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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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(If you are using Venus Index Mobile, go to the left menu -> My products -> right menu -> Uncensored Season 3 -> enjoy, you can assign star to add it into Favorites for easier access next time, if you don’t have access to Uncensored Podcasts you can purchase Immersion Package inside the App Shop)

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

Why Right Now Is the Best Time to Lose Fat – Uncensored

January 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Liss gained fat due to the effects of our modern North American culture and learned how to take corrective action through the Venus Factor system. Not only has she lost the fat - but she has successfully kept it off with the Venus lifestyle.

Liss gained fat due to the effects of our modern North American culture and learned how to take corrective action through the Venus Factor system. Not only has she lost the fat – but she has successfully kept it off with the Venus lifestyle.

 

The experiment you don’t ever want to be in!

John and Brad are going to talk about an experiment you never want to be part of.  Yet it’s exactly what our modern North American society unknowingly engages in and is why our society is becoming obese.

I found this study interesting because I am an identical twin.  I’m really glad my twin sister and I were not a part of this experiment! Even so, I think I have experienced the same thing as the guys in the experiment simply by living in the environment of modern North America.  Like many of you, I gained a lot of fat due to not understanding the effects of our modern environment on our health.  The good news is that anyone who decides to can get their health back and the Venus Factor program is designed to help you do just that.

The study was done in Quebec in the late 1980’s. The subjects consisted of 24 sets of male twins with ages ranging from 18-27. They were sequestered in a university dorm for 120 days.  The experiment was to see what happens when you overeat by 1000 calories a day.   During this time they were not allowed to train -they were only allowed to walk for 30 minutes a day – supervised.  They only ate the food they were provided in a very controlled environment.

They were young men in very good shape.  Their average body fat went from 11.3% body fat up to 18% body fat by the end of the experiment.  The average waist size increased from 29.5” to 33”.

The average fat gained was 18 pounds, the fat weight gained ranged from 9.5 pounds to 30 pounds.  The twins in each pair had similar gains.  Everyone gained fat.

Why did some gain more than others?

Metabolism was the pretty much the same for all.

There was a fair relationship with testosterone preventing some fat gain – just a little.

Cardio training seems to help prevent future fat gain

Those that gained the least amount of fat were in the bestVO2 max cardio shape at the beginning of the experiment.  Remember they did not train during the experiment.

The cardio fitness has lasting effects; it seems to prevent or protect against weight gain.  Cardio doesn’t seem to affect actual fat loss much, but it seems to help prevent the gaining of fat and be a sort of buffer or shield against future fat gain.

Research shows it only takes 6-8 weeks of cardio training for both the up regulation of Vo2 max and the muscle enzymes responsible for increasing their oxidizing potential (or ability to burn fat), after which they begin to plateau.  A good experiment could be to have a block of cardio included in your exercise routine every so often, especially as part of primer before starting a fat loss program.

The bottom line – take corrective action and the sooner the better!

The dark side of the experiment is that everyone gained fat.  None of them ever got back to the level of leanness that they were at before the experiment.  They continued to gain weight over five years and ended up being close to what they were at the end of the study.

The bottom line is that no matter when in your life you allow yourself to overeat and gain fat, if you never do a compensatory under eat to correct it will never go away.  Corrective action must be taken, the sooner the better.

Don’t ever stop training.  Don’t let your waist size increase much. 

If you have corrective action to take – get serious about taking the corrective action as soon as possible.

 

To hear more about what John and Brad have to say about the experiment you don’t ever want to be in and listen to today’s uncensored podcast click on the link below.

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(If you are using Venus Index Mobile, go to the left menu -> My products -> right menu -> Uncensored Season 3 -> enjoy, you can assign star to add it into Favorites for easier access next time, if you don’t have access to Uncensored Podcasts you can purchase Immersion Package inside the App Shop)

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Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, Diet, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Environmental Influences; Uncensored Podcast with John and Brad

January 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Naomi is one of the first Venus Transformation Contest winners. She learned to deal with the environmental influences during and after her transformation. Today she still maintains the golden lifestyle.

Naomi is one of the first Venus Transformation Contest winners. She learned to deal with the environmental influences during and after her transformation. Today, several years later, she still maintains the golden lifestyle.

Your location and context are important to your success

People around you have a lot of influence in what you do.

Where you are is very important.

Who you are with is very important.

Are you at the gym?

Are you with people who encourage or discourage positive workout behavior?

Interaction with others to fit in with the group will affect your decisions.

Persecution regarding food is not about you. They are projecting their issues and insecurities on you.  The very fact that you are thinking about what you eat and consume is threatening to some people.

Don’t let your best friends issue with her mother dictate to you what to eat.

Negative comments are always really people making comments about themselves and their issues, not YOU.  The guy or gal on Facebook who says “Too much muscle!” or “Too skinny!” or whatever, it is really not about you.

You will get a lot of negative comments during your corrective action phase

“The correction” or corrective phase is what most will be commenting on.  This is the phase that requires serious effort – and is only necessary for the weight loss.  The extreme corrective action is not forever.

 It is not sustainable or you would go down to zero percent body fat.  At some point it must stop, because it’s corrective action.

Maintaining is less extreme than the “correction”.   When you maintain you only need very short temporary corrective action for minor fat gains and reigning in eating habits back to a maintenance level.

Online writing is biased

Everyone has their issues.  It comes through in their writing. There is bias.  There are very few experts.  They explain to you their perspective as if everyone was like them. 

So it’s not just friends, family, and people around you, it’s also the fitness writers online.  Even the researchers; they have a hope or bias that the outcome or answer will turn a certain way. They are trying to convince you that their issues are your issues.

Your life will change as you gain success

 

 All of your relationships will change as you gain success and reach your goals.  People will need to adjust to the new transformed person you have become.  Some people are able to adjust, and some are not.  You will have to make decisions and evaluate all of your relationships.

You will be affected by jealousy and others who want your success.  This is what happens with any success.  The more success you have, the more your relationships all around you will change.

So the bottom line is that who you spend time with in your life as well as online will all affect your success.  They will also affect how well you keep your success.

 

To hear more about what John and Brad have to say about environmental influences listen to today’s uncensored podcast click on the link below.

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Filed Under: transformation, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What About Gut Bacteria and Weight Loss? Uncensored Podcast

December 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Kimberley is one of our many veteran "Every Day Venus" women who maintain the lifestyle ongoing. Much of her success comes from eating healthy for her own personal health issues and paying attention to the reactions in her own body and how specific foods make her feel.

Kimberley is one of our many veteran “Every Day Venus” women who maintain the Venus lifestyle . Much of her success comes from eating healthy for her own personal health issues.   She pays attention to the reactions in her own body and how specific foods make her feel.

 

First of all, Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate this holiday today!  For you this is a day of feast and celebration meant for you to enjoy with your family and friends, so ENJOY!  If you have weight loss goals just have fun today and get back on track with your normal routine as soon as you can after the holiday.

 

What about gut bacteria and weight loss?

John and Brad have been researching this subject and found:

  • The classic nutrition model:  Feed the machine, done.
  • The new model:  Feed the machine that feeds or feed the micro machines that feed you -you being the macro machine.

Most of us know that probiotics are good for you and make you feel better. Antibiotics can kill good bacteria and probiotics help build the good bacteria back up.

Within your intestines there 10 times as many bacteria cells as your body cells.  This is a very big part of your body, so it makes sense that this is important.

In order to appreciate the importance of the bacteria it is crucial to know they are a fundamental part of your body.  They influence hormones, how you feel, and are very much a part of who you are. 

Recent research pointed out that obese vs lean people have very different bacteria population within their bodies.

The bacterium changes your ability to metabolize certain foods. 

Right now John and Brad are spending some time to find out if there is a better way to use this information to help you lose weight more successfully.  They have found that there seems to be a link to this and those who have been the most successful at using the Venus system.

Kimberley has been very successful at maintaining her Venus shape.  She eats very healthy according to her own needs and health issues and is an expert at paying attention to how specific foods make her feel.

I have a rotating list of 1000 friends on My Fitness Pal (because that is their limit), some of who watch what I eat. I quite often get the question “Hey, if what you eat doesn’t matter for weight loss why do you eat so healthy?”

My answer has always been because it makes me feel good and perform well at the gym.  It also helps me sleep better and perform all of my daily responsibilities and maintain a cheerful outlook on life.  I take all of these things into account with everything I do regarding health and fitness.  At 53 years old now I am constantly thinking about my long term health and having the best quality of life for as long as I can.

What about you?  Do you think about what you eat and how it makes you feel and your ability to perform for all that you do every day?

I wish everyone a happy holiday and New Year!

-Ro

 

To hear more about what John and Brad have to say about gut bacteria and how it effects weight loss click on the link below.

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Filed Under: Diet, Food, Health, Uncensored Podcasts S03 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Questioning Body Fat Percentage

November 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Caroline and Tori are fitness competitors who both got in amazing shape and hit their Venus ratio's. Both had 23 and 24 percent body fat in their legs yet 5-7% in their upper body. The main thing here is everyone depending on their genetics and heredity will compartmentalize fat differently on their body.

Caroline and Tori are fitness competitors who both got in amazing shape and hit their Venus ratio’s. Both had 23-24% body fat in their legs yet 5-7% in their upper body. The main thing here is everyone, depending on their genetics and heredity, will compartmentalize fat differently on their body. You can’t compare yourself to others.

What is so important about body fat percentage?

Hydrostatic body fat percentage is the gold standard.  It is the method which every other method is calibrated on.  There are no assumptions; they use just the properties of your body in the water.

What is so important about of your body fat percentage?  It’s a number.

It reminds Brad of eating for calories when you need to lose weight when really you just need to eat the right amount of food to lose weight.  People like to go to an online calculator and find out they are supposed to eat 2712 calories a day as an example, then they don’t lose weight and they think their metabolism is broken.  The calculator just gave them the wrong estimate for their body.  People forget that the body is the end game, not the calculator, chart, book, theory, or what someone else did to lose weight.

The total over all body fat percentage does not tell you a whole lot unless you reach a dramatically low percentage that it is irrelevant.   It’s just like how your overall body weight on the scale doesn’t tell you a whole lot either.

DEXA/DXA is the most accurate and is the key for a health standpoint because it tells you regional fat percentages.

Everyone stores fat differently

Brad and John have a lot of data to look at and today they focused on two female fitness competitors who were both approximately 15% body fat which is very low for females.   This is dramatically low for a woman.   One of them had 6.9% in her trunk (her upper body from the waist up).  The other one had below 5% in her trunk (she had a full set of shredded abs and her back was totally visible). 

Tori and Caroline are fitness competitors that places first and third in their respective categories so they were both in amazing shape.  Neither of them looked awkward, they both looked totally feminine.

Both had 23 and 24 percent body fat in their legs.  See the difference between the upper and lower body?  The main thing here is everyone depending on their genetics and heredity will compartmentalize fat differently on their body.

So another female could have 20% in her legs, but maybe 11% in her upper body, and roughly the same overall body fat percentage as Tory and Caroline and look totally different.  If she tries to compare herself to these fitness competitors (or anyone else for that matter) at the same overall body fat it totally falls apart. 

Everyone stores body fat in different patterns.  These storage patterns are genetic and you cannot manipulate them.  There are some schools of thought that you can manipulate them with diet but there is no data or measurements that prove this theory.  The theories are purely anecdotal and guess work. 

Don’t let body fat measurements hijack your goals

Setting a goal as a percentage body fat can mess you up.  It is a form of goal hijacking.

If you get down to your golden ratio and then would need to go a lot leaner to get the ab definition it could change your overall aesthetic to not be as visually appealing.  Also total body fat percentage is totally dependent on how much muscle mass is there.  Body fat is relative to your lean body mass.  So if you increase your lean body mass without losing any fat your overall body fat % drops.

Body weight and body fat percentage is only useful if you have a “shape” to go with it or a measurable goal like Venus or Adonis Ideal or Ratio.

 

What is your goal?

What is your goal?  To get to a certain size?  A certain weight?  For some of us it was to simply leave our obesity behind, become healthy and functional, have the ability to walk or hike with loved ones, and enjoy a better quality of life and not necessarily become a bikini model.

When I first joined the Venus Factor my goal was to get down to a size 8 which was the smallest size I’d ever been as an adult.  The goal setting in the Venus Factor program enabled me to exceed that by several sizes.  In fact I had no idea how lean I got until I had a hydrostatic body fat test which showed I’d gotten down to 10.5% overall body fat (I am 5’1″ and I was 116 pounds).

It was good that I had the test at that time because it helped me to understand that I needed to increase my food intake and give up trying for the Venus Ideal waist.  I didn’t realize that I was an outlier yet.  I had no idea what I had achieved.

 

I was trying to get down to my Venus Ideal waist and didn't realize that at 10.5% overall body fat there was no where left to go, nothing else left to lose.

I was trying to get down to my Venus Ideal waist and didn’t realize that at 10.5% overall body fat there was no where left to go, nothing else left to lose.  On the right I was at 11.5% at the time of my DXA scan.  With unusually high LBM for my height getting to my Venus Ideal waist is not a realistic goal for me, and that is okay, I get to work with the genetic hand I’m dealt.

 

I’d gotten down to probably slightly below 10% overall body fat for my Venus Transformation VT4 photos (at 109 pounds.)  This was the only time ever that I got to my Venus Ideal waist, for a mere moment in time.

A year later I had a DXA scan which showed that I’d gone up to 11.5% overall body fat with 105 pounds of lean body mass. My Android fat was 5% (.4 pounds) and my Gynoid was 16.8%, so like Tori and Caroline my legs were significantly higher compared to my upper body.

As John said this is typical for females. I was 51.5 years old at the time of the DXA (over a year ago) and because of my age I might have lower estrogen levels.  My hormone panel shows normal levels but I’m clearly in the season of my life where estrogen levels start waning. This may make it more possible to gain muscle and get to a lower body fat for females later in life.

I was very proud of the fact that DXA showed my Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) at .06 pounds!  From a health standpoint this is really good, although it’s probably not necessary to be that low.

 

How do body fat tests help you learn to maintain fitness?

I’ve lived my life for several years now floating 12-13% overall body fat and sometimes up to possibly 14-15% (just a guess).  The body fat tests were good for giving me a health marker and a rough idea about where I’m at depending on how my clothes fit.

I find tremendous freedom in no longer needing the body weight scale.  I know how my clothes fit and if I need to slim down just a bit I know how much to eat to make that happen, nothing else is really needed for me to maintain (except to keep up with training!)

My body fat level is unique to me.  It doesn’t make me better or worse than anyone else and shouldn’t be used as a comparison. It doesn’t mean anything to me but a health marker and a bench mark that goes with my pictures and my look and shape at that level.  That said, I’m learning to feel good about myself even when I don’t live my life at that 10% benchmark and can move up a little in body fat and not be too hard on myself.

By listening to podcasts like this today I learn more about my body.  This helped me to feel good about what I’ve achieved.  I am still maturing in my fitness life and will continue to constantly learn.  Listening to Leigh Peele podcasts are also helping me learn about my body and my fitness level as I mature in this process.

 

What happens when you get close to your Venus Ideal goal?

If you are following the Venus Factor System you will find that you will learn more once you get closer to your goal.  The goal setting in this program is a perfect place to start and will allow you to achieve exactly what you want and most likely exceed your expectations for yourself.

Some ladies get very close to the ideal and say this is close enough, they’ve achieved what they wanted, now they just want to enjoy life and keep what they’ve achieved.  And they go on to do exactly that.  It is great.  It fits their lifestyle and they move on.

Others will reach the Venus Ideal at a much higher body fat than I did, and that is perfect.  I kind of envy women with that genetic hand.  Sometimes if they try to go lower in body fat to get “ripped abs” or whatever it won’t look as good because they go beyond the Venus Ideal.  The Venus Ideal is based on what the human eye finds the most pleasing, and that is why the formula is used in art.

Other women will find they build muscle fairly easily because of their genetics and so will also likely reach a lower body fat level if they keep going with the fat loss.  Denise and I are in this category.  We live our day to day life with our waist circumference slightly above the Venus Ideal (or like me several inches above) and it’s just as good as those who get to live exactly at the ideal with more body fat.  Neither is better or worse, it just is what it is.

It is just as well and okay for women who find living slightly above the ideal ratio at a higher yet still quite healthy body fat level. After all it’s about being healthy, functional, having a better quality of life, and enjoying more time with your loved ones.

What matters is what makes YOU happy and healthy.  Once again, you, your body, and your life are the end game; not the system, program, workout, diet protocol, theory, ideal metrics, book, chart, calculator, or what someone else says or does.  You get to decide what makes you happy and all these tools can help you get to that point.

It really all depends on the genetic hand you are dealt.  You won’t know what you have until you lose enough fat.  The best way to lose significant fat is to divide and conquer while also weight training to the best of your ability.  The Venus Factor workouts are the best I’ve found for my build and have enabled me to reach my genetic potential in a way that at least my husband and friends around me say is still pleasing to the eye and still feminine yet strong.

What will you do to achieve your best genetic potential that fits your life?  I would love to hear about it.

-Ro

 

 

Find out what John and Brad have to say about questioning body fat percentage:

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Filed Under: Bodyfat, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What about Genetic Differences in Performance?

November 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
These are some of the very first Venus Transformation contest winners ever. They trusted John and Brad back in the day.

These are some of the very first Venus Transformation contest winners ever. They trusted John and Brad back in the day. They each have their own unique genetics and nothing stopped them from becoming their best.

 

You can achieve your best regardless of your genetics.

These are some of the very first Venus Transformation contest winners ever. They trusted John and Brad back in the day. They each have their own unique genetics and nothing stopped them from becoming their best.  John Barban and Brad Pilon learned from the trials and errors of these girls struggles to lose fat and build their best shape.

The experiences and data collected on these first contest winners, along with those of us in the subsequent transformation contests and other research enabled John to develop a new diet protocol called the “The 12 week Undulating Metabolic Override Program”.

The protocol included in the Venus Factor 12-week Fat Loss System is designed to help prevent “crashing” and allow your body some recovery from a calorie deficit, teach your body to become efficient at utilizing protein for muscle repair and recovery, and to teach your body to become more efficient at burning carbohydrates.

The secret to the Venus Factor is the magic of the support community along with hormone research and the experiences of those who succeeded and sustained their fitness level.

The secret to the Venus Factor is the magic of the support community along with hormone research and the experiences of those who succeeded and sustained their fitness level.

What about genetic differences in performance?

  • There is research to show genetic differences effect performance.
  • We constantly compare ourselves with others in the gym and watching sports events.
  • We can’t help doing that, but you should at least try and compare yourself to someone of very similar genetics.
  • Genetics play a huge role in success; it plays a bigger role than anyone ever wanted to admit.
  • It doesn’t mean you are not a good person or equally of value as a human if you don’t have specific genetic gifts.
  • It doesn’t seem fair. No matter how hard you practice you won’t be the same as someone who is truly gifted.  Life is not fair. 
  • If everything was equal the person who did the best hardest work wins.  This is not what happens. Genetics plays the bigger role.
  • We are all unique.
  • But at the same time genetics should not be a reason to not work hard to be your best.
  • It is not an excuse to not work hard to achieve your best.  As far as performances compare yourself to your own performance; improve yourself.
  • What you can achieve?
  • Knowing about genetics is great way to understand what other people have achieved.
  • John and Brad go into great detail into how genetics affect various sports. 
  • It does not always mean if you train harder you will get the same results as someone else.
  • It does not mean you should give up training.
  • Everyone is capable of change.
  • Don’t base any of your metrics on performance.
  • All that matters is your own results.
  • How you respond to exercise and diet is unique to you.   You can try things that others do, but it does not mean it will work for you. Also what works for you will change over time. You will have to experiment to find what works for you.

John gives a long explanation about how genetics affect certain sports – I almost spit out my coffee on my screen!

Oh my gosh I never knew! When John described specifically what on the body makes a good runner I almost spit my coffee out all over my screen.  Why?  Because I’ve spent over 30 years trying to be good runner and I am completely the opposite of what makes a good runner.  The good news is that it does not really matter.  I always concentrated on merely improving my own PR (Personal Record).

Once after my dear husband Randy was my “support team” for a 50 mile race he said it was funny to see me during various parts of the race.  I didn’t look like anyone else there, I was short and stocky, with thick limbs, totally the opposite of what John describes in the podcast, even for what makes a good runner in the hot climate.  It was so crazy to learn this today.

It makes me realize that I’ve always done well with running in spite of having the completely wrong genetics for good performance.  Even when I was slightly over weight I typically placed in most races in the top 1/3.  There were even a few times when I placed in the top three for my age group, and twice in my life I placed first overall (in smaller races).  I love running and I still do.  So having the completely wrong genetics didn’t stop me from achieving my best and enjoying a sport that I love.

Once I did the Venus workout system for awhile I found that it improved my running performance.  Earlier this year, at age 52, I completed my best PR for the half marathon and a then two months later I got a first place for my age group the Komen Rock The Race Sacramento 2013 5k.  I still very much enjoy the sport of running.

 

My own genetic experiment

Brad talks for a moment about the nature vs. nurture controversy.  Not by choice but I have had a chance to see a bit about what can happen a lot with nature vs. nurture in my own life.  I have an identical twin and we are both nearly 53 years old now.  I mentioned a bit about my upbringing and showed a picture of my twin and I when we were little girls in “Ten Thousand Ways that Won’t Work“.

My twin and I have not lived together since we were eleven years old.  We have taken two very different paths in life.  Since we have identical genetics we can both look at each other and it’s like looking in the mirror and seeing what could have been if we each made different lifestyle choices.  It gives us each a very unique perspective.

My identical twin and I were 21 years old in this picture. Only about 50% of my friends are able to guess which is me.

My identical twin and I were 21 years old in this picture. Only about 50% of my friends are able to guess which is me.

 

You can change your shape.  You can achieve your dream.  You can affect many things that you have control over.  You can build muscle.  You can lose fat.  You do not have to accept where you are.  You do not have to accept being over weight or obesity, regardless of your age or the amount of body fat you have at the moment.  At some point you may have to accept certain genetic limitations, but you will never know until you try.

There are no athletes in my family.  There was no example for me to see what I could achieve for myself.  I always suspected I might have some athletic ability.  There were a couple of times when I was young when I came close, but no where near what I achieved after finding the Venus Factor at age 50.

It wasn’t until I strove for the Venus Ideal and learned the truth about my nutritional needs that I far surpassed what I ever dreamed possible for myself.  At almost 53 years old I believe I have now reached my genetic potential.  Now I’m working just to stay healthy, functional, have a good quality of life (as much as in my control), and to keep a shape that I feel good about in my every day life.  I am enjoying the Venus lifestyle very much and I have maintained my level of fitness for several years now.  I’m still pretty darn happy about that.

-Ro

 

Find out what John and Brad have to say about Genetic Differences in Performance:

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Filed Under: Muscle Growth, Podcast, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Having Trouble Getting Motivated or Started On Your Fitness Routine? Here’s How To Get Going.

October 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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

 

The contest winners didn't have all the answers. They still don't. They took steps moving forward and kept going, and they are still moving forward.

The contest winners didn’t have all the answers. They still don’t. They took steps moving forward and kept going, and they are still moving forward today.

Having trouble getting motivated or started on your fitness routine?

Whether you are just getting started, or getting back into your routine after a break, it’s hard to get started.

It feels overwhelming.

You can read online all day long about all the ways people did it successfully and it seems  overwhelming.  Sometimes it’s a case of fear of failure or just a case of analysis paralysis.

 

Some days it is a heroic act just to refuse the paralysis of fear and straighten up and step into another day.

Edward Albert

 

Not enough time?

Not motivated?

The goal is to just fit it in.  Do something.  Walk, pushups, chair squats.

Anything is better than nothing.  A little something is forward motion.

Does not have to be complicated.

John and Brad give you some ideas for getting started in today’s podcast.

 

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Filed Under: Podcast, Sage Advice, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 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: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Remain Consistent While Maintaining Fitness; Calorie Intake and Training Are the Key

October 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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

 

The "Skinny Brad" is on the far right.

The “Skinny Brad” is on the far right.  If you are like me you are probably thinking “Skinny? He looks pretty good to me right there!”  Brad is just plain awesome.

 

Today’s Topic:  Brad’s 7 week experiment and DXA scan – PART 1

Brad Talks about his experiment after having just completed almost 7 weeks of no workouts, and no fasting.

The key to maintaining fitness is calorie intake and training.  While most of us already knew this, Brad proves this in a 7 week experiment using a DXA scan and some measurements (an experiment none of us really want to undertake – so thank you Brad for doing this for us!)

One interesting point Brad makes in the podcast is that water fluctuations within the body happen constantly.  Even while eating at maintenance, not fasting, and not exercising Brad experienced the sudden weight loss (nicknamed “Whoosh”) the morning after a large meal, and also random mornings of unexplained weight gains.

This is proof that the scale being used for monitoring fat loss over time is a “trend tool” and we all need to ignore the water fluctuations that randomly happen in our body.   While some water retention can be explained with sodium, DOMS, hormone cycles, and certain foods some reasons are unknown and appear to be entirely random.  Don’t get caught up in worrying about random water fluctuations in the body that happen on a daily basis.

Brad answers the following questions in the podcast:

  • The key to having strength and muscle is needing it.
  • Muscle gain and loss is transitory.
  • Fat gain and loss is transitory.
  • Why you shouldn’t worry about muscle loss during a fast.
  • How does muscle memory work?
  • How easy it is to gain muscle back.
  • When does scale weight matter?
  • What metrics should you pay attention to?
  • Why a DXA scan so important?

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Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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