Newspaper
Interview
THE WICHITA EAGLE
Copyright (c) 1999, The Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing Co.
DATE: Tuesday, June 29, 1999
EDITION: Main
SECTION: LIVING
PAGE: 1B
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO
COLUMN: It Worked for Me
SOURCE: Sylvia Gorup, Wichita.
QIGONG TAKES, KEEPS HER EXTRA WEIGHT OFF
Name: Sylvia Gorup, Wichita.
Personal: 48; married; two grown children; title officer at Security Abstract
and Title.
Problem: Extra weight that "just kind of creeps on as you get older." Gorup had
dieted and regained weight several times through the years. She had been
exercising five days a week and "kind of watched what I was eating, but not
really," but hadn't seen any change in her weight.
What she did: Enrolled in a qigong (chee-gong) weight management class at
Evergreen Wellness Center, a traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Wichita.
Lost 30 pounds in about five months and has kept the weight off.
How she did it: Qigong emphasizes breathing, meditation and stationary and
moving exercises to enhance the flow of energy through the body. Gorup started
a 30-day exercise class with a friend who was seeking relief for fibromyalgia.
During the class, teacher Qizhi Gao talked about using qigong for weight loss;
class members talked him into offering the weight loss class.
The class, which met for an hour every day for two weeks (including weekends),
taught Gorup to "eat when you're hungry and drink when you're thirsty" and
breathe in a specific way that pushes the diaphragm up and gives her a feeling
of fullness. She also learned an "energy-gathering" meditation. The breathing
exercises and meditation are to be done three
times a day, for 20 to 30 minutes a time. "You got down to the point where you
ate hardly anything, but yet you weren't hungry and weren't tired," says Gorup,
who says she was skeptical going into the class but tried to remain
open-minded.
She lost 18 pounds during the two weeks
and continued to lose afterward; weight loss among class members ranged from
five to 22 pounds. Gorup ate what she wanted but found that she could no longer
easily digest some foods.
Because she could eat what she wanted, she felt no sense of denial. She took
the class again earlier this year, along with three co-workers. This time, she
lost four or five pounds; the co-workers lost about 10 pounds each. She hasn't
regained any of the weight. Her hints for success: "Part of it is buying into
the philosophy" of Chinese medicine, she says. "You've got to want to do it."
Take the class with a partner "to motivate each other." The diet was easy for
her because "you didn't have to think about what you were eating, you didn't
have to think about weighing your food." Class members kept daily records of
what they ate and how they felt, physically and emotionally.
A new class will begin at 5:30 p.m. July 6; others will be offered about once a
month. Classes are limited to 30 people. The cost of a two-week class is $100.
More information is available from the Evergreen Wellness Center at 691-8811.
It Worked for Me is an occasional feature on people who have found a way to
improve their physical or mental health. To suggest a person to be featured,
call Karen Shideler at 268-6674 or e-mail her at kshideler@wichitaeagle.com
CAPTION: Jeff Tuttle/The Wichita Eagle
Sylvia Gorup practices the qigong breathing she learned to help her lose
weight. She lost 30 pounds.