Achieving health and weight goals requires a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a well-rounded diet, no matter your body type. Tailoring your diet and fitness routines to your specific body type can lead to optimal results and sustainable long-term weight loss. This article explores the endomorph diet plan, offering insights into nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle adjustments tailored for individuals with this body type.
Understanding Body Types: Endomorph Characteristics
In the 1940s, American scientist, physician, and psychologist William Sheldon classified body types based on skeletal frame and body composition. This framework identifies three main body types: mesomorph, ectomorph, and endomorph.
- Mesomorphs are naturally muscular and strong, often with an inverted triangle shape (male) or hourglass shape (female).
- Ectomorphs tend to be tall and lanky, with long limbs and a naturally high metabolism.
- Endomorphs typically have a higher body fat percentage and a slower metabolism, making it more difficult to lose weight.
Endomorphs often have soft, round bodies with a wide waist and large bones, joints, and hips, regardless of their height. They tend to be pear-shaped, with wider hips than shoulders, and often hold weight and muscle around the abdomen, hips, and thighs.
It's important to note that individuals may exhibit characteristics of multiple body types, making them a combination. For example, ecto-mesomorphs are lean and muscular, while meso-endomorphs are strong but tend to have larger, bulkier muscles.
The Endomorph Challenge: Metabolism and Lifestyle
Endomorphs often find it difficult to lose weight due to their bodies being more biologically prone to holding on to excess fat. Excess body fat triggers the release of estrogen, which can hinder muscle mass gain. Increased estrogen production decreases the production of hormones that promote muscle development, like testosterone.
Read also: Female Body Type Diet Guide
According to Sheldon, endomorphs may also have personality traits that make following exercise and diet plans more challenging. They may gravitate toward slower, sedentary lifestyles and find comfort in food and relaxation. This isn’t to say that all people with endomorphic body types are, or will be, unhealthy or overweight; they’re just more likely to have trouble maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight.
Nutrition is a Cornerstone of Any Weight Loss Plan
Nutrition is a cornerstone of any weight loss plan, and this goes double for endomorphs. While ectomorphs and mesomorphs have the luxury of holding less body fat and high metabolism, endomorphs have to battle for the loss of every ounce of fat, and nothing gets the job done like correct nutrition.
While exercise can help, it accounts for a sliver of daily energy expenditure. For example, research shows that our basal metabolic rate which is the energy burns at rest (from basic function) accounts for 60-80% of our total energy expenditure. Meanwhile, exercise accounts for between 15-30%.
This can be used to our advantage. Here we can lower our calorie intake below daily expenditure to form a calorie deficit, allowing our basal metabolic rate to burn fat.
Correct nutrition, and tracking calorie and macronutrient intake can help endomorphs reach their physical potential. Combining these elements can help build muscle mass, burn body fat, and reveal and accentuate those curves.
Read also: Endomorph Diet Guide
Macronutrient Balance for Endomorphs
The balance of macronutrients you consume ultimately depends on your individual health and wellness goals, along with the recommendations from your doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist. Macronutrients are the nutrients in food that your body needs to keep functioning at peak performance. They include carbs, fats, and protein.
Endomorphs should aim to consume a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods, including lean quality protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats, while limiting their consumption of refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and high amounts of added sugars and trans fats.
Here are the recommended macronutrient ratios for an endomorph:
- Carbohydrates: 40% of total calorie intake
- Protein: 30% of total calorie intake
- Fats: 30% of total calorie intake
Protein: The Muscle Builder and Fat Loss Ally
Dietary protein is essential for building and preserving muscle mass, and it can be a powerful tool for fat loss. Protein keeps us fuller for longer, which sustains energy levels and reduces snacking throughout the day. Protein intake also increases thermogenesis, which is the energy expended to digest, absorb, and convert food.
Research indicates the recommended daily protein intake is approximately 1.4-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight for individuals who are training. However, if you are in a calorie deficit, then this is increased to 2.3-3.1/kg/day to help retain muscle mass during weight loss.
Read also: Endomorph Body Type Guide
To achieve this, aim to add 25-30 grams of protein to each meal. This will help you hit your daily protein goal, and improve fullness, leading to less snacking. Lean protein sources are great for improving fullness, and building and preserving muscle mass.
Some examples of foods that are rich in protein include:
- Poultry, such as chicken and turkey
- Most types of fish, especially fatty fish
- Eggs and egg whites
- Red meat (in moderation)
Healthy Fats: Essential for Satiety and Overall Health
Healthy fats are an essential component of an endomorph’s balanced diet. Healthy fat can contribute to satiety while supporting vital organs and many of the body’s systems. Dietary fats such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can promote health and prevent disease while reducing food intake.
Consuming 30% of your total calorie intake through PUFA such as omega-3 fatty acids ensures a solid boost for improving fullness and overall health.
Nuts and seeds make great additions to salads, soups, trail mixes, and they're great snacks.
Some examples of foods that are rich in healthy fats include:
- Most nontropical vegetable cooking oils, especially olive, canola, and avocado oil
- Almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts
We recommend experimenting with foods such as salmon, trout, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, beans, and green leafy vegetables to increase healthy fat intake. These can all be the basis of a meal or added to increase PUFA intake for satiety and overall health.
Carbohydrates: Choosing Wisely
Endomorphs don’t have to - and shouldn’t - avoid carbohydrates completely. Carbs are one of three macronutrients (plus fat and protein) found in food. Sugar, starch, and fiber are all examples of carbohydrates, and it’s primarily sugar that gives carbs a bad rap. When you eat excess sugar, it gets harder for the cells in your body to use that sugar for energy, leading to weight gain, increased insulin, and insulin resistance, which can cause inflammation in your arteries.
The endomorph’s lower carbohydrate intake is a great way to manage insulin sensitivity and energy levels. Carbohydrate intake traditionally sits around 45-65% of our total daily intake. This is reduced to 40% in favor of increased protein intake.
Research shows that decreasing carbohydrate intake can support fat loss and improve insulin sensitivity. Meanwhile, additional sources indicate that protein can stimulate the release of insulin, improving glucose uptake.
Carbohydrates are an essential food source that improves satiety and provides our body with fuel, however, not all are equal. There are two main types of carbohydrates: complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates.
Endomorphs should prioritize eating complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, fruits, and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates contain three or more sugar bonds, which take longer to digest, providing a slow increase in blood sugar. They also contain fiber, a non-digestible carbohydrate that promotes gut health and improves regularity.
Simple carbohydrates on the other hand contain one of two sugars and are easily utilized for energy, resulting in a spike in blood sugar, before ending in an energy crash. Foods such as white bread, baked goods, chips, candy, soda, fruit juice, white rice, sugary cereals, and processed foods including fast food are simple carbohydrates.
Fruits and vegetables should play a prominent role in any diet, and especially in endomorph diets.
Some foods a person may wish to limit or avoid on the endomorph diet include:
- White bread, white rice, traditional pasta, and bagels
- Candies, milk chocolate, and other sweets
- Baked goods and cakes
- Soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks
- Refined cereals, such as bran flakes, instant oatmeal, and puffed rice
- Heavily processed or fried foods
- Rich dairy products, such as cream, whipped cream, and ice cream
- Foods rich in sodium
- Alcohol
- Cooking oils with a lot of saturated fat, such as palm or coconut oil
Sample Endomorph Diet Plan
Diet plans and recipes for endomorph body types often look very similar to a standard nutrient-dense diet. However, we must remember to reduce prioritize protein and healthy fats, and lower carbohydrate intake.
Here are several meal examples for your endomorph diet:
Breakfast
- Ground Turkey Breakfast Skillet: Ground turkey, salsa, kale, eggs, cheddar cheese, olive oil
- Kale and Avocado Omelet: 2 eggs, low-fat milk, chopped kale, sunflower seeds, lime juice, olive oil, salt, crushed red pepper
- Mixed Berry Protein Overnight Oats: Soymilk, oats, light maple syrup, chia seeds, powdered peanut butter, salt, medium banana, cup mixed berries
Lunch
- Baked Chicken Veggie Bowl: 100g baked chicken breast, small broccoli, large red onion, cooked brown rice, sliced kale, green beans
- Turkey Meat Ball and Citrus Cous cous: Ground turkey, chili powder, cinnamon, onion, orange zest, olive oil, cous cous, chicken stock, coriander, chopped orange
- Scrambled Egg and Feta Hash: Eggs, spring onion, feta, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, chives, spinach
- Chicken and Cucumber Wrap: Whole-wheat tortilla, cup shredded cooked chicken, medium avocado, cream cheese, slices cucumber, cup mixed salad, tablespoons grated carrot
Dinner
- Baked Tuna Steak and Quinoa with Roast Vegetables: 100g Tuna Steak, lemon juice, salt, pepper, sweet potato, pumpkin, onion, rep pepper, broccoli
- Peanut Chicken: Chicken breast, olive oil, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, Sweet potato, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, lime juice, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown rice, avocado, spinach, Cilantro sesame seed
- Smokey Sausage Skillet: 12 oz smoked sausage, sourdough bread sliced (cubes), kale, garlic, sage, thyme, chicken broth, cannellini beans, Boursin cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper
- Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers: Ground beef, brown rice, poblano peppers, onion, garlic, tomato pasta, dried oregano, cumin, diced tomatoes, cilantro, light cheddar, olive oil
Snacks
- Hummus and Veggies Sticks: Carrot, celery, cucumber
- Fruit Protein Smoothie: Frozen mixed berries, banana, flaxseeds, chia seeds, low-fat Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, protein powder
- Protein Balls: Oats, protein powder, flaxseeds, cinnamon
Exercise Plan for Endomorphs
Exercise is an important part of any weight loss plan, especially for people with an endomorph body type. Exercising helps increase metabolism and reduce fat. The ACE recommends that people with an endomorph body type follow “well-rounded” exercise routines that focus on both cardiovascular and strength training activities.
Correct nutrition is vital for weight loss, and combined with exercise can help improve weight loss, strength, and function.
A workout plan for endomorphs must include both cardio and weight training. Building muscle is not hard, but you must be careful about overtraining. Since your body type tends to put on weight easily, your workout plan should burn calories and create a negative calorie balance.
Strength Training: The Metabolism Booster
Strength training is incredible for building muscle mass and improving function, but did you know it can help improve weight loss? Studies show that resistance training sessions can increase resting energy expenditure by 5% for up to 72 hours post-workout. This means that when you perform a workout with free weights, dumbbells, cables, machines, or bands your metabolism will increase and burn calories while you rest.
Further research also suggests that even a short session of 11 minutes is capable of increasing resting energy expenditure for 24 hours, highlighting that regular strength training may lead to a chronic increase in energy expenditure.
Strength and weight training exercises are an important part of almost any weight loss plan, especially for people with an endomorph body type. These people often have a low percentage of muscle mass, although they have large, wide bones typically capable of bearing large, strong muscles. They also tend to have excess body fat, which triggers the body to release estrogen, reducing testosterone levels and hindering muscle growth.
However, healthy muscle helps increase metabolism because, unlike fat cells, muscle tissues burn calories, even when resting. They also encourage the body to use fat for fuel. Therefore, experts tend to recommend compound exercises for people with endomorphic bodies.
Compound exercises use multiple body tissues and units at the same time and encourage body control. People can do most of these exercises from a standing position using free weights, body weights, or a barbell.
Some examples of compound exercises include deadlifts, pushups, squats, and circuit training. Circuit training involves doing short, intense bouts of exercise with small periods of rest in between.
One example of circuit training may involve:
- Squat with overhead press (50 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Stationary lunge with lateral raise, right leg front (50 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Stationary lunge with lateral raise, left leg front holding dumbbells (50 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Plié squat or upright row, dumbbells or kettlebell (50 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Pushups with single-leg knee drives (50 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Plank with triceps extension, dumbbells (50 seconds)
- Rest (10 seconds)
- Alternate step-ups with hammer curls, dumbbells (50 seconds)
- Repeat these steps three times
Cardio Strategies for Fat Loss
Cardio is an amazing tool for improving cardiovascular health and burning calories. A 2012 study compared the effects of aerobic training (cardio) and resistance training on body mass and fat mass. What they discovered was that while resistance training was great for increasing muscle mass, aerobic training was optimal for reducing fat mass and body mass.
This is welcome news for endomorphs wanting to reduce total body mass and fat mass, providing a means of burning calories and reducing body mass. Meanwhile, for those who want to develop and preserve lean muscle, cardio in the form of running, walking, cycling, rowing, and swimming can be combined with resistance training, providing a boost to metabolism, and enhancing fat loss.
Cardiovascular exercises Some examples of good cardiovascular exercises include:
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT): In HIIT, a person will alternate between periods of very high intensity exercise and low intensity exercise or rest. Those with endomorphic bodies can try doing HIIT sessions two or three times per week for a maximum of 30 minutes per session.
- Steady-state training (SST): These are longer sessions of consistent moderate to low intensity exercise. Good SST exercises include walking, jogging, and swimming. People with an endomorph body type can try doing 30-60-minute SST sessions two to three times per week.
HIIT and steady-state cardio are both viable options for increasing cardiovascular fitness and burning fat. High-intensity interval training consists of performing intervals of intense exercise bursts followed by short rest. This can be done with running, sprinting, body weight exercises, and resistance training exercises.
Steady-state cardio on the other hand refers to cardio performed at the same speed and intensity for the entire duration. This is typically done through exercises such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, hiking, or an elliptical machine.
Evidence indicated that steady-state cardio is equivalent to HIIT. However, this comes with caveats. HIIT can achieve similar results in shorter training bouts and is more beneficial for cardiovascular health, however, due to the intensity is far less enjoyable which may decrease program adherence and drop-off. Meanwhile, steady-state cardio naturally requires a longer duration to achieve similar results, however, its ease of performance improves adherence, which can lead to great results over time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid on an Endomorph Diet
The endomorph diet requires a careful balance of macronutrients to ensure weight loss and the preservation of muscle. However, there are also common mistakes which should be avoided to improve adherence.
- Overeating Carbs or Sugary Foods: Consuming excessive amounts of carbohydrates and sugary foods is one of the fastest ways to kill your endomorph nutrition plan.
- Neglecting Strength Training: A common mistake many individuals make is neglecting strength training in favor of cardio.
- Not Tracking Progress and Adjusting Macros: When it comes to chasing weight loss goals, few things are more powerful than tracking your progress.
- Not Controlling Portions: Not controlling portions is a common mistake that can stall your weight loss progress.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Endomorphs
Beyond diet and exercise, lifestyle adjustments play a crucial role in managing weight and overall health for endomorphs.
- Prioritize Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support hormonal balance and reduce stress.
- Manage Stress: Practice stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation, or spending time in nature.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to support metabolism and satiety.
- Increase Daily Activity: Incorporate more movement into your daily routine, such as taking the stairs, walking during breaks, or engaging in active hobbies.