The Aztec Venus Story; Fit And Fabulous At Age 44

Today we are honored to listen to Barbara Highland who placed first in the 7th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her beautiful transformation from the 12 Week Contest:

Barbara is fit and fabulous at age 44!

Barbara is fit and fabulous at age 44!

 

Read what Barbara wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

The Aztec Venus Story…..

I always believed that people who claimed to love the gym were crazy or compulsive liars. Who in his right mind could love being sweating instead of sleeping???

Three years ago I was in the middle of my worst nightmare, after two years of fertility treatments and three miscarriages, my newborn baby just passed away, doctors told me I was unable to carry another pregnancy and was 70 pounds overweight. When you have a baby and you are overweight you don’t care, because every time you see the baby you know it was worth every single pound of fat. But I had no baby, I was grieving, devastated, hopeless, bitter and horribly FAT…I could even see my cellulite with my clothes on!!!

Another year of unsuccessful fertility treatments to get a surrogate mother pregnant didn’t let me loose much of that weight, probably just around 20 pounds. After my last egg retrieval I decided that I was done with treatments and that this was my last one no matter what. I lost 40 pounds very fast and at the same time my surrogate mother got pregnant with one of those eggs, so I was thrilled. I was having a baby and was skinny again….flabby skinny, butt less skinny, but skinny again…..and with a baby on the way!!!!

I started exercising, just cardio and still hating the gym, but this managed to keep my weight off so I thought it was worth the effort. I looked pretty well dressed but I had no tone, no muscles and no butt, so I decided the easy remedy, butt plastic surgery!!!! I started looking for the different options (implants, fat transfer, threads), until  my sweet and loving husband told me that there was no way he was paying for a fake butt and told me that I had two choices, exercising to build it up or paying for it. I had no money, so I had no other choice to stick to the first option and started doing leg press and all the damned glute machines available at my gym, beside my regular (boring to death) cardio routine.

After several months and very mild results on my flat butt, one day I received an email that changed my life. It was John Barban’s with the pictures of the last Venus Index contest. When I saw the pictures I felt jealous of the blonde in the second place and said “I want that body for myself!!!” But I heard the nasty little voice inside me saying “You are too old for that!!!” 

Browsing the pictures of the past contests I saw Roberta and said to myself… “She is very hot and older than me, I have good genes, a lot of discipline and if she could do it, I can do it too.”  I bought the program, went to Christmas vacation and decided to start in January (diets and programs always start on some Monday of January). Roberta became my role model, I even placed her picture on my fridge, with another one of Linda Hamilton’s arms in Terminator 2.

After following the program to the T, here I am now, three months after, 44 years old with the same waist I had in college, with a ten month old baby, fit and strong as ever and with the toned body I always dreamed of (without exercising, of course). I look better than most of the girls I see at he gym that are less than half my age. Thank you John…thank you Roberta….and thank you hubby for not  paying for my fake butt!!!!

Now I belong to the crazy group of people that can’t have a day without hitting the gym. Rest days are a nightmare!!!

Before and after metric data for Barbara

Before and after metric data for Barbara

 

Barbara's before pictures at the start of the 12 week contest.

Barbara’s before pictures at the start of the 12 week contest.

Barbara when she was 50 pounds heavier.

Barbara when she was 50 pounds heavier.

 

Barbara has become addicted to the gym which can be a Venus side effect.

Barbara has become addicted to the gym which can be a Venus side effect.

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

An Original Venus Who Never Gives Up

Today John talks to Tina Roman who placed sixth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Tina Roman before pictures

Tina Roman before the contest

Tina Roman after pictures

Tina Roman after the contest

A tenacious original Venus knows how to stick with the program

Tina is one of original women to try out the Venus Index Workout when it first came out.  She has stuck with it since the beginning.

She got an email from Craig Valentine regarding Eat Stop Eat and that is how she found the Venus Index Workout by John Barban.

Like many of us Tina did the yo-yo on a variety of diets finding most of them complicated and unsustainable.  Tina found the biggest key in the Body Centric Eating Manual which is part of the Venus Index.  No one ever told her she was simply eating too much for her size.  She finally learned something that made sense;  the truth about calories.

Life is not fair but she realized that she had to stop eating the same size portions as her husband.  Portion sizes are designed for 6 foot tall men.

Tina really liked the goal setting metrics that are part of the Venus Index program.  This made sense to her.

Mindset is 90% of the battle

Tina had never had a problem with exercise, in fact she worked really hard and couldn’t seem to lose the fat.  She joined several Venus Index transformation contests and found that with each contest she dropped more weight each time.  Tina found most of the battle to be the mental mindset.  The contests and the Venus Index Community helped her get the mindset she needed to succeed.

Tina also found the the unsensored podcasts to be educational and motivational and attributes much of her success to listening to them.  It didn’t take long for her to want “all in” with the Immersion program.  She sees the value of investing in yourself and deciding you are worth it.

Tina's constant commitment to Venus Index brought her this far!

Tina a few months before the first ever Venus Transformation contest compared to finishing her last contest (VT6).  She has done a fantastic job!

Advice from Tina:

 

Read what Tina wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I was always the thin girl in high school, no more than 100 lbs soaking wet. I started weight training to avoid “girls” gym  … Continue reading here.


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

How To Become A Beautiful Beach Mom

Today John talks to Lisa Stout who placed tenth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Lisa Stout before the contest

Lisa Stout before the contest

Lisa Stout after the contest

Lisa Stout after the contest

A stay at home mom can make it work

Lisa was looking for a jump rope workout routine and found one on Rusty Moore’s Fitness Black Book website.  Rusty had good things to say about the Venus Index Workout so Lisa decided to try it.

She wanted a workout she could do at home while raising her three young children.  Lisa liked the three day Venus Index routine and the fact that all she had to do was follow the well laid out plan by John Barban.

For diet Lisa just followed the calorie estimates listed in the Venus Index program and did a little fasting.  She found she could skip breakfast and didn’t have to eat if she was not hungry.

Even though it was scary for her, Lisa joined the transformation contest to challenge herself.

Lisa found the Venus Index Community helpful because of the fact that it’s all women and that age was not a factor.  She noticed there were plenty of women over 40 years old and busy moms who were successful at their fitness goals and didn’t go to crazy extremes to get there.

 

You don't have to be a fitness model to be confident in a bikini

You don’t have to be a fitness model to be confident in a bikini

You don’t have to be a fitness model to feel confident in a bikini

The contest results were announced on Lisa’s 40th birthday and she was thrilled to have placed in the contest.

Lisa is especially happy because she loves to play at the beach with her kids.  She likes feeling confident in a bathing suit and being able to move and stay active with her children.

Even though her weight and measurements stayed the same, Lisa changed her shape significantly by following the 12 week Venus Index Workout and managing her calorie budget.

Lisa is inspired to try new physical activities and stay fit because of her accomplishments.

Links from the interview:

Advice from Lisa:

 

Read what Lisa wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I finished all twelve weeks of the workout this time. Hooray for me.  The last two weeks
were the most difficult and  … Continue reading here


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

The Creation of a Masterpiece: The Venus

Re-framing Fitness

One thing that eluded me throughout my fitness history was a concept that could have saved me from the beginning. You see most people go to the gym to work off their “eating failures.”  If I could have re-framed what the gym was about, it could have saved me years in getting to the body of my dreams.

venus_goddess_black_236832_l

You choose your statue’s look

Carve and Sculpt at the Gym

The gym is to build muscle and sculpt your body. Period.

I compare it to the carving of a statue. Without weight lifting, you are a blank piece of marble, just another stone in the quarry, nothing unusual.  The beautiful statues that are preserved in museums and studied by scholars the world over all have a sculptor who took time to carefully carve each muscle, getting each angle just right.

The artists used the Golden Ratio which is exactly what John Barban designed into the Venus Index Ideal for goal setting metrics.

This is what weight lifting can do for you- build each muscle until your physique is just right. You can even take down a prominent muscle group if you need to. The end result is a beautiful, well-sculpted body that is pleasing to the human eye.

Showcase your Work with Calories

Your calorie intake is akin to a sheet that covers the statue. It does not matter how much sculpting and time you have put into your statue, you cannot see the details beneath a sheet.  So until you get your intake in check and start bringing down your body fat percentages, that physique is going to be hidden underneath the covering.  As your body fat percentages come down, details will slowly start to show through the covering- collar bones, then bicep muscles, some veins, abs, etc.

Calories are King

Let me re-emphasize that you cannot out train a bad diet. A friend of mine once jokingly said that it takes her 30 hard minutes on a treadmill to burn 300 calories and about 30 seconds to inhale 300 calories of chips.

Do not mix the two:

  • the gym is for sculpting
  • the food is for showcasing the work.

Brad Pilon calls this “Fat Loss Divide and Conquer”

We do not work out to burn calories here at Venus Index, we workout to build our best bodies.   Once I sorted this out I found my success.

Liss found her Golden Ratio Venus Ideal by using the Venus Index goal setting metrics

Liss found her Golden Ratio Venus Ideal by using the Venus Index goal setting metrics

At some point close to the Venus Index Ideal, women usually find a happy medium where they have their best shape.  The “best shape” can be highly individual and is a level that fits your lifestyle; it is different for each person.

This is when your best attributes are showcased, and your calorie intake does not feel restricted.

That is what living at Venus Index should feel like- an everyday Venus.

-Liss

 

Learn To Love The Gym By The Power Of Habit

Today John talks to Jessie T who placed Fourth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Jessie's pictures before the contest

Jessie’s pictures before the contest

Jessie’s pictures after the 12 week contest

It takes awhile for the mind to catch up with the body

Jessie tells John she still remembers herself as over weight with long curly hair.  She has a hard time recognizing herself in the mirror with short hair and being fit now.

It takes a while for the mind to catch up with the body.

She likes what she sees in the mirror now and was thrilled when she first started seeing her own ab definition.

Jessie said she would not have joined the contest if it were not for the Venus Index Community Forum. She said it was the best thing she ever did for herself.

The contest got her motivated to do the Venus Index Workout even though she hated the gym and with it she got amazing results.

All that matters is calories

Like many of us Jessie tried several different eating styles and did not get that all that matters is calories.

She found that most of the diets she looked at seemed to cater towards people’s desire to eat as much as they want;  all the fruit they want or all the fat and protein they want, and the list goes on.

She spent a lot of time finding many ways that did not work.  On some diets she was hindered by restrained eating.

She was sold on the program when she heard John and Brad talk about how there is no secret to weight loss;  eat what you want, just less.

Jessie loved Brad Pilon’s article “Fat Loss Divide and Conquer“and found she loves to fast.

She hated the gym, but now Jessie is a regular there known by name

Jessie had a bad experience at a gym once as so she hated the gym and didn’t really know how to lift weights.

After doing the Venus Index Workout she is not afraid to lift heavy and became a regular at her gym and now they know her by name.

Jessie didn’t have to stop running and in fact completed a half marathon during the contest.  She found that it does not matter if you do cardio or not.

She stopped doing cardio at the end of the contest and it did not hinder her weight loss progress.

Jessie was thrilled when she finally saw her own ab definition

Jessie was thrilled when she finally saw her own ab definition

Pick one thing, the power of habit

At one point after reading all the insane contradictory information in the diet and fitness industry Jessie realized she was paralyzed by analysis.

Once she joined the contest and focused on the workout and calories she realized that one victory spawns another and it starts snowballing into the rest of your life.

One good habit leads to the next as described in a book she read called The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

During the holidays she found if you just pick one thing to keep you on track it really helps.  She never stopped her workouts during the holidays and that kept her on the right path to success.

It is part of the power of habit.

She found that by doing this she learned to be consistent.

Links from the interview:

  • Eat Stop Eat – Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices
  • Original Venus Index Workout – Workout program for women that’s responsible for the most amazing transformations online
  • Venus Index Community – Friendliest and most supportive women’s only fitness community on the Internet

Advice from Jessie:

Read what Jessie wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

VT6 after photos and essay 250 words is by far not long enough to say all the things I
want to say about my experience. So I will simply share the lessons I realized …Continue reading here

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

Transform Your Mind And Your Body By Keeping It Simple

Today John talks to Deanne Hernandez who placed first in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

deanna-hernandez-befores

Deanne before the contest

Deanne Hernandez - 1st Place - After Photos

Deanne Hernandez – 1st Place – After Photos

At the beginning of the contest Deanne did the Venus Index Workout but tried to eat gluten free because it sounded like a good thing to do.  Like many of us she was eating a certain way for no particular reason other than it seems to be the latest fad.  She realized she could not lose weight because she was still eating too many calories.  Her weight stayed the same during the first eight weeks of the contest.  She did not take her diet and calories seriously enough.  Then she got really motivated and kicked into gear, got motivated, got her correct mindset, took a good look at her calories, and ended up with some amazing results. You can change the way you look.  Deanne also decided to get involved in the Venus Index Community Forum and that helped her a lot.  She didn’t realize how much support and information was available there.  She highly recommends others to get involved there to help with your success.

Stay Motivated

Deanne realized that the process was mostly about mindset.  Like most of us have also learned she found she needed mindset techniques like cause and effect; “If I do this than what?”, and “You either do it you don’t.”  She decided she needed the contest with the end date to help keep her motivated.  She said the contest was the best thing she ever did for herself.  She realizes now that what she learned how to do during the contest is something she can do for the rest of her life.

Deanne loved listening to the previous contest winner interviews and loved to imagine herself looking like the pictures of Alisha.  Not only did the process transform her body but it transformed her mind.  She had spent most of her life with a poor image of herself and a lot of negative self talk.  The process she used during the contest and listening to Olya’s interview helped her stop the negative self talk.  She started treating her workouts and diet as gifts to her body.  She now treats herself with kindness and respect.

Knowledge Is Power

Deanne learned that managing the correct amount of calories, Eat Stop Eat, and eating foods you like were the keys to successful weight loss for her.  She learned the truth about calories from the Venus Index manuals and from the Venus Index community.  Deanne learned that the process was simple but not easy.  She decided to keep it simple and tune out all of the conflicting information that comes from the diet and fitness industry.

Keep It Simple

Deanne really liked April’s interview and the plan for doing the VI workout lifting weights three days a week.  Even though more advanced weight lifters can do the workout more days per week the three days per week kept it simple for her.  She decided she would do something every day.  Mostly she paid attention to her activity level for the day and tried to make sure she was taking 10,000 steps.  She walked while she listened to the Venus Index podcasts and that made it fun and enjoyable for her.  She decided that if she did not feel like exercising she would just do it anyway, even if she decided to make the workout easier or lift lighter.  Even on the days she decided to do an easier workout she found that once she got going she felt like pushing herself hard and it felt good.  She found that by doing this she learned to be consistent.

Deanne_After

Look what being consistent and motivated did for Deanne. She looks fabulous.

Links from the interview:

  • Eat Stop Eat – Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices
  • Original Venus Index Workout – Workout program for women that’s responsible for the most amazing transformations online
  • Venus Index Community – Friendliest and most supportive women’s only fitness community on the Internet

Advice from Deanne:

  • Don’t wait, Do something NOW.
  • Keep it simple
  • Figure out how many calories you need and go from there
  • Join a transformation contest
  • It is mostly about mindset
  • Set a goal with a date
  • Even if you don’t feel like it do an easy exercise
  • Exercise as a gift to your body
  • The process is simple, but not easy

Read what Deanne wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the difference between success and failure was education. That idea now makes perfect sense after completing VT6. My failure in weight loss was completely due to my lack of education about the way the human body works. I was an overweight child, and my fittest years being in early college when I was the most active. After college, my weight crept on me and I went through …Continue reading here

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

Accepting Venus as her new Identity: Interview with Stephanie S

Getting in shape, losing weight, building and shaping your muscles is a process not a destination. It requires effort, determination, and consistency. You’ve got to trust yourself and trust the process. When you try to push yourself too hard is when you can crash and turn yourself off of the whole process.

Stephanie S Venus Index Open 3rd Place

Stephanie made a great change

Stephanie looks fabulous

Weight loss specifically isn’t a linear process, it comes in stages, and the process has it’s ups and downs. You’ve got to learn to ride through the downs and make it to the next up. The downs never last and you’ve got to trust that they’ll only happen for a short while.

Accepting where you are is the start to making a change, BUT it doesn’t mean you have to be comfortable with where you are. In fact, being ‘comfortable’ with a body that you’re simply unhappy with is going to cause a tension that will never go away until you finally decide to make a change. This brings up a new challenge in your life, and that is the identity crisis of becoming a Venus (in my opinion this is an identity crisis worth going through and worth looking forward to!)

Once you get into great shape there is another challenge you may not have anticipated…it’s called the imposter phenomenon. Once you hit (or come close) to your Venus Index numbers you may have to learn to accept that this is your new body.

You have to learn to detach yourself from your old identity and immerse yourself into your new identity as a Venus. This is all part of the process of changing your body and making it permanent.

In todays podcast Stephanie and I talk about all of this and much more as she explains what it was like to go through her transformation, becoming a Venus and learning to accept that this is her new identity.

John

P.S. The audio has a bit of feedback from time to time, I edited out as many as I could find but a few slipped through, my apologies.

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Being a Venus = Making It What You Do: Interview with Felicity

If you thought you were just ‘big boned’ or a big person and doomed to be ‘big’ think again. This is exactly how Felicity thought of herself and never thought she could slim down, or lose weight and get the body she wanted.

Instead of focusing and believing she could change the shape of her body she focused on building strength and power. At least this way she was making progress.

First Place Venus Index Transformation Felicity

Venus Index 1st Place Felicity

Felicity lost over 34lbs and 6 inches off her waist!

Being a nurse Felicity explains that they are notorious for back injuries so part of her training focus was to build her core strength, which eventually just bulked up and made her midsection thick. This might have built some strength, but it also gave her a thick blocky waist.

Turing to the advice of a sports nutritionist she followed the instructions she was given to a tee. She felt good, and got ‘firmer’ but didn’t lose any weight. This is because her ‘nutritionist’ recommended far too many calories for her to eat. This obviously lead to frustration as she followed the instructions but didn’t get the results.

Once she started with the Venus Index system she started to get the results she was after and actually experienced a relief to finally be putting the effort into something that is actually working.

Following the wrong instructions to a tee, are just going to get you frustrated and feeling like a failure faster.

Having dedication, effort, drive and desire is not enough, you also have to be following the right plan. Once Felicity started on Venus she took it and ran. The results speak for themselves as she won our second transformation contest.

Felicity shares the keys she found that helped her make such a great transformation.
John

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