While obesity rates have plateaued within the last decade,

two-thirds of the United States

population is currently classified as overweight (defined a

s a body mass index [BMI] of

25-29.9 kg/m²) or obese (a BMI greater than 30 kg/m²). Bariatric

surgical interventions

are not only more effective than behavioral treatments

in the short term but are the only

form of obesity intervention with evidence of consisten

t long-term effectiveness.

However, even among bariatric surgery patients, weight

loss often stabilizes and it is

estimated that more than 20% of bariatric surgery patient

s will regain a significant

amount of weight that was initially lost long-term. Li

ttle research to date has been

conducted on physical activity in post bariatric surgery pati

ents. More specifically, there

have been no studies to date examining the effects of Me

ditative Movement (MM)

programs on body composition in bariatric patients. A s

tudy using an 8-week Tai Chi

Easy program was conducted in female gastric bypass patient

s to explore feasibility of

MM in the bariatric population as well as pre- and post-in

tervention changes in weight,

mindfulness, eating behaviors, body awareness, physical a

ctivity patterns, dietary quality

and mood. Data analysis revealed that there were no s

ignificant changes in weight or

physical activity patterns; however, significant changes w

ere observed in anxiety, overall

body awareness and cognitive restraint in eating. Addit

ionally, a significant decrease in

processed meat consumption and a weak trend towards increa

sed consumption of fruits

may suggest an overall improvement in dietary quality.