Endomorph
Rounded easily stores fat and maybe with large frame and medium to large joints
If you are working hard and sticking to a diet but still struggling to lose body fat you are probably an endomorph. This body type is usually a person with a slow metabolism who often stores fat easily especially around the abdomen and chest area. They are usually large framed with medium to large joints, but not always as they can be small framed too.
If you are this body type you may have a sensitivity to carbohydrates and might be resistant to insulin. You would be best to avoid high carbohydrate diets especially refined and processed carbohydrates containing white sugar and white flour and lets face it that is the food you are probably most drawn to and may even crave the most. The reason for this is because these particular foods tend to be able to convert to body fat much more rapidly in an endomorphic than any other body shape.
However if you want to change your shape and start losing that extra body fat from around your middle then you will need to stick to a low or moderate carbohydrate diet with a much higher protein content. You may not necessarily need to go on a low GI or Atkins style diet but curb the amount of carbohydrates you have at each meal and as snacks during the day.
Another option would be to think of your plate and divide it mentally into sections like a pie chart and I don't meant the banana cream sort either. Imagine your plate is two thirds full of fresh healthy vegetables and then divide the other third into Protein and Carbohydrates. Give your plate a higher portion of protein and less of carbohydrates as some the vegetables may have a naturally occurring starchy level. Your body needs a small amount of fat but so use olive oil for cooking in small amounts.
Also be aware that many of your friends might be able to cheat from time to time on their diets and still be able to lose weight. Unfortunately you are in the bracket where even a small cheat will show up as fat on your body. I know life can be unfair like that but Heh get over it. If you want to take charge of your life and your shape then you will just need to accept your shape and work with it not against it. If you must cheat on your diet (after all we are human ) then return to your plan immediately afterwards and don't spiral out of control. Try not to make cheating a regular occurrence as your body shape is rather unforgiving.
And I know this is probably not what you want to hear but you will have to be extremely disciplined nutritionally speaking and you will need to exercise regularly in order to boost your metabolism as dieting alone will really be a slow process in getting rid of your body fat.
The best form of exercise for this body type will be cardio and aerobic type exercises. Check with your Doctor before starting any exercise programme.
If you are extremely overweight with this body shape start slowly with gentle cardio such as walking, climbing stairs, leg squats then gradually work your way up to full blown aerobic exercises such as running, hill climbing, and dancing.
Make sure that you never starve yourself, if possible try to eat 6 smaller meals a day or 3 meals and 3 healthy snacks and drink plenty of water during the day. If you skip meals or try to eat too little you will only slow your metabolism down further and that is the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.
The Look of an Endomorphic
Endomorphs have high body fat levels and may well be overweight or possibly obese. Often with big boned frames and large to medium joints but not always.
This body type often has short tapered arms and very rounded body shape (either apple or pear shape) with fat tending to stick around the middle, abdomen, waist, hips or chest.
People with this shape have the hardest job of losing weight and keeping it off and if a regular exercise programme is not kept up then they will often regain the weight and more besides and will feel tired, lacking energy and sluggish.
But don't give up before you start as a healthy weight loss is achievable and maintainable if you persevere. Go for a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbs which you may actually find more filling for longer than a diet that is higher in carbs.
Keep active daily, increase the amount of exercise you do gradually and resist the natural inclination to sit down for most of the day. Remember even if you only lose 1lb per week compared to some of your friends remember that 1 lb per week loss equates to 52 lbs per year.
Ectomorph
(Generally thin and wiry and usually have problems gaining weight)
By contrast to the Endomorph the Ectomorphic usually tends to be lean and slightly muscled. They often have extreme problems with gaining weight or bulking up and gaining muscle.
For men this may mean that they find great difficulty in building their bodies to obtaining maximum muscle mass and are unlikely to be in the Mr Universe category. This does not mean that they are weak or puny by any means but they may find it hard to gain weight and bulk up their bodies.
For women with this body shape the problems are a bit different as they will often be thin and may be straight and narrow rather than curvaceous. They may have smaller breasts and narrow hips and their waist may not be as well defined giving them an almost boyish look. This is the opposite of the look that many of them desire as they often want to be curvy and womanly. On the plus side they probably can eat what they want and never have to worry about gaining a pound in weight which most Endomorph would envy.
To help change the ectomorphic body type this body will need a high calorie diet and would benefit from weightlifting and muscle building exercise regimes. This does not mean to say that they will need to rush out and eat high fat over processed junk food. On the contrary they will still need to follow a healthy diet but they will need to increase the percentage of calorie intake. Increase the size of your portions and eat more frequently if you are in this body group. Some suggest that eating at night prior to going to sleep is useful to this body type too.
Avoid Aerobic and Cardio exercise routines that are designed to burn fat, instead concentrate on weight lifting and weight training exercises and work slowly gradually increasing the heaviness of the weights used over time also stop regularly and take frequent breaks from exercising. The gym is a good place to go for the type of exercise equipment that you will need. You can also do bench presses, push ups, squats and other muscle building exercises.
Most of all be patient as this type of exercise will take time to increase the mass of your muscles and is not going to happen overnight.
Many Ectomorphs like to supplement their diet with protein supplements, shakes and meal replacement drinks, but be very careful and check with your doctor before embarking on any supplements or weight training exercise programmes.
Mesomorph
This type of body tends to be more in proportion tend to put weight on evenly all over the body
The Mesomorphic is probably the luckiest of all the body shapes as they tend to be in proportion and often with a well defined body shape. Weight gain is usually evenly distributed and less likely to be concentrated in one place.
For woman this may mean an hour glass figure where the upper body hips and thigh bones are well defined and thick giving a curvy look. If weight is put on they still keep their womanly shape but become much more voluptuous and the curves become more accentuated so hips, breasts, thighs, legs, arms, neck, tummy and waist all gain fat but in proportion as opposed to the endomorph whose fat will gather more in one particular place such as hips or tummy.
For men this may be a more athletic look with natural muscle defined shape, broad shoulders and strong abdomen, a very sporty look.
For both men and women this is the luckiest shape to be as weight loss is easier to achieve and results show quickly.
Most exercise routines and diet programmes will suit this body shape as fat will be lost evenly all over the body. I would even say that the best routines will be the general all over exercise routine that incorporates every part of the body rather than exercise that target specific areas.
So What Does All This Mean To You?
Firstly work out which body shape best describes you or which traits you have more of in the above types. Work out a diet and exercise routine that is shape appropriate to you and will be most effective.
Just remember that whatever body shape you are it is genetic and you can only change so much, so do the best you can with the shape you have been given and be Happy with your body.
You can not change a Shetland Pony into a Cart Horse or a Cart Horse into a Race Horse so accept the body type you have and work with it to achieve the best that you can.
If you find that when you have reached your goals you still don't have the body of your dreams then change the image in your dreams to suit your body type. You can also dress appropriately for your shape to hide some areas and accentuate others to make the best of yourself.
Keeping fit and healthy is the most important thing here regardless to your body shape even if that does mean a little more work for some body types than others.
A Pratley Is an internet marketer and copy writer as well as a social media marketing consultant and has written content for many websites and also articles for ezine. Currently writing on behalf of
http://dietandkeepfit.com/ who aim to inspire others to lose weight and change their lifestyle to a healthier one.
