TCM: A Natural Guide to Weight Loss That Lasts (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

This book is both a good introduction to the theory of Chinese medicine and a simple introduction to Chi Kung (Qi Gong) - Chinese energy exercises. The basic notion of the book is simple - odds are that you are overweight because your body's internal energy system is out of balance. Restore the balance and the weight will take care of itself.The book presents a series of 10 very simple exercises to be done daily, which should take you about 20 minutes. The idea is that if you do these for six weeks you will notice a difference in your health and weight. After the introduction and overview, there are six chapters - one for each of the six weeks - and an overview of traditional Chinese medicine theory, diet, etc.The book is very readable, everything is well explained, and, yes, the author does tell you over and over again that this system is a good one, and it works. [If you are not familiar with the topic, there are thousands of qigong systems in China].I did almost none of the suggested diet changes, and I did all the exercises every day. I completely ignored the recipe section. I have a stressful work situation, and had been sleeping badly for months. I've tried to improve my sleep situation by meditation and exercise - cycling 40 to 60 miles per week. The cycling and gym time were supposed to help me lose weight, too. But it wasn't working - I was getting stronger and my fat wasn't going awayMuch to my surprise after three or four days of practicing the exercises in the book I started sleeping through the night, every night, instead of waking up to pee at 3 am and having trouble going back to sleep. I also felt rested when I woke up - instead of dragging myself to my 6:00 am conference calls I was awake and alert. I've also been very sensitive to cold for the past 10 years - I'm usually the coldest person in the room - but suddenly I didn't need extra layers to stay warm.For me, by far the most interesting thing is that I'm just not as hungry as I used to be, and when I eat, I feel full. Feeling full such as even though its my habit to clean my plate, I feel like I ought to stop eating. Now I'm noticing my habits - a bowl of soup is quite enough, but I buy a sandwich, etc. too., which now I'm not eating.I bought the book October 2, 2008 and started practicing October 5. As of Feb 19, 2009 I've practiced most every day, and when I can get a really good one I eat a chocolate chip cookie every day.I've lost 8.6 pounds even with a dramatic reduction in my cycling and almost no weight lifting at the gym. I'm easily able to fit in 34" waist jeans!I didn't lose much weight for the first 6 weeks, now I'm losing weight effortlessly and mostly stopping eating when full without a struggle. I've also been traveling - business travel - and expense account eating normally goes straight to my waistline. I've also lost a lot of my interest in drinking alcohol.I'm quite impressed with the book and the author. The author has very nice credentials. As with all such books, the photographs and descriptions of the practices could be better, and had I not had prior qigong and martial arts experience I probably would have spent the $30 for the DVD - available from the organization that publishes the book, not from Amazon. The same author has a book and website on breast cancer health issues, and that website has little thumbnails videos of 10 exercises, several of which are the same as this book - they were helpful to me.

This book changed my life and my eating habits. I have never found much help with the "diet" books out there but I had tried so many diets that I was starting to lose hope of ever getting myself healthy. I would try a diet and not really understand why I was doing what I was doing and would feel overwhelmed, and eventually just fall off the wagon. I would not be motivated into getting back on. I hated how I looked and didn't do anything to change it. I was not just looking to lose weight, I was looking to get healthy and change the way I looked at food. Food was just too important and my day revolved around what I was going to eat. It was too hard thinking about what to take and how much. I ate the wrong things and ate too much. I was stressed out and getting bad headaches and just not sleeping well. A friend told me about this book and how it helped her. I am so happy I have a friend like her. Reading this book along with the "diet" was so helpful and The excersise was so simple but so energizing. It has become a nightly ritual that helps me relax and recharge. Dr. Lu really helps you to understand that fixing your body from the inside will change your body on the outside. I started reading the book and was thinking how can what he tells me to eat be helpful when the portion is so small?....it really is amazing that I used to consume the amount of food I used to when now, I eat a smaller amount and have never felt better. I am not being weighed down by all that food and I feel lighter. Dr. Lu takes the guess work out of it and so I don't have to feel stressed about what to eat. I "gave back" 4 pounds in my first two weeks and I am now in week four and am so excited to see where I go from here. I have never hung in there this long before and I can't wait to finish. I have already seen a difference in the food choices that I am making and I am doing it because of how good the food is and how good it makes me feel. Dr. Lu doesn't make you feel bad about yourself, or put harsh demands on you. You really do feel better that first week. If you feel hopeless and feel stressed out or get bad headaches (like I USED to)read this book and change your life, and your future.

I’ve followed Dr.Lu for years and I have recommended this book to many friends. Great way to look at your lifestyle.

I received this book when I began to study qigong with Dr. Nan Lu. Little did I know then, I would begin a a life-long journey of self-cultivation and self-healing. One of Dr. Lu's gifts is his ability to simplify the very different system for living and healthcare of Classical Chinese Medicine as well as the wisdom of the Taoist masters Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi. 12 years later I am still his student and still learning how to live a simpler more healthy life.

I bought this book after seeing the results my neighbor had utilizing this method. I had no intention of quitting meat, but was eager to try the simple exercises especially since the author states they can work even without changing your diet much. The exercises are illustrated and described well in the book, but a quick You Tube search brought me to a page showing demos by the author and showed me I hadn't gotten all of them quite right. I am in my 50's and have fibro and arthritis. The exercises were a little challenging for me (despite how very easy they are/look) but after about two weeks, I found myself able to go through the whole series of exercises without needing to balance occasionally with a chair. 4 weeks in, I do the exercises once or twice a day, takes about 10-12 mins. I've lost 10 lbs. and feel more energized.