Using The Positive Portions Food & Fitness Journal helped my husband, Mark Hammer, reach his fitness goals, including successfully competing in several races. Here is his story…
Mark Hammer has successfully competed in events like the Mud Run obstacle course.
Hooray! I recently completed the entire six months of The Positive Portions Food & Fitness Journal. Shannon invited me to share my experience and my results with the Journal.
First, it should be noted that I am not a “food addict,” although there have been times when a large bag of chips has disappeared in my presence…my solitary presence, that is. Like many people, to a greater or lesser degree, I‘ve been known to make poor food choices, and there has been plenty of room for improvement but I’m not an overeater in the classic sense of the word, nor have I struggled with being overweight.
Second, unlike many people, getting to the gym is not a problem for me. I was already in good shape when I started the Journal. Typically, I work out 5—6 days a week and when I started the Journal, I would estimate my unwanted body fat at around 10 pounds.
So why would I want to use a food journal? Because it works!
About seven years ago I was working with a personal trainer who convinced me to “just write down everything you eat.” That’s it, he said, don’t figure out how many or what kind of calories, just write it all down. So I did. I found that when I wrote down everything I was eating in black and white, I could no longer pretend to myself that I was eating in a “basically healthy” fashion, when I actually wasn’t. It’s was all there on paper, no escape.
So, I started thinking about the bag of chips before I ate it, not when the bag was empty. I saw how little fruit and how few vegetables I was eating. I realized I needed to pump up my protein intake as well. Low and behold, I started to make better food choices a good portion of the time. I increased my quality calories and decreased my junk calories. I felt healthier and, combined with an admittedly rigorous fitness regimen, I was able to lower my body fat below 10% (measured professionally).
That was five years ago. Unfortunately, a severe illness in 2005 derailed my fitness routine, and by mid 2009, despite a regular fitness routine, I hadn’t made it back to my top shape. At that time I also developed a renewed interest in running. I knew that in order to reach my racing goals, from 5Ks to marathons, I would have to improve my eating habits along with doing the training.
Serendipitously, at the beginning of 2010, my wife Shannon published The Positive Portions Food & Fitness Journal. Voila! I had the perfect tool to track my food; morning, noon, and night. (As well as happening to live with the author – how’s that for accountability?) Also, the quotes were fun and wise, and the inspirational passages frequently applicable to all areas of life, which I incorporated into my morning “reflections.”
My eating habits benefited from using the journal in a manner that worked for me (as a record of my eating, rather than as part of a specific food plan). Low and behold, I completed the entire six months.
So what were my results, in the realms of weight management and running? Through weight training and better food choices I added about five pounds of muscle and lost body fat. And my running improved. In May, I completed my first half marathon on the fairly grueling Palos Verdes course. Then, I finished third in my age group in the 3.5 mile Irvine Lake “Mud Run” (an obstacle course), and third again in the Mission Beach “Sand Pit 5K” (obstacle course on the beach!). Right now I’m gearing up for another half marathon in Venice on January 16th, and a marathon (I think) at some point in the early part of 2011.
In short, the Journal is a great tool for anyone with health needs or desires, or even just fitness goals. So, couch potato or gym rat, fanatic-for-fitness or allergic-to-action, 10 pounds to lose or 100, The Positive Portions Food and Fitness Journal can work for you!
If you’ve had success using The Positive Portions Food & Fitness Journal – tell us about it! Email [email protected]
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