Heather Found Venus was the Solution to Fat Loss and Maintenance

Heather Before Heaviest and After Venus

Heather at one of her heaviest weights before finding Venus and after, WOW!

 

 

Heather placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. Her transformation stretches out further than this 12 week period though, she has lost over 30 lbs using Venus!

Heather before and after Venus Front

Heather before starting Venus in 2015 and after this 12 week contest, unbelievable!

Here is what Heather had to say in her own words:

My experience with Venus has been amazing. My life long search for the program that works is finally over. I have found it and I am hooked. I am a 47 year old woman with a wonderful husband and 4 terrific grown children. However I was struggling with self-image problems, low self-esteem and was just unhappy inside. Like many other Venus ladies, I tried every diet program out there, and purchased several exercise DVD programs. I was successful in my goal of losing weight but as soon as I hit a certain point the motivation to stick with it disappeared and the weight started to climb back up. I had convinced myself that I was just meant to be overweight and my genetic chemistry was preventing me from being slim. Then in March of 2015 I found Venus on Facebook. I listened to John’s story about his sister and how he developed something that was specific to women who battle with this issue. In my first 12 weeks on Venus I lost 20 pounds and 24 inches off my body. One thing I had never done in previous weight loss efforts was to combine the diet and the lifting. I had done both separately thinking it was enough by itself. The other aspect of Venus that was hugely motivating for me was the all the information I got through the podcasts and blog posts. I love, love, love John and Brad’s podcasts. I listened to them whenever I could. They blasted away every myth I grew up believing, every misconception that I had adopted just because a fitness professional said it and I was finally able to break away from all the bad information that I had stored in my head and replaced with the facts that John and Brad’s research had taught me. So after my first 12 weeks of the Venus program, it was May and summer was coming. I decided that I would take a break from actively losing, and applied the same principles of the program but eat at maintenance most days and at a deficit 2 days each week. As August approached I had maintained my 20 pound weight loss. I was ecstatic. I had never ever done that. In the past as soon as I stopped following the weight loss program, instantly the weight started creeping back up. This was when I decided that I would enter the contest to further motivate me to continue my journey. Here I am today at the end of the contest and I am more motivated than ever to continue my journey to get to my ideal Venus Body. I am not there yet but I am loving my new body, my new outlook on life, my new self-confidence. Not just my body changed, but my life changed…and people have noticed. This journey has been amazing and I am so grateful for John, Brad, Liss, and Roberta and all the ladies on the forum for their constant efforts to encourage us, educate us and provide effective tools for every woman to utilize in reaching their fitness goals. Thank you all.

 

Heather’s Metrics

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
Before 140 lb 62 in 31.5 in 41.7 in 37 in
After 131 lb 62 in 29 in 38.8 in 36 in
Deltas -9 lb 0 in -2.5 in -3 in -1 in

 

Heather before and after Venus

 

Heather is a beautiful Venus! Nothing can stop her now!

 

Heather’s AWESOME Home Gym

Heather Venus Index Home Gym

Listen to Heather’s interview with Liss below, or download it for later:

The Empowerment of the Venus Contest (meet Andrea). VT16 STARTS TODAY!

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The Venus Contest VT16 starts TODAY!

What better way to start a contest than with a story of our beautiful Venus Andrea who DID NOT THINK SHE WOULD PLACE in the contest and did!   She did place in the contest!

See that’s what happens. Your mind doesn’t always “get” your progress.  That’s when a coach helps and Andrea gets to tell the story about how Venus coaching helped her.

Here’s Andrea’s story in her own words:

 

My experience with Venus has been amazing.

From the nutrition and fat loss information, to the workouts, to the fabulous community of supportive and genuine women, Venus has been the answer I’ve been looking for to finally achieving my fitness goals.

I don’t really feel as though the contest signifies the end of a “diet” for me – since tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, I’ll still be eating the same way. It’s become such a habit for me to look at food and eating in this way, I can’t imagine doing anything differently just because the contest has ended.

I’ve really come to appreciate that when I say “yes” to something (dessert, snacks, sugar, empty calories), I’m also saying “no” to something else (feeling confident about how I look, easily pulling on a pair of pants). That makes it a lot easier to feel good about choosing not to indulge, rather than feeling deprived – it’s a conscious choice, not a sacrifice. And I’ve come to realize just how much the mental toll of poor eating choices was really weighing me down.

Whenever I was presented with an opportunity to eat something that I knew wouldn’t help my fitness and health goals, I’d feel helpless and unable to just say, “No, thanks.”

Total avoidance was my only strategy, and sometimes that just wasn’t possible. So I’d indulge, then feel guilty the minute I did, because I knew that choice was working against my goals. It was a vicious cycle that I had no idea how to break.

But Venus helped me to do just that.

I was completely amazed at how often that guilt was there in the back of my mind, which I only really realized when all of a sudden, it wasn’t anymore. By learning how to plan for bigger events and using tools to “save the day” for those times when temptation got the better of my well-laid plans, I discovered how to not feel guilty about what I’m eating. That is a huge shift for me, and a huge relief.

One of my biggest complaints with the fitness industry as a whole is the emphasis on exercise and working out as the key to losing weight. I’ve had a gym membership for my whole adult life, and not until I learned more about the importance of food choices did I start to see a change in my physique.

Not that exercise isn’t important, but Venus has really helped me to understand that it’s just not possible to out-train a bad diet. And now that I’ve lost some of the extra fat I was carrying, I’m excited to continue the Venus workouts and develop some of those muscles!

After trying more dieting approaches than I care to count, I’m excited that I’ve found a plan that works and that I can be successful at for the long term – while still living (and enjoying!) my life.

Andrea

 

CONTEST:  VT16:   Start January 11 – End April 11

It’s easy to join.  Any Venus customer can join at any time.

You can enter both your before and after pictures any time between January 11th and April 11th, but you will want to TAKE your before pictures as soon as you can after the 11th (with the current newspaper).

Make sure to read and follow the instructions:

Venus Contest Rules and Regulations

Once you get your pictures and measurements simply go to the contest form and enter them.

Email me roberta.saum@gmail.com if you have any questions or need any help.

Have fun!

Never Settle

Never Give Up

Live Your Dream

-Coach Roberta

 

PS: If you want Venus one-on-one coaching you can get it here.  Yes, you are allowed to pick which coach you want!

 

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Andrea did a fabulous job!

To listen to her story about how she became EMPOWERED by Venus and Venus coaching.

Listen to the podcast now or download it for later:

If you don’t like where you’re at then change it, says 1st place winner Danell

FRAME-Danelle BnA If you don't like where you are then change it

Danell placed 1st in our last Venus Index Transformation Contest.

She decided she didn’t like where she was at, so she changed it!  Here is what else she had to say in her own words:

My experience with the Venus Factor System: Venus is definitely unlike ANY other weight loss system I have tried. I found this to be life changing. I never imagined I could lose weight and change my body shape so effectively.

In fact, after roller coaster dieting for the past 20 years, I was about to just accept my out of shape, over weight frame. So Venus was my “last ditch effort”.

I have learned that I CAN change my lifestyle and body shape without giving up anything that I love. I still eat the foods I love but now I know how to incorporate ALL the foods into my life without it having to show negatively on my body.

I LOVE working out now. Venus is simply a recipe to follow and if followed WILL result in the shape that most women think they can never have.

But anyone who puts in the work, and follows the recipe will get results. I will be a forever Venus. A Venus for life.

This system works for so many reasons: There are real women here all helping each other in the online community.

All the coaches have gone through the program and faced all the same challenges as the ladies who are on their Venus journeys. They are a wealth of knowledge and support.

The women here are uplifting and strong and so helpful. Everyone loves to see everyone else succeed. It’s a sisterhood here and it’s beautiful.

The workouts are simple but challenging and really fun. Especially when you start to see the changes in body definition.

Exciting!

Nothing is restricted as far as food goes. Venus teaches you how to incorporate everything you love into your diet. It’s because of this that really makes a person able to stick to the weight loss part without feeling deprived.

This is so important because now it turns into a lifestyle. A person can really do this for life. It is sustainable. There are so many tools to use. Like Eat Stop Eat. Maintenance Days. Slim in 7. Final Phase. Access to Coaching. Everything you need is here to help you succeed.

So I started Venus in March 2014. I went through the first 12 weeks. I had lost 12 pounds in those 12 weeks. Then I entered the Sept 2014 contest.

I lost my focus and did not finish. I stopped all my workouts and logging my foods. I gained 19lbs in 7 months!

Since I knew Venus was something that truly worked for me, I decided to get my head on straight and go back. I restarted Venus April 20 2015. I followed the 12 week program and every workout.

I found Roberta online and Jonda Lowe. Jonda was in the current contest at the time and I watched her succeed. I new I could do it too. I took all the advice I could get from those ladies and applied them to myself.

There would be NO EXCUSES, only work. In those 12 weeks my weight moved very slow.

It was hard.

I lost 9 pounds but Roberta kept telling me to trust the process and enjoy the journey. Her daily posts kept me on track and motivated.

When I saw Jonda’s final pics, I was blown away. That put such a fire under me! I wanted that too! I can do it too!

I lost an additional 7lbs before the next contest start date. So I entered VT15. I took Ro and Jonda’s advice and worked out 5 or 6 days a week. I cleared my work schedule so that I would not miss a workout.

I had to get very creative sometimes in hotel rooms with no fitness room. I ate at least 100 grams of protein a day. I counted and measured everything. I fasted daily.

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I booked my photo shoot with a professional photographer as soon as I entered the contest. I was INVESTED!

There was no going back, no excuses, just work. And I was enjoying my workouts so much. I was loving the food I was eating. I was able to eat at restaurants and still be on plan.

It was becoming a lifestyle I knew I could live with forever. My husband was so supportive with everything!

By the time I got to my photo shoot, I dropped an additional 15.2 pounds!

That’s a total of 30lbs since restarting Venus in April.

At 156lbs I am at the high end of my Venus weight range (130-158).

I am 3″ away from my ideal waist (26.64) at 29″. And at 42.75, I am under my ideal shoulder (43.11).

-Danell

 

Danell did an amazing job!

 

Danell did an amazing job!  We had a blast talking about her story over the phone.   You can hear the excitement in her voice in the audio interview below.

 

The 2016 Venus Transformation Contest Schedule:

  • VT16:   Start January 11 – End April 11

  • VT17:   Start May 2 – End August 1

  • VT18:   Start August 22 – End November 21

Venus Contest Rules and Regulations

 

Listen to Danell’s story now in the link below, or download it for later:

Venus Body Sculpting Tips from Coach Roberta

FRAME-Sculpting mindset tips

What are some mindset tips for sculpting your Venus body?

I could write a book on it, but today I’ll stick to this one aspect. These were my thoughts recently my all female FaceBook support group:

For many of you, you need to keep this VISION that there is an amazing YOU inside, waiting to be chiseled by your own hard work. You have your own unique fit and beautiful shape.

Focus on nutrition to chisel away the body fat.

Focus on resistance training for chiseling and building the beautiful Venus lean body mass.

Most of us don’t get to know what it is until we get there.

We can use others as an example, I know now I’m often an example. But we are never the other person. If we think we will be just like the example and we set our sites on that we’ll be disappointed.

Even me. When I saw the picture of myself in the mirror that I posted recently, the ab picture at the Sheriff’s department, it reminded me of my own battles with my own image.

I have a hernia right there in the middle and it bothers some people, it doesn’t hurt and the doctor says leave it. I never knew I had it because it doesn’t hurt and it never showed until the fat was chiseled away.

Also, I don’t really have a six pack abs like others. It’s my own unique definition. It is not from lack of work or lack of fat loss. It just is what it is.

So my point is; Keep that VISION of your own beauty beneath all the sculpting. Your own sculpture will be unique.

For me, I just need to be happy with what I have. I have had to work on a “happiness mentality” with my own body just like most females. And yes it’s a constant mental work I will have to continue for life as the seasons ebb and flow.

We have to put the same amount of “work” in on our own perceptions and happiness, just like gym time, just like nutrition planning.

It’s all part of the lifestyle package.

This is how we do it!!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Happy Friday!

-Coach Roberta

It does not take a special BREED to SUCCEED.

FRAME-Piggy-Bank-and-Fitness-Competition

What does a piggy bank have to do with this? Read on!

 

It does not take a special breed. Anyone can do it. The only thing great or special is persistence, consistency, and never giving up.

Anyone can do that if they decide to.

It’s pure day-to-day grit.

It’s believing in your self when no one else does.

Minimizing the negative people who act and speak in an uncaring manner.

It’s trusting the process and being patient.

It’s focus on the day-to-day victories and process.

It’s the picking one thing and making it a victory.

Not the results. Those come later.

Even when I did the fitness show last year it wasn’t anything special.  I had not even PLANNED on doing one.

I was just doing my thing and Coach Miles hey you are ready, you should do this!

It’s just the lifestyle.

I didn’t push hard and crash.  See that’s the trick, you don’t have to push until you crash. You learn to live it.  Sure you can dose out the hard push a few weeks.  Back off, then push again.  In a sustainable manner.

All the insane crashing and rebounding does not have to happen.  But it might for a few as they learn, that’s okay too.

It’s like when you save your pennies in a piggy bank as a kid. Day after day you drop the penny in. It’s hard to imagine you will get something for that someday.

But then suddenly you check one day and it’s full.

You spend it, and fill it again, or you save it and start filling up a new piggy bank.

Either way you keep going.

And so it goes for life.

You never actually really get “there”.

You achieve milestones, then you keep going.

You stop and smell the roses, or watch the beautiful deer, or hug your loved ones and enjoy some feasts and maybe a little fine wine if you are so inclined.

But then you motor on again.

Embracing the nitty-gritty of life.

Because THAT is where the MAGIC happens my friends.

I’m not a special breed. I’m just a lady who lives in the mountains, living in the day-to-day, embracing life and the nitty-gritty.

That means YOU can do it too!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Happy Friday!

-Coach Roberta

Happy Thanksgiving and tips from Coach Roberta

FRAME-You-don't-need-to-punish-yourself-for-food-Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my USA Venus girlfriends!

I’m busy working on the Venus contest, but I had to take a quick break to write some words of encouragement for those I’m helping.

These are all my own pictures in the collage.

‘Cuz I’m the real deal.

In the purple shirt last night during a break in our workout with my Venus friend Kerry.

And the scenes at my home.

I don’t have to prep for photo shoots or events because I live the lifestyle and have been proving it for over 5 years now.

I’m not going to hide or be ashamed of my lifestyle, because it works for me.

Tomorrow you will enjoy a post from Anea, who is one of our talented Venus Ambassadors in the Immersion Online Community.  She has a long way to go in her Venus goals, but she is successful and well on her way.  She KNOWS with the Venus lifestyle she will get there too.  She knows it works for her too!

I’m quite excited about the way the Immersion community support is going.  It’s amazing.  It is all about women empowering other women.  They have even created phone app texting accountability groups and blogging in there.

If you haven’t yet experienced the Venus Immersion community support, well, you just do not know what you are missing!

 

Tips for the Venus Lifestyle

Never ever reward or punish yourself for food.

This is a mentality shift we make to succeed in fitness.

You never earn food rewards.

You are never punished for eating.

There are no good foods and bad foods.

You might be allergic or have bad reactions for some foods.

We need food to survive.

We are meant to enjoy food.

We are meant to celebrate.

And yes, humans are designed to fast for periods of time when it’s appropriate. Humans have been doing this since the beginning, both for spiritual purposes and out of necessity when they were hunter gatherers.

It’s only modern society who has created these strange fitness myths and have at the same time had to battle an over abundance of food and lack of physical activity.

So ENJOY Thanksgiving!

And ENJOY a workout if you want to!

You are never DOOMED by one meal, one day, one week. Just decide to get back on track when you are done feasting.

AND, if you stay on that track as can happen to many of us, DECIDE TO SAVE THE DAY at any moment you choose.

This is how we do it!!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Enjoy the holidays in true Venus Style!

-Coach Roberta

Lets Lead Together

 

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I started my weight loss journey as a lone ranger. I’m not the type of person to ask for help, and I’m working on that. After a year of steady weight loss, I plateaued and became frustrated.

Fortunately, I found Venus Index and was able to understand true fat and weight loss principles geared for women, adapt them into my life, and change my lifestyle.

Along with the lifestyle change came a lot of things, positive and negative changes, but a happier healthier me.

The most important thing I came to understand was a newfound responsibility to help, as I know how hard it is to ask.

People came to me with questions, wanting and needing help and advice on how to conquer their own weight loss battles, and I began to grasp the privilege I had earned; to help and give back all that I had gained.

Where do you start?

My journey, lead me to the expansive fitness industry that is no longer just within a gym’s walls. You can find health and fitness information everywhere, but without a basic understanding of where to start it is overwhelming, contradicting, and confusing.

There are a million products, programs, gimmicks, work-from-home fitness companies, eating styles, eating plans, personal trainers, supplements, equipment, apparel and on, and on, and on.

So where do you start?

The basic principles in which we are taught through Venus Index, excess intake will lead to excess fat. Period. Monitor and balance your intake and outputs. Have a deficit to your surplus and you will lose the excess.

 

What about the food and the middle ground?

Since really delving into the industry over the   last few months, I see a lot of people who say they want to helpIMG_0994 others which is an amazing thing, but what I really see are pretty pictures and motivational quotes, offers for quick fixes, gimmick products, crash diets, and money pits.

The ones that bother me the most are the fitness models eating a vat of ice cream, or a dozen doughnuts, with quotes, “I promote eating” or “I love junk food.” I see these images and wonder what am I doing wrong?

I work HARD and I can’t eat junk everyday. If I did I’d be bloated, feel terrible, gain weight, and lose all my hard work.

Don’t get me wrong, I love ice cream and I have said on multiple occasions that I don’t eliminate things from my diet that I love.

However, what I DO say that they DON’T is that I budget for that ice cream. I plan for it. I allow for it.

There is no way I could maintain my results eating ice cream alone. There is no way I would be anywhere near healthy eating ice cream alone.

To me, these images imply “look at me, I’m so awesome that I can eat whatever I want and still be smoking hot” and they just continue to taint the industry, confuse and impede consumers.

It continues to turn away people who are interested in being healthy and fit; leaving them feeling as if they have done something wrong that they too, can’t eat ice cream every day and rock Miss Olympia.

Then we have the other extreme, the epidemic of obesity that is plaguing a generation of instant gratification with a sense of entitlement. A generation that doesn’t know how to engage will power, self-determination, self-control, and drive to make choices to change their lives.

I know, because I lived it. I was too self-involved “enjoying” my 20s and engaging in ridiculous unhealthy behaviors ignoring responsibilities, not only to myself, but also to my future.

There were many times I consumed more calories in junk food and alcohol than in any sort of nutrition and wondered why I was over weight. Then I decided I’d join the movement of acceptance and just be “fat and happy” except I WASN’T happy.

Finding the middle ground between “fat and happy” and “I’m so awesome I can eat all the things and still be smoking hot” has been hard.

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Let’s lead together

This lifestyle is doable, this lifestyle is maintainable, but it isn’t without sacrifice. It isn’t without self-control, self-discipline, determination, and drive.

You have to want to be better.

You have to want to change.

Once you make that determination find the will power to keep going.

Turn to like-minded people, turn to people who want to not only encourage you, but also engage in your success.

Thankfully, there are people who do truly want to and do help, often for free.

Let us help you, and then pay it forward.

Lets change this industry.

Lets impact society.

Let us regain ideals of health and fitness.

Lets promote life long habits that will allow our children to grow in the world we envisioned for them.

Lets show them how to take ownership, how to cook, how to work, how to use their body, and minds for good.

Lets do this together and promote a world of moderation with an ethic for hard work and success, not just acceptance.

Lets BE healthy and fit.

Lets BE the example in which we want them to follow.

Lets lead together

– Erin

Therese found she REALLY COULD LOSE WEIGHT in her 50’s!

Therese-BnA-

Therese finally found she could lose the weight. She had lost hope.  She really and truly believed it could not be done.

She found Venus and decided it would be her last ditch effort.

Sound familiar?

So many of us in mid life and even younger have felt hopeless.

But don’t believe that!

Yes, it requires some effort, but in the end we find it’s kind of simple in a way.  But we have to learn the process.

And we have to give ourselves a bit of time to learn.

But it doesn’t take long.

Soon we find our groove with it.

And we are a constant work in progress.

Because it truly is a lifestyle.

 

The shorts I am in I bought in the beginning of the summer. They fit perfectly, size 10. They are my smallest shorts as I don’t want to waste money on clothes I am going to be too small for to wear in the near future. Now, they are too big. The swim suits I am in I have had for 20 years and have not put them on for the last 15 years.

The shorts in the middle picture I bought in the beginning of the summer.
Now, they are too big. I now have swim suits that I have had for 20 years and have not put them on for the last 15 years!

 

 

Here’s what Therese wrote in her own words:

The Venus Factor Program has been life changing. It has not only changed my weight but my body shape and mental attitude. I am nearly 54 years old and thought I was stuck as a fat, tired, old person until I did the research that brought me to the Venus Factor Program.

I started this research in Jan. 2014 when I weighed 204 pounds. As I was spending the time to make the best choice possible I continued to work on my weight loss with the vast knowledge I had gained over the many years of using every diet I came across from fad, Weight Watchers, injections, specialty foods etc. only to become an expert on loosing and gaining weight.

Even having a degree in Family and Consumer Education with an emphasis in nutrition wasn’t enough. This time I needed to make it my last time so in June of 2014 I started with Venus Factor weighing 193 pounds.

I had only lost 10 pounds during the 6 months prior. This contest has only been a process in my journey.

Yes, and what a journey it has been! I have changed habits that I thought were impossible to change.

I no longer eat in the evening–a childhood habit that I have had all my life. I now exercise every week at least three times per week. I have not done this since high school–36 years ago–WOW.

I also believed I could not loose weight during the school year as being a school counselor is too stressful and has many evening obligations.

I have proved that wrong.

The pictures I have included really show my journey.

The shorts I am in I bought in the beginning of the summer. They fit perfectly, size 10. They are my smallest shorts as I don’t want to waste money on clothes I am going to be too small for to wear in the near future.

Now, they are too big. The swim suits I am in I have had for 20 years and have not put them on for the last 15 years.

The pictures showing my before Venus pictures and were I was during the journey before this contest show where I have come from and the direction I am going.

This contest is not the end but just one more step in my journey.

Today, I challenged my husband to who can get abs first–me or him. It is going to be me!!!

Since I have been doing the Venus Factor my husband has lost 30 pounds and two of my four children who are home for the summer have both lost weight.

The journey I am on has no finish line.

I will continue the weight loss with maintenance process until I reach my Venus Factor figure and then I will continue to strengthen my body and maintain the weight loss.

 

Here is Therese giving her very own video testimonial:

 

And I had the opportunity to interview Therese over skype: Игровые автоматы бесплатно и без дополнительной загрузки. Игровые автоматы абсолютно бесплатно и без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн казино Вулкан на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на выбор виды бесплатных . игры онлайн бесплатно автоматы Выбираем сначала платформу автоматов, потом — сам аппарат. Вы можете попробовать игровые автоматы бесплатно абсолютно бесплатно абсолютно каждый посетитель нашего игрового зала, без регистрации и без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн может себе это позволить, подобраны залы с наивысшими показателями всех важных параметров достойного азартного клуба. Игровые автоматы абсолютно каждый .

Helen takes the Venus program around the globe.

Helen took the community with her to Luanda and Angola in Africa.

Helen took the community with her to Luanda and Angola in Africa.

 

Helen is 49 years old and has struggled with her weight since her teens.

Sound familiar?

It seems like all the diets want to make you believe you can eat an unlimited amount of certain foods.

It feels like a mystery sometimes as to why the weight comes off.

And then you revert back to your “normal” foods and it all comes back.

So really there are no secret foods.  The secret is the AMOUNT of food; the correct energy balance for your own self.

That is what the Venus program teaches you.  How to find your own energy balance.

There is no one size fits all.  There is no magic formula.  But there are tools to help you find your own balance.

The transformation is just a small snapshot in time.  12 weeks is not very long.  But during that 12 weeks Helen started learning her balance.  She lost 13 pounds in 12 weeks, 2.3 inches in her waist, 3 inches in her shoulders, and 4 inches in her hips.

But more than that she gained confidence and finally showed the muscle tone she wanted.

 

Here is what Helen said about the 12 weeks in her own words:

 

I have struggled with my weight since my teens. I have always loved to work out, I was a runner, then did triathlons, but never looked like I did those things.

Then two years ago I had a total knee replacement and thought that I would bounce right back because I was athletic. I did recover functionally, though I do not have full extension in my right leg, but I can do quite a bit.

My weight has gone up and down since I can remember. It seems as if I was always trying something, vegetarian, Paleo, and all. I wanted something that basically told me I could eat an unlimited amount of food. I would lose some weight, but I tried not to get on the scale because it really was a mental issue with me.

I live overseas in Luanda, Angola in Africa and the food choices are very different from what is in the states. I do bring some things back when we come home, but I needed a program that did not rely on special meals. Being gluten free in a third world country is tough enough, but not being able to find other food was frustrating as well.

Also being a doctoral student , a stay at home mom, online instructor, and homeschooling my youngest son makes life a bit hectic as well, but working out has always been “my time”.

I found Venus while on the internet, downloading one more “thing” that would be a quick fix. I downloaded it, but just the basic program, I wanted to start with just that. I had started and stopped so many different things, and each time I switched, it was a day to “start anew” and give myself one more day of thinking I could eat what I wanted. I had started another 12 week program, but the food suggestions were impossible to acquire in Africa. I read the Venus program and thought this makes sense, you can eat what you want, you just have to account for it.

I kept thinking of all the people I knew who were thin, they didn’t eat like I did, they ate less. It just made sense. You have to eat less, and the only way you are going to do that is to track what you are putting in your mouth. I decided to start the 12 week protocol, and never thought about the contest.

Then the miracle of the Venus community happened, and all these amazing ladies, some who had already achieved amazing results, some who had quite a way to go, and some that were just like me, needing to lose, but not far from Venus numbers. I loved listening to their advice, their triumphs, their questions, and respected their challenges. It took me awhile to start blogging.

I kept thinking who is gonna want to hear my issues, I am a nurse, and it has always been my job to take care of others. But you start and you feel this connection and it’s a really great feeling. There was a group of ladies that were going to commit to the contest, and I thought why not.

I am committed to the program no matter what, so let’s see what I can do in 12 weeks. It is interesting because the timing comes right as we travel back to the US and usually I start focusing on all those foods that you haven’t had for 6 months.

This time I said to myself, you can have that food, but every bite that goes in your mouth will be tracked. I had a serious “coming to Jesus” moment realizing all the calories in some of the foods I thought I was so “good” in eating. I still decided to see it through, and there were days that I was not perfect, but I wouldn’t give up.

To me being a Venus means the process is a journey of learning and Venus fits in my lifestyle. Just as it was said in the beginning, the program is simple, but not always easy, but neither is life, and I feel such a connection to so many ladies on the forum, that my greatest hope is that one day I can meet them.

I will continue on this journey, and I am not where I want to be, but I much better than where I started.

Thank you everyone at Venus.

Helen

 

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Helen found the online community to be a huge part of her success. She made friends. With her travels around the world she was able to take her friends with her where ever she went.  She found a very nice group of ladies who listened and answered her questions and supported her.  And now she helps others.  Because that’s what we do at Venus.  We learn and we pay it forward.  But we also all still need the support of our friends and it’s an awesome thing.  That’s how friendships work isn’t it?

 

You can find Helen in the online community and read her blog there, and you can listen to her tell her story in our audio podcast:

Pam learned you can’t outrun too much food!

 

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Like so many of us Pam used to be a long distance runner.  There is nothing wrong with distance running, but it may not be the best strategy for fat loss like most of us thought.

The excess endurance workouts make us fatigued, drive some of our needed hormones down, thus makes us extra hungry and then we overcompensate with extra food.  This hinders fat loss.

Pam has always loved working out, but when she switched her focus to resistance training and diet she found success.

 

Pam LAF gym

Pam has always loved working out! The right workouts and diet helped her succeed at what she loves most.

 

Pam was one of our Venus Transformation contest winners.  Here is her story in her own words:

Here I am a personal trainer who is supposed to be helping my clients get fit and I was not fit and a bit fat! I complained to my husband a lot about how horrible I felt. I just really didn’t know what to do and was feeling very low. I was at a high weight for me 159.8 and pulling my hair out.

Then I remembered Venus.

I had purchased ESE a while back and read it and it all made sense but it just wasn’t the right time in my life to implement it. I had listened to Venus podcasts before and thought the whole concept was nuts! I mean, I am a fitness professional- eating below 1000 calories and skipping meals is horrible for your metabolism!

Yes, I fell into so many of the fitness fallacies, it’s not even funny. I got every fitness magazine, email from too many health experts, books by the loads of people in the health field- I thought I knew it all. Well, obviously I didn’t.

So, I bought Venus in August and jumped in with both feet. The time was right for me and I needed to make a change. I kept the first month under wraps. I didn’t want to tell my husband and then have it not work. I remember finally telling him and being amazed at the results and happy to have finally found out what works for me.I feel like I have an advantage over a lot of the other girls in Venus. I have a lot of exercise experience, was familiar with all of the exercises, thrived on the weight workouts and have a bench and weights in my backyard so it was super easy to fit into my day.

Reading the blogs from newbies who haven’t really exercised or aren’t able to do more than a couple workouts a week made me feel like I was so far ahead of the game! And not only do I love working out, I really love the Venus workouts. I love how it’s hard work but not so crazy hard it leaves you wiped for the rest of the day. I was working for a women’s boot-camp style gym for the prior 3 years where we did a lot of box jumps, burpees, jump lunges etc and it was super fun but really exhausting.

 

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I never felt like that after a Venus workout. In fact my body felt so great that I lifted almost every day of the last 2 months. And felt better and stronger every single day. 1-2 times a week I even got in double days. My body has always thrived on movement and the Venus workouts really have made a huge difference in my world.

There are so many things I have learned along the way these last 12 weeks.  I was a holier than thou, super judgmental, food snob who needed to relax, stop reading everything regarding health and fitness and just make it happen. Venus put me on the right path. The one I’ve wanted now for so, so long. I finally feel like I’ve got the magic ticket to life long health and fitness. There were a few stumble forwards along the way just like I had heard on so many of the podcasts. But that is life- it’s never just all smooth sailing.

 

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On a final note, I cannot really believe how this year has turned out for me. The beginning was so horrible. Death, illness, depression, injury- I was just a huge mess. To have turned almost all aspects around and be in the best shape of my life at 47 is thrilling! Not only did I go through with it, I rocked it and had a hell of a time along the way.

Thank you for this amazing program.
The community is amazing.
The program is phenomenal.
It is life changing.

Pam

 

 

Pam is on the left and still enjoys the Venus Lifestyle.

Pam is on the left and still enjoys the Venus Lifestyle.

 

Pam still loves working out even more than ever now.  She enjoys summer vacations and time with her family.  We all have seasons of the year and seasons of our life.  We fluctuate a little as our bodies have these ebbs and flows and seasons.  But that is life.  Because of Venus we know what to do if we want to “work a little off”.   Sometimes we might get a little “off peak” after summer vacations, but it’s no big deal.  We slowly and patiently bring it back, and we KNOW it’s never the end of the world when we take the time to enjoy life a little.

 

Shampy Sherman-Boughner (the dog), and me with Pam couple of days ago when we recorded today's podcast.

Me and “Shampy Sherman” and Pam a couple days ago when we recorded today’s podcast.

 

You can find Pam active in our online community as an Ambassador, you can read her blog in there, and you can see her in a video interview.

 

Here’s the audio podcast where you can hear Pam tell her story:

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