Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The negative review posted by the last person is so totally out of line. You really have to do the exercises and follow the program to understand how wonderful it is. I doubt that person tried the exercises or the eating plan. I will admit, it probably could have been written better, but English is not Nan Lu's primary language. If you are looking for some "literary masterpiece" it's not, but it wasn't meant to be. You need to go past the superficial to the message of the book which is total health. It is unfortunate that it is written with a weight loss title because this book is primary about getting healthy which will inevitably lead to weight loss if you need to lose weight. Even if you don't need to lose weight this book can help you become healthy. I just recommended this book to my dad who isn't overweight, but who is a diabetic with high blood pressure. I definitely believe the exercises will be able to help him. That's what brought me to this page, and when I saw that negative review I just had to respond.
I have been doing the exercises for about 3 or 4 years. They are extremely easy and only take about 20-25 minutes. They are definitely very effective - you can feel the change of energy throughout your whole body after you do them.
When I first bought the book I needed to lose weight. I hit a plateau and could not lose any more weight. This book, along with the video by the same name that I purchsed through his office listed in the book, helped me break the plateau and lose weight and inches. You don't need the video - you can easily follow the exercises in the book, but I like something to follow along with, like I am taking a class.
The diet is excellent - I didn't even follow it perfectly (I would have a bowl of high fiber cereal per day with some soymilk besides following the rest of his suggestions) and I still lost weight. Another amazing benefit to the diet is I totally lost my desire for sweets and snacks! If you know me, it's definitely amazing because I have a very sweet tooth and like my snacks. Because I was eating so well I had no desire at all for junk food. After I lost the weight, I still continued to do the exercises to maintain my weight and my health. There were times when I would do them in my office during my lunch break if I was having a stressful day.
I definitely would suggest to anyone that they try the exercises in this book and if they need to lose weight, then follow the eating plan as well. Peace.

I am currently half-way through Nan Lu's six-week program and I am pleasantly surprised at how good I feel. Working in the finance industry in NYC can be very stressful, yet my head is clear, I feel calm and balanced, an my body feels much stronger. This program is helpful in addressing much more than weight issues. After only four days of practicing the Wu Ming Meridian therapy (Qigong), an ache I had in my shoulder for a few months disappeared. To date, I've lost 5 lbs and 4.5 inches. The exercises are the foundation of the program. They are amazingingly effective for dealing with hunger. In fact, I no longer get really hungry. I like all of the foods on the recommended list and have been so much fun creating my own receipes for my vegtable stir-frys, that I haven't gotten to the recipes in the back of the book yet. The book does gives you tips on how to get through each week, so you feel supported as you go along. He also explains TCM in very simple terms so you can appreciate the process because you are learning why it works. I've had success using TCM years ago for migraines so I didn't have to be sold on it's effectiveness. I just wish I had started using it sooner to address weight management.

I lost 15 lbs on this diet, but more importantly it made me look and feel differently about my relationship with food. I followed the full 6 week plan, but not as strictly as the book suggests. I loved trying some of the foods suggested which I had never bought or cooked before. I have a new and passionate love for all Asian foods! I like the way the diet is set out week by week, and all the Dr's tips for getting through the plan. And because I am interested in complementary health care I found the guide to traditional chinese views of medicine and wellness extremely interesting. I feel great, and got lots of energy from eating less food!

I was a participant in one of the first weight loss classes
offered by Dr. Lu. I lost 23 pounds in 6 weeks. 5 years passed, and I am still maintaining the normal weight. The program is much
more than just a weight loss program - it opens up a totally different view on how to eat properly and stay healthy.
You also learn to listen to your body and understand it better.
Using meditation, special exercises, herbs and much less food
than you think is needed, you feel great and your energy is at
the level that is amazing!

I read this book as an alternative healing book for a course I took. It is easy reading. I tried the QiGong and the healing foods. I only lost two pounds and a pants size. I have regained my sense of balance, my emotions have become more stable and I sleep through the night now without waking up. Those results are more important to me than the weight loss. I am excited about the results and plan to continue. I have plenty more weight to lose, so I will continue what the book suggests. It was the easiest non-diet I have ever done.

Clearly written, non-judgemental and easy to follow, my entire family has been preparing for and following this program for 3 weeks (5 weeks to go for the full effect). We all feel better, have fewer symptoms (sinus/headaches/lethargy/etc) and except for my 14 year old daughter, feel satisfied with the amounts and types of food we eat. She eats more and is becoming much more discerning about what she really wants to eat and when she's had enough, as are we all. The focus is all on re-training yourself to pay attention to your body's signals and of course to reset the body's systems so that you can trust your "desires" will be exactly what is healthful for you.
The caveat is that without the DVD of the Qi Gong exercises, you will *never* figure out how to do them correctly. The stills and descriptions in the book are woefully incomplete.

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 away

Much 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 is an excellent beginners book on chinese medicine, one of the best I have seen, it is simple and clear with pracitcal suggestions. It is gentle and non judgemental. Thank you for such a great book.

I came across this book in a Canadian book store and was interested because I have so many clients doing unhealthy diets. I am an acupuncturists. My husband and I started the program in Jan and by March I had lost 17#s. More importantly I am stronger and healthier than I was doing a rigorous workout 3x's week. My husband's sugar cravings are gone. (a life long problem)
I have recommended this book to many others and will remain on this course for the rest of my life. It addresses all the imbalanaces that cause disharmony in our health.
Thank you Dr. Lu
KC WA State

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.