The Truth About Somatic Weight Loss

Weight loss is something many people struggle with. It can be challenging to meet your goal weight despite extensive efforts. Whether you’re aiming to lose weight to improve your health or your physical appearance, it can be difficult to find an approach that works for you. Losing weight can help improve your mental health and can also make day-to-day activities easier to perform. 

Trying out new diets and workout routines tends to be a part of the weight loss process, but some people struggle to find which one works for them. Somatic weight loss can be a great approach for people who want to ease into weight loss or try something less traditional. There are a variety of somatic exercises that can be done to help move the weight loss process along. 

In addition, engaging in somatic practices can help the body release trauma, which may put you in a better mind space for focusing on weight loss. They can also help release tension from the body, which will make being physically active easier. 

Can You Lose Weight Through Somatic Exercises?

Somatic exercises aren’t specifically focused on targeting weight loss, but the positive impact of somatic exercise on other areas of your life can make weight loss easier. Doing somatic exercises can help you improve your mind and body connection and flexibility. They can also improve your body awareness and relieve tension from your mind and body. 

One reason somatic exercises, such as those that are involved in yoga, can help with weight loss is because they can help reduce stress (1). When doing somatic exercises, you may be able to improve symptoms of anxiety and improve your emotional well-being. 

When people experience high levels of stress, they sometimes struggle to eat, which can result in unwanted weight loss. High levels of stress can cause you to seek comfort in food, which results in overeating and can cause weight gain or hinder your weight loss attempts. Somatic exercise can help you manage your stress and therefore, your eating behaviors (2).

It can be incredibly difficult to lose weight if you’re not very active. Increasing physical activity is likely to play a significant role in your weight loss journey. However, if you struggle with physical pain and discomfort, it may be challenging to increase your activity level. Engaging in somatic exercise can release physical tension in the body and improve flexibility, which may make moving your body less painful. The idea of getting out and going for a walk or taking a weightlifting class is a lot easier to consider if you don’t have to worry about experiencing pain. 

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What Is Somatic Weight?

The term ‘somatic weight’ can be interpreted in a variety of ways. One way is to assume that somatic weight is the weight that is carried on the body as a result of built-up stress or tension or due to the inability to move your body easily. This means engaging in somatic practices could be a way to help you lose this weight as you will be encouraging stress and tension relief, in addition to improvement in the way your body moves. 

What Is Cortisol Belly?

There are many reasons why you may gain fat and different people also tend to hold fat differently. The term ‘cortisol belly’ is used for fat that has accumulated in the gut area. This accumulation of fat is believed to be linked to an overproduction of the hormone cortisol. 

Cortisol is a hormone that is produced when your body experiences stress. The purpose of this hormone is to help your body with basic functions such as how you metabolize your food, your body’s immune response, and how your body reacts to stressful situations. Ultimately, it isn’t the hormone itself that can make you gain belly fat. This weight gain tends to be a result of how you respond to stress, which is often by overeating and not sleeping enough (3).

Read more: Somatic Healing Techniques: A Holistic Approach to Physical and Emotional Recovery

What Somatic Body Type Makes it Hardest to Lose Weight?

Body type doesn’t play as big of a role in weight loss as you may think, but there are some body type characteristics that may impact a person’s ability to lose weight. Body types are the result of genetic factors, the functioning of the endocrine system, and environmental factors. 

The three body types are ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Ectomorphs may struggle with gaining weight, particularly weight from muscle mass. People with this body type may struggle to see progress when lifting weights despite their efforts. These individuals tend to be more prone to over-training due to working out excessively as they may not see results very quickly (4).

People with an endomorph body type tend to have a larger bone structure and a slow metabolism. A slow metabolism makes it easier for people with this body type to gain body fat. Although endomorphs may gain fat more easily, they also tend to be able to gain muscle mass if they incorporate proper dieting and training techniques. Even with proper working out and physical muscle gain, it may be difficult to actually see the results due to body fat remaining on the body. That being said, people with an endomorph somatic body type are likely to have the hardest time with weight loss (4).

Mesomorphs tend to be energetic and enjoy engaging in physical activity. They tend to be able to easily control their body weight and composition as long as they eat a reasonably balanced diet and don’t live a sedentary lifestyle. They can easily take on the traits of either an ectomorph or an endomorph if they don’t maintain balance with their diet and activity levels  (4).

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What Is the 80/20 Rule to Lose Weight?

When referring to weight loss, the 80/20 rule refers to sticking to a healthy and balanced diet 80% of the time and allowing for flexibility the other 20%. This idea is based on the Pareto principle, but people most commonly know it as the cheat day approach. Most people who follow the 80/20 rule focus on eating within their caloric limit during the week, but when the weekend comes around, they’re more lenient with their food choices and allow themselves to enjoy high-calorie meals or foods they generally consider to be ‘unhealthy’.

Using this rule when trying to lose weight can be helpful as it helps you feel less restricted, making it easier to stick to this approach in the long term. You should keep in mind that going too far overboard when ‘cheating’ on a weekend can actually take away the progress you made during the week. It’s important to continue practicing self-control. 

This would be a great opportunity to engage in some somatic movement so you can be in touch with your body and create a stronger understanding of what it needs to make it feel good and what things make it feel bad. Somatic weight loss becomes quite relevant when thinking about the 80/20 rule as the more in touch with your body’s needs you are, the more capable you will be of staying on track during the week and not going completely off track on weekends. The better you feel and the stronger your mind-body connection is, the easier it will be to find what works for you. 

FAQs

• How many eggs equal 30 grams of protein?

The amount of protein in an egg can vary based on the size of the egg and the animal the egg came from. The average-sized chicken egg has approximately 7 grams of protein. In order to hit 30 grams of protein through eggs, you would need to eat at least 5 eggs, which would total approximately 35 grams of protein. Eating 4 eggs would get you to 28 grams of protein. 

• Is 40/30/30 good for fat loss?

The 40/30/30 diet is commonly known as the Zone diet and it focuses on macronutrients. When following this diet, you’re supposed to aim to have your diet consist of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats. It has been recommended for people who want to build muscle and lose fat. Following this approach and increasing your activity levels can be beneficial for fat loss (4).

• How can I do somatic therapy by myself?

While working with a somatic therapist can be an excellent way to deal with trauma and other issues, there are a variety of ways to do somatic therapy by yourself. These practices can improve your mental health and have a positive impact on your physical health. 

One way to do somatic therapy by yourself is by body scanning. This practice involves sitting or lying down in a quiet place, closing your eyes, and slowly bringing your attention to the different parts of your body. You should first focus on the feeling in your toes and slowly work your way up to your head. 

During this process, you should make note of areas in your body that feel tense or painful. When you locate a point of tension, you should take slow and deep breaths, inhaling and then slowly exhaling and imagining the tension being released with each exhale. Participating in mindful movements such as somatic yoga, tai chi, and dancing is also a way to do somatic therapy by yourself.

• Is somatic therapy real?

People have different beliefs and not everyone thinks somatic therapy is real. That being said, there are many people who engage in somatic practices and experience life-altering impacts. 

• Do somatic exercises release trauma?

When done correctly, somatic exercises can be a useful tool for releasing trauma from the body. By focusing on the mind-body connection and being aware of where you’re holding trauma, you may be able to use breathwork, body scanning, and other somatic exercises to release trauma. It’s helpful to talk to a professional who works in somatics to help you better understand how it works and to teach you techniques for releasing trauma. 

The Bottom Line

If you are on a mission to lose weight and feel like you are at a standstill then incorporating somatic exercise and other practices into your routine may be beneficial. While somatic practices alone will not result in weight loss, the positive impact they have on your mental and physical health can result in more success during your weight loss journey. Having better self-control when making food choices as well as having less stress in your life is a great way to start a new and challenging journey and somatic practices may help you achieve those things.