Anything Goes Diet

Venus Veteran Kimberly Shares Her Secrets to Maintenance Success

July 4, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Kimberly has been using Venus systems for over 5 years and placed in Venus’ very first open contest.

Kimberly placed in the VT1 Open Category back in 2011

Since 2010, she has continually improved her physique despite health challenges and global relocations. Kimberly knows what it takes to maintain and improve your physique!

Kimberly, Liss, Jenny, and Lou Ann in Vegas

So when I thought about interviewing veterans about maintenance, this sweet friend came straight to mind. I have seen her in person and even worked out together; we got to meet in 2014 in Vegas at a Venus meet up. Kimberly looks every part Venus.

Liss, Jenny, Roly, Carla, and Kimberly after workout at the Cosmopolitan

Here is what Kimberly has to say-

During the VT1 competition back in Jan to April 2011, I set a goal for myself. An “Every Day Venus”. I wanted a body shape and appearance that I could have everyday. A body that was not dependent on heavy dieting, posing or lighting tricks. I wanted to learn a way to maintain a look that is athletic and lean….all the time. There is no doubt Venus has taught me that.

Kimberly in August 2011 After Venus Contest

I have maintained at Venus for over 5 years now. Every Day. At first it took some work and focus as I built new habits and ‘normals’ for myself. I was also a little scared about losing this new body that looked good and was strong and healthy. It took a while to realize that I didn’t have to be perfect and worry about things, I just needed to be consistent and gently correct the process when I got feedback from my waistband or body that I was slipping a little.

Kimberly in 2012 at Maintenance

My key learnings have been:

Aim for consistency not perfection. Don’t stress the small things; a big day of eating or a missed workout doesn’t matter. Intervening early when the pendulum swings out makes it easier to stay on track

Find a pattern to keep calories within your target zone as a lifestyle. For me it is easy to skip breakfast and eat normally the rest of the day. Look for low calorie substitutions you can use for every day eating

Lift heavy. You won’t look like a man and even if something does get a little more than you would like, it is easily reversed by changing exercises

Even if you have health issues, don’t give up. A strong and healthy body makes such a difference in managing symptoms and may even enable you to fix some of the root causes

Over the past few years I have continued to improve my metrics (refer to table). I am actually a little ‘extreme’ in my unders and overs. Each one of us is unique but we all have the potential to create our best body with this program. It is important to recognize that we all have our own look, and that you cannot ‘shop’ about for the best body parts from others. Celebrate what you have.

Kimberly in 2014 at Maintenance

In my original VT1 essays, I wrote “This is a competition and someone will win. Whatever happens, I have already won – I know my dream body, I know how to get it and I know how to maintain it.”

Five years on…..and I am still winning!!!!

Kimberly in 2015 at Maintenance using Venus Index

Kimberly’s Metrics Using Venus

Height 5’3.5″	Venus	May 2011 (VT1)	Current
Weight	122 lb	105 lb	110 lb
Shoulder	39.1	39.1	42
Waist	24.3	23.5	23
Hips	34.4	33.0	36.5
Bicep		9.4	10.5
Chest		33.3	34.5
Upper thigh		17.6	17.6

Kimberly’s transformation story Kimberly’s VT1 interview with John Barban – An Everyday Venus

Kimberly in the Venus Community

Watch Kimberly’s interview with Liss below:

Listen to Kimberly’s interview with Liss below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, cardio, change, Contest, Diet, Exercise, Health, Interview, Maintenance, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, body composition, goal setting, maintenance, muscle growth, Venus Index, Venus Index Workout, weight loss, weight training, working out for shape

Venus Veteran Naomi Maintaining Awesome into her 50’s

May 23, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Bonus Results of Getting Lean and Strong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Naomi

Get in touch with me:

My WebSite where I blog regularly

My FaceBook Page – Naomi Rules

My Instagram Page

Here is my Venus Index community profile.

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

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

Naomi and John Barban at an exercise video shoot

Naomi Before Venus and After in 2012

Naomi before and after Venus through the years

Some pro tips from Naomi

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

Naomi Maintenance Feb 2016

Naomi Maintenance April 2016

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: change, Diet, Exercise, Maintenance, Sage Advice, Shape, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, body composition, bodyfat, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, Fit at 50, goal setting, john barban, podcast interview, Venus Index Contest Interview, Venus Index Transformation Contest, Venus Index Workout, venus interview, weight training, working out for shape

How Keturah Overcame Fibromyalgia and Hypothyroidism to Lose over 100 Pounds

May 9, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

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

Keturah through the weight loss over the years

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

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

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

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

Maintenance: Choosing life.

Maintenance is something you don’t hear much about. The fitness world is full of shiny before and after photos with big shiny smiles to match. What no one seems to talk about is the daily practice of life.

There are some things that set apart maintenance from deficit. Let’s focus on what comprises this brave new world.

Mindset.

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

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

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

Habits.

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

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

I liken maintenance to keeping the house neat, or perhaps tending the garden after the plants have started growing. If you let the little things go–laundry and dishes pile up, floors need swept, garbage overflowing, weeds growing wild–pretty soon the place is a disaster needing a complete cleaning and overhaul. Some daily tidying and daily weeding would have kept those things from happening. Some days we let things go. It’s about attending to the dishes before the pile gets too big. Or put it this way: it’s paying of the credit card bill at the end of the month instead of letting it stack up for a couple of years until it becomes a mountain of debt!

The habits you begin and consistently choose and practice will be habits that keep you going, even if they change in form. My daily habits are movement (for me that’s resistance training, flexibility, and walking); including protein and either fruit or vegetables at most meals; good rest; hobbies I love (makeup, knitting, and reading are just a few!) and relaxing with my husband on the weekends. I am learning to balance my meals and intake. If we go out on a brewery tour I will enjoy a burger and beer. The next meal or day, I have my coffee but enjoy water, fruit, salad, and some light protein for the rest of the meals. There is no punishment, no reproach. No starvation, no forcing of food. I just listen to myself.

Seasons.

Maintenance is the season I have really learned to enjoy living life and how to be flexible. Shortly after reaching my Venus metrics a couple years ago, I was still in “get competition lean” mode. It took a couple months for me to realize I wasn’t really getting anywhere with all my hard work and was frustrated. Mostly, it was mental. I decided to do something crazy. I stopped trying so dang hard to reach smaller metrics, body goals, and all the other stuff I deemed necessary to joy. Instead, I let go. I began listening to my body, doing what felt both right and good, and relaxing about the rest. It was, and still is, the very best thing for me. I learned another lesson in trusting myself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting competition lean. But it’s a season, and for many it isn’t a season that can be stretched out for indefinite periods of time. Sometimes we have to count the cost. The cost at the time wasn’t best for me.

There is also adaptive components to maintenance. I am learning to change up my routine or my workout when I feel unmotivated about workouts. There are also life changes that require workouts changes. My husband and I recently relocated 2300 miles, from mountain life to ocean life. While I had spent the last couple years lifting heavy weights at the gym, I was suddenly faced with a new challenge. There was no gym and our new home didn’t have space for heavy weights. At first, I was frustrated. What was I going to do now? I quickly realized my new life change meant a change in my training. This wasn’t an easy change at first. The first few weeks of no gym I had a lot of anxiety! Heavy weightlifting had become a security blanket and it was time to put it away for a while. Without access to the barbell rack, I’ve had a chance to work on some old gymnastic training, flexibility, and explore other workouts–areas I neglected for years, and that I really missed doing.

Final thoughts.

Honestly, maintenance is about learning to live from out truest, healthiest selves. The main focus of fat loss phase is so you can make changes in your body and, most importantly and what gets left out by a lot of people, live life with new lifelong habits, and keeping Venus tools for when you do let the house go and need to whip it back into shape. You learn to listen to yourself, learn what works best for you, what is sustainable, what is joyful. You learn balance.

Maintenance is choosing to be Venus for LIFE.

Ketty’s Metrics Using Venus

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

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

Keturah Happily Ever After Maintaining at her Wedding in Summer 2015

Watch Keturah’s interview with Liss below:

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: calories, cardio, change, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, Sage Advice, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, body composition, bodyfat, cardio, contest interview, diet for weight loss, fat loss, maintenance, muscle growth, Venus Index, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Workout, weight training, working out for shape

Maintenance with Venus Veteran Carly

March 7, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Carly has been using Venus systems for over 3 years. She did a phenomenal job with her initial transformation and her continued results display the hard work she puts in. Her transformation stretches out further than a 12 week period though, she has lost FORTY pounds using Venus!

Carly before starting Venus in 2013 and after VT14, unbelievable!

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

Before children, I never worked out. I never counted calories. I didn’t have to work hard to keep my figure. I was young then too and now I’m older. All my factors have changed so I need to change my habits in order to keep the figure I desire. I am thirty two years old. I have two children. My son is six years old and my daughter is three years old. I found Venus in June 2013, two months after I had my daughter. I had a lot of weight to lose. I was ready to hit the gym to lose my baby weight. Liss Graham was teaching Venus at my local gym so I decided to join her class. By April 2014, I hit my weight loss goal. I had dropped FORTY-FIVE pounds! I was in my measurement goals with the nutrition calculator. But once I hit that goal, I already had another goal in mind. TONING!! I kept using Venus from April 2014 to May 2015 but I felt like I was just in the motion and not really learning or thinking about how to better myself. I felt like I was in limbo. For me, it has been hard to build muscle. I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt stronger every time I lifted and I was getting sore but I couldn’t grow. I wasn’t pushing myself to the level I could have gone. Even though, I was very successful with weight loss, I felt like I didn’t know how to maintain my weight and I didn’t know how to tone the muscles. For me it was like, “Well, I lost all this weight but now what?” I felt uneducated on how to maintain my weight and build muscle at the same time. To reach this goal and to get motivated again, I decided to join a contest. I felt like I truly started TONING when VT14 started. When I joined the VT14 my mission was to tone up every muscle from head to toe. I added more days of lifting. I went to the gym six days of the week instead of the recommended three. I watched my intake more. I researched more by listening to podcasts and reading fitness articles. I started following fitness guru’s on Instagram and facebook. I dedicated more time to reading and understanding the VENUS program. Sometimes I even worked out twice a day. I took advice from other Venus expertise. Liss Graham came for visits at my gym and I learned from her every time. She’s an AMAZING coach by the way! I took professional pictures every 6 weeks to help push me along. I had some vacations during the contest and I didn’t want it to derail me. I used myfitnesspal and held myself accountable for every meal. I was dedicated to making progress. Twelve weeks later, I felt like I had the body of my dreams. I know what to do now to keep my transformation. I can see my growth with photos. I know how to keep toning my body without being lost in the process. Venus has educated me on how to be healthy and fit for life. Venus has helped me reach my weight loss goal and my toning goal. Venus has given me the body that I craved. Before children, I weighted one hundred and seventeen pounds. I weigh less now and have way more muscle. I look way better after kids then I ever did before kids. I have been very successful with Venus and have hit many goals. I didn’t know anything about fitness before Venus. I think everyone should watch the how to videos and learn how to eat right and learn what a simple carb is versus a complex carb. I literally didn’t know anything! The biggest change for me is making trips to the grocery store. I know not to just look at the pretty labels on the boxes that are misleading to shoppers. I know how to read ingredients and what to look for in them. I read the nutrition label, which I used to ignore. Venus has changed my life and for the better. I eat clean now. I have the confidence and education it takes to make Venus a lifestyle and not a fad. I’ve done it for three years and I plan on doing it for the rest of my life. It is too good of a program to ever stop doing.

Carly’s Metrics

	Weight	Height	Waist	Shoulders	Hips
June 2013	150 lb	63 in	33.5 in	41.5 in	42.5 in
February 2016	113 lb	63 in	26.8 in	36.0 in	36 in
Deltas	-37 lb	0 in	-6.7 in	-5.5 in	-6.5 in

Carly (right) with Venus veteran and friend Julie (left)

Carly is a beautiful Venus! Nothing can stop her now!

Carly, Coach Liss, and Venus friends at the Moore County YMCA

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Interview, Meetups, Sage Advice, transformation, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, body composition, cardio, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, losing pregnancy weight, muscle growth, supplements, Venus Index, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Transformation Contest, Venus Index Workout, weight training, working out for shape

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

February 15, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Laura placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

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

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

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

“My experience with the Venus Factor system”

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

Laura’s Metrics

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

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, Contest, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, body composition, bodyfat, Contest, contest interview, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, fat loss, muscle growth, The Venus Factor, Venus Index, venus index contest, Venus Index Transformation Contest, Venus Index Workout, weight training, working out for shape

Heather Found Venus was the Solution to Fat Loss and Maintenance

January 25, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Heather at one of her heaviest weights before finding Venus and after, WOW!

Heather placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. Her transformation stretches out further than this 12 week period though, she has lost over 30 lbs using Venus!

Heather before starting Venus in 2015 and after this 12 week contest, unbelievable!

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

My experience with Venus has been amazing. My life long search for the program that works is finally over. I have found it and I am hooked. I am a 47 year old woman with a wonderful husband and 4 terrific grown children. However I was struggling with self-image problems, low self-esteem and was just unhappy inside. Like many other Venus ladies, I tried every diet program out there, and purchased several exercise DVD programs. I was successful in my goal of losing weight but as soon as I hit a certain point the motivation to stick with it disappeared and the weight started to climb back up. I had convinced myself that I was just meant to be overweight and my genetic chemistry was preventing me from being slim. Then in March of 2015 I found Venus on Facebook. I listened to John’s story about his sister and how he developed something that was specific to women who battle with this issue. In my first 12 weeks on Venus I lost 20 pounds and 24 inches off my body. One thing I had never done in previous weight loss efforts was to combine the diet and the lifting. I had done both separately thinking it was enough by itself. The other aspect of Venus that was hugely motivating for me was the all the information I got through the podcasts and blog posts. I love, love, love John and Brad’s podcasts. I listened to them whenever I could. They blasted away every myth I grew up believing, every misconception that I had adopted just because a fitness professional said it and I was finally able to break away from all the bad information that I had stored in my head and replaced with the facts that John and Brad’s research had taught me. So after my first 12 weeks of the Venus program, it was May and summer was coming. I decided that I would take a break from actively losing, and applied the same principles of the program but eat at maintenance most days and at a deficit 2 days each week. As August approached I had maintained my 20 pound weight loss. I was ecstatic. I had never ever done that. In the past as soon as I stopped following the weight loss program, instantly the weight started creeping back up. This was when I decided that I would enter the contest to further motivate me to continue my journey. Here I am today at the end of the contest and I am more motivated than ever to continue my journey to get to my ideal Venus Body. I am not there yet but I am loving my new body, my new outlook on life, my new self-confidence. Not just my body changed, but my life changed…and people have noticed. This journey has been amazing and I am so grateful for John, Brad, Liss, and Roberta and all the ladies on the forum for their constant efforts to encourage us, educate us and provide effective tools for every woman to utilize in reaching their fitness goals. Thank you all.

Heather’s Metrics

	Weight	Height	Waist	Shoulders	Hips
Before	140 lb	62 in	31.5 in	41.7 in	37 in
After	131 lb	62 in	29 in	38.8 in	36 in
Deltas	-9 lb	0 in	-2.5 in	-3 in	-1 in

Heather is a beautiful Venus! Nothing can stop her now!

Heather’s AWESOME Home Gym

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, body composition, bodyfat, Contest, contest interview, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, fat loss, goal setting, transformation, transformation contest, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Transformation Contest, Venus Index Workout, weight loss, weight training, working out for shape

Donette Lost Over 100 lbs with Patience and Consistency

December 21, 2015 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Donette at one of her heaviest weights before Venus and after, unbelievable!

Donette placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. Her transformation stretches out further than this 12 week period though, she has lost over 100 lbs!

Donette before starting Venus in 2014 and after this 12 week contest, unbelievable!

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

No matter how many times you are told something, do we really hear it? How many times have I heard “the scale is just a number?” ” Don’t let the scale get you down” “the number on the scale does not define who you are” Yes I have those sayings up on my computers both at work and at home, on my mirror and my refrigerator. But I never really listened and opened up my mind till now. Let’s rewind 14 years ago when I moved here from Arizona a depressed 270lb single mother of an almost 3 year old. I had once had a membership to Bally’s before I married my first husband, but I was way too embarrassed to go back to that meat market setting, so I joined Curves for women. I did well with Curves, between their diet program and workout machines I dropped 70lbs. For several years I would bounce between 200-230. I couldn’t get below 200 then I would go back up. I tried Medifast, HCG, diet pills, 3 different Curves diet plans, everything would work for a little bit, but then I would put some back on. For my second wedding I was able to get down to 175, then after the wedding I was right back up. March of 2014 I was on Facebook and saw an ad that has changed my life. Do I normally look at ads? Nope, and I have no idea why I that day I chose to watch the full add for Venus Index but it was the best decision I ever made (along with the best $47.00 I have EVER spent!) March to November I did well, I followed the protocol, all my days weren’t perfect but life is a learning process. I wasn’t really interested in the weight lifting. I hated it when I had to in school, me Bally’s experience was horrible so there was no way I was joining a “real” gym. My son and I would do a workout or two per week and that was about it. I was able to drop down to the low 170’s and would go back up to 180. I introduced my sister to Venus in November, she was going to Gold’s and I decided to start going with her @ 5am. We would work the machines 2 days a week and were doing the main Venus program the other 3. dropped down another 10lbs into the 165-170’s. Starting in January this year Gold’s was doing a contest coinciding with Venus, I thought perfect I can do both at the same time! Did well the first 6 weeks then fell apart. I was higher at the end than when I started, and I didn’t even finish VT13. So VT14 came around, again I’m going to do this, made it 8 weeks and crashed and burned. At that point I felt my body was wanting to stay right where it was at and I was done. My only goal at that point was to just finish the contest, which I did. I started this contest balls to the wall staying at my 1000 calorie deficit with maintenance days, working out 2 times a day, then 4 weeks or so in Labor Day hit. I was running my Chihuahua in an AKC Agility trial and at the end of my run: I came down hard on my right leg, jamming my knee and messed up a ligament. Holy Crap! I don’t have time for this, I’m trying to get Fiona to AKC Nationals next year, I’m driving across country with 3 dogs that I have registered in the TDAA Nationals in October. I’m kicking butt and staying on track and all of the sudden it all comes to a screeching halt. Or so I though at first . Turns out this injury that kept me from doing and lower body work besides walking for 4 weeks ws the best thing that could have happened to me. Liss put me in touch with my mind. Yeah I know it sounds kinda weird, but she sent me homework to work on my mind, to change the way I think of myself and to improve my self-confidence. Instead of throwing in the towel, I put up the scale. Instead of giving up on me (like I have done so many times before), I gave to myself. I gave myself the freedom to quit worrying about the wrinkles, the stretch marks, hips, belly and bat wings. Instead I have found the good in them. I realized I need to love myself. Once I started to love myself, so many good things started to happen. Barriers and walls that I had built on my mind started coming down. My self-confidence is rising and I’ve been able to do some of the things I though I could never do. The best thing is that none of them had a thing to do with a scale or what “number” I’m at. Vacation was a blast; my girls ran great with me and even earned placements at the National event. I was able to make great choices travelling for 10 days and maintained the entire time. Even though I had fun with Liss’s band workouts she sent to me to use at the hotel, I realized I LOVE my weight lifting and missed it! After we came back from vacation, I hit another 20+ year goal of climbing the Manitou Incline. I was afraid to try, 1 mile up over 2,000 steps and I can not remember the elevation change. It took us 2 hours, but we did it and I can’t wait to do it again! I also bought my very first “little black dress”. Besides my wedding dress, my husband had never seen me in a dress before. My son rides a dirt bike and my husband and I have ATV’s that we like to ride when we get a chance. All of my ATV pants are what the call OTB or over the boot pants. I would have to buy those because I could not get my calves and pants both into my boots. The beginning of the year I bought a pair of regular pants, the calves fit, but I could not get them zipped. WOOHOO they finally fit, now I’m ready to ride! Yes I’ve had my stumbles along the way and will continue to have more in my journey. Now I have gained the knowledge and I have the tools to move on and get past those struggles to a greater place in my mind. I have the loving support of my husband and son, and a wonderful Venus family. What’s next? No longer are the thoughts of I can’t, because I know I can do anything I put my new healthier mind to. Balloon ride, Whitewater rafting, zipline again this summer, hiking a 14ner in my new boots I earned just this week, they are on my short list. Who knows you just might see me running one of my girls on TV someday 🙂

Donette at one of her heaviest weights before finding Venus and after, WOW!

“All of my ATV pants are what the call OTB or over the boot pants. I would have to buy those because I could not get my calves and pants both into my boots. The beginning of the year I bought a pair of regular pants, the calves fit, but I could not get them zipped. WOOHOO they finally fit, now I’m ready to ride!”

Donette’s Metrics

	Weight	Height	Waist	Shoulders	Hips
Before	165 lb	69 in	31 in	42 in	40 in
After	151 lb	69 in	28.5 in	42 in	38 in
Deltas	-14 lb	0 in	-2.5 in	0 in	-2 in

Donette before and after side 12 weeks

Donette before and after – she can run her dogs and hike any mountain!

Donette is a beautiful Venus! Nothing can stop her now!

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, fat loss, Interview, Podcast, transformation, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Contest, contest interview, diet for weight loss, stress eating, The Venus Factor, Venus Index Contest Interview, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Transformation Contest, weight loss

VT15 Contest Winners Announced – beautiful pictures!

December 14, 2015 by Roberta Saum 1 Comment

Before announcing the winners, this post contains several sections you won’t want to miss;

VT15 Contest Winners
Additional VT15 Transformations
Cover Model Winners
Next years contest schedule

1st Place – Danell

“I took all the advice I could get from those ladies and applied them to myself. There would be NO EXCUSES, only work.”

2nd Place – Sandra

” I now KNOW, at the very young age of 50, that I will NEVER be overweight again! I AM the BEST I have ever been and I can’t wait to see what else I can do!”

3rd Place – Anne

“I felt like I had conquered the biggest obstacle… which is myself. This program works and it’s liberating to know that I will always have something that works. I proved it. I never have to try a fad diet again.”

4th Place – Andrea

“After trying more dieting approaches than I care to count, I’m excited that I’ve found a plan that works and that I can be successful at for the long term – while still living (and enjoying!) my life.”

5th Place – Kittery

“Thank you Venus, thank you to the Brad’s, thank you Coach Roberta, thank you to all of my Venus Sisters, and last, but certainly not least, thank you to my amazing husband for helping me become the person that can finally look in a mirror and say, I am proud of the way I look!”

6th Place – Holly

“After 12 weeks I have learned that I can eat whatever I want, no more being obsessive, just being aware of what is going in is enough. I have taken a full minute off my running pace and my knees are much happier these days.”

7th Place – Robin

“With the community of like-minded women, I have found friendships and support that will last a lifetime. I am truly humbled by their support and genuine love they have for one another. They uplift the fallen and cheer you on!”

8th Place – Char

“It fills me with joy to share it. It works. It works for me, with my moment to moment struggles, and it can work for anyone. We don’t have to settle. We can achieve. We can become. It is good, but it also gets better!”

9th Place – Donette

“I know I can do anything I put my new healthier mind to. Balloon ride, Whitewater rafting, zipline again this summer, hiking a 14ner in my new boots I earned just this week, they are on my short list. Who knows you just might see me running one of my girls on TV someday :)”

10th Place – Laura

“So many people whom I have watched doing other programs, seemed to balloon when they quit their programs. I am very happy that I am getting shapely, as well as a losing weight. I think it is in developing a body shape with muscle that determines the great results.”

Additional Transformations

These were just too good to leave out. Each one of these ladies WON. They are still welcome to enter next years contests for the top 10 places.

The thing I’ve noticed when talking to these ladies that is really important for you to know; YOU DON’T REALIZE YOU HAVE TRANSFORMED when you are in the process. Several of the ladies in the top 10 thought they were FAILING at the process. They didn’t think they were good enough. But they WERE GOOD ENOUGH!

You see, it happens so slow. There is nothing glamorous about it happening. In fact you make mistakes and you don’t always keep on track with food. You miss some workouts here and there. BUT YOU STILL WIN.

We are all merely human. We are not machines. But sometimes you won’t know how you are doing unless you have someone who knows the process helping and watching. Many people who could have won one of these contests didn’t think they did good enough, so they didn’t finish. The fact of the matter is that most of us don’t really know what we’ve achieved. I didn’t know either. I had no idea.

So we want you to see all these brave women that finished, and won at the game of life. And the journey does continue for all of us.

Since the journey continues, we will be happy to share their stories NOW, interview them, and then there WILL BE MORE TO THE STORY later if they choose to win again in the top 10 for future contests.

The stories always continue for life. You never actually “get there”, you reach a goal and then you keep going, because this is a lifestyle, not just a 12 week contest.

Kimberly

“The Venus system has given me the tools I needed to finally lose the weight that long distance running could not achieve. The podcast are filled with valuable information along with encouraging interviews with past winners.”

Christine

“The only person that could change that was me. I needed a program that I could actually follow and still live my life with my family. Venus was my answer and I am so happy.”

Brenda

“I decided to check in with the forum and it became apparent the Veteran Venus’ would not let the meds be an excuse, and it appeared nutrition was the key. So I decided to put Venus to the test, this time trying the nutrition and weight lifting together. Low and behold the last year of weight gain was taken off in these 12 weeks, and my clothes fit again!”

Cindy

“I am super happy with my results my I”m not ready for maintenance yet. I can still improve! One of the main reasons that I first bought Venus is because I saw Roberta and her amazing body and transformation. She was my age and had muscle! That made me realize that I can still build muscle at my age. Boom!”

Heather

“I love, love, love John and Brad’s podcasts. I listened to them whenever I could. They blasted away every myth I grew up believing, every misconception that I had adopted just because a fitness professional said it and I was finally able to break away from all the bad information that I had stored in my head and replaced with the facts that John and Brad’s research had taught me.”

Tricia

“I think the thing that really helped me with this part was that the whole program came out of John’s love for his sister. This is not a program designed to beat women down and make them feel inadequate. This is a program designed to help you know how beautiful you are.”

Laura

“I am delighted to have improved my body to where I feel stronger and more energetic. I can even say focus is better. I have received several compliments and am motivated to keep going in order to shred, shape and tone even more!”

Tara

“The ever changing workouts keep me from getting bored and help me to feel my progress in strength. This is so MOTIVATING!! I’m proud of my accomplishments over the past 12 weeks and can’t wait to continue along this journey.”

Cover Models

Anyone can enter the cover model contest, as many times as they want. It’s a fun way to shadow the contest and get creative with photos. Everyone has their own style.

In order for the cover designers to use your pictures you will need to send me a link to the high resolution pictures.

Erin

Anne

Danell

Sandra

Christine

Kittery

Congratulations to all the winners! What beautiful pictures. What hard work. It all paid off.

And the journey continues.

We will be contacting all of these ladies to see if they want to share their story and possibly do an interview.

The 2016 Venus Transformation Contest Schedule:

VT16: Start January 11 – End April 11
VT17: Start May 2 – End August 1
VT18: Start August 22 – End November 21

Never Settle!

Never Give Up.

Live Your Dream

-Roberta

Filed Under: Contest, motivation, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, body composition, diet for weight loss, john barban, The Venus Factor, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation

Happy Thanksgiving and tips from Coach Roberta

November 26, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to my USA Venus girlfriends!

I’m busy working on the Venus contest, but I had to take a quick break to write some words of encouragement for those I’m helping.

These are all my own pictures in the collage.

‘Cuz I’m the real deal.

In the purple shirt last night during a break in our workout with my Venus friend Kerry.

And the scenes at my home.

I don’t have to prep for photo shoots or events because I live the lifestyle and have been proving it for over 5 years now.

I’m not going to hide or be ashamed of my lifestyle, because it works for me.

Tomorrow you will enjoy a post from Anea, who is one of our talented Venus Ambassadors in the Immersion Online Community. She has a long way to go in her Venus goals, but she is successful and well on her way. She KNOWS with the Venus lifestyle she will get there too. She knows it works for her too!

I’m quite excited about the way the Immersion community support is going. It’s amazing. It is all about women empowering other women. They have even created phone app texting accountability groups and blogging in there.

If you haven’t yet experienced the Venus Immersion community support, well, you just do not know what you are missing!

Tips for the Venus Lifestyle

Never ever reward or punish yourself for food.

This is a mentality shift we make to succeed in fitness.

You never earn food rewards.

You are never punished for eating.

There are no good foods and bad foods.

You might be allergic or have bad reactions for some foods.

We need food to survive.

We are meant to enjoy food.

We are meant to celebrate.

And yes, humans are designed to fast for periods of time when it’s appropriate. Humans have been doing this since the beginning, both for spiritual purposes and out of necessity when they were hunter gatherers.

It’s only modern society who has created these strange fitness myths and have at the same time had to battle an over abundance of food and lack of physical activity.

So ENJOY Thanksgiving!

And ENJOY a workout if you want to!

You are never DOOMED by one meal, one day, one week. Just decide to get back on track when you are done feasting.

AND, if you stay on that track as can happen to many of us, DECIDE TO SAVE THE DAY at any moment you choose.

This is how we do it!!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Enjoy the holidays in true Venus Style!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Bobbie Carper, diet for weight loss, goal setting, The Venus Factor, Venus index Transformation

Laura Placed in VT14 and Did not Even Want to Take Pictures

November 25, 2015 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Laura placed in our recent VT14 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. In 12 short weeks, she transformed losing 10 pounds of fat and 1.5″ from her waist!

Laura before Venus and 12 short weeks after! WOW!

Here is what Laura had to say in her own words

I’m a wife and a full time home mother of two little ones. I started to join the Venus work out class not to long ago because I was trying to find the work out class that I like in all the aspects. In a short time started to love it! Later our Venus instructor told me about to join the challenge and I thought it was not for me and I said to many excuses to myself but I decided to join. I made it trough and I gain so much more than I though. I might not did my full goals but I gain more confidence in my self and more self-steem. I’m so glad that I did it and I definitely will go for more.

Laura made a transformation in 12 short weeks, but she did almost not take the final pics to submit. She did not think she had changed that much! Listen to her podcast at the bottom for more details and her exciting news!

Laura’s Metrics

	Weight	Height	Waist	Shoulders	Hips
Before	149 lb	65 in	30 in	40.5 in	40 in
After	139 lb	65 in	28.5 in	40 in	40 in
Change	-10 lb	0 in	-1.5 in	-0.5 in	0 in

Listen to Laura’s podcast interview with Coach Liss below or download to listen later.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Interview, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, bodyfat, contest interview, diet for weight loss, pregnancy, The Venus Factor, transformation, venus index contest, Venus Index Workout, weight loss

Here is what Kimberly has to say-

Kimberly’s Metrics Using Venus

Watch Kimberly’s interview with Liss below:

Listen to Kimberly’s interview with Liss below:

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

Some pro tips from Naomi

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

Ketty’s Metrics Using Venus

Watch Keturah’s interview with Liss below:

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

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

Carly’s Metrics

Carly, Coach Liss, and Venus friends at the Moore County YMCA

Laura placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

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

Laura’s Metrics

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

Heather’s Metrics

Heather’s AWESOME Home Gym

Donette placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

Donette’s Metrics

VT15 Contest Winners

Additional VT15 Transformations

Cover Model Winners

Next years contest schedule

1st Place – Danell

2nd Place – Sandra

3rd Place – Anne

4th Place – Andrea

5th Place – Kittery

6th Place – Holly

7th Place – Robin

8th Place – Char

9th Place – Donette

10th Place – Laura

Additional Transformations

Kimberly

Christine

Brenda

Cindy

Heather

Tricia

Laura

Tara

Cover Models

Erin

Anne

Danell

Sandra

Christine

Kittery

The 2016 Venus Transformation Contest Schedule:

VT16: Start January 11 – End April 11

VT17: Start May 2 – End August 1

VT18: Start August 22 – End November 21

Tips for the Venus Lifestyle

Laura placed in our recent VT14 Venus Transformation Contest.

Here is what Laura had to say in her own words

Laura’s Metrics

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