does your body type matter?

I’m sure at some point in your journey of figuring out weight loss you’ve come across some article or quiz that discusses the different body types for weight loss. It usually comes in 3 forms, you got the big boned thick type (endomorph), you got the pencil-like skinny & small type (ectomorph), and you got the what some would consider to be “perfect” in the middle of the two previous types, medium sized type (mesomorph).

So the question becomes which one are you and how do you optimize weight loss from it?

and the answer is...

...
...
.. you don’t.

Body types for weight loss is complete bullshit.

No matter what body type you are, the things you gotta do to lose weight is exactly the same. There’s no special foods or exercises you gotta do cos you’re a certain body type. Fundamentally to lose weight you gotta consistently eat less than your body expends, that’s it. There’s no short cut or special method beyond that.

As an example from my own journey, I basically hit all 3 body types during the course of losing over 50kg. At the very beginning at 123.3kg, my body type obviously was very much like an endomorph. As I got to roughly 90-100kg, my body started to look much more like a mesomorph. And at my leanest at 72.2kg around 10% body fat I was definitely looking and feeling like a weak lil pencil, very ectomorph like.

What did I do to reach all the body types?

I was just consistent with my diet, I was consistently in a calorie deficit through calorie counting and that’s it. There wasn’t something special I changed or did differently going from an endomorph to mesomorph to ectomorph, I did the exact same things.

It’s easy to get caught up on stuff like body type or metabolism and thinking that your lack of progress is due to it. I mean I’ve done it too. I used to think things didn’t work for me cos I was some sort of special breed that required a very specific program of diet and exercises in order to lose weight. That wasn’t true at all. I’m wasn’t special in any shape or form. I wasn’t losing weight back then cos I was consistently eating too much. When I started to be in control of the amount of foods (calories) I was eating on a regular basis, then I started to see results. It really just boils down to that.

To sum it all up, body type has basically nothing to do with your weight loss journey. You can totally ignore whatever type you are just merely focus on figuring out your diet and how you can be consistent with it for a long as possible.

On another note...

... I just wanna remind you today it’s totally ok to be messing up here and there in your journey. It’s normal. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Acknowledge the mess up, respect it, and move on. There’s no such thing as a perfect run. A perfect run is one where you don’t give up and keep going even when things seem to break apart. It's not about going from zero to 100 flawlessly. A flawless journey doesn’t exist. You don’t have to keep starting over, but you do have to keep going.

Also remember that it’s totally ok to take breaks. Sometimes life just gets super overwhelming and losing weight just isn’t your current priority, that’s totally fine. Take as much time as you need to deal with life, and when the dust has settled then get back on track. The weight loss journey is always here for you to come back to.

Don’t get caught up in wanting fast results. I mean we all want that, but chasing fast results is the same as trying to chase fast money. We all know what all those “get rich quick” schemes ends you, it’s the same with diet. “Lose fat quick” ends very similarly to “get rich quick” schemes. Aim for the long game. Aim to change your habits and lifestyle in a permanent matter over a long long period of time. Nobody is expecting you to change your lifestyle to become an Olympic athlete overnight. Doing so would also be absurd if your goal isn’t to become an Olympic athlete. Be clear with your goals, and be realistic on the things you gotta do to get there, and the time frame of which you’ll likely get there. When you see the journey for what it truly comprises of, it becomes a lot easier with a lot less heartbreak.

Keep it up! Stay well & safe!

Till the next one~

—Po.