How Should You Eat to Lose Fat? You Have the Answer within You

Denise is a Venus who knows her own body.  When it comes to diet and fitness she has been around the block a time or two.

Denise is a Venus who knows her own body. When it comes to diet and fitness she has been around the block a time or two.

We get asked a lot of these questions:

  • How much do I eat?
  • What do I eat?
  • How many calories should I eat?
  • When should I eat?
  • Should I be fasting?
  • Should I skip breakfast?
  • How long should I fast?
  • What should I eat to break the fast?
  • Can I have cream in my coffee?

Really for the most part the answer is within your own body.  All anyone can give you is a starting point.  The starting point is an approximation; it’s within a close range.  Your body has the exact answer.

It’s based on your lifestyle, how you feel, what your preferences are, and your health issues.

No one can really tell you exactly.  If someone tells you to eat a certain amount and you gain weight; it’s pretty simple logic that it is too much food for you.

Your body is the end game.  It tells you the right amount.

The tools we have are pretty close, but the real answer is in your own body.

Many things about your body will give you a clue:

  • How do you feel?
  • How do you sleep?
  • How do you perform at the gym?
  • Are you ready to take on the world most days, even after your gym workout?
  • How well are you able to perform your normal daily responsibilities?

Eating at a calorie deficit is not fun.  Some days you just can’t do it.  That is okay. How you eat and how you workout should be determined how you feel, not following the exact rules of any program.

Over time are you inching toward your goals? If no, then readjust.  If you are trying to lose fat but gain fat instead or don’t lose fat then you need to take a closer look what you are doing and possibly readjust. 

You can get a lot of ideas from others in the Venus community.  You can read their blogs and see what they have done.  But in the end what works for them may or may not work for you.  It will take just a little trial and error to find exactly what works for you. 

We all learn from our mistakes.

What works for you in one season of your life may not work in another season.  It constantly evolves.  That’s why this is a lifestyle, not just a place of 12 week contests.

If you want to lose fat the calorie deficit needs to be there.  

Brad Pilon defines a calorie deficit, eating at maintenance, and eating at a surplus:

  • The loss of mass is what defines a deficit.
  • Lack of a loss of body mass and absence of a gain of body fat defines eating at maintenance
  • The accumulation of body fat defines an eating a surplus amount of food.

Leigh Peele wrote a similar description in her article “The Deficit – How We Lose Fat

It’s hard for me to trust anyone when it comes to fat loss and maintaining fitness.  I trust John and Brad more than anything, but Leigh’s article on how we lose fat endeared me to her.  It matches Brad’s article and what Brad and John have taught us, so now I’m getting ready to read her latest “Starve Mode”.

I will report back later on what I think but I have a feeling it’s going to be good.  I have many friends who have been helped by her work and I really like the article.

Get to know your own body – the body is the end game, not the calculator.

When it comes to knowing her body Denise is a lady I highly respect. She’s been there and done that.  If you are in the Venus community I highly encourage you to pay attention to Denise’s answers in the forum.  She has done about every workout imaginable since before most of you were born (and maybe a little before I was born!)

She has a no nonsense approach to questions.  I could just see her rolling her eyes and saying “News flash! Just eat what you normally eat, just eat a lot less”, or “Go with how you feel. If you are not hungry then do not eat up because as you have found out life happens and you will eat up unexpectedly. :rolleyes:”.

Denise has a common sense, no nonsense approach to our questions.

Denise has a no nonsense approach to our questions. She tells the truth and makes us laugh.

 

Denise tells the truth and makes us laugh.  She is the goto in our community on how to do exercises correctly or find workarounds.  If you ever want to see some of her answers simply go to her profile and click on “Find latest posts” under her awesome profile picture.

By the way, check out more awesomeness about Denise in her contest interview with John.  And this video shows how awesome she moves and looks.

 

Sometimes you have to keep adjusting

I find I constantly have to adjust my workouts and my eating patterns according to how I feel or how much stress is in my life.  This year has been a rough one for me due to hormone issues.  But its okay, I’m adjusting.  I have much to be thankful for and none of it is the end of the world.  I’m adjusting and moving forward, because that’s what a Venus does.

So next time you are in doubt, remember to listen to your own body.  Take a deep breath and the answer is really right there inside you.

 

Ask Nicola; Learn to Love Your Body

We all deal with insecurities with our bodies; even after we achieve our goals. This picture  was a real turning point for me.

We all deal with insecurities with our bodies; even after we achieve our goals. This picture taken last Friday night was a real turning point for me.

 

We all deal with insecurities with our bodies; even after we achieve our goals

This podcast with John and Nicola was extremely helpful to me regarding emotional issues that I’m currently dealing with.

Sometimes I have a huge disconnect between how I see myself and how others see me. My husband Randy says I look perfect right now, but I tend to see myself as bigger than I once was, even though I lost 60 pounds!

 

Your body is your power house

Randy sees me as a whole person. When he sees my shape, he sees the whole shape and he does not nitpick at the parts like I do. When he hears me talk about my body he gets frustrated and tells me that I’m not looking at the whole picture or that my overall shape is beautiful.

He also sees how I work and use my body as the power house in all that I do.

 

Comparison is the thief of joy

I am constantly comparing myself to when I was at my leanest which was immediately after I’d achieved my Venus goals. My leanest is not a realistic body fat level to live my life especially as a female. At my leanest (10% body fat) I was able to create some great fitness model looking pictures.

But this is sometimes a drawback for me as I tend to compare myself to them. I am almost 53 years old and I don’t live my life prancing around in a bikini and high heels, at 10% body fat, and water manipulated!  It’s just not a practical comparison.

It’s as bad as any of us who compare ourselves to all the fitness model pictures of girls who were ripped for a few nano seconds in time AND had their pictures enhanced with photoshop, AND we have NO IDEA what methods were taken to get their bodies in that kind of shape.

Even my own pictures were only a moment in time that took weeks to prepare for.

 

I did not see anything special in the picture

I took this silly locker room picture because I was happy that the new jeans and T-shirt felt good and brought back fun memories of my recent vacation with my dear friend Carla. We had gone clothes shopping together and she helped me pick these out.

The reactions I got from the picture were a turning point for me.  I  did not see anything special in this picture.  In fact what I saw were arms that are too bulky,  a torso that is too thick, and in my mind I pictured the fat on my legs and butt that I don’t like.  You are supposed to have some fat on your body!

I wasn’t wearing makeup so I didn’t take off my prescription sunglasses that I had worn for work outside.  I just wanted to take the picture so I could post it for Carla and let her know I was thinking of her and the fun we had going shopping the day I’d purchased these clothes.

 

Sometimes you need to listen to the truthful positive feedback

After I posted the picture on Facebook and MyFitnessPal I was brought to tears by the comments and compliments. It was a turning point.

Even though we can’t base our happiness on compliments and what others think, it is nice to get positive attention on occasion. I’m only human and this makes me feel good sometimes.

Not only was it nice, but it spoke to me on a deep level about how I was viewing myself. Something was wrong and I needed to take action.

 

You can have fitness goals and still decide to feel good about your body

Even if I have a short term goal of getting back to my pre-summer vacation shape I can feel good about my shape now. I can focus on the strength and health improvements that I’ve already achieved. I can focus on feeling good about the actions I am taking today to achieve my short term goals.

My goal is not to get back to 10% body fat and that is okay too. I can decide to be happy anywhere in my healthy body fat range and it does not matter what anyone else thinks.

 

What can you do about it?

You can tend to analyze your parts, not the whole.

You can tend to look at your body parts as something that is an object, not part of you.

  1. There is social pressure for a variety of reasons.
  2. You can develop insecurities early on.  Then your body becomes a rejection point. You start nit picking.

How can I like my body when I have a lot of weight to lose?

It’s not easy.  It takes work.

Your body is not just a visual object.  It is a practical power house.  It is you.

Today Nicola will give you something to start doing to help learning to appreciate yourself and your current efforts.

 

I am taking Nicola’s advice and I’m feeling better already!
-Ro

 

Dr. Nicola Bird

Nicola’s Online Program

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

A Personal Trainer Becomes “The Girl with the Muscles”; Carlie Akerman

Today we are honored to listen to Carlie Akerman who placed second in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Carlie is an inspiration to her friends.

Carlie is an inspiration to her friends.

 

Carlie said Venus taught her to properly lift weights.  At first she was afraid lifting weights would make her too muscled, but now she is happy with her look and shape.

Carlie said Venus taught her to properly lift weights. At first she was afraid lifting weights would make her too muscled, but now she is happy with her look and shape.

 

Carlie's metrics before and after the 12 week contest.

Carlie’s metrics before and after the 12 week contest.

 

Read what Carlie wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

My name is Carlie Ackerman and I am 29 years old. I discovered and began the Venus at the end of March this year. Health and fitness has been an enormous part of my life for many years now. I’ve been training in many different ways and experimenting with diet and methods of reaching my goals to the best of my ability.

However I was never quite satisfied with the results and felt that physically I could push myself harder with the correct help and advice.

I found Venus through ‘Eat Stop Eat’ where I began to use fasting as part of my weight loss programme.

When I begin the Venus workouts, I found it not only exciting and educating but also it made me feel great! The high intensity, variety of exercises and change in my body made it addictive and I wanted to succeed. It was when I began to get results that I decided to compete. I have always been a healthy and conscious eater but that was something I also stepped up with Venus. I found that I became hungrier the more I trained but I continued to eat sensibly and appropriately in order to gain the best results with my training.

I did not look at my before pictures until just this week. When I saw them I couldn’t quite believe how I had changed.

The Venus has become a huge part of my life. For the first time in my life I have felt happy and comfortable in my own body and even more passionate about fitness then ever. Thanks to The Venus Index I am happy being me and very proud of my achievements.

Many Thanks,
Carlie Ackerman

 

"Lately someone referred to me as 'The girl with the muscles' and that made me smile"

“Lately someone referred to me as ‘The girl with the muscles’
and that made me smile”

 

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

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

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?

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more…

 

Kerry Takes Venus Workouts and the Community on the Road for Success

Today we are honored to listen to Kerry Zeilinger who placed fourth in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.

 

I don't think Kerry realized that her true shape was an incredibly beautiful hour glass shape.

I don’t think Kerry realized that her true shape was an incredibly beautiful hour glass shape.

 

"I knew I was gaining weight but I didn't realize it was up to that level."

“I knew I was gaining weight but I didn’t realize it was up to that level.”
For most of us the 12 week contest is only a small window or one stop at a train station while en route to the rest of our life in our total transformation.

 

"I knew I had to either get a different career, or I had to find a way to take my fitness process on the road with me."

“I knew I had to either get a different career, or I had to find a way to take my fitness process on the road with me.”

 

Kerry got exactly to her Venus Ideal metrics at the end of the 12 week contest.

Kerry got down to her Venus Ideal metrics at the end of the 12 week contest.

 

Since Kerry was alone on the road with her job she relied on the Venus Community to be her family and support.

Since Kerry was alone on the road with her job she relied on the Venus Community to be her family and support.

 

Read what Kerry wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

In 2006, I took a position as a traveling consultant.  For the first year I was in the position, I  ate my meals like I was on a permanent vacation.  I gained 40 pounds in 1 year.  I was miserable at  that weight and knew I had to change how I travel.  I was still traveling so it was my attitude and  perception that had to change.

I made progress by the time I came to Venus but I was not doing the amount of strength training that  I needed to really scorch and sculpt my body.  My progress was extremely slow over the course of  years.  I was happy the weight was coming off but unhappy with the shape of my body.  I would always  say ‘Well I travel for a living’.  This is just once more excuse to add to the millions we hear every  day.

I decided that I was tired of making travel my excuse to getting to my desired body.  I really wasn’t  sure I would be able to speed up the process but I was going to give it my all.  Now that I have been  through the transformation, I realize traveling has advantages and disadvantages.

I love the Circuits and I think they actually fit my workout personality.  This meant I would stick  with strength training longer than I ever have.  I combined the Circuits with High Interval Intensity Training and Steady State cardio.  I  really think this was MY answer.  Part of it was having the deadline.  But, I also think my  perceptions have changed quite a bit since learning of Venus Index, Eat Stop Eat, and Anything Goes Diet.  The support on the  community is spectacular.  I don’t post as often as I like but I always know there will be support  and truly honest opinions when I need the truth.

 

Kerry's slick new shape now matches her slick car.  I am partial to this particular car myself.

Now Kerry’s slick fun new shape matches her slick fun car. I am partial to this particular model car myself.

 

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

A Day in the Life of a Venus; Roberta

Roberta at over 171 pounds on the beach and at the end of her transformation at 114 pounds.

I was over 171 pounds in the beach picture.  At the end of my transformation I weight 114 pounds.

Realizing you are obese and need to take action is daunting

It is a humbling experience to suddenly realize you reached obesity and know it’s time to take action. It’s daunting. Many of us in the Venus community remember that feeling all too well.  Even though Randy says he always loved me and I was always his beautiful wife even back then, we jokingly refer to the beach picture as “The beached whale picture”.

Randy likes to joke about it with me but he will never allow disparaging talk.  He is happy for my success, but he reminds me that I was always his pretty wife.  We were on a vacation together when he snapped that picture of my on a beach in Bermuda.

During my weight loss phase starting at over 197 pounds and getting down to 114 pounds I tended to eat around the same amount of calories nearly every day including weekends.

Now I like to look at calories over time (7 days, 30 days, and 90 days), but back then it was easier to think of it daily.  That worked for me then.

This is my current 30 day picture. There is a "vacation bump", some normal "eat up" days, and a stress eating day when I worked a 17 hour shift this last weekend, and some deficit days.

Now I like to look at my calories over time.  This is my current 30 day picture. There is a “vacation bump”, some normal “eat up” days, some stress eating days (one when I worked a 17 hour shift this last weekend), and some deficit days.

What I ate for weight loss

I was at my peak of obesity when I fanatically ate 100% organic food.  Yes even “clean” food, too much food is too much food. 171 pounds is obese for a 5’1″ female.  I also lost all my weight eating 100% organic food.  By organic I mean foods bought in a organic co-op in Nevada City, California called Briar Patch.  I only purchased grass feed meat and true free range poultry from a local farm, or wild caught fish.  Most of my produce was from local farms, as were the organic dairy products.  Because of the Anything Goes Diet I know you don’t need to eat all organic to lose weight, it’s just what I did at that time.

I started out NOT counting calories.  I simply ate on desert plates and ate what felt to me like very small portions.  I ate breakfast because I didn’t know any better, and I stopped eating at 7pm each evening.  I learned that if I wanted to lose weight I had to feel hunger and it was really hard.  Many nights I went to bed feeling hungry.

I ate three meals a day and usually one snack, sometimes two snacks.

After months of losing weight at a fairly steady rate I learned to eyeball the amount of food needed to make this consistently happen.  If I was hungry and ate my portions by 3pm or 5pm I realized I had to stop eating for the day if I wanted to keep progressing.  After stopping my eating early many times I suddenly realized that I was fasting for the first time in my life.

Fasting is something I thought I could never do. I called the success I bumbled upon “mini meals” and “mini fasts”.

I did step on the scale every morning.  I went for long periods of time where my weight stayed the same, then it randomly dropped.  It was a slow process that took about two years.

Breakfast

A typical breakfast for me was black tea with liquid French vanilla stevia or English toffee stevia and 2-3 ounces of meat previously cooked in the crock pot or baked.  I would take the meat out of the fridge and heat it with broth and spices, and pour it over tomato and avocado slices.

Sometimes I had a fried egg with tomato and avocado or hummus.  I might have oatmeal with a small dab of butter, a tsp of raw honey, cooked with sliced apple.

Lunch or Dinner

The rest of the day some combination of the following foods listed below.  My estimate is that it was around 1000 calories a day, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

A typical lunch for me was 2-3 ounces of taco meat, organic free range chicken or beef that I had cooked myself, 1/2 ounce of raw organic cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato or salsa, sometimes some avocado, one or two sprouted corn tortillas (usually only one tortilla), fresh cilantro and fresh squeezed lemon or lime.

Sometimes my lunch might be chicken or beef or fish, 1/2 avocado, half an ounce of raw cheddar cheese, any combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, beets.  Sometimes I make it into a salad and instead of a tortilla I have cinnamon toast.  Sometimes my lunch might be a fried egg, hummus, veggies with lemon, and cinnamon toast.

Other foods that I drew from for lunch or dinner were:  Greek yogurt with vanilla stevia, cottage cheese, homemade hummus, celery, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, fresh steamed beets, one fried egg (cooked in a very small dab of butter or ghee), or an ounce or so of almonds, or 2-3 macadamia nuts.

Supplements

I’m older so I take vitamin supplements which includes whole-food calcium/magnesium, vitamin D3 and K2.  That combo seems to take care of the various muscle cramps I get in my legs, back, chest, and stomach muscles.  I also take a zero calorie electrolyte powder mixed with water and flavored stevia.

Sometimes I would mix 2 ounces of yogurt, liquid vanilla stevia, and a couple tablespoons of milled chia fiber replacement because I needed more fiber.  That seemed to be really satisfying.

I take a sports vitamin with Glucosamine, MSN, and Chondroitin for the arthritis in my hips.

My favorite carbs

An organic sprouted corn tortilla or flour tortilla,  oatmeal with 1 tbs raw honey.  Occasionally I would have an apple or watermelon.  My favorite treat was one slice of sourdough bread toasted with a very small dab of raw butter, a small dab of raw honey, and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Snacks

For a snack if I needed it:

  • celery and not more than one ounce raw cheddar cheese
  • carrots and not more than four tablespoons hummus
  • Greek yogurt and vanilla stevia
  • Any green vegetable with fresh squeezed lemon and garlic
  • A fried egg and some hummus
  • hard boiled egg
  • string cheese and 2-3 macadamia nuts
  • Watermelon, apple, pear, nectarine, or peach
  • one ounce of almonds

My favorite treat was a Starbucks oatmeal cookie

Sometimes if I felt I needed a treat I would have just protein and veggies for lunch, maybe a taco salad without the tortilla, and stop by at Starbucks for an oatmeal cookie and coffee before going to the gym.

Drinks

I usually drink over a gallon of water a day because it makes me feel good and wards off headaches. I drink a lot of green tea and herbal tea all day with plain powdered stevia.

Eat Stop Eat

Once I learned about Eat Stop Eat I prolonged my 15-17 hour fasts into a couple of 24 hour fasts a week.  I started skipping breakfast and then was able to eat later in the day.  I still ate the same foods.

Workouts

Once I started Venus workouts I did them nearly every day.  I only take days off when I feel I need the rest or I have overall fatigue, being sore never stopped me.  I also ran 3-5 miles nearly every day, only taking days off when I was too fatigued or my legs were too sore from the Venus workouts.  I always put running in 2nd place once I started Venus;  lift first, then run.

My favorite food brands

  • Food for Life sprouted Corn tortillas
  • Truckee Sourdough Company sourdough bread
  • Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal
  • Sweetleaf liquid flavored stevia or plain powdered stevia
  • Tazo Awake black tea
  • Numi Emperor’s Puerh organic black tea blend
  • Revolution Acai green tea
  • Tazo organic spicy ginger tea
  • Local farm meat, poultry, and dairy
  • Homemade hummus I bought organic chick peas which I soaked, cooked, and blended at home.

I’m now in the “taper” part of The Reverse Taper Diet

My diet evolved a little over time and tends to shift.  I started tracking my calories after I reached my goal and was in maintenance.  Like most people I floundered a bit at the beginning of maintenance.  I found I couldn’t simply “eat less” like I could when I was losing weight. I had truly entered the “taper” part of the Reverse Taper Diet.

Some sample menu’s from my weight loss phase

Ideas and menu’s from other successful Venus’s

Several other successful Venus ladies have said they would share what worked for them so we will be sharing more soon.  If you are a previous contest winner, or a successful “shadow contest” Venus and you have something you think would be helpful feel free to email me.

For today we have Eri who has a little bit to share:

Eri is a beautiful lady who shadowed one of our recent contests, she got down to her ideal metrics, and now she is successfully learning to maintain.

Eri is a beautiful Venus lady who shadowed one of our recent contests.  She got down to her ideal metrics and now she is successfully learning to maintain.

Eri’s menu

1000 calore day:
breakfast:  Coffee and toast (80 calories)
Lunch: 1 cup white rice (242 calories), 2 chicken tenders (220 calories), raw veggie stick (60 calories)
Dinner: tilapia (100 calories), 1 tsp. olive oil (100 calories), 1 cup rice (242 calalories)
Snack: sugar free cocoa (25 calories), 2-3 sugar free candy (10 calories)

1200 calorie day:
The same as 1000 calorie day plus ONE the following:
Cream cheese Danish (200 calories)
Or Avocado (200 calories)
Or 1/4 cup Mixed nuts (190 calories)

1500 calorie day:
The same as 1200 calorie day PLUS
2 Eggs (150 calories)
1/2 Avocado (150 calories)
1/4 cup Mixed nuts (190 calories)

 

Until next time, make good choices.

-Ro (roberta.saum@gmail.com)

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

We all deal with distorted body image to some extent.

We all deal with distorted body image to some extent.

We all deal with distorted body image to some extent.  I’ve found that opening up to friends about it really helps as well as listening to how others I trust view me.  It all gets better over time.   We just keep working on being the best we can be; mind, body, and spirit.

 

What can you do about having a distorted body image?

  • Do we all struggle with distorted body image to some extent?
  • Will talking about how you feel help?
  • Is it possible for you remove the emotional baggage associated with your body?
  • You can turn this into a positive mindset that works for you.
  • Find your own positive, self loving, self talk that is motivating for you.
  • Opening up to others can help.

 

Nicola and John talk about what to do to about having a distorted body image.

Dr. Nicola Bird

Nicola’s Online Program

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

  Adam Lane

How to Go from Good to Great at age 60; Interview with Lorraine

Today we are honored to listen to Lorraine Gearhart who placed tenth in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.

 

Lorraine likes the Venus Systems for the health benefits.

Lorraine likes the Venus Systems for the health benefits.

 

It may not seem like a lot, but at almost 60 years old ,  juggling a business and elderly parents Lorraine managed to build muscle as well as lose fat in 12 weeks.

It may not seem like a lot, but at almost 60 years old and juggling a business and elderly parents Lorraine managed to build muscle as well as lose fat in 12 weeks.

 

Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I've seen in  the last month! People spontaneously talk to me about fitness, try to guess my age – delightful!

Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I’ve seen in the last month!
People spontaneously talk to me about fitness, try to guess my age – delightful!

 

Read what Lorraine wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

How great can it be to become a Venus? More importantly, how can you get there without having to do  the impossible?

In my case, the Venus transformation promises seemed literally too good to be true. I’ve got siblings  who are crippled with osteoporosis, overweight, who’ve literally thrown in the towel on ever getting  themselves in any kind of shape ever again. I want to inspire them, I could see the incentives before  me.

I’ve got a loving husband who celebrates any achievement I make, and I sure didn’t want to arrive at  age 60 with a hunched back and no bone density. Of course, it’s rarely that easy. Getting nutrition  and training down to a science, well sure, but you need to balance that against being self-employed  and having a hundred obligations outside of simply improving and shaping a physique.

A real balancing act, complete with having parents into and out of the hospital ICU, a million other  obligations, and a need to stay motivated and focused at all times. That said, we’re celebrating a  real success, since in a mere 12 weeks I’ve managed to shed excess fat, shape up to more ideal  proportions, and add a good bit of lean mass.

Can I strut down the runway with girls half my age? Maybe. It’s only been 12 weeks after all. More  importantly, have I gained in health, have I achieved proper proportion, do people notice it and  complement me on it every day. OH, YEAH, BABY!!!

Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I’ve seen in  the last month! People spontaneously talk to me about fitness, try to guess my age – delightful! Not  to mention, my Adonis really likes the changes I’ve made!

 

We're celebrating a  real success, since in a mere 12 weeks I've managed to shed excess fat, shape up to more ideal  proportions, and add a good bit of lean mass.

We’re celebrating a real success, since in a mere 12 weeks I’ve managed to shed excess fat, shape up to more ideal proportions, and add a good bit of lean mass.

 

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

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A Venus at 40 has a body a teenager would die for; Meet Jenny

Jenny Weaks is one of our Venus winners.  She just turned 40 recently and feels better about herself now then any other time in her life.  Not only that, she has a body a teenager would die for!

Jenny Weaks is one of our Venus winners. She just turned 40 recently and feels better about herself now then any other time in her life. Not only that, she has a body a teenager would die for!

 

Jenny Weaks is one of our previous contest winners.  She is learning to maintain now using the Venus Systems and community.  Like many of us she worked hard for many years and found that running and working out hard are not enough to give you the shape you need.  You can’t outrun or outwork too many calories.

She recently celebrated her 40th Birthday.  Happy Birthday Jenny! She has a special story to tell about how she feels as a Venus at age 40.

 

I’ll admit it.  I’m hard to shop for.  I like what I like and usually if I REALLY like it, I’m probably not going to wait around on a special occasion.  Luckily my husband enjoys the challenge and this being a BIG year, he didn’t disappoint.

You’re probably thinking a fancy watch or a romantic trip, but it was something so much more than that.  On the morning of my 40th birthday he sent me down a walk on memory lane.  He had conspired with my mom and been scouring my library of personal photos.

There were pictures from my second birthday.  There were pictures from vacations, births, holidays, awful matching outfits, HUGE hair and posed family portraits.  It really was a sweet gift and my mom gave him photos that I hadn’t ever seen.

 

My husband...

My husband… On the morning of my 40th birthday he sent me down a walk on memory lane.  He had conspired with my mom and been scouring my library of personal photos.

 

Having struggled with my weight my entire life, it is sometimes difficult to see myself in pictures.  The adorable years were there, but a lot of them were from the last fifteen years.  Those are the pictures that I stared at the longest.  I was never obese, but I was also never skinny or lean.

 

 There were girls heavier than me in school, but it seemed the majority of the girls just didn’t even have to think about their weight.

There were girls heavier than me in school, but it seemed the majority of the girls just didn’t even have to think about their weight.

 

Look at me on that diving board.  I was in fourth grade and already pretty fluffy.  There were girls heavier than me in school, but it seemed the majority of the girls just didn’t even have to think about their weight.

Don’t get me wrong.   I have been able to see the positives in my body along the way.  I was a successful athlete in high school and was offered an opportunity to play at the college level.  I chose to take an academic scholarship and work, but  I always worked out and I was always strong.

 

Jenny in 2008 at the Chicago marathon.

Jenny in 2008 at the Chicago marathon.

 

I also  knew deep down that my body could be better.  Look at my race picture from the Chicago marathon in 2008.  I had been running for almost 10 years at that point and my youngest child was 4. I was diagnosed hypothyroid a few years before that and I had hoped it would be the magic pill for me.

I counted calories and worked out, but I could never get below 150.  I did get down to 145 a few times, but that was it.  All those years of beating my head against the wall of 150 and it turns out it was so simple.

Even with all the logs and calorie counting, I was eating too much.  I had read book after book and magazine articles galore.

I thought I had to eat 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day spaced out evenly to keep my metabolism “stoked”.   Essentially I had become a master at maintenance.

I was willing to try anything.  I had tried almost everything, but  in November of 2012 I bought the reverse taper diet.  I was blown away and by December I was already past the wall of 150.

I thought I had to eat 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day spaced out evenly to keep my metabolism “stoked”.   Essentially I had become a master at maintenance.

I thought I had to eat 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day spaced out evenly to keep my metabolism “stoked”. Essentially I had become a master at maintenance.

 

I had joined

Not only will I never see 150 again, but I will never see 140 again.

 

I signed up for Venus in December and  by the end of VT7 I was at 123 pounds.  I have been in striking distance of  that since.  There have been parties, holidays, and vacations and I enjoyed every one of them.

Not only will I never see 150 again, but I will never see 140 again.   I drove off to work that morning and I had all of these things swirling in my head.  There had been all this anticipation leading up to the actual day I turned 40.  I wanted to have this huge blowout party and mark the occasion with a piece of jewelry that I bought for myself, but neither of those happened.

No doubt I will get that special piece of jewelry for myself at some point this year, but in the car that day, sitting in traffic, it hit me.  I was the best version of myself.

That at 40, I had a better body than I did in high school or when I turned 21.

Even better than that, I have this knowledge to carry with me forever and that gives me the control to be whatever weight I want to be at and to shape my body however I choose.

It’s not always easy, but it really is that simple.

Jenny Weaks

I have this knowledge to carry with me forever and that gives me the control to be whatever weight I want to be at and to shape my body however I choose.

I have this knowledge to carry with me forever and that gives me the control to be whatever weight I want to be at and to shape my body however I choose.

There Is Always A Workaround to Achieve Fitness; Says Daphne, Mother of Ten

Today we are honored to listen to Daphne Dyson who placed ninth in the 8th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Daphne overcame a myriad of health issues and years of pregnancy to achieve her goals.  She said there is always a workaround; there is always something you can do.

Daphne overcame a myriad of health issues and years of pregnancy to achieve her goals. She said there is always a workaround; there is always something you can do.

 

Eight pounds and four inches in twelve weeks is darn good progress for a female with all the adversity Daphne faced and hurdled.  This is more the reality that most women face with weight loss.

Eight pounds and four inches in twelve weeks is darn good progress for a female with all the adversity Daphne faced and hurdled.
This is more the reality that most women face with weight loss.

 

I love Venus for the straightforward, scientifically-supported simplicity; do hard work in the gym this way, cut calories as is best for your body and lifestyle, and results will come.

“I love Venus for the straightforward, scientifically-supported simplicity; do hard work in the gym this way, cut calories as is best for your body and lifestyle, and results will come.”

 

Read what Daphne wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

The Venus lifestyle: diet to lose fat, workout to gain beauty and strength. Simple, uncluttered, fits into my life, I don’t have to fit my life in around my diet.

I no longer quietly dread that future moment when I give up trying to lose weight anymore, because I cannot keep up with the recommended 3 mini-meals + 3 snacks. With a large family I just do not  have that much time to plan out all those meals and snacks; when I tried to do so, inevitably I ended up overeating. Now, if I want to eat well with my family, I can. Then I quietly reduce my calories at other times, to keep within my weekly calorie budget. This is so different from the conventional way of looking at dieting as a daily thing!

With Venus Factor, there is an end to dieting, and soon I will be able to afford to eat more calories with pleasure and freedom. I am on this journey toward weight loss and strength and it is doable, and I now know deep down that maintaining will be doable too, once I reach my goals.

Aspiring to achieve my personal golden proportions gives me a concrete, measurable goal to work toward; the scale is no longer the only way to see if I am going to be more or less attractive while working so hard in the gym! Do I expect to achieve those numbers perfectly, especially the waist measurement? Well, no, I have had 10 kids after all!

I love Venus for the straightforward, scientifically-supported simplicity; do hard work in the gym this way, cut calories as is best for your body and lifestyle, and results will come.

Finding ESE and Venus Index have been life-changing for me.  Entering a transformation contest is something I’ve only thought about for a long time, that I did not have my diet under control was THE factor that held me back, and having the Golden Ration metrics gave me a wonderful look/goal to strive for.

I give you all my heart-felt gratitude for putting all your experience and  science-based information into a program that is straight-forward, and doable for the rest of my  life!  I hope Venus/Adonis continue to prosper, so that others can change their own lives, as my  family and I have!

Warmly,

Daphne Dyson

Daphne with her family when she was pregnant with number nine.

Daphne with her family when she was pregnant with number nine.  After this pregnancy Daphne reached her peak weight gain at 153 pounds which was devastating to an athlete like her.  It took approximately one year for her to get down to 138 pounds.  Daphne said Eat Stop Eat and the tools provided by the Venus system are helping sustain her progress.

 

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

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