bit of intellectual override of my natural tendencies. I well understand that this presents varying levels of difficulty for different people on a continuous scale from --- to +++.

You need to figure out what works for you. Counting calories is NOT the only approach. MFP is a calorie-counting web site, so everyone here will tell you to count your calories. But, you can also try timed eating ("IF") and/or a rules-based diet.

It really helps to work with a dietitian, if you haven't tried that. They can help you to find a program that fits you.

Best of luck!

AnnPT77

The whole somatotypes thing has been pretty much debunked. I used to be an endomorph, then I lost weight and now I'm probably a mesomorph . . . or parts of me are.

Meal timing, per research, isn't terribly important. (There are some recent studies suggesting that eating more in the morning may make people a few dozen more calories more energetic, but the effect is so small that it's pretty meaningless, especially if someone is calorie counting.)

Compliance is a much bigger factor for most people, i.e., finding the eating schedule that makes it easiest for you, as an individual, to stick to a calorie goal (again, if calorie counting).

Some people find that they don't get hungry until they eat breakfast, and are filled up by fewer but larger meals. Intermittent fasting is likely to be a good solution for them - for some, so good that they don't need to calorie count. For other people (I'm one), skipping breakfast is the on-ramp to crashing and burning mid-morning, then eating All The Things for the rest of the day, until bedtime. Intermittent fasting would be a terrible solution for people like me.

Nutrition is important, but "clean" (which doesn't have any kind of standard definition) is optional.

Experiment a bit, and see what eating schedule keeps you feeling most full and satisfied, within your calorie goal. People here do anything from one meal a day, to grazing their way through all of their waking hours, and still lose weight.

Start with whatever's been your default eating schedule up to this point, notice when you feel hungry, and adjust accordingly. You can figure it out!

lynnluvinlife

Intermittent fasting has been a life changer for me

cherys

I think it is SO important to find a method that is right for you. Don't follow advice that doesn't suit your body. For me, this means cutting out white flour and refined sugar entirely as they trigger binge eating cravings that I can't resist. If I don't eat these things, I don't feel hungry or even think about food much between meals. If I do eat them, some message loops in my brain, saying, 'I'm starving. I want crisps. I want a biscuit. I want toast.' Battling this takes too much willpower, so having a diet that silences that voice is super-helpful to me.

Another thing I find helpful, having tracked for several weeks now on MFP is to look where there are calories that you just don't really get much pleasure from. For me, I noticed that a tiny amount of low fat spread is about 30 calories. I'd rather use those calories on a big handful of salad leaves or a few cherry tomatoes or raspberries. Several cups of coffee with milk can add up to 100 calories or more a day. I like black coffee just as much so I've switched.