Eating well is not always easy. You are constantly surrounded with an abundance of not so healthy choices to eat. While it’s okay to eat them periodically, if you want to stay healthy, you should do so in moderation. The key to staying healthy is to become a seeker of good foods.
I love fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, lean meats, nuts, and whole grain breads. These things are delicious. I love to eat. I love to sit down to a nice home cooked meal, and I love going out to a restaurant with some friends. I never feel guilty about what I eat. You don’t have to either.
If you are eating at a restaurant, scan the menu for good foods. Decide which things are going to make you feel better. But also be aware that many foods that sound like they are healthy, may be hiding more bad things in them than you realize. Sometimes it helps to have a friend to turn to for advice.
My friend is a free program called My Fitness Pal. If you have a smart phone or an iPad, you can download the app for free. Otherwise, you can visit their website on-line at www.MyFitnessPal.com .
Getting started with the app is easy. You simply input your current weight and height. Then you tell the app how much you weigh, how much you want to lose, and how fast you want to lose it. The app then calculates your caloric intake and estimates what you should eat every day.
When I started using My Fitness Pal in August, I set a goal of losing 15 pounds a week by November. I wanted to set a realistic goal. One of the biggest stumbling blocks I see for my weight loss patients is setting unrealistic goals.
The key to good weight loss is to set reasonable goals and then work every day to accomplish them. Had I set a goal for losing 15 pounds in 2 weeks, I either would have become frustrated and quit, or I would have gained the weight right back after stopping the diet . One pound a week is very doable. One pound a day is a set-up for failure.
If you are looking to lose weight, I encourage you to set a goal of one pound a week. Input that into your Fitness Pal, and then be honest entering the foods you eat throughout the day. The nice thing about My Fitness Pal is it will tell you how many calories you have left to consume each day.
As a doctor, I have heard all the excuses on why people cannot lose weight: “I am big-boned.”
“I think I have a thyroid problem.”
“I’ve always been thick.”
The funny thing is, many of the people who use these excuses fall into the same category as contestants on weight loss shows. And all of those contestants lose weight because they learn to watch what they eat, and they exercise .
My Fitness Pal will help you track both your food intake and your exercise . It is free. I encourage you to try out the program.
And remember, staying healthy is a matter of becoming a lover of good foods and skipping the foods that cause your body harm.
Dr. Tim Reynolds is the managing parter for HealthCare Express. He is also the president and CEO of Dr. Tim, International, a company he founded in 2009 to allow him to share his passion for Living Every Minute with others. He dedicates countless hours each week to helping other people change their lives through mentoring, life building, giving inspirational talks and writing for his motivational newsletter, Adventures with Dr. Tim.
Dr. Tim was the first member of his family to graduate high school. He joined the military shortly after graduation. Dr Tim was a graduate of the Special Forces Q-course in July of 1982. He served as a Green Beret medic on an A-Team, as the Battalion medic and eventually as a Special Forces Battalion Surgeon for the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He served both enlisted and as an officer for 17 years.
After getting out of the military, Dr. Tim was the first in his family to graduate college with honors. His passion for helping people inspired him to become a medical doctor, and in 1993 he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an MD degree from the University of Utah. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Texas A&M Scott and White in 1996 and is board certified in emergency medicine. Dr. Tim is the managing partner for HealthCARE Express, a group of urgent care clinics rapidly expanding across the United States.
Prior to starting HealthCARE Express in 2006, Dr. Tim held numerous positions across the medical field, including: medical director of the Wadley Regional Medical Center Emergency Department and level II trauma center; director, Texas College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors; president of E-Med Services, LLP and of E-Med Billing Solutions, LLP; associate clinical professor for the Area Health Education Center at the University of Arkansas; founding member of the Greater People’s Clinic of Texarkana Board of Directors.
Dr. Tim speaks fluent Spanish, having lived in Guatemala and traveled throughout Central America.
In addition to his medical experience, Dr. Tim is also an entrepreneur and successful businessman. He is currently the chief executive officer of TL Reynolds Properties, LLP, a real estate investment company; and he is a managing partner of JJET Developments Ltd., a real estate development company.
Dr. Tim has served on numerous other committees and boards throughout both the medical and business communities and is published in various journals and publications. He is sought after as a presenter at many national conferences.
In his leisure time, Dr. Tim enjoys spending time on his Ranch in Atlanta, Texas, where he lives with his beautiful wife, Pam, and their five amazing children. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, is a SCUBA rescue diver, and a pilot. He also enjoys body building, golf, and hiking.
Dr. Tim is a world traveler, having visited six of the seven continents. He is a firm believer in living every minute of life and teaching others to do the same. His online website www.livingeveryminute.com allows him to reach thousands of people around the world as they subscribe to his weekly self-help and life improvement adventure newsletters.