Weight Loss & TCC

I have struggled with being overweight since I was ten years old, gaining and losing pounds, but always being too heavy. Over the past year I have lost 35 pounds and have about 20 more to go to reach my goal weight.

I wish I could tell you that five daily TCC practices caused my weight loss, but I can’t. Like so many aspects of TCC, the connection of my weight loss to TCC is indirect. I had some health issues last summer that were not related to being overweight, but when I got out of the hospital I was weak as a kitten. It was summer so I was only teaching one TCC class each week, but I could see that in the fall and winter when I have eight classes stacked into two days, I would have to be in much better shape or give up the classes. I started walking, lots of walking. At first it was not about weight, but as I walked more, the relationship between activity, calories and pounds became clearer and more within my control. I bought one of those activity trackers that counts steps and used it for several months and then started using the program MyFitnessPal on my smart phone to count calories in and out. So far so good.

So what is the connection to TCC? My previous dieting was motivated by my wanting to look better and avoid health problems associated with being fat. But now my love of TCC and teaching TCC has added an additional external reason to be fit and lose weight. And that has made all the difference. I cannot quantify it, but I am sure that the peace and balance of practicing TCC has something to do with it as well. Then there is the increased awareness of my body. How I am moving and where am I feeling stress.

As a part of my regimen, I input the calories burned during various activities. I have not found a definitive calorie count for TCC, but based on other forms of T’ai Chi and the gentle nature of TCC, I estimate that I burn 120 more calories while practicing TCC than sitting on the couch watching TV. If you have any information on this I would like to see it.

I have lost weight many times in my life and always gained it back pretty quickly. This time feels different. The practice of TCC has sourced a long-term shift in my daily routine, and is not a fad or temporary activity. Having TCC as part of my journey gives me confidence that the changes in my relationship with food will continue even after I reach my goal weight.