Hi, I am Liss and I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I can remember being uncomfortable about my body by the third grade. I was taller than all my friends and bigger around too. I was an emotional/boredom eater already by this time. By the 7th grade, I jumped up in height to my present 5’9” stature which helped my weight even out but I still did not like the way I looked. About that time, I found tennis and started playing for my school. The never-ending diet roller coaster started my freshman year of high school. In biology class, I learned about calories in-calories out. I tried to eat less, and it worked. I can remember being 140 by the end of my freshman year. Also that year, the high school tennis team introduced me to lifting weights, and then I found Body for Life.
The weight pendulum continued all through high school, college, and adult life. It was all or nothing on the diet side, even though I stayed consistently active. I could never find a diet that was sustainable for me- it was feast or famine. I worked out hard most days of the week both lifting and running, trying to work off those eating “failures”. I would balloon up to 160-175, even up to 195 after our first child, and then lose down to 155. I tried personal training, Zumba, BodyPump, HIIT training, kickboxing, step classes, spin classes, and P90X. I also tried the Atkins diet and the P90X diet plans.
Liss Graham with her family
By January 2011 I was back up to 185, again. I did HCG and did fitness classes 4 days per week (pump, step, spin, insanity). I got down to 148 by May 2011, the smallest that I had ever been in my adult life. From this latest round of weight-loss success, my local gym asked me to start teaching a Pilates class. Fast forward to January 2012, I had rebounded up to 162. I knew I had to do something. I was working out 4 days a week. Why did I not look like it? I needed a new goal, I wanted visible abs. There was no singular answer; most websites said about 15% body fat for a woman. Well I did not own calipers, how was I going to tell how much I needed to lose?
I stumbled across Venus Index during my search- a metric measurement to look your best at your height. Interesting, I was skeptical though. I listened to the whole podcast archive the next few months on my commute. Then I saw the transformations coming out of the contests and I was sold. The next VI contest- VT5 started in May 2012 and I jumped in. I am so glad I did, it has changed my life. I am proud of the way I look for the first time in my life and am happy to report that I am off the diet roller coaster for good. I have maintained, and even improved my look since the end of the contest. I now teach VI classes at my gym and help coach other girls to their dream bodies.
Liss achieved her dream by following Venus Index
Lessons from Venus Index:
- You cannot out train overeating
- Counting calories is 100% required to be successful at weight loss and maintenance, and always overestimate 15%
- A calorie is a calorie, there are no good foods/bad foods
- Workout to build muscle, diet is what shows it off
- Cardio & ab work is not king
- We are all pretty close to the same shape underneath, once you lose the fat
- It is about a look, not a weight
- If you commit to it- do it, and follow through
- It is going to be tough some days; If it was easy, everyone would look like a Venus
Liss Graham – Venus Cover Girl and still maintaining Venus 2 years later
How to contact me:
- My website
- Venus Index contest interview with John Barban
– Liss
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