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Venus Veteran Naomi Maintaining Awesome into her 50’s

May 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Naomi Before Venus and After 2014

Naomi is a veteran Venus who has been with Venus since the beginning in 2010. She successfully transformed her body and has maintained, and even improved her physique over the past 5 years as she progressed into her 50’s!

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

“Hi! I’m Naomi Sandoval. I live in the USA but I’m not fat. I really do look like this photo. It’s crazy. Sometimes I pinch myself to make sure it’s true! I grew up during the 1970s when being fat was rare. It wasn’t rare in my family though. We all accepted that once we became adults, we’d get fat.

I skirted this “inevitability” thanks to the 1980s gym bug. I used exercise to stay ahead of weight gain. Until my mid-30s, I worked out 5 nights a week for 1-2 hours and was a weekend warrior doing whitewater C1 slalom paddling on rivers all up and down the east coast. It was a fun time for sure! I was also happy to preach to anyone about my way of life. Funny how my coworkers, all parents, didn’t really look too interested!

Unfortunately, this plan requires that you stick with it; eating more than you burn is going to lead to weight gain. There isn’t any magic ticket. I definitely fell prey to the work it off mentality.

When I became a mom, gym time came screeching to a halt and weekend warrior exploits became a fond memory.

Like most people, I found becoming a parent so time-consuming that I was not able to stay consistent with my workouts and I fell into the trap of believing that the weight gain was a result of pregnancy. I was told to love and accept my new body and be grateful for what it had given me.

Yet every morning, before I got out of bed, I felt my bloated flabby middle and wondered how I’d gotten like this. I’d remember what leanness felt like and do some magical thinking that today would be the day I’d wake up and find out this had all been a bad dream and I was still lean and trim as I’d ever been.

I’ll grant you that having small children is all consuming and is no time for personal growth. But that doesn’t do anything to temper the niggling feelings of dissatisfaction when you see this in the mirror.

If you look at many of my before photos, I’m slumping because I was constantly exhausted and in pain and didn’t even have the strength to sit properly, my smile is not exactly dazzling.

I wish I’d known then that eating less doesn’t take up any time! Heck, not eating at all once or twice a week is a huge time saver! And who doesn’t enjoy the added bonus of saving money on the cost of food not purchased! Letting go of the mythical 2000 calories a day I thought I got to eat (which did require some mourning, I’ll grant you) and finding out how much I actually needed to maintain and how much I needed to eat to reduce fat was like discovering the Secret to Life, the Universe and Everything! I’d become immobilized because I assumed if it took years to put the weight on, it followed that it took years to take it off. In actual fact, the bulk of my weight came off at about a pound per week. Towards the very end, that rate slowed to about ½ pound per week or less, which is excellent progress to avoid fat loss rebounds upon hitting the goal. After all, fat loss does require focus and effort. There’s no need to risk needing to do it all again or worse, rebounding and concluding that diets don’t work or your metabolism is broken!

The other piece of my journey was becoming aware of brilliant Venus Index ratio research as outlined in the Venus Index Workout program. Simply learning what was still not quite ideal about my shape and how to continue to make improvements has made all the difference. Achieving the ideal metrics has allowed me to finally present my body with full confidence.

A most wonderful thing happened to my family after my transformation. My husband jumped on board too! I won’t lie to you. It’s not possible to change your partner nor force them to do something they are not ready and willing to do. I’ll share a little secret with you should you find yourself in the same situation.

There are free podcasts! All the research, all the experiences of the winners, it’s all in there. So all you have to do is pop one in while you’re in the car together or doing dishes and let John’s soothing voice wash over your unsuspecting partner. I’m telling you, this stuff is pure gold! And when you’re ready to get out of The Matrix, get the Uncensored Podcasts.

Happy Bonus Results of Getting Lean and Strong

Pain management. Gone are the expensive supplements for joint pain. So long as I don’t get sedentary, I rarely suffer any neck or back pain and now these are caused by occasional lapses in correct movement form. My posture is easier to maintain when my muscles are strong and developed in a balanced fashion as per the Venus Index Program

Energy. It’s a funny thing about working out. Expended energy begets bonus energy for every day living.

Strength. Before it was a job to do the most basic of things like get on and off the toilet or squat down and get something from the floor.

Success spillover. Due to the Attitude of Accomplishment from following simple programs and seeing consistent results, other areas of my life fall into place.

Family success spillover. We are now all exercising consistently and have improved our body fat levels. Through leading by example, the family lifestyle of health just is. There is no nagging nor persuading the kids to move and they understand about enjoying treats, just not every day.

Sleep. There is nothing like being healthy, movement and the feeling of accomplishment to facilitate healthy sleep.

Mental focus. Gone are the binge induced foggy afternoons. The losing the thread of the conversation.

I come from a time when it was not the norm to be fat. I see us winding up in wheelchairs like in the movie Wall-E and far sooner than we all think. I would like to be the touchstone you can believe in as you find your way on your own journey to your best self. I want us to reverse this trend and return to being lean. As with all growth, you must take responsibility for your journey. I am here to offer experience, wisdom and motivation. You do the rest.

-Naomi

Get in touch with me:

My WebSite where I blog regularly

My FaceBook Page – Naomi Rules

My Instagram Page

Here is my Venus Index community profile.

My first interview with John after winning the Open Level I Contest

My second interview with John after placing in the Open Level II Contest”

Naomi and John Barban

Naomi and John Barban at an exercise video shoot

 

Naomi Before Venus and After 2012

Naomi Before Venus and After in 2012

 

Naomi before and after Venus through the years

Naomi before and after Venus through the years

Some pro tips from Naomi

  • Put your health first
  • Realize that you can improve your health at any point
  • Find a sustainable look for your lifestyle
  • Explore nutrition and fitness, you can always learn more

 

Naomi Maintenance Feb 2016

Naomi Maintenance Feb 2016

 

Naomi Maintenance April 2016

Naomi Maintenance April 2016

 

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Diet, Exercise, Maintenance, Sage Advice, Shape, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ali lost 64 pounds and 42 inches with the Venus program and is not about to quit!

May 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Ali-Venus-BnA

Ali lost 64 pounds and 42 inches with the Venus program and is not about to quit!

Ali has tried many programs and has yo-yo’d with her weight like so many of us. But she says this is the best so far, she has lost 64 pounds and refuses to quit.

She looks amazing already, but why stop now?

She knows she can get even better, and more than that, she knows she can keep it off for life.

Keeping it off for life is the best part.

You can find Ali active in our online community where she posted her progress picture recently.

She posted a really neat video where she surprised her dad by showing up as a new smaller person!

Ali’s best advice is just do it and get involved in the online community for the best support ever!

Login to the community now and introduce yourself and just get started.

 

 

Here’s what Ali said in her own words:

I’m on the last week before I hit my one year anniversary of doing Venus. As some of you may know, I am planning to surprise my dad this weekend for his birthday. I have not seen him since May of last year, two months after I started. The picture on the right is the jumpsuit I bought to wear for the big “reveal” to my dad. The pic on the left is from 2009, when I was at my heaviest. I’ve come a long way baby, and can’t wait for my dad to see the changes!!
I think the big reveal to my dad was very successful. I stood there for about 30 seconds before he turned around. My step mom and sister both had their phones going to record, but my step mom mouthed the words “you look great” while dad was piddling with his phone!

I have been stuck for the last month, bouncing between 171 and 172. Finally this weekend, I broke through to the 160s!!! 169.6, to be exact, but it’s another milestone on this journey!!!

What is truly amazing to me is to think back, to 2010 actually, when I started another weight loss program. At the time I started, I weighed 263#. I did that program for about a year, but because of the monthly expense, I quit. I had hit the 50# mark with that program, but gained back about 20 pounds before starting Venus. To think that since that time I have lost almost 100# is simply AMAZING! That’s like a whole other person!!!

So here are my current stats since beginning:

Weight: -64.2# (started 233.8, currently 169.6)
Arms: -3.5″ (started 14″, currently 10.5″)
Calves: -1.75″(started 16″, currently 14.25″)
Chest: -6.25″(started 43.25″, currently 37″)
Thighs: -6″ (started 30″, currently 24″)
Shoulders: -5″ (started 45″, currently 40″)
Waist: -7.5″ (started 37.5″, currently 30″)
Hips: -12.5″ (started 54.5″, currently 42″)
Total inches lost to date is 42.5!!!

 

Here’s a fun video of Ali surprising her parents with her 64 pound weight loss:

 

 

Listen to Ali’s story now or download the podcast for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Diet, Exercise, Interview, Podcast, transformation, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How Keturah Overcame Fibromyalgia and Hypothyroidism to Lose over 100 Pounds

May 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Keturah Before and After Side

Keturah has been using Venus systems for over 5 years!  Her transformation stretches out further than a 12 week period though, she has lost over ONE HUNDRED pounds!

 

Keturah Through Weight Loss to Maintenance

 

Keturah through the weight loss over the years

(Left) Keturah at her heaviest before finding Venus in 2011

(Middle) Keturah in the middle of her transformation at about 190 lbs in November of 2011

(Right) in the middle of her transformation at about 180 lbs in February of 2012

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

 

Maintenance: Choosing life.
 
Maintenance is something you don’t hear much about. The fitness world is full of shiny before and after photos with big shiny smiles to match. What no one seems to talk about is the daily practice of life. 
 
There are some things that set apart maintenance from deficit. Let’s focus on what comprises this brave new world. 

Mindset.
I recently reread some of my old blog posts. It was such a wise voice, and it was speaking to me now. (The value of listening to ourselves is great!) First, let me level with you: I am no different than anyone else. Fear creeps in. Old thought patterns start repeating. Fear of rebound weight gain. Fear of not being able to do it. Fear of looking too thin. Fear of people being negative. Fear of not maintaining it for life. Fear of disordered eating. Fear of putting my value in my looks, and not in who I AM INSIDE.

I think the last argument “Fear of putting my value in my looks, and not in who I AM INSIDE” is especially real. It’s a fear that many women deal with in our current culture. I’ve come to realize that while weight, size, shape, and body shape are not my source of identity, being overweight and unhappy with my body can be a road block to feeling good about myself. My insecurity about my body, the shame and guilt I have felt in being overweight: it was real. Learning that I could change that was empowering. But also learning that my body doesn’t define me is a mindset that has taken longer to sink in and takes daily practice.Value where you are at NOW. Comparison is the thief of joy. We all know that popular quote. Sometimes the comparison isn’t with other people, it’s with ourselves. We can lose a lot of joy comparing ourselves to the past or even to perhaps unrealistic goals and standards. Maybe right now it tough and you don’t particularly feel joy. That’s okay. I am learning to ask myself questions. Why am I feeling this way? I keep asking why. Doing this helps me get to the root of lingering insecurities or issues. I also find out that what scares me is usually not as huge as I’ve made it in my head.

 
We think this journey of self introspection disappears when we enter maintenance mode. It doesn’t. If anything, it began a new season of asking questions, dealing with some old triggers, and learning to trust ourselves in new ways during new seasons and situations. Which is why we also need to work on habits. 
Habits.

Fear can hold us hostage and make us freak out! But the truth is, it’s about choices, not fears. I choose to be healthy. I choose to eat supportive foods that will help my Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia. I choose to lift weights so I’m strong, lean, slender, and pain-free. I choose to walk to have head space, time to think, reflect, and enjoy the outdoors. I choose to stretch to be flexible, limber, and feel good. I choose to be at peace with my body and take steps that will enable me to continue being Venus for life.

Maintenance is not automatic. It is about daily choices, habits and goals. This isn’t glamorous. Habits are choices we make and continue making everyday. I can choose to say “no” to fear and listen to the truth. I can choose not to let my circumstances and past, worries about the future, and other things define me, but to take a step forward and embrace the present, choose joy, and keep stepping forward up the mountain.


I liken maintenance to keeping the house neat, or perhaps tending the garden after the plants have started growing. If you let the little things go–laundry and dishes pile up, floors need swept, garbage overflowing, weeds growing wild–pretty soon the place is a disaster needing a complete cleaning and overhaul. Some daily tidying and daily weeding would have kept those things from happening. Some days we let things go. It’s about attending to the dishes before the pile gets too big. Or put it this way: it’s paying of the credit card bill at the end of the month instead of letting it stack up for a couple of years until it becomes a mountain of debt!
 
The habits you begin and consistently choose and practice will be habits that keep you going, even if they change in form. My daily habits are movement (for me that’s resistance training, flexibility, and walking); including protein and either fruit or vegetables at most meals; good rest; hobbies I love (makeup, knitting, and reading are just a few!) and relaxing with my husband on the weekends. I am learning to balance my meals and intake. If we go out on a brewery tour I will enjoy a burger and beer. The next meal or day, I have my coffee  but enjoy water, fruit, salad, and some light protein for the rest of the meals. There is no punishment, no reproach. No starvation, no forcing of food. I just listen to myself. 
 
Seasons.
Maintenance is the season I have really learned to enjoy living life and how to be flexible. Shortly after reaching my Venus metrics a couple years ago, I was still in “get competition lean” mode. It took a couple months for me to realize I wasn’t really getting anywhere with all my hard work and was frustrated. Mostly, it was mental. I decided to do something crazy. I stopped trying so dang hard to reach smaller metrics, body goals, and all the other stuff I deemed necessary to joy. Instead, I let go. I began listening to my body, doing what felt both right and good, and relaxing about the rest. It was, and still is, the very best thing for me. I learned another lesson in trusting myself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting competition lean. But it’s a season, and for many it isn’t a season that can be stretched out for indefinite periods of time. Sometimes we have to count the cost. The cost at the time wasn’t best for me. 
 
There is also adaptive components to maintenance. I am learning to change up my routine or my workout when I feel unmotivated about workouts. There are also life changes that require workouts changes. My husband and I recently relocated 2300 miles, from mountain life to ocean life. While I had spent the last couple years lifting heavy weights at the gym, I was suddenly faced with a new challenge. There was no gym and our new home didn’t have space for heavy weights. At first, I was frustrated. What was I going to do now? I quickly realized my new life change meant a change in my training. This wasn’t an easy change at first. The first few weeks of no gym I had a lot of anxiety! Heavy weightlifting had become a security blanket and it was time to put it away for a while. Without access to the barbell rack, I’ve had a chance to work on some old gymnastic training, flexibility, and explore other workouts–areas I neglected for years, and that I really missed doing. 
 
Final thoughts. 
Honestly, maintenance is about learning to live from out truest, healthiest selves. The main focus of fat loss phase is so you can make changes in your body and, most importantly and what gets left out by a lot of people, live life with new lifelong habits, and keeping Venus tools for when you do let the house go and need to whip it back into shape. You learn to listen to yourself, learn what works best for you, what is sustainable, what is joyful. You learn balance. 
 
Maintenance is choosing to be Venus for LIFE.

 

Keturah Before and After Front

Ketty’s Metrics Using Venus

(Note Keturah had lost about 100 lbs before even finding Venus in 2011 on her own! WOW!)

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
June 2011 217 lb 71 in ~35.5 in ~46 in ~50 in
April 2016 175 lb 71 in 27.5 in 43 in 42 in
Deltas -42 lb 0 in -8 in -3 in -8 in

 

 

 

Keturah Happily Ever After Maintaining

Keturah Happily Ever After Maintaining at her Wedding in Summer 2015

 

Watch Keturah’s interview with Liss below:

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: calories, cardio, change, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, Sage Advice, weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can that last pesky 10 pounds go at age 53? Heck yeah, meet Cindy

April 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Cindy-BnA-Venus

Cindy looked good before but she knew in her heart she could do better.  Does it matter what everyone else thinks when you KNOW you will feel better without that last pesky 5-10 pounds?  No, it’s your choice.  It’s your body.  You get to own it and you can do it!

 

Here’s what Cindy had to say about Venus:

My experience with the Venus Experience I really don’t remember how I found Venus. It could have been through Facebook or a Google search. That was in October 2014.

I read the program and first thought that eating 1000 calories a day was just crazy. It went against everything that I thought I knew.

And working out while fasting? No way I could do that!

And I felt like I knew what to do to eat healthy and work out.

I read a lot and do a lot of research. I thought I knew it all!

I am 53 years old and have always worked out. Years ago it was Jazzercise. Since then, I’ve done Insanity, P90X, and joined a gym. I’ve lifted weights, done HIIT, hot yoga, you name it, I did it.

I enjoy working out, that’s never been a problem. Most people would probably say that I was in pretty good shape. However, I had been hovering around 135 pounds, no matter what I did. I know that’s not overweight and some people would be happy at that weight.

But I’m 5’5 and am small boned, and always wanted to lose at least 10 pounds. One day, a friend of mine stated that he thought he and his wife look pretty darn good considering they don’t work out. At all.

I took that to mean that they don’t look that different that me, who works out 4-5 days a week! And I eat healthy! Organic! Gluten and dairy free!

I should look REALLY good for all the hard work I put it!

Fast forward to summer 2015. Again, I was unhappy that with all my working out, I still was at 135-138 pounds. I kept thinking – it must be hormones, or my thyroid, I had half my thyroid surgically removed in July 2013.

I started reading again how important it is for women my age to lift weights and thought, well you bought the Venus program, let’s do it!

And so I did. In the past I must say that I’ve kinda done programs but not exactly followed it exactly. This time, I said I”m all in. And the only reason I entered this contest was the accountability. Someone had to hold my feet to the fire!

So I started with eating at a deficit at 1200 calories. But then I read how going down to 1000 calories really made a difference. So that’s what I did. But it was much more easily done when I fasted from 8pm to 12 pm.

And I found that I sure could work out fasted, it wasn’t that big of a deal. The first 2 weeks I was a bit hungry, but after that I got used to it.

Venus taught me that I just ate too much. And drank too much. I really enjoy red wine at night, but those calories sure add up! Increasing my protein helped me be less hungry and have fewer cravings.

 

cindy-at-boat

I was ecstatic when I saw the scale going down. I was blown away when my my waist went down by 2 inches. Woo Hoo!

My favorite part- is how I deal with special occasions and going out with friends. Just plan for it. I have fewer calories the day before and less the day after and I can still have a good time and most of all, I don’t feel deprived.

This is sustainable and it is my way of life. I kept up with HIIT workouts that I love, but have incorporated the Venus workouts 3 days a week. I have never looked and felt better. The workouts are giving the shape to my body that I have wanted for such a long time!

I love lifting heavy weights, and it is so empowering! I guess it’s the simplicity of the program that is so mind boggling to me. It just makes so much sense. Eat fewer calories and lift heavy weights.

There’s a part of me that’s upset. I mean, I have worked out for years, and not have had these results.

Another thing that I did was if I worked out (and somehow thought I exercised 300 calories) then I ate them back! I love that Venus says to forget that! Don’t think about adding back those calories. Because in reality we have no idea how many calories we really burned.

Many days too, when I worked out hard, I ate a bit more or had a dessert or had an extra drink because I thought I deserved it. Hey, man, I just worked out!

I have lost only 11 pounds but look so much healthier and shapelier. Venus was exactly what I was looking for. I am super happy with my results my I”m not ready for maintenance yet. I can still improve!

One of the main reasons that I first bought Venus is because I saw Roberta and her amazing body and transformation. She was my age and had muscle! That made me realize that I can still build muscle at my age.

Boom!

-Cindy

 

Cindy-Arms-crossed

Listen to Cindy’s podcast now or download it for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, change, Contest, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

How mom’s can plan for family sport weekends.

April 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Sherman Family

What we did for Easter

 

Even though my kids are 15 and 18, they still love hunting for candy filled eggs in the backyard. This year we had to have our hunt in the afternoon because we had just returned from a 4 day trip to Arizona to look at colleges. I had bought a couple bags of jelly beans in the grocery store Sat in AZ so I’d be ready to roll Sunday! The kids are super competitive and ran as fast as they could around my tiny yard to see who could get the most eggs! Funny and true.

 

How I planned for a crazy month of travel…

I traveled every weekend in March- mostly for soccer and the last weekend for college tours. This is a normal part of my life. Both my kids did(my son just stopped) competitive soccer which means lots of travel. This last month was all by car for soccer and by plane for the college stuff.

When I drive, I plan to take all my goodies to set myself up for success. This means my vitamix, baking cocoa, protein powder, powdered peanut butter, rice cakes, jerkey and apples. I also pack bars, dried fruit and rice chips/cereal for my girl. This way we will never be hangry and have the comfort of home in a hotel room.

I know it’s hard to travel- you never know where or when you’ll eat, what restaurant you will go to but you can control some of it. As a Venus girl, the hotel all you can eat breakfast buffet does not even appeal to me. And I’ve become such a coffee snob, I even bring my own coffee and French press!

Let’s face it- there are some non negotiables. I will not settle for hotel coffee. It gives me a  headache. There’s always hot water, so I just use my French press.  I’m not much of a breakfast person anymore thanks to Venus but do love my morning coffee.

One of my favorite drinks is protein powder blended with coffee after a workout. Great way to get your protein in and enjoy a delicious latte/mocha without all the added sugar you’d get at a coffee shop. If I can bring my vitamix, it’s great. If not, there are protein powders that stir into coffee that still taste pretty darn good. But Venus sisters, I’m telling you, if you’ve never tried this- you have got to do it! Blender, protein powder, hot coffee- blend for 20 seconds or so. It will be frothy and delicious.

Planning Workouts on the Road

I also try to plan my workouts when I know my kid’s schedule. With my daughter’s soccer team, we always drop the girls off an hour before the game for warm ups. That’s a perfect time to move. I was recently in Las Vegas for soccer and there was a huge walking path around the soccer complex. As well as a park. So I was able to get in 2 park workouts using a bench and some swings tabata style as well as get lots of steps in for the day.

What can you do with a bench you ask? Step ups, push ups, tricep dips, squats, Bulgarian split squats, planks bringing your knees to your elbows….. with the swings you can put your feet on the swing and do knee tucks or a pike, a modified pull up, a moving plank, a Bulgarian split squat, and the list goes on and on.

I know most moms stand around and talk. To be honest, after driving for 9 hours one way and knowing I had to drive 9 hours home, I wanted to move as much as possible. Even walking felt good. There was another mom on the team who was heading out for a run as we(my husband is a good sport and likes my crazy workouts) were starting our park workout. We were talking afterwards at the game. She commented that she heard a mom say, this season has just been so busy, she had gained 15 lbs. The gal I know took the words out of my mouth and said-just what I was thinking- hey, we’ve got an hour before every game- use it and move! The choice is  yours.

This past weekend in Arizona, we stayed at a friend’s house. It was gorgeous weather and perfect for an outdoor workout. One day my husband and I found one bench and a super small hill- we ran mini sprints and did tabata for 25 minutes or so. The tabata timer is awesome and gives you a quick (but painful) workout anywhere. The following day, my daughter and I got to workout together. One of us ran down the road and back while the other did a strength move. I was just happy to be outside and moving and anytime I can workout with my girl, I am happy!

I’m certainly not perfect by any means. I overeat at times as well as enjoy the occasional adult beverage. But, I always feel best when my body is moving. Traveling is tough. It’s tiring and can lead to bad choices- I know this first hand. Being exhausted never leads to good food decisions. All we can do is our best.

Travel is just a part of life. Some trips go smoothly, some are just hard. Planning what you can is a huge help. As well as planning your workouts. There’s not always time, but when there is- make yourself and your health a priority. You will never regret a workout.

P.S.- Tabata is a  workout where you work hard for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds for 8 rounds. The point is to try to get the same number of reps for each set. If you haven’t tried it, you can download a free timer on your phone and have some serious fun!

 

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, Food, motivation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Laura Found Venus to be a Healthy Lifestyle NOT a Get-Fit-Quick Scheme

February 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Laura before and after Venus - Front Clothes

Laura placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in.

Laura before and after Venus - Side

Laura lost 7 inches from her waist and 7 inches from her hips in only 12 weeks! WOW!

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

“My experience with the Venus Factor system”

I have to say that I was a teeny bit skeptical about the Venus System when I first went through all the elements. Yes it made sense from a scientific point of view, but there are so many other get fit schemes in the market that I wanted to make sure I was putting my beloved body through a safe and trustworthy system. I then researched and discovered that John Barban is a fitness genius and has plenty of credibility. His explanations are valid, so I make the commitment and signed up! The primary focus I took was on the eating system using the morning fasts about 4 days per week, which made reaching the deficit goal much easier! I was not hungry apart from some days on a couple difficult weeks. Juicing from time to time helped me to get in extra vegetables and healthy nutrients. The forums are also great to read, they were instrumental to me at the beginning to wrap my head around how to really implement this into my life on a daily basis. The fantastic tips I learned from Roberta, Lissa (ah-mazing recipes thanks) as well as the other coaches and regulars on the posts and podcasts gave invaluable, uplifting recommendations. I have weights and other personal fitness gear so I could do modified workouts if I was working from home, on my back deck or would make the trip to a gym. I also bike to work a few times a week though as warned, that can be a little too much and make me more hungry and tired, so I avoided excessive cardio. Since I work in the field of health and physical education I wanted to be walking my talk more since I had got out of past routines over the last year with extra stress and responsibility adding pounds on. The Venus Factor system was the vehicle I needed to get there! The first few weeks of my subscription I lost 4 pounds but there was no contest to start until late August, then I lost the rest of the pounds and inches here in Contest 15! I am delighted to have improved my body to where I feel stronger and more energetic. I can even say focus is better. I have received several compliments and am motivated to keep going in order to shred, shape and tone even more! This is the end of one contest but the beginning of a new framework that is now over the weeks ingrained into me, on how to live a healthier lifestyle. I’m going to keep going until I reach my goals. Thanks Venus Factor!

Laura before and after Venus - Back

Laura’s Metrics

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
Before 151 lb 67.5 in 36 in 45.3 in 42 in
After 141 lb 67.5 in 28.8 in 42.3 in 35 in
Deltas -10 lb 0 in -7.3 in -3 in -7 in

 

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, Contest, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heather Found Venus was the Solution to Fat Loss and Maintenance

January 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

January 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Andrea-Bikini-top-FRAME

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!

 

Andrea-BnA-Venus-background-for-BnA-contests

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:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , ,

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

January 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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.

FRAME-Danelle design pants top Cover

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:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Exercise, fat loss, transformation, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Venus Body Sculpting Tips from Coach Roberta

December 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Bodyfat, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Shape, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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