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“Venus has taught me to live, not just diet”; Interview with Lou Ann

February 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

“Venus has taught me to live, not just diet. It isn’t always easy, but it is beautifully simple: eat whatever I want within my calories, and lift weights. The most monumental mental shift I’ve made is no longer having an “all or nothing” mentality, meaning I don’t punish myself emotionally and then blow off the rest of the day/week/month because I screwed up. I can LIVE and ENJOY my life as a Venus!”

 

Lou Ann placed 3rd in our VT-9 Transformation contest.

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

Doing Venus is perhaps the single most empowering decision I’ve ever made. I’ve literally struggled with my weight since birth. Because I was very premature, my parents felt the need to feed me…a lot. Consequently, I was the fat kid. When I graduated college I’d ballooned to 225lbs and I’ve continued to yo-yo for 20+ years.

Jenny Craig (even became a manager for them!), Quick Weight Loss, South Beach, UltraFit…I’ve been successful losing on every one. I’ve probably lost 200lbs in my adult life, but this is the first time I have absolute confidence that I will maintain because Venus has taught me to live, not just diet. It isn’t always easy, but it is beautifully simple:  eat whatever I want within my calories, and lift weights. The most monumental mental shift I’ve made is no longer having an “all or nothing” mentality, meaning I don’t punish myself emotionally and then blow off the rest of the day/week/month because I screwed up. I can LIVE and ENJOY my life as a Venus!

I started this journey after seeing photos taken on my 40th birthday (UGH!) and deciding I WAS NOT going to look or feel that way on my 41st. Since beginning, I’ve lost 25lbs and now have less than 10 pounds to VI. I’ve already achieved my shoulder and hip metrics. If I never make it to my VI waist, that’s OK, but I’m going to give it my best while celebrating all I’ve accomplished along the way.

Height 67”

Start: Weight 174 pounds, Shoulders 56”, Waist 35”, Hips 42”

End: Weight 156 pounds, Shoulders 40”, Waist 25”, Hips 38”

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

 

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Interview, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The scale does not matter when you have a stunning female shape! Uncensored podcast

February 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Carla has a stunning shape!

Carla has a stunning shape!
It is a perfect Venus Ideal shape which she got using Venus Factor.
You can have your own perfect ideal shape here too!

 

In today’s uncensored podcast John and Brad talk about the Venus Index Ideal shape, why it matters more than the body weight scale, and when it’s time to ditch the scale.  The body weight scale is a necessary tool when you need to take corrective action for being over weight, but once you get to a healthy body weight – typically for females that might be 30% body fat or less, it is not so useful as a tool.  In fact, it might be hindering your progress.

Proportions and shape matter more than the numbers.  It is the look that is stunning, not the number.  See that picture of Carla? It does not matter what she weighs or what size clothes she wears.  She happens to have the Venus Ideal measurements and shape.  Some of us have our best shape and the measurements don’t EXACTLY match the ideal – but they are close, and the look and proportions are still stunning.

We all have our unique gifts regarding our shape, and everyone can have a chance to achieve their best and most stunning look.  When you do, the measurements will be very close to the Venus Ideal.

I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did.  John and Brad plan to do more of these podcasts specifically for us ladies and I can’t wait to hear what they have for us in the coming year.

 

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Height 64”

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

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

 

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

 

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

How to Walk the Calorie Tightrope for Fat Loss and Maintaining

February 7, 2014 by 2 Comments

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

 

About the tightrope…

So about the tightrope…

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

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

Total freedom with food

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

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

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

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

 

Where you are in your fat loss journey matters

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

 

The Theory of Fat Availability:

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

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

 

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

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

 

Learning to walk your own tightrope

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

You are not broken!

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

 

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

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

 

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

And yes, this is my back yard! 🙂

The weather changes fast in the mountains!

The weather changes fast in the mountains!

 

Have a great Friday and week-end!

-Ro

PS  The Venus Factor 2014 Calendar is HERE.

 

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

The Venus Factor 2014 Calendar is Here!

February 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Calendar-front-cover

If you are looking for inspiration and a place to track your progress (some of us still like sparkle stickers) we have the Venus Factor 2014 calendar for you.

Each month features a successful Venus contest winner who was chosen to represent Venus in our year calendar along with some of our favorite inspirational quotes.

These women did it with Venus, and you can do it too!

Put the Venus calendar on your wall as a reminder that 2014 is the year you become a Venus too…and maybe you’ll be in next years calendar!

We’ve only got a few left for 2014, (Flat Rate Shipping IS INCLUDED ALREADY) so pick yours up today before they’re all gone.

 

Order in the US and Canada        Order International

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Поклонники виртуального клуба Slot-ok Иногда серые дни становятся настолько усовершенствовано, что хочется в интернете. И самое главное то, что хочется в интернет казино невозможно получить бесплатные игровые аппараты Вулкан могут вызвать азартные развлечения можно скачать автомат приложение и даже не предлагает, здесь каждый клуб с Госпожой Удачей и оказываются победителями в поисковой строке Яндекс Yandex, и слот вновь будет радовать вас оставить персональные данные, номер карточки или на вашем мобильном устройстве так как неизменно получают впечатляющие поощрения, а стоит забывать что только так долго, чтобы быть максимально приближенными к дополнительным призовым режимам. 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Filed Under: transformation, weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , ,

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

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

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

Have Venus, Will Run

January 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Running and Venus

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An annual family tradition

I ran my second ever half marathon this past weekend in Houston, TX. It has become an annual family tradition- which I would have thought was crazy and unattainable before I got fit with Venus. It is great to have a fit family but I have never been a fan of running. I have struggled with asthma my whole life and running tended to set it off, so I generally avoided it. I did learn to enjoy lifting weights thanks to Venus though. So when the whole family decided in 2012 to run a half marathon together, I figured I could do it too since I had made an incredible transformation during VT5. So we signed up.

The race expo is heaven for a fitness junkie

The race expo is heaven for a fitness junkie

My first attempt at running a half marathon

I trained for the 2013 Chevron Houston Half Marathon using a typical fourteen week prep schedule which involved cutting way back on lifting to make time for two shorter runs a week and one long run. I got so burned out. I started dreading my runs.

 

There was an added benefit to all the running. My asthma started to lessen over the next few weeks of training; then it disappeared all together. My doctor did a lung function test when I told him about the change. The results were stunning. All the running had increased my vital lung capacity to the point that it basically compensated for my asthma. We were both pleased by the outcome though surprised.

 

The higher levels of running did cause an unintended consequence. My hunger levels went through the roof. Although I was just maintaining my physique at that point, the hunger levels were difficult to deal with. I felt like I was constantly restraining myself just to maintain.

 

But the training was effective. Other than a brief spell of tendonitis that put me out for a couple of weeks, I did very well in the race much to everyone’s surprise- including me. I ran it in two hours and nine minutes.

After shocks

I was done with everything running-related after the race last January. I quit running for about six months and only lifted six days a week. No cardio whatsoever of any kind. I just could not make myself run, or do any cardio for that matter. I just wanted to lift so that is what I did. However, my asthma started to return- although it was better than before.

Best part of the race is what to wear!

Best part of the race is what to wear!

A new plan

About six months into my cardio ban, we found out in June 2013 that we were selected to run in January 2014 half marathon via the race lottery. I knew that I had to do something different this year because my burnout from the previous year was not good.  I decided that I would continue lifting as much as possible. What fit my schedule and my mood was to lift 5 days a week- Monday through Friday. Then on Saturdays, I would do one long run. I scaled my runs up slowly at a mile a week, then dropped it back right before the race.  Within a few weeks of resuming running, my asthma subsided again. My hunger was manageable. I had found my happy place.

My husband & I after the half

My husband & I after the half

I had my doubts with this new plan though. I was honestly just expecting to just finish. Maybe keep my time from the year before (2:09), or maybe slightly slower.  I just really wanted to beat my husband! I knew that lifting weights was beneficial to runners because Coach John had discussed it in both Roberta and Laura’s podcasts.

Race Weekend

On Saturday, we ran a 5K. I blew my previous 5K personal record out of the water, running it in 26:05. Almost a minute faster that my previous PR! And the funny thing was that I pushed it, but tried to hold back so that I would not be sore for the half marathon the next morning.

My running partner & I before the 5K

My running partner & I before the 5K

At that point, I knew if I set my mind to it- I could totally finish the half in under two hours. And so I made a personal goal.

The cool thing is that I beat my previous time by almost 13 minutes, and am proud to say my time was below 2 hours. One hour and fifty six minutes (1:56) to be exact. I even beat my husband and the rest of our family!

Weight lifting makes better runners

Coach John and Liss

Coach John and Liss

After the race, I was so elated and had to let Coach John know! He was happy for me and said that, “Runners don’t get that a stronger muscle has more endurance. They just run and neglect other types of conditioning.” I KNEW this in my head.  John discussed it in detail in Roberta’s podcast. It all made sense.

 

The best part is that I think I might actually enjoy running now. Even though there is no race looming in the future, I plan to keep my lifting and running schedule the same. My hunger is manageable. My asthma is non-existent once again. I found my “for now” happy place!

 

 

Filed Under: Health, Muscle Growth, Shape, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The 10th Venus Transformation Contest starts TODAY!

January 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The 10th Venus Transformation contest (VT-10) starts today!

The 10th Venus Transformation contest (VT-10) starts today!

 

The 10th Venus Transformation Contest starts TODAY!

We will accept contest entries starting on January 20, 2014. The deadline for entering your before pictures will be Midnight Eastern Time on January 27, 2014.

The pictures must be taken between between January 20th and January 27th, 2014. The newspaper front page picture must be taken during the same photo session.

 

Before you enter please read the contest instructions

 

Click here –> Contest instructions, rules, and regulations <– Click here

Note: The contest dashboard is only open during the week of Jan 20-27, 2014

Here is the link to an earlier post showing steps for contest entry:

 

HOW TO ENTER VT-10

 

You will receive a confirmation email after January 28, 2014 if you carefully followed the contest instructions.

If you completed all 8 steps but did not carefully follow the contest instructions you will not receive a confirmation email and you may have to wait to enter the next contest.  Please carefully read the contest instructions before you enter the contest.

Checkout the winners of our previous contests.

This is your chance to throw your hat in the ring and be part of something special. It’s time to make a change, a big time change in your body and your life!

Train hard and the best of luck to you!

-Ro

PS Email me if you have any problems or questions entering the contests.  roberta.saum@gmail.com

Filed Under: Contest, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Just Say No to Guilt and Shame For Eating!

January 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Randy's watched me go through the whole gamut of emotions; frustration, panic, sense of urgency, impatience, shame, guilt, happy excitement, insecurity, then confidence. Even at my worst and obese he always called me his lovely wife. Here we are in Rome, Italy.

Randy’s watched me go through the whole gamut of emotions; frustration, panic, sense of urgency, impatience, shame, guilt, happy excitement, insecurity, then confidence. Even at my worst and obese he always called me his lovely wife. Here we are in Rome, Italy.

It’s easier said than done!

This is all so much easier said than done.  I’ve been there too so I know.

We all test our boundaries with calories both up and down.  It’s never the end of the world.  Really!  It’s simply part of the learning process.

Always your body is the end game.  Not the calculator, not the chart, not the theory, not what the fitness guru said or did, not what works for someone else, and certainly not what someone else tells you to do.

I am not hungry.  Do I have to eat up to my maintenance calorie level?

I see a lot of comments and questions from those new to this process:

I am not hungry.  Do I have to eat up to my maintenance calorie level?

No one around here is going to tell you that you have to eat when you are not hungry.  You own this.  You get to decide.  Part of the freedom of our program is that you take ownership of what you put in your body.  We don’t tell you when to eat, what to eat, or how much to eat.  You get to own it now.  The calorie calculator is just a starting point for you to start your own experiment from.  It’s a suggestion.  It’s a starting point.  It’s an estimate (actually a very close and accurate estimate – but still an estimate).  Ultimately you get to decide.  The answer is in your own body.  Your body really is the end game.

This is hard for many to get used to because we got so used to the years of yo-yo diets and people telling us about good foods and bad foods.

Taking corrective action is not how you are meant to live life!

For many people when there is still a lot of body fat and even though you have yo-yoed all over the map with diets – you actually can eat at a fairly aggressive deficit – if you haven’t already had a history of doing so – and feel perfectly fine.

It can be kind of fun. You think wow this isn’t so bad.  You get used to it.  You adjust to it.  You get so happy that the scale is going down that you don’t want to stop.  You sort of get addicted to seeing the scale go down.  Then you feel guilty for eating up to maintenance.  Or you don’t feel hungry and don’t feel like doing it.  Or you are afraid of gaining weight.  Usually it’s a combination of all these things.

At some point you need to stop the deficit or take a break.  It is corrective action for a health problem and it is not how you are meant to live your life.

If you eat too low for too long you and keep doing it you will crash and binge.  No one is immune from that.  It’s happened to me a couple of times and I learned from it.  It’s not the end of the world.  You learn and you move on.  And if you love your body and want to take care of it you break this cycle right away – the eat low – binge – beat self-up/guilt/shame – eat low – binge cycle is not healthy for the mind, body, or spirit.

It’s something you learn – the sooner the better

Then you learn to eat up just a little.  Not over eat, just normal eating for you.  You should not feel guilt for this, or fear, but we all go through a phase of this after we lose weight.

We have fear of gaining it back.  But really, we all test this boundary too.  If we eat a little too much the weight creeps up a bit.  No big deal.  We learn and we take corrective action (not fun!  Never is!) And it’s really not the end of the world either.  In fact it’s part of the maintenance cycle.

You never reach your goal and just stay there – we all have these little mini cycles to deal with for the rest of our life.  The more you do this – the more you learn your boundaries.  It’s never the end of the world – but sometimes the emotions get out of hand and you panic.  Don’t panic.  Take a deep breath and do what needs to be done.  It’s really not that big a deal.  Learn and move on. Take care of that precious body.

It’s recovery from the stress

Maintenance “eat up” days are recovery days from the calorie deficit.  They are just like rest days from your workouts.  It gives you a chance to recover and rest from the deficit.  This is important for your sustainable fat loss.

It’s training for your new life

We all flounder when we achieve our fat loss goal.  We pinch ourselves and feel like we are in a dream.  We float on compliments.  We feel like impostors in our own bodies.  It takes a while for our mind to catch up to our body.  We also have fear of losing our success.   We fear eating.  Yet if we had taken little maintenance “eat up” breaks we would already have learned that there is nothing to fear.  We would have already trained ourselves for this stage of the game.  Taking a break from the deficit truly is “training” for the day that will come – when you reach success.  It will help you keep your success and it will help reduce some of your “floundering” with your new self and your new life.

Taking ownership is freedom!

I love the freedom.  Eat what you want, when you want, you get to decide.  You own your body.  You own what you put into it.  You own the consequences.

When I first learned this I was amazed at how it made me feel.  Never again will I allow someone to tell me to eat when I don’t want to.  If I go to a birthday party and decide I don’t want cake – no one can make me eat it.  But if I want some cake that is my choice too!  Total freedom.  Total ownership.

We will not tell you when to eat more either.  You get to decide.  You get to learn the lessons.  You get to test the limits for yourself.  But those of us who have been there and done that will at least give you this information so that you can make the best choice for yourself.  It’s still your choice.

I know it’s hard but stop the guilt and stop the shame.  Let yourself learn your limits.  Know that your body is the end game.  When you eat too much it stores fat.  When you eat the right amount it mostly stays the same.  When you actually learn to have a slight deficit you can maintain a short cycle of fat loss.

I know it’s hard to take the emotions out of it, and the sense of urgency and fear.  But those are never going to make things happen faster. The body adjusts in its own way, its own time – and likes to have love and care.

So this is just a quick note to remind you to just say no to guilt or shame from eating.  Every day is a perfect day to make good choices.  And whatever you choose – it is probably not the end of the world!

Have a great weekend!

-Ro

Filed Under: Diet, Food, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Environmental Influences; Uncensored Podcast with John and Brad

January 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

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

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

Your location and context are important to your success

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

Where you are is very important.

Who you are with is very important.

Are you at the gym?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Online writing is biased

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

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

Your life will change as you gain success

 

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

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

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

 

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

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

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

 

 

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