Erik Leopard is Methodist Health: Making progress.

By Erik Leopard

Erik is an HR business partner at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Over time, Erik has gained weight and fallen into less-than-optimal eating habits. At risk for heart disease and diabetes, Erik has identified clear goals that will help motivate him to make healthier choices. Erik’s goal is to take better care of God’s temple: his body.

1. Congratulations on reaching month three of I am Methodist Health. What has been your biggest hurdle to overcome?

My biggest hurdle to overcome has been an
injury to my knee in late February caused by pushing myself a little too hard during
my workouts. As a result, I had to stop exercising regularly. This has been frustrating because I have not been able to lose weight like I was before the injury. The good
news is I have been able to maintain my current weight by sticking to my daily
caloric intake goal.

2. What Methodist resources are you using to help you make these changes?

I exercise at the Folsom Fitness Center at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, and have completed 10 30-minute training sessions with Lindsay Alidina as well as weekly one-on-one meetings with Karen Taylor, our employee health coach. I highly recommend using all three resources to help you reach your personal health goals. I also met with my primary care physician to set goals and establish a baseline so we can measure my progress when we meet again in April.

3. What progress have you made this month?

I have now lost, as of today, 20 pounds since starting the program, and I’m maintaining my healthy lifestyle changes of lowering my caloric intake and eating healthier foods.

4. What advice do you give your co-workers to help motivate them to make healthy lifestyle changes?

If you really want to make a healthy lifestyle change, you have to be devoted, disciplined, and committed to your calorie-counting program, every hour of every day. Before starting this program, I wanted to improve my health, but I wasn’t willing to make the sacrifices that come with it. It’s not easy. It’s hard work, but the reward is absolutely worth it!

In February, my biggest sense of accomplishment came when I lost
20 pounds and lost four inches in my waistline. It was a great feeling,
and I am encouraged to move forward to my next goal in my healthy lifestyle journey.