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Can a Vegetarian Venus stop the YO-YO? Yes, this girl Jonda can!

October 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Jonda-BnA-Venus-Article

Since it is the halfway point through the Venus Transformation Contest VT15 we thought you could use a little motivation to keep you going.

Jonda did the diet Yo-Yo all her life.  Big time!

She placed first in our last transformation contest.

Jonda says she is NEVER GOING BACK to the diet Yo-Yo! And she is proving that true still to this day.

Jonda says she is NEVER GOING BACK to the diet Yo-Yo! And she is proving that true still to this day.

 

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

I have fought weight all of my life…as a child, a teenager and an adult. My mom tells me that I was born 3 weeks late. I weighed 9lb 3oz. She says I stayed in there 3 extra weeks to eat. I remember asking my dad to take me to Weight Watchers in 6th grade and he did. I was 5’5” and weighed 154lbs. I came out of the program weighing 119lbs.

That lasted through high school and then in my freshman year of college I married and was pregnant with my first child 3 months later. I delivered at 200 and then starved myself back down to 125 before my college graduation. Slowly but surely the weight crept back up and I found myself pregnant with my second child and delivered at 225lbs.

My weight has fluctuated between 122lbs–180lbs several times over the last 20 years. Why? Because I never understood how my body works and frankly, there is a lot of bad information out there.

I will forever be an ambassador for this program.

Women face challenges that men don’t. We deserve to know what REALLY works and when we are wasting our time. This is not a difficult program. It is however a mindset. You have to be at that point in your life when you really want it.

That’s why I was able to put all of Roberta’s advice to work when I personally met her earlier this year. I was ready!!! We connected on FB over 2 years ago.

I read all the material, understood it and tried to incorporate deficit days and the eat-stop-eat (fasting) regimen. Didn’t get too far with the workouts but did drop a few pounds that found their way back to me. I had plenty of distractions in my life…things I put ahead of ME and my happiness. It finally occurred to me that I was in control of my happiness and I started “cleaning house”.

It’s true that when you surround yourself with a positive environment you can’t help but be positive yourself!

And well, the opposite is true too.

You decide who is in your life, where you work, where you live, what you put in your body…YOU, not a friend, spouse or anyone else. If there is something in your life you don’t like CHANGE it.

It won’t happen over night but figure out what you need to do and then do something each day that moves you toward what you want! And that’s exactly what I did.

My only regret is that I didn’t take the 1000 cal with 100g of protein daily regimen more seriously at the beginning of my transformation. I convinced myself that the extra 150-200 cal/day wasn’t that big of a deal and what could an extra 20g of protein matter? Well I found out that cutting the 150-200 calories and adding in an extra 20+g of protein keeps me full and I started cruising toward my ideal Venus Index weight.

The Program works if you do!

Jonda

 

Venus girlfriends from all over the world to meet with Jonda in California.

Venus girlfriends from all over the world got together to chat with Jonda in California.

 

Several of my Venus fitness colleagues from all over the world met at the beautiful Naggiar Vineyard and Winery to chat with Jonda:

 

You can read Jonda’s full transformation story and view the rest of the video interview with us on “The Jonda Lowe Transformation Story” and listen to the audio podcast right here:

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, change, Contest, Health, Meetups, Podcast, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

One week until the START of VT15; What will YOU do?

August 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment
So you think you want to enter a transformation contest?

So you think you want to enter a transformation contest?

 

There’s a lot to think about before entering a contest

Read the RULES AND REGULATIONS.

Will it be motivating for you?

Or will it be too much pressure?

If you WIN, what do you think of all of your pictures, both before and after?

How will you feel having others see your pictures?

Do you want to share your story to help others?

 

How should you make your pictures?

Make them good quality.

Make sure there is good lighting.

Make sure they are not fuzzy.

If the pictures are blurry or fuzzy because the lighting is not right, we won’t be able to see your change or transformation, therefore we won’t be able to use them.

Get another opinion, even on the before pictures.

Treat them like a resume.  You are presenting yourself to others.  Take pride in both the before and after pictures.

Make sure you wear clothing that shows your change in shape.  If the clothing is loose and baggy and does not show your hard work, we won’t be able to use them.  If we can’t use your pictures to show your change, you won’t place.

Make sure your whole body is in the pictures.

Once you complete the required pictures, feel free to be creative and submit extra pictures (these can be cropped, and doing athletic or yoga poses).  Take fun pictures in a dress or nice outfit in addition to the “required contest pictures”; These are actually the most fun pictures to use and have.

Try putting your camera or cell phone on a timer and in a holder or propped up on a table (to prevent fuzzy pictures).

Others taking the pictures may not have a steady hand and that will make the pictures fuzzy.  Have them hold the camera on a table or something to hold it steady.

Make sure there is enough light, if not the pictures will be fuzzy.

Make sure there isn’t light directly shining into the camera lens.

 

Some things that you might worry about

Don’t worry about the contest timing.  Start making the changes in your life now.  It takes a long time to learn new healthy habits.

Don’t worry about already being too close to your goal at the start of a contest.  Anyone who works hard at the process for 12 weeks will show an amazing change.  The biggest changes occur during your last 15 pounds.  That’s when the muscle toning starts to make a dramatic show.  That’s where the real sculpting happens, especially if you hit those gym workouts.

Since our contests are not “weight loss at all costs” or necessarily the biggest loser contests, some may win based on the increase in muscle tone and just a few pounds of fat loss.

Some people think they did not change enough so are afraid to complete the contest and submit their pictures, but they may not realize that they actually could have placed.

Many women will lose 9-15 pounds during the 12 weeks, some more (but that is not all we look at).

Most who place in our contests are surprised that they placed.  If you followed the process and really practiced the nutrition and workouts; YOU WILL HAVE AMAZING RESULTS and sometimes you don’t realize that yet.  If you listen to many of the podcasts with the previous contest winners you will learn that it takes awhile for your mind to catch up to the changes you made.

We do need the two piece or bikini picture for judging purposes but we would rather use the yoga clothing pictures for the contest announcement and stories.  If your fully clothed pictures hide your shape and don’t show that you made a transformation (even though you actually did make a transformation) we can’t use them.  We can’t use pictures that do not show the changes.

 

What is Venus about?

Venus is about changing your life.

It’s about creating new habits for life.

It’s about becoming happy with your body.

It’s about learning that your body is the power house for all that you do in life.

It’s not about the 12 week contest.

We want you to WIN FOR LIFE.

So if you do a contest, do it for YOU, do it for your LIFE.

One of the most important things of all:  It does not matter what anyone else is doing!  It does not matter what the rate of change for anyone else is.  Do not compare your changes with those of other women.  Unless you see them 24 x 7 you don’t really know what they are really doing anyway, or if what they say is accurate (sometimes THEY don’t even know).  All that matters is YOU changing your own life.  That is really all that matters.  Focus on that and you will WIN.

Here’s THE ENTRY FORM where you can enter on or after August 31st.  You can take the pictures any time during the 12 weeks (August 31 to November 23).  Obviously the bigger the window you give yourself the most opportunity you have to make a change.

The contest form will not be open until August 31st, so it will not work until then.

The contest form will close at midnight Eastern time on November 23rd, 2015).

Mainly, HAVE FUN!

-Coach Roberta

 

Filed Under: change, Contest, Health, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

How to create your own PRIZEFIGHTER VICTORY every day

August 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Embrace the process every day for those victories!

Embrace the process every day for those victories!

 

“You would only fail to accomplish something if you were focused on the outcome.”

– Ben Newman

Focus on the activity that fires your passion and you will do well.

Focus on the process, not the results. The results will come later.

THIS is why I succeeded with fat loss and building muscle.

It took me 3 years to lose the 85 pounds and even longer to build the muscle. I had NO IDEA what the actual outcome would be, but the focus on the PROCESS worked.

If you continue to focus on the outcome and results, it may not be what you expected. Once you let go of that, you have accomplishment.

You have passion.

You will go do great things.

Every day.

You will have a PRIZEFIGHTER VICTORY day every day.

-Tips from “Own Your Success” by Ben Newman

This is what you need to remind yourself about next time you get discouraged by the scale, a measurement, or a size. It’s not that those don’t need to be markers, but if that is the focus you will be disappointed in the end.

Focus on the process.

It works.

 

Pick one thing

Make a small power list of what you want to accomplish today.

It might be just one thing, or two or three, but that’s it.

It’s not about checking things off on a to-do list.

It could be just getting to the gym or whatever form of exercise you feel is right for you just now.

Make completing that task your VICTORY.

Have one victory every day.

Ride one victory to the next.

When you can add one or two more each day then do it.

Make those consistent.

Once those are consistent, they can evolve to a new task or new short list.

This is how we make each day a PRIZEFIGHTER VICTORY day.

You can do it.

We all can do it.

One day at a time.

That is how every successful person does it.

It does not seem very exciting unless you MAKE IT SO.

So, what are you waiting for?

Let’s hear some victory cries!

–Coach Roberta

PS we will be announcing the VT14 Contest winners on next Monday.

Have a glorious weekend.  It is chalk full of opportunities to make good choices!

Filed Under: change, Diet, transformation Tagged With: , , ,

The DEADLINE for VT14 is Monday August 3rd at midnight.

August 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment

VenusBnACollageSQUARE_DEADLINE

This is just a friendly reminder that the deadline for VT14 is Monday August 3rd at Midnight Eastern Standard Time.

The entry form CLOSES at that time.

How to ENTER a Venus Transformation Contest:

 

PLEASE READ THE CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS.  The only confirmation email you will get is the automated response from the contest tracker entry form.  The email address for YOU is the one you use for your Venus account.

Click here –> Contest instructions, rules, and regulations <– Click here

 

 

Here are the steps to enter:

Use your Venus login to use the submission form.

Then use the BLUE JOIN BUTTON for the contest ending August 3rd (08/03/2015):

 

contest screen shot

If you have any problems with the phone app try the web browser.

You will receive an automated email from the tracker tool after the pictures have uploaded.  This means YOU ARE IN the contest.

See the results of our previous contests.

The Venus 12 week contest is an En Route Train Stop in your life long Venus journey!

Have fun!

–Coach Roberta

PS Email me if you have any problems or questions entering the contests.  roberta.saum@gmail.com

Support for technical difficulties: http://www.venusfactor.com/contact-us/

Our 3rd and last contest for 2015 will be VT15: Aug 31st – Nov 23rd

 

 

 

Filed Under: Bodyfat, change, Contest, Diet, transformation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Ten days left to go in the Venus Transformation Contest VT14

July 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment

With the deadline quickly approaching we thought you could use a little more motivation for the final stretch.

So here’s another tale of a successful and powerful Venus who started the program this year.

I first met Jonda in person on March 6 of this year.

I first met Jonda in person on March 6 of this year at the Firehouse in Old Sacramento

 

You have to be READY to make a change.

Jonda is a successful business woman with a busy career.  She had purchased the Venus program a while back but found she was not quite ready to start.  She had a number of health issues to sort out, so she found me and we connected on Facebook.

She lives on the East Coast in the USA and happened to be visiting a business partner in California where I live.  She contacted me on March 6th and we decided to meet for dinner.  It was a wonderful and elegant meeting at the Firehouse restaurant in Old Sacramento.  We talked about Venus and various diet strategies, but mostly just had a beautiful time with her business partner Julia.

What happened when Jonda was finally READY?

Jonda came back to California and "Kidnapped" me for an overnight Venus meeting.

Jonda came back to California and “Kidnapped” me for an overnight Venus meeting.

On April 20th Jonda Lowe came to California and “kidnapped” me for a Venus slumber party.

I reluctantly took a break from my normal busy life and allowed her and her business partner Julia to love on me and pray for me during the overnight capture.

 

We went for a nice long walk in the hills where the cows wandered nearby.

We went for a nice long walk in the hills where the cows wandered nearby.

 

During the visit we made my beloved homemade popcorn cooked in coconut oil and went for long walks in the hills where cows wander freely.

Jonda peppered me with questions over dinner, of which I of course did not mind.

It’s my passion. It’s what I write about every day.

She is vegetarian because of health needs and thus needed some help figuring out the holes in her diet in order to achieve her goals.

With the Venus workout and principles, along with supplements to fill the holes in her diet, we came up with a plan.

Jonda is one of those who really took it to heart and applied it. She is driven. She has passion. She has fire.

Not only that, she is genuine, loving, kind, and highly ethical and professional.  She is female POWER through and through, as she forges her own destiny with the gifts God has given her.

She takes action with guidance.

And she learns from mistakes. Has she made a few mistakes since April 20th until today?

Absolutely, but she knows how to regroup and keep forging ahead.

 

Did the strategy work?

Well here’s the data..

 

Calories over time

Calories over time

 

Jonda's meal plan on July 18th.

Jonda’s meal plan on July 18th.

 

Here’s what she says in her own words:

Messing around with the reports section on MFP. My only regret Roberta is that I didn’t take the 1000 cal with 100g of protein daily regimen more seriously at the beginning of my transformation. I convinced myself that the extra 150-200 cal/day wasn’t that big of a deal and what could an extra 20g of protein matter? Well I found out that cutting the 150-200 calories and adding in an extra 20+g of protein keeps me full and I am cruising toward my ideal Venus Index weight. I want to give a special shoutout to Will Grumke. When I first added the 1st Phorm’s Bliss Go Pack, I was getting hungry. Will encouraged me to eat closer to the 100g of protein per day to stay full. I’ll say it again, the Program works if you do!

 

But that’s just the diet side of the coin.

What about the workouts?

When we were together in April Jonda asked a lot of questions about the workouts and what her strategy should be for equipment. She decided to join a nearby gym.  Once she started there was no stopping.  She posted a lot of gym updates on her Facebook profile and posted questions on my timeline.  This kept her accountable and by posting the questions on my timeline others got the benefit of seeing the answers.  She inspired others the whole way.

 

Jonda at the gym on July 22 this past week!

Jonda at the gym on July 22 this past week!

 

Do you see how much she has changed since our walk in the hills with the cows in April?

She is amazing.  She is inspiring.  She is an example to all those around her.

She is going places. You might want to follow in her footsteps.

Pretty amazing what you can do when you:

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

 

What about the Venus Contest?

Clearly contest or no contest Jonda has already WON.

This is what Venus is all about.  Changing your life, Living your Dream.

But if you happen to be participating in the current Venus contest VT14, the deadline to submit your final pictures is August 3rd, 2015.  Make sure you get your final pictures in before then because the contest form closes at exactly midnight.

If you have any questions or problems entering your material into the contest contact me:  roberta.saum@gmail.com

Now, go WIN your LIFE BACK!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: calories, change, Contest, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, Meetups, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Looking Good At 50 and Beyond – Lorie’s Story

May 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment

During the phase of life when many women struggle with their weight and body image or just decide to let “nature take its course”, Lorie took a look in the mirror and decided that there was no reason she should settle for anything less than the best for herself. Inspired by all the changes she saw her own daughter make using the Venus program, Lorie decided to start working out with her so that she could learn for herself how to change her lifestyle and fitness for the better. What happened as a result? Lorie lost an amazing 24 pounds in just 12 weeks and she ended up placing in our recent VT11 contest. Here are her before and after pictures:

6-Lorie-Venus-Blue-Moon-Contest-BnA-background

In her own words, this 50 year old mom and grandmother told us, “I babysit for my 2 year old grand baby while my daughter goes to work. In that 2 years I have enjoyed eating way too many snacks, cokes and just about whatever I wanted. I did not go too many places, so I just wore my sweats all day and the weight has just crept up on me. I really was feeling depressed, and it was harder to run and play with my grand baby. I decided to do something about It. I joined the Venus contest, and now 12 weeks and 24 pounds later I am seeing muscles I thought were gone forever.”

lorie_after 1During her transformation process, Lorie learned how to change her eating habits and the way she thinks about food and snacks. She also learned that she actually enjoys working out at the gym and seeing the changes in her body and feeling the improvements in her strength and overall fitness. Now Lorie has committed herself to the process of ongoing and lifelong change. Pleased with her results, but not willing to backslide or ever give up, Lorie told us that she plans to keep applying all that she has learned so far and to keep working on her habits, lifestyle choices and fitness level.

Lorie has figured out what so many people never realize – that having a fit, strong and beautiful body is a lifelong “project” worth pursuing for the many riches it brings. I so enjoyed spending time talking with this wise and engaging woman who has so much to offer and share and we are so proud she chose to share her journey with us!

– Coach Lita

 

Listen to our conversation with Lorie here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, change, Contest, Diet, fat loss, Interview, Podcast, Sage Advice, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss

Tiffany Found New Life When She Found Venus

April 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Recently, I had the honor to spend some time talking with Tiffany who placed 3rd in our recent VT11 Venus Transformation Contest. Here are her amazing before and after photos:

Tiffany_BnA_Back Tiffany_BnA_FrontTiffany_BnA_Side

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Although Tiffany made incredible progress in just 12 weeks, like many of our beautiful Venus success stories, her overall process spanned many months and continues to this day as she works on maintaining her new body and settling into a new lifestyle that includes activities she never thought possible.

Faced With Adversity, Tiffany Fought Back!

You see, Tiffany started her journey back in early 2014 when debilitating joint pain sent her to her doctor looking for answers. Tiffany was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and under instructions from her physician, she went looking for a program to help her shed some unwanted weight and improve her overall fitness. That is when she found Venus and never looked back.photo

Tiffany is not only a fighter – she’s a survivor. Facing crippling pain and a body that seemed to be crying for her to just give up, Tiffany refused to be defeated. Determined to improve her health, she made a plan of attack and fought her way through two 12 week rounds of the Venus protocol to get to her final results. Tiffany never made excuses and she never gave up!

Here is a picture of Tiffany’s complete “before and after” transformation. In just 6 short months of hard work, Tiffany went from being terrified of wearing a bikini to Bombshell Beautiful!

Stronger Than Ever Before…

Now over a year later, this busy working wife and mom of three active kids enjoys a lifestyle she never dreamed of leading before. Tiffany gave herself the gift of self love by fighting for her life and she got much more than an amazing physical transformation in return. She got her life back and she has a new found self confidence that can only be forged in the fires of change.

Tiffany_Lifestyle2_Collage (3)

Not only is Tiffany no longer afraid to wear a bikini in public, she bravely puts herself out there in other ways, too. An inspiration to all around her, Tiffany’s positive drive and determination has brought her family closer together and they now enjoy endurance training, weight lifting and hiking together. Tiffany even volunteered to coach for her daughter’s school basketball team! Clearly, she is perfect for the job because at the game of life, Tiffany is a winner.

-Coach Lita

Listen to our very special podcast interview with Tiffany here:

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, change, Contest, Diet, Exercise, Health, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized, Weight training

Elizabeth Found Her Perfect Fit With Venus

March 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment
elizabeth1
This picture says it all.

Elizabeth had struggled with her weight for so long that she wondered if it was even possible to be happy in her own skin.  Determined to be a positive role model for her daughter she had tried other diets and fitness programs, but didn’t find her perfect fit until she stumbled on a Venus ad.  Within weeks her clothes were looser and she was on her way.

elizabeth3

IN HER WORDS

“I am 38 years old and I never thought I could ever be slim. I have struggled with my weight all my life. One of my childhood memories is of a boy saying that I looked like I was pregnant. In the last 2 years my weight seemed to balloon up and I could no longer fit into 90% of my clothes. I was very discouraged but also not hopeful since I had tried SO many diets and fitness programs. Some of these helped somewhat, but they were so restrictive they did not fit into my lifestyle. Others were very structured but even though I put in so much effort, I did not see any significant results. I had my thyroid issues corrected, but my weight problem still did not change, as I expected it would. My 6 year old daughter made the comment that, “Mommy is a little bit chubby”. That really upset me, because I want to be a positive role model for her. I wanted to overcome this issue in my life so that hopefully she will not struggle with negative body image and weight issues. But I did not know how to lose the weight unless I starved myself. It was only a few weeks later that I came across a Venus Factor advertisement online. I felt like it was an answer to prayer! I immediately started to lose weight with Venus in April 2014. In less than a week my clothes started to feel looser. I found many tools for losing weight that I can use according my needs and my social calendar. This is what I love most about Venus: it is 100% flexible. I live in Asia, where the constant social events are all about food, and to not eat is culturally offensive. In the past I did not know how to navigate this. Now I participate in eating with everyone and I am still losing weight. The concept of budgeting my calories makes a lot of sense to me. I budget my money – why wouldn’t I count and budget my calories as well? When I started the VT12 Contest, I had a pair of size 12 grey jeans that were way too tight for me. I could not even do up the button. Now, just 12 weeks later, those jeans are too big for me and I need to replace them with a smaller size. I am so happy. For the first time in YEARS I feel comfortable and confident in my own skin. I am so, so thankful for the Venus program and what it has done for me.”

elizabeth5

You can listen to Elizabeth’s story here:

 

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, cardio, change, Contest, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, Interview, Meetups, Metabolism, Muscle Growth, News, Phi Life, Podcast, psychology, Sage Advice, Shape, sociology, stress, Supplements, transformation, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S01, Uncensored Podcasts S02, Uncensored Podcasts S03, weight loss, Weight training

How to Break the Weight Loss Stall or Plateau; with Coach Liss

June 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Coach Liss and Coach Jenny are here to help you break a plateau

Coach Liss and Coach Jenny are here to help you break a fat loss stall or plateau.

 

What is a fat loss plateau?

A stall or fat loss plateau happens when you have been “on plan” for at least 21 days and have not seen any movement in the tape measure or the scale.

Remember that a change in metrics or inches is just as much progress as a change in the body weight scale. Celebrate that and trust what you are doing.

If the time span has been less than 21 days, then you need to be patient and keep working. Fat loss is not linear. It does not directly correlate to our calorie expenditure; instead fat loss seems to come in chunks. We call it the “whoosh” in Venus. All we can focus on is nailing our calorie and workout goals. The fat loss will come in time if we nail those two things.

 

Fat Loss Troubleshooting

When things flat line and stall, be honest with yourself. Have you really been “on plan”? If you have followed the plan to a T, then here are 3 things you can do:

M.E.T.

 

  • Measure everything

For maintenance, eyeballing portions is just fine. But being in a caloric deficit is a different beast. Everything that you eat should be weighed or measured. There are too many other uncertainties to worry about, the amount you eat should not be uncertain. Control what you can control.

 

  • Compensate for Error

You need to take off 15% from your calorie goals to account for error. Basically, there are many common errors in any food that you intake outside of our measuring control. It can range from the fruit sugars varying each harvest to packaged food containing 52 grams instead of 50 grams of material. Taking off 15% off a calorie goal to account for error is a good idea.

 

  •  Tastes, Bites, and Licks

We all do it. Our kid does not eat their last nugget, so we do instead. Licking the peanut butter off the spoon, waste not and want not. Tastes, bites, and licks can add up fast- one to two hundred calories a day in a snap. If it goes into your mouth, you must count those calories. Be honest with yourself.

 The final caveat – below median

When all else fails, you might be that bottom 25% that fall below the average calorie recommendation in our calculator for your height. If you do M.E.T. for 21 days and you do not lose either in metrics or mass- then that is a sign you may be below average in RMR (resting metabolic rate) for your height. I happen to fall in this area, by the way. A good tip off that is that you have longer legs than other women your height. Having longer legs also means that you have a shorter torso which means smaller organs which account for most of your RMR.

Just Keep Going!

The good news is that you can get to the bottom of a plateau or fat loss stall. Just be patient and keep going. Trial and learning from errors is key.

A Venus coach is a helpful tool during frustrating times like a plateau. We have lived through them, and helped trouble shoot issues for other women just like you. If you have a tricky situation or just need accountability, a coach might be just what you need.

Remember to keep going, you can do this!

 

If you want a Venus Premier Coach <<– Sign up here

 

PS You don’t have to be in a contest to get coaching.

Filed Under: change, fat loss, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Don’t Be Disappointed If You Can’t Live Your Daily Life at a Low Body Fat Level.

October 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

When you reach your fitness goals you still go through a maturing process

It sounds odd but once you hit your fitness goals, especially if you’ve exceeded your expectations, you will still go through a maturing process.  You learn to adjust to a shape and size that you have to be happy with.  Usually most of us want to be back to our leanest.  That is the benchmark we all compare ourselves to.

I don’t use a scale anymore, or even a tape measure.  I might get on a scale a couple times a year, and an occasional DXA scan (which is the only method I trust for true body fat %).  After a couple of years now I base my “range” on three sets of clothes – mainly determined by pants/waist sizes as that is mainly where the fat fluctuates.

I exceeded my own goal when I got down to 10% body fat. Once we do this this is our benchmark, but we can't live our day to day life there.

I exceeded my own goal when I got down to 10% body fat. Once we do this it is our benchmark, but we can’t live our day to day life there. The Venus Factor system IS what got me to exceed my wildest expectations for myself.

Why we need periodic refeeds

Leigh Peele’s Starve Mode book and recent podcast are helping me learn to mature in my journey. Leigh’s explanations and research are helping me to learn why we can’t live our day to day lives at a super lean body fat level.  It’s helping me understand why we need breaks from the deficit (sometimes called a refeed).

I will admit, all along I’ve always hated the term refeed and I didn’t believe that we needed them.  I saw too many people using a refeed as an excuse to eat too much. I just wasn’t willing to go there.  I was afraid of getting fat again.  To be perfectly honest that seemed like my worst nightmare after how hard I worked to achieve my goal.

Now I know that a refeed is not meant to be a free for all – eating as much as you want – for as long as you want – binge.  It just means eat at maintenance.  Yes, it’s that simple.  Eat at maintenance, and if you’ve been doing the reverse taper (it’s built into our nutrition calculator) then that is probably not much higher than your slight deficit anyway.

We have some refeed days built into our Venus Factor 12 week Fat Loss manual, but based on how you feel you might need extended periods of eating at maintenance.

Relax, the slight calorie deficit still works

The first time I hit this higher range over a year ago I almost had a meltdown.  It’s hard when you have worked so hard to lose body fat; you still have a fear of gaining it all back.  For the most part, if you are paying attention that is just not going to happen. 

Give yourself a month or two of doing exactly what you already know how to do and you will be back to being comfortable again. 

It probably won’t be the last time.

Relax. Take a deep breath.  Work on the deficit when you can, then take a break from the deficit and be patient.  It does still take a calorie deficit to lose fat.  But take it slow.  Easy does it.  Trust the process.  Trust your body.  It will be a delayed reaction. 

What you do now can take up to three weeks to show results.  The first week is the hardest, the next week gets better, then you find your groove, and each week gets better.  You keep plugging along and it’s not very exciting, but you know what to do.

After a while your clothes change how they fit and you start seeing more muscle definition again.  Once you start seeing small changes like this it keeps you motivated to keep going. 

Women are meant to have a higher body fat compared to men

Women are meant to have a certain level of healthy body fat, more than men.  It is nature’s way of survival for us.  We are not really meant to manipulate our bodies to be super lean, but some of us do it anyway and we have to learn how to manage this in a healthy manner.

If we are not careful we can actually develop eating disorders, so we must learn to stay healthy and take care of ourselves.  I have never had an eating disorder and I don’t intend to start down that path, ever.

I'm learning to accept that this level is very healthy and livable, and I'm fine right as long as I want or need to stay here.

I’m still convincing myself that the higher end is okay.  I can shoot for slightly lower if I want, or I can stay where I am as long as I want to or need to.  It’s okay either way.  Whatever is livable, sustainable, or fits with my life and stress level at the moment in time, or the season in my life.

 

So probably the biggest struggle for me is accepting that I’m okay even at my highest end of the range, shown in the collage, all very recent pictures from the last several months up to a few days ago.  Learning to accept this is a normal part of the maturing process.

First of all body fat level does not matter.  Finding the shape and look you like matters more.  Once you find that it might be good to know what the level is, but it’s not entirely necessary.

My body fat percentage tends to be on the very low side mainly because my lean body mass (LBM) is on the very high side.  At 5’1 my LBM (per DXA) is 105 lbs., for most women my height this is 98 lbs. or under.  Comparison is not a good idea, for me or for anyone else.

We are all different.  I have to accept that this is me; this is how I’m designed.  I love lifting heavy and I love feeling strong.  I love my gym time.  I wouldn’t be happy without it.  So yeah I’m big for my height and that’s just how it is. In general I’m still a tiny person, I am only 5’1″ after all.

It doesn’t help me to know my scale weight or my body fat percentage anymore

Recently someone asked me what my weight and body fat percentage is right now.  I had to answer that I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.  I don’t think it does me any good to know.  I’d rather just learn to be happy with my shape and whatever clothes I decide to wear. I know how to eat at a slight deficit and that’s all I need to know.  I either decide to do it or not.  If I have too much stress or I am not getting enough sleep then a deficit for me is not sustainable.

I know which clothes fit and I know this is my high end.  All I know is I want to learn to accept and love where I’m at right now, while at the same time trying to get just slightly slimmer when I can.  I’ll know once I’m there by which clothes fit. 

I know how to get there; just a slight calorie deficit, taking breaks as needed, constantly listening to my body at various cycles of hunger and stress, sleep and energy level, and strength at the gym.  It’s all about energy balance and being tuned into your own body.

Learning to love your body right where you are at; It takes constant work.  It’s hard.

I’m still convincing myself that the higher end is okay.  I can shoot for slightly lower if I want, or I can stay where I am as long as I want to or need to.  It’s okay either way.  Whatever is livable, sustainable, or fits with my life and stress level at the moment in time, or the season in my life.

Just as Nicola explains in the podcast with John, learning to love your body takes constant effort and it’s not easy.  It does not matter where you are in your weight loss journey.  It takes work even after you achieve your goal.  It’s constant work.

The best time to start on that mental work is now, right where you are at.  Whatever level you are at, it is training for maintaining.

-Ro

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