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How to Stay Motivated When You Over Eat and Don’t Feel Like Exercising?

May 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

MalissaMichelleRoberta-Mirror

How do I stay motivated when I over eat and don’t feel like exercising?

It is two weeks into the current Venus Transformation contest.  Whether you are in the contest or not, we are all striving to be our best and make positive changes in our lives.  We all want our dreams.  Keep the dream, go for the dream, live the dream!

You might be on a motivational roll, or you might be in a motivational slump.  We all have these ebbs and flows and need motivation to get back on track.

If you find yourself in a slump know this is normal.  It happens to all of us. Don’t give up. We are all human.  We all make mistakes.  We all have to motivate ourselves to get back on track.  None of us gets a free pass on this.

 

Listen to Dr. Nicola and John in our free podcasts:

Ask Nicola; Overcoming Inertia

Ask Nicola; What is Self Sabotage?

Ask Nicola; Are You Your Own Worst Self Critic?

Ask Nicola; Perfectionist Mindset

Ask Nicola; What Can You Do About Distorted Body Image?

Ask Nicola; Learn to Love Your Body

Ask Nicola; Three Things That Can Hinder Your Success

Ask Nicola; Can food be a reward?

Ask Nicola; What is closet eating?

Ask Nicola; Emotional Eating vs Emotional OVER-Eating

Ask Nicola; Identify Emotional Eating

 

Why the Venus program works

All of us love food. This is where we learn to manage it in a healthy manner for life. All of us have learned how to diet, and all of us have learned how to eat too much, but we have a hard time learning the middle ground. It is swimming up stream against society and social pressure to constantly eat high calorie foods. So we all have to learn to manage it like a budget.

Once the debt is paid off then we simply learn to have a one or two deficit days to offset the higher eating days.  We balance it like a checkbook for the week or over a period of time. It takes a bit of effort to get used to and then it just becomes second nature.

Just like kids who get money from their parents when they are young and don’t have to worry about where it comes from or how much is in the checkbook; we all have to grow up and become responsible with food intake. If not, we spend calories like it’s a credit card with no limit and then we get into fat debt again.

There is a lot of science behind why the workout is designed the way it is, and why the eating schedule is designed the way it is; both of those give you an advantage as well as keep leptin up.   But also not depriving yourself of foods you love is KEY.  Most other diets restrict you from foods you love and you go crazy eventually and over compensate for depriving yourself.

 

 I don’t like working out

Just do the best you can. It does not have to be all or nothing. Do something every day.  Do just enough to so that you don’t dread it. Think of ways to make it fun. Is it music, time to yourself, a new piece of workout gear, shoes, clothing, something new to look forward to, spending time with friends? Try something to make it fun.

The more you do it the more you will see things about your body change and that will motivate you. It might just be walking to the end of a driveway without getting winded anymore. For some of us who are older we find our arthritis doesn’t bother us as much. Rejoice in the health changes.

The more conditioned you become the better you will feel, and the more good biofeedback you will receive to keep you rolling on a positive trend.

Any little effort you put into exercise gives you “skin in the game” to keep rolling with all your other choices like food and not let the day go to wasted effort.

 

How to deal with over eating?

None of us are perfect. As John says in the in the Fat Loss Manual, give yourself “Permission to be Imperfect”; It’s a great message. We are not machines, we are human, so we bumble along the best we can.  The process still works if we are patient and don’t let peak eating days go on for a long string of time endlessly. Just increase awareness, live life, learn some new tools and tricks, be patient, and give it some time.

Day to day effort is all it takes. It is the daily choices.

You are not alone when you feel like you always want more food. Pretty much all of us want more, especially on a deficit. For three years while mostly on a deficit I had to constantly remind myself after every meal, and after finishing my small portions; “I can have more next time!” Drink a big glass of water or tea and walk away and get busy on a project, work, chores, whatever. Keep busy. Get away from food and get your mind on something else.  I still have to use this technique today.

My biggest advice on the over eating is that you can STOP whenever you decide to stop. You don’t have to think this is the end of the world and that you are doomed just because you over ate (and thus keep eating for no reason), just stop!

You may have to bump up your calories a bit. Anything under maintenance is a deficit. A slower more sustainable deficit is better than too low and then binging.  Sometimes binging is a sign that it’s too low of a deficit for you.  You might have too much stress in your life.  You might have some emotional issues to deal with (we all do); it does not mean there is anything wrong with you.  Hunger is our body’s natural reaction to any stress.

It does not matter what others are doing.  Quit comparing what you eat with what someone else eats.  What they do does not matter. You need to find what is right for YOU. All you need is a slight deficit over time, more deficit days than maintenance days, and keep the peak eating days to a minimum.

 

Looking at your string of positive days often

If you are using a calorie counting tool like MyFitnessPal then look at the 30 and 90 day calorie charts often to make sure your peaks are not too high, and not too often.

Get a calendar and use some fun pretty sparkle stickers for all deficit days, a different sticker for maintenance days, no stickers for over maintenance peaks, and a different sticker for workouts.  No negative stickers!

Remember that maintenance eating days are always a WIN. They are not backsliding.  They are eating normal. It’s the way you were meant to eat. It is just enough.  The calorie deficit is not the way you were meant to eat; it is corrective action to fix a health problem.  None of us are meant to stay on corrective action forever.  We need breaks from corrective action.  Corrective action is stress.

Then be motivated by the string of stickers or the graph of progress you see over time.

We all make mistakes. Every single one of us. We are all human, not machines.

Just stop where you are at if you are not on track and decide to get back on track.

Just DECIDE and DO IT.

Know you don’t have to be perfect.

Know you start with little steps.

Know you will feel pain.

Know you have to break through your fears.

 

The simplicity of Eat Less, Move More

The simplicity of “eat less and move more” is powerful. Sometimes we get far too caught up in the tools and letting them mess with our heads, when deep down we all know it’s just go to the gym and eat slightly less.  Listen to your body when you need to eat a little more some days (not binge!)  Rest from the gym when you need it. People figured this out before the age of technology.

Sometimes the age of technology is information overload, when this happens take a deep breath and listen to the simplicity in your heart and mind, it’s there. Then after a breather start looking around and navigating the technology if you want.

It doesn’t always matter about “counting” calories, so long as over all the calories in are less than the calories you ate to get you where you are today. That can mean smaller servings, or one less pudding, or don’t drink soft drinks.

Likewise, it doesn’t matter about being perfect with the exercise, doing something is better than doing nothing.

If you want to get stronger that doesn’t have to be perfect either, as long as the amount of exercise you did this week is somehow a little more than the amount of exercise you did last week. That can be going a little longer, or lifting a little heavier, or walking a little faster. Bodies take time to change, and lives take time to change too.

I hope this helps!

-Coach Roberta

 

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: Diet, Exercise, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

See How Easily Valerie Got The Same Shape She Had In Her 20’s

April 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Valerie was shocked when she realized she got to the same shape as her 20's. You can do this too!

Valerie was shocked when she realized she got to the
same shape as in her 20’s.   You can do this too!

 

 

Valerie Mainridge placed Fifth in our VT-9 Venus Transformation Contest.

 

Here is what Valerie had to say about how the Venus Factor program worked for her, in her own words:

Since starting the VI 9 transformation contest, I have been on quite the journey.  I started strong in September by sticking to the diet and the workouts.  But, by the middle of September my father-in-law passed away which meant we had to fly back home for a week.  There were many temptations around, but I tried to stick to my calorie allotment and I found creative ways to get my VI workouts done while staying at a hotel.  By the end of September, I came down with a terrible sinus infection that had me out of commission for 15 days.  I briefly considered dropping out of the contest, but I had seen very positive results with the first month so I decided to continue on and make up the workouts I missed while being sick.

I have tried so many diets over the past 15 years and I did initially lose weight on them, but I would get to a certain point to where I would stop losing weight and eventually the weight came back on.  With the Venus Index, I finally can see my body changing shape, getting stronger, and feeling healthy.  Now that I am at the end of the contest, I can truthfully say that I feel like I finally have control over my body to shape it through a sensible diet and exercise program.

 

Starting metrics:

Height 68”

Weight 153 pounds

Shoulders 40”

Waist 32”

Hips 39”

 

Ending metrics:

Weight 135 pounds

Shoulders 41 “

Waist 27 “

Hips 36”

 

Valerie was shocked that she got the same shape she had in her 20's! Awesome job Valerie!

Awesome job Valerie!

 

Congratulations on your success Valerie.  We at the Venus Factor wish you all the best, we hope you are proud of your success, and we are very happy for you!

 

You can find Valerie’s blog in our online Venus community for inspiration.

Listen to Valerie’s interview with John here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Muscle Growth, transformation, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What equipment do you need for the Venus Factor Workout?

March 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Shannon is a young mom who lost 50 pounds and is in the best shape of her life.

Shannon is a young mom who lost 50 pounds
and is in the best shape of her life.

The Venus Factor workout can be done at home, or at a gym

 

 

The workout is designed for all levels; beginners to advanced

The beginner workout is one hour for three days a week.

If you are a beginner and new to exercise you can break up the sessions.  For example you can do one set of everything and that would take 20 minutes a day.

Everyone starts somewhere. All that matters is that you start and then build up your strength from there.  You can also modify exercises to your own level, you can do pushups against a counter until you build strength, or start them on your knees.

No matter what your level you use the correct size dumbbell weights for you and then work your way up.  It does not matter what weights someone else uses.  All that matters is that you start at your own level and build your own body and your own strength.

Sometimes when you are just starting you can do the exercises with no weights, and you can hang onto something to help keep your balance if you need to until you build up strength.

What you will need:

  • Dumbbells; 1 pound up to 25 pounds
  • Stability ball
  • Sturdy step up block
  • Sturdy flat bench

Optional:

  • Kettle bells
  • Ab wheel
  • Barbell
  • E-Z curl bar

 

Shannon is one of our veteran Venuses who has lost weight and also maintained her new shape with the Venus Factor for several years now.  She recently started a thread in our online community explaining the workout equipment she purchased for her home.

Here is more information regarding our workouts:

What about doing other workouts along with the Venus workouts?

We encourage you to do all the exercise you enjoy.  The three day a week Venus workouts are perfect cross training for many activities.  I have found that the Venus workouts improved my running performance.  Recently I found that my strength gained with the Venus Factor workouts were put to the test.

The Venus workout is designed for women to improve the female physique. It also has the added benefit (like any other lifting routine) to improve bone density, health, strength, endurance, and functionality.  For many women other more cardio intense workouts might cause extra fatigue, stress, and hunger.

I described a recent workout experience where I experienced increased hunger and inflammation, and I’ve also experienced “compensating for the increased energy expenditure by being less active throughout the rest of the day” when I was training for marathons and ultra marathons.

If your goal is to lose fat, the longer more intense cardio workouts might contradict that goal.

 

Shannon’s in-home gym setup

1.Dumbbells-Some people like adjustable ones. I do too, but I prefer something like a PowerBlock or Bowflex adjustable DB set because I don’t like changing weights on and off a bar with clips when super-setting two exercises back to back. If you want to make it easiest without any need to switch, get solid dumbbells of varying sizes. I would not buy anything smaller than a 5 unless you are totally new to working out. You will outgrow 2’s and 3’s very quickly.

Hopefully you have some idea where to start. If you are totally new, maybe 5’s, 8’s, 10’s, 12’s? For back and chest exercises, you may need to go heavier. As you need more, you can buy heavier DB sets. If you have a husband who also works out, you may end up with quite a lot of DBs. We eventually bought a rack ($200) after keeping them on an old coffee table for years! This is in no way required but if you end up buying a set off craigslist, I’ve noticed people selling sets with racks included, it’s a nice to have for organization.

Shannon's at home dumbbell rack

Shannon’s in-home dumbbell rack 

 

Some kind of step or bench for step-ups. An aerobic bench step, or a basic but stable weight bench. The bench will also be useful for chest presses and one-arm rows and other exercises. If you don’t have a bench, you can step up onto something stable like a bottom stair, use a yoga mat for chest presses, and rest your hand on a chair for one-arm rows. Keep in mind at the highest, the highest step you use should probably be about knee height for you (I remember Denise saying that at one point and it definitely works much better for me not to try to step too high.) So while my husband uses the flat bench we have, I use a shorter bench for step-ups.

3. Stability ball. These are pretty cheap and around new years you can pick one up for under $10. They look to be around $20 on Amazon. Read reviews as I’ve found some of the pumps can be less than durable. Be sure to get one that is appropriate for your height, they will say a certain size “For heights 5′ to 5’5”, etc. And never stand on one. One of our stability balls is blue and visible in one of the pictures.

If you are getting into the work out at home thing, as we have been doing over the past 13 years, you can accumulate quite a bit of stuff making your home workout area just as good as any gym. Mind you, we haven’t paid for a gym membership in over 13 years…nor have we used this equipment consistently all the time we’ve had it, but have been using most of it very consistently for about 4 years now.

We have a half cage squat rack, which my husband Brian is using for floor bench presses in this picture. It cost us maybe $400 for the cage + barbell weights over 10 years ago. It has a pulldown attachment and seated row attachment and you can use it for barbell squats, bench presses with a bench, use the bar for inverted rows or elevated push-ups, bent over rows, and various other barbell exercises.

We have a half cage squat rack, which my husband Brian is using for floor bench presses

We have a half cage squat rack, which my husband Brian is using for floor bench presses.

To the right of the cage, you can see the PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells on a stand that we picked up used off Craigslist for a total of $150 (new PowerBlock DBs + stand are $800 total on Amazon).

In the following picture you can see our poor neglected elliptical and upright bike. They don’t get a lot of use…To the right is a blue incline bench we picked up off Craigslist for $75. It goes from sitting straight up (I use it for step-ups at this height as it’s perfect for me at 5’4.5″) to pretty far inclined for seated incline presses, curls, etc.

Our poor neglected elliptical and upright bike. They don't get a lot of use...To the right is a blue incline bench.

Our poor neglected elliptical and upright bike. They don’t get a lot of use…To the right is a blue incline bench.

Finally, a flat bench we picked up for $50. Technically it’s an ab bench but we just use it as a flat bench for various exercises. Brian uses it for step-ups as he’s taller than me (5’10”).

Technically it's an ab bench but we just use it as a flat bench for various exercises..

Technically it’s an ab bench but we just use it as a flat bench for various exercises.

We also have a doorway pull-up bar with resistance bands I’ve used for assistance when working up to these. Bands called FitCords (you can get them on Amazon) work well, and you can search band assisted pull-up on Youtube for a video of how to do pull-ups with bands. We also have a TRX which I use occasionally for push-ups and inverted rows and a kettlestack handle which allows you to use standard weight plates to make kettlebells of various sizes depending on your needs. I don’t do much with those right now but they’re good for variety.

Anyhow, hope that is helpful to give you a vision of what you can do at home given some space and investment! Gym memberships vary it seems from $10 a month to higher. If you prefer working out at home and have a room or half a large room to dedicate to it, you can definitely apply that membership money instead to giving yourself a nice workout area. The mirrors we have are inexpensive ones we bought and mounted, and some are mirrored plastic film stretched on frames. I like having plenty of mirrors around for checking my form and admiring my Venus body.

Happy workouts, all!

-Shannon

Shannon’s Venus online profile

 

About her home gym Shannon says “Working out at home can provide you great flexibility, especially if you have kids. For me, the barrier of getting to the gym was just too high when I started back to working out regularly in mid-2009, and I was pretty unhappy with my body such that I would not have felt good about getting into workout clothes in a new gym environment. With my home gym, I could get up early, grab some coffee, stumble down the hall and get going without the need to pack or get into a car, etc. It’s been a life saver for me!”

I’ve found I mostly like to go to a gym but I’m also setup to workout at home.  Sometimes we get snowed in and it’s nice to have both options.

So what about you? Do you workout at home are at the gym?  There are pro’s and con’s.  We would love to hear your comments.

-Ro

Filed Under: Exercise, Shape, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Beware of Fitness Goal Hijacking

February 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Michele and Christina on the left took me under their wing at the Spartan workout. Next to them is Andi who was our instructor for the day.

Michele and Christina on the far right took me under their wing at the Spartan workout.
Next to them is Andi who was our instructor for the day.
It was a really fun day!

What are your reasons for weight loss?

What are your reasons for embarking on this journey in the first place?  What are your goals?  Keep them in the forefront of your mind as you move forward.

I remember when I was frustrated, overweight, and obese for so many years.  My goal at first was simply to get back to health, maybe wear a size 8 or so (the smallest I’d ever been as an adult), and just be able to enjoy life and physical activities with my family the way I’d used to.

Since I started working in law enforcement I also wanted to be a super fit chick and be able to do all of the physical duties well.  What happened instead, to my absolute horror and disappointment, is that my weight crept up until I’d finally reached the obese category.

I hadn’t yet learned what the Venus system taught me; that there was nothing wrong with my metabolism – I’m just a tiny person.  Tiny people don’t need so much food. When you are overweight it’s hard realize how small you really are, but your height should give you a clue.

In general, when you are short – you are tiny.  Just because you have a lot of muscle for your height doesn’t mean you get to eat more (if you want to stay trim). My muscle is off the charts high and I still only get to eat the same amount as the average 5’1″ female.  That’s because muscle does not burn as much energy as your internal organs.

Even when we exercise many of us don’t really get to eat that much more either.  Of course we burn some energy when we work, but not nearly as much as all the HRM’s report. Even at 12% body fat I don’t get to eat that much more, although I do have to consider it more now when deciding how much to eat each day. I base the amount on how I feel – not a calculator or what some fitness guru says.

If I’m gaining fat that is a huge clue, in fact the only clue, that yes I am eating too much food if my goal is to lose or stay the same.

The bottom line is that you can’t outwork or outrun too much food.

My goals changed along the way.  I had reached size 8 before joining Venus.  Why did I keep going?  My friend told me about Eat Stop Eat and I wanted to learn WHY what I was doing for fat loss finally worked.  Through Eat Stop Eat I found the Venus Factor.

With Venus I found the goals to achieve the ideal shape intriguing and frankly I LOVED the workouts.  So with these two programs I exceeded my wildest dream of ever being fit. I even finally impressed some pretty fit guys at the Sheriff’s department and yes I can now do my physical duties well!

It’s okay to change your goal, but it’s important to think about why and make sure you don’t let your fitness goals get hijacked.

Here’s how I let myself get goal hijacked

I have a couple of examples where I still tend to get goal hijacked if I’m not thoughtful about WHY I’m doing what I do:

1) I sometimes still try to get to a size 2 – it is a goal hijack

2) I sometimes still want to test my race strength – it is a goal hijack

Neither of these fit my long term purpose; to be healthy, functionally strong, have a good quality life into older age, and feel good about my shape.  Yet I find myself striving for both of those at times and I have to pause and think about it.  It’s not wrong to pursue either of those, it’s just that sometimes I might have other goals and these may conflict with those.

When my dear husband Randy can see that I’m pursuing hijack goal #1 he sometimes shakes his head.  That was the size when I was 10% body fat for my Venus Transformation Contest pictures for VT3 and VT4.  When I tell Randy “but I don’t fit into some of my favorite jeans anymore!”, he replies “Then you bought the wrong size pants!  Go buy the right size!”

So I take a deep breath and realize I let myself get goal hijacked once again by going down a strange female emotional path.  We are all human after all. The best I can do is be aware that this is what happens to me and then get back on the right track. I just let it go and remember why I started this journey in the first place.

John likes to remind me that I already proved what I needed to prove when I finished my contest pictures.  I’m done.  I don’t ever have to do it again.  I don’t have to keep proving it.  I can just live my life now.  I’m happy and healthy.  But I am merely human, I get sidetracked with these hijack moments, and I am a bit hardwired to keep improving and be my best.

So I’ll just keep reminding myself that I’m living my dream already, and Randy will keep nudging me when he sees me veering off track.

I almost let my goal get hijacked again with Spartan races

Recently I almost let myself get hijacked again with #2.  I had started training a client who wants to improve her strength and get a bit leaner for Spartan Races.  I’d never heard of Spartan races before and it kind of sounds like fun, so I went to a Spartan workout event to check it out.  It was a fairly intense 2 hour workout.

I met a woman close to my age with the daughter of a friend of hers, Michele and Christina.  I had never been to one of these events so they took me under their wing during the workout and we had a fun picture taken at the end of the day.

When I checked in at the event they had T-shirts for everyone.  I’m pretty small, only 5’1″ and with the small T-shirt fitting kind of loose and being middle aged I could tell no one really thought much of me at first.

But as the hundreds of people lined up in rows and I blended in with the crowd for the 2 hour workout people around me started noticing me purely by my strength. With no prior experience I could pretty much do anything the instructor threw at us.

At rest we were supposed to hold the plank position. For example when the Spartan instructor (Andi Hardy) said do 10 pushups, she also said if you can whip them out quickly and it’s too easy then keep doing them or get in the plank position and rest there. Then she said if pushups are too easy (me me, yes, pick me! haha) then do the dive bomber pushups.

So I started doing dive bomber pushups. Then when she called out burpees I did the dive bomber pushups with those – and yes that finally got me tired out by then end. I was able to do the duck walk across the gym, alligator crawl, and a bunch of other stuff.

It was all a FUN DAY, I got a really cool T-shirt, I made some new friends (Michele and I are staying in touch), and I re-established my long term goals, but I must admit it aggravated the arthritis in my hips for over a week afterwards. I am 53 years old after all, and my hip problems are hereditary.

Here’s a video of the dive bomber pushup:

For me the day was a real testament to the awesomeness of the Venus Factor workouts.  Venus is all I ever do besides a little HIIT running and low intensity cardio.   Venus workouts made me functionally strong.  This is why I recommend the 3 day a week workout as cross training for these types of endurance races.

The reason I can even do the dive bomber pushup is a direct result of the Venus Factor workout, so I called it a Venus Factor dive bomber pushup – but it is not actually part of any of our workouts.  From now I will almost always do the dive bomber pushup when the workout calls for pushups.  Why?  Because I can – and it still fits my long term goals.

Michele has done several races and said she can tell I’m strong enough right now to any of them, even the long races. So I got caught up in the idea.  I almost let myself get goal hijacked again.

What happened after I paused to ponder my fitness goals

The week after this event was a reminder to me why doing this type of workout too often goes against my current goals.  Even though I’m strong and was able do whatever was thrown at me there that day – I paid for it later.  I’ve been a bit sore all week, swollen from the soreness, bloated, and extremely hungry all week.  So hungry that I know I went over my maintenance intake several days.  I also had a bit of fatigue induced insomnia (this happens more in my middle age) which also helped to increase my hunger hormones.

As disciplined as I am with food it’s not enough to combat this type of hunger.  It’s not an “I’m bored” or “I just want to eat more” hunger.  It’s a deep hunger caused by fatigue.  It’s the type of hunger that if I try to fight too hard I won’t be able to sleep and the hunger will increase.  Some of this is caused by the fact that I’m still extremely lean for a female (as shown with a DXA scan).

So I ate a bit more food, choose healthy food, ate it slowly and with purpose, until I’d had enough that I could sleep peacefully. I was not happy that I ate more than maintenance, but I know I ate what my body needed at the time.  This does not help me stay lean if that’s what I want, so this type of training goes against my goals.

If I do a Spartan Race it will be for fun with a team, maybe once a year or so. I’m pretty much done with too many of the ultra intense workouts that push me to extreme, make me fatigued, and increase my hunger hormones through the roof.  On occasion it can be a good test of my strength.

I just need to know that I will have a week of extra hunger, bloating, and aggravated arthritis after an event.  It’s not something I want to do very often.

On the other hand I could change my workouts to include some Spartan workouts.  I could condition myself to do more animal moves, burpees, climbing ropes, mud crawling, and spear throwing and I wouldn’t get quite as sore from an event.

But that would increase my core and as you can see from the video my core is pretty thick for a female even now at 13-15% body fat.  It’s not always so attractive.  It’s part of what I don’t like about my shape, and it is partly why I tend to want to strive for getting leaner and back to a size 2.   Another drawback for me is that my arthritis would still be aggravated by those types of workouts.

So again there is nothing wrong with deciding to do any kind of intense race or workout if it fits your goals and your lifestyle.  Even though it would be a totally fun challenge for me, getting competitive just doesn’t fit my main goal for fitness at this point in my life.

I’ve already achieved my fitness and shape goals.  I just need to maintain, which alone takes effort and I’m a pretty busy girl these days.

What will you do to keep on track with your own goals and not allow them to get hijacked?  Remember your long term goals and why you chose them.

If you decide to change your goals think about WHY you are changing them and does it really match how you want to live your life?

Have a great weekend!

-Ro

 

 

Filed Under: Bodyfat, Diet, Exercise, stress, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

You don’t have to be perfect in order to succeed at your fitness goals; Interview with Nadjia

February 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment
"One of the best things about being a Venus is the access to the community. I am convinced that the biggest part of my success was the support from other Venus women. It would be easy not to put myself out there or make myself accountable to these women, but I would not have been successful. I would say to anyone wanting to make the most out of this program to use the tools that are provided. Take advantage of the forums, podcast, emails, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!"

“One of the best things about being a Venus is the access to the community. I am convinced that the biggest part of my success was the support from other Venus women. It would be easy not to put myself out there or make myself accountable to these women, but I would not have been successful. I would say to anyone wanting to make the most out of this program to use the tools that are provided. Take advantage of the forums, podcast, emails, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!”

 

Nadjia placed 7th in our VT-9 Transformation contest.

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

I joined Venus in the summer of 2013 after hearing about it from Brad Pilon’s blog.  What I was looking for was an end to the constant striving for the perfect body. The striving was enslaving me.  I needed something I could realistically keep up well into my aging years, while enjoying it.

One of the first transformations was learning to accept the truth, and then act on it. I could complain or wish for things to be different, and that would keep me right where I was. I am learning to recognize that my body just doesn’t need as much food as I was feeding it. When I want to eat more than I need I try to figure out why, and then address that issue instead of just mindlessly eating.

Another attitude shift happened in the last half of the 12 weeks. I noticed that I stopped counting down until the end of the contest. I wasn’t thinking about it all the time. It had become a lifestyle instead of a goal. I consider the contest to be a time to stop and celebrate how far I’ve come. I will continue on until I meet my Venus metrics. Then, I will learn how to live in maintenance.

One of the best things about being a Venus is the access to the community. I am convinced that the biggest part of my success was the support from other Venus women. It would be easy not to put myself out there or make myself accountable to these women, but I would not have been successful. I would say to anyone wanting to make the most out of this program to use the tools that are provided. Take advantage of the forums, podcast, emails, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Height 64”

Start: Weight 129 pounds, Shoulders 41”, Waist 30”, Hips 37”

End: Weight 121 pounds, Shoulders 39”, Waist 28”, Hips 35”

 

You can find Nadjia’s blog in the Venus online community and be inspired by her story.

 

Listen to Nadjia’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done: Игровые автоматы бесплатно и загрузок дополнительных программ не нужно. Для игры в игровые автоматы абсолютно каждый посетитель нашего игрового зала, без регистрации и без смс. Выбираем сначала платформу автоматов, потом — сам аппарат. Вы можете играть бесплатно и без смс. Выбираем сначала платформу автоматов, потом . igrat-avtomaty-vulkan.com Игровые автоматы бесплатно абсолютно каждый посетитель нашего игрового зала, без смс. Выбираем сначала платформу автоматов, потом — сам аппарат. Вы можете попробовать игровые аппараты прямо сейчас, регистрации и без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн без дополнительной загрузки. Игровые автоматы онлайн без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн казино Вулкан .

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Filed Under: cardio, Contest, Exercise, Health, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Walk the Calorie Tightrope for Fat Loss and Maintaining

February 7, 2014 by 2 Comments

I summarized my fat loss journey in the 3 minute video recorded a few days ago.  I mentioned how I learned the tricks about how to keep my shape. I learned how to walk the tightrope through the online Venus community.

 

About the tightrope…

So about the tightrope…

We get a lot of questions regarding how much to eat, when to eat, when not to eat, and how to time meals.  We have a lot of information regarding this, but it’s all just suggestions and things to try.  What really matters is starting somewhere; trying something, experimenting, and finding what works for you.  The answer is truly IN YOU.

It is like walking a tightrope.  No one can tell you EXACTLY how to do it, you have to step out and find your own balance.

Total freedom with food

We have total freedom with food;  we all get to decide what we put into our bodies and when to do it.  Never again do we have to allow someone else to tell us what and when to eat, or how much to eat.

What works for one person may not work for another person.

This is the main reason why our system is not a one size fits all DVD program; because there is no such thing.  Everyone is uniquely different with just a couple things in common;

  • We are human and we make mistakes.
  • We must all experiment and find what works.
  • We all need a calorie deficit in order to lose fat.  End of story.
  • We all need some resistance training to build our shape, improve our quality of life, and increase bone density.
  • We all have to learn to walk our own “tightrope”

 

Where you are in your fat loss journey matters

The calorie tightrope is slightly easier to walk when you have a higher body fat percentage, then it gets a bit trickier as you get close to your goal because of The theory of fat availability:

 

The Theory of Fat Availability:

  • There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
  • The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
  • The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
  • Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit you’ve imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

 

The good news about this is that if you are overweight you know you don’t have to worry about “starvation mode” because it’s a myth unless you have extremely low body fat.   Think about it; There is no such thing as starving fat people!

Even so, when you are overweight and embark on the calorie deficit for fat loss it is hard. It is corrective action for a health problem we all got ourselves into and it’s not the way we were meant to live our lives.  So of course it is not fun!  

 

Learning to walk your own tightrope

We can give you highly accurate guidelines like we do with our Venus Factor Virtual Nutritionist but it is just an estimate or place for you to start.  You will have to experiment, step out on a limb and learn to walk the tightrope.  One side is too much food and the other side is not enough food.

Our calculator does not tell someone how much to eat, it gives someone a RANGE to experiment with.

You have to look at the upper and lower limit, pick a place to start, then YOU GET TO DECIDE and will need to adjust depending on how your body reacts.  Remember, you have total freedom and YOU are the one in charge of your body.

No one can tell you exactly how to balance on the tightrope.  All they can do is give you a few tricks and tips.  Then you have to take a few steps and learn how to walk the rope.  You have a training rope, you have a safety net, and when you fall it’s not the end of the world.  You just get up and keep going.  Eventually your balance gets better and better.

 

The walk on the tightrope changes for you as you go along

The cool thing about our online community is that you can read stories about what works for others, and try something new and see if it works for you.  Some things will work for you, some won’t.  Some things will work for you now but not later, and then yet again it might work again in a new season of your life.

The balance constantly ebbs and flows, every day is different, every week is different, every season is different, every person is different. The calculator can’t give you the answer. Other people can’t give you the answer.  The answer is literally IN YOU.  You have to find it.

 

You are not broken!

Brad Pilon wrote something very interesting recently along these lines about how your body ebbs and flows:

 

A deficit is NOT a number less than what a calculator told you to eat. And a deficit is certainly NOT any amount of calories less than what you are used to eating. The amount of calories it takes to be in a deficit is also NOT fixed – it changes from day-to-day and month-to-month, depending on a number of factors including your activity level, body composition, age, and a whole host of other factors. It is a moving goal post that is and always will be defined by a loss of body mass.

If you eat a prescribed number of calories from some diet given to you by some weight loss coach and you do not lose body mass, you are NOT BROKEN, the diet was.

 

 

Brad and John are full of wisdom that they love to share with us in their blogs, in the uncensored podcasts they produce, and in our immersion coaching calls.  All of us in this community are successful in our fat loss journey because of what we have learned from these guys.  We all try our hardest to share what we learned inside the Venus community.

 

Will you step out on a limb and learn to walk your own tightrope?

As you embark on your weekend what will you do to further your progress?  Will you step out on a limb and starting learning to walk your own tightrope?

Remember to have some patience and allow your body some time to make the changes happen.  If you try to rush and are impatient it actually slows down your progress in the long run.

If you are in the “last 10 pounds” category it can take much longer per The Theory of Fat Availability.  Being impatient at this point in the game is a definite sabotage point.  If you really want to win this game focus on having patience.

 

On another fun note I took this picture this morning because it finally snowed here in the Sierra Nevada’s in California (it has been a drought here this winter).  If you watched the video you might have noticed the wind even though I was in a fairly sheltered spot – the storm was coming – and I was freezing in the video!

And yes, this is my back yard! 🙂

The weather changes fast in the mountains!

The weather changes fast in the mountains!

 

Have a great Friday and week-end!

-Ro

PS  The Venus Factor 2014 Calendar is HERE.

 

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Health, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If You Want to Change Your Shape, You Need to Change your Life: Uncensored podcast

February 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Denise is in her 60's so there is no excuse. She's learned to change her life so she can keep her shape.

Denise is in her 60’s so there is no excuse.
She’s learned to change her life so that she can keep her shape.

 

It’s February so the extra crowds in the gym might be slowing down a little now.  Any time is a good time to start your fitness goals, but the new year is a common time to start.

Some people show up in January hoping it will all be done in February, but it just does not work that way does it?  The problem with this mentality is that it is not life changing.  Real change requires you to change your habits for life.  You can’t just fix everything in one month and go back to the way you were living your life that got you overweight and out of shape in the first place.

The most important thing is that you are making a LONG TERM lifestyle change.

If you are going to make this step, it’s going to take a shift in the way you live your life.

The first month is the toughest, then it’s all about changing habits that eventually just become the way you live your life.  Over time it doesn’t take much thought, you just do what you need to do.  It becomes part of who you are.

Why is exercise is important?  It’s not just good for you, it’s a structure – like a steering wheel – it creates a mind-frame for changing your body.  It makes the day have something going for it, and gives you incentive to keep up with everything including good food choices.

The habits of good diet and exercise each feed on each other, it has a snowballs effect when you do both, and your progress accelerates and your life changes.

DIET (two diets):  Diet from food and diet from fitness media (limit your reading of fitness media).

Be patient because it won’t happen as fast as you want it to, but patience is what will finally bring you the results.

Today John and Brad talk about the Venus philosophy of weight loss and how to change your shape for life.

 

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Filed Under: Exercise, fat loss, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Questioning Metabolism

December 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jenny Weaks is one of our contest winners who knows how to walk the line; pushing hard with nutrition and workouts yet allowing the body to recover so she can keep a healthy metabolism.

Jenny Weaks is one of our contest winners who knows how to walk the line; pushing hard with nutrition and workouts yet allowing her body to recover so she can keep a healthy metabolism.

What is metabolism?

 It’s a vague term.  It is the sum total of the various chemical functions in our body, not the calorie cost of those functions because that’s your metabolic rate, but your metabolism is actually how are all those functions working and are they working properly?   Most people are actually interested in their metabolic rate.

There are many different ways to measure this and the outcome will be different for each method, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really give you what you need to make a change to your body.

Generally people think that a higher metabolism is better or that a higher metabolism feels more energetic.  In fact people can’t really even feel metabolism.  

What you really want is a healthy metabolism. 

Mainly all you need to do is avoid exhaustion and systematic fatigue.

People push themselves too hard with both a calorie deficit and exercise, get fatigued, and then blame their metabolism.  What they really need to do is stop pushing so hard without giving their body a chance to recover.

Don’t try to make too much happen too soon.

Exhaustion is in your control, metabolic rate is not.

To hear more about what John and Brad have to say about metabolism and metabolic rate click on the link below.

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  paperopus.com

Filed Under: Exercise, Metabolism, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aima Wouldn’t Trade The Venus Lifestyle For Anything!

November 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Today we are honored to show Aima’s pictures.  She placed seventh in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.

I’ve never been happier with my body now and the way I feel inside and out because I can feel the transformation even though it may not be as visible to other people.

I’ve never been happier with my body now and the way I feel inside and out because I can feel the transformation even though it may not be as visible to other people.

 

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

This is my second time joining a contest. It has since been close to a year now since my Venus journey began. To be completely honest I had a spotty gap of workouts between December to January and in April. But aside from that I was working out pretty regularly.

The main things I did differently this time around was going regularly to the gym instead of working out at home and eating a ‘cleaner’ diet. That meant I could challenge myself with heavier weights (compared to the limited collection of weights I had at home).

I also prepped most of my meals at home so I had more control of what I was eating instead of the regular take outs on busy days when I couldn’t be bothered to cook.

Motivation and support have also played an important part in my journey. My gym partner is my boyfriend (who also does Adonis). We constantly motivate and keep each other in check. Outside of the Venus community there are certainly a lot of people who think I don’t need to care much about what I eat or work out so much because I’m ‘skinny enough’. Or I should just eat a lot more (as in ANYTHING) because I’m ‘too skinny’.

Despite that I’ve never been happier with my body now and the way I feel inside and out because I can feel the transformation even though it may not be as visible to other people. I’ve still a long way to go on this journey but it is definitely a lifestyle I wouldn’t trade for anything. 🙂

 

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I’ve still a long way to go on this journey but it is definitely a lifestyle I wouldn’t trade for anything.

 

Aima before and after

Aima before and after

 

John didn’t get a chance to interview Aima, but I hope you enjoyed her pictures and her essay because I can tell she worked really hard and is happy with her transformation both inside and out.  Personally I think Aima is a super cute young lady and I love seeing younger girls learn to lift weights and become fit.  It is a lifestyle that will serve her well if she keeps it up.

We wish you the best Aima and we are very happy you found us.  We loved your pictures and we can see you worked very hard.  Congratulations!

Great job and keep up the good work!

-Ro

 

Filed Under: Exercise, Muscle Growth, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Brad’s Recovery from Not Exercising And Not Fasting For 7 Weeks: Part 2

October 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

Your win for today has to be your list; workout and calorie totals. You must base it on faith.

Your win for today has to be your list; workout and calorie totals. You must base it on faith.

Brad’s recovery from not exercising and not fasting for 7 weeks

For the entire experiment Brad’s overall weight did not change.  During the first half of the experiment he lost muscle and gained fat.  This was not fun for him. Well, eating and relaxing was fun of course – gaining fat and losing muscle was not fun!

Rest assured, when you have built muscle and take a break from exercise your muscle will inflate back fairly quickly once you get back into your routine.

Diet

Losing the fat is a bit harder and yet harder still for females as our leptin levels tend to decrease when we go into a calorie deficit over time.

For Brad the first one or two fasts were hard. He had to break the ritual habits of relaxing and eating snacks in the evenings. Even though he was eating at maintenance he had quickly developed fun ritual habits with relaxing and eating.

After pushing through the initial couple of weeks he got into his healthy Reverse Taper Diet.  The first two weeks were hard.  Then six weeks in Brad was in a pretty good groove.

Training

He tapered up in workout time and volume, eased his way up in volume.  Again the first two weeks were hard but then six weeks in he was in a pretty good groove.

It is a delayed reaction.

Especially with a calorie deficit it is a delayed reaction.  There is no immediate feedback. There is no immediate gratification.  You have to go on faith; that what you do right now will have an effect next week, or in two or three weeks.

While you are slimming down it’s a difficult mind set.  You are eating and training for results to be seen a few days or week later.

Your win for today has to be your list; workout and calorie totals.  You must base it on faith.

 

I have found this to be true for myself

As a female I’ve found what Brad describes here to be the exact same experience for me on a slightly slower scale.  Most females will find it’s just a bit slower and harder due to hormone levels.  But it is certainly not impossible.

As we get more experienced with our maintenance weight and various weight fluctuations we learn more and more to trust the process.  We learn how much food we actually need to maintain (not gain or lose fat).  We learn what a slight calorie deficit feels like and we learn what too much food feels like.

Just like Brad there are times when we feel like we want to panic because it seems like its not working.  But it will work, it is a delayed reaction.  I have found the delay to happen for me both when I’m eating up (on vacation), and also when I’m eating at a slight deficit.

The hardest part for me is the first week back from a vacation.  The next week is easier.  And then each week gets easier and the momentum builds as slow progress is made.  I just have to take a deep breath and trust the process.  I have to take short “eat up to maintenance calorie” breaks, make assessments on progress, and then decide to keep going or not depending on my goals.

Another difficult part as a female is that there are certain seasons in our lives where we might have to take a more prolonged period of maintenance eating.  Whether we like it or not eating at a calorie deficit may be nearly impossible, let alone preventing yourself from eating too much.

Sometimes it’s just the stress of life circumstances, sometimes it’s health issues, and sometimes it’s just whatever our hormones are doing for our season in life or specific hormone cycles.

We tend to push our deficits too hard and for too long and don’t fully understand what is going on with our hormones.  Venus has a deficit/maintenance protocol in the 12 week fat loss program that helps prevent crashing.

During these times we must take it as a win that we don’t over eat, and then later when it feels right to tackle the deficit try again.  Not gaining weight can be a huge win.  We have to be patient.

-Ro

 

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Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, Podcast, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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