Eat Stop Eat

What happens internally and externally when you diet? Uncensored Podcast

March 4, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Get ready for a lot of change in your life ahead.

Do you want to know what happens in your life once you start dieting? There is a lot more going on than just eating less and losing fat.

Not only does it change your awareness of what you eat, but it changes your awareness of what others eat.

It improves your health and it will change your relationships in almost every aspect in your life.

What is a true caloric deficit?

At what point does your body use body fat for energy?

Why do we need to make different food choices when we diet?

What happens to awareness of cause and effect of what food does to the body?

What is your intent of dieting?

What actually happens when you actively intervene with diet?

Listen to what John and Brad have to say about this topic:

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(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: fat loss, Food, Health, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: bodyfat, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, Venus Index

Jenia finally has the confidence to be in pictures on vacation after finding Venus

March 2, 2015 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Jenia placed in our recent VT12 contest

She had an amazing transformation in only 12 short weeks.

Jenia used to take a picture of her foot instead of being in family photos

Now Jenia rocks pictures with confidence

Here is what Jenia had to say about her experience with the Venus Factor program:

How did you find the Venus Factor? I randomly clicked on a facebook ad. I had no idea I would change my life that day. It was almost 1 year ago February 13th, the day before Valentines day last year. I’m just an infant in Venus years.

What things had you tried in the past? I haven’t really tried any of the popular diets. I read the Atkins thing back in the 90’s because everyone was losing with it, but it wasn’t for me.    I’d just exercise like crazy – naturally all cardio. And I’d just try to watch what I was eating without any guidelines. I’d usually do really good with calories and was probably eating too little for too many days in a row without any eat up days. Then I would binge like a week and then try it all over again. I might succeed with 10 pounds here and there, but never anything permanent.

What aspect of the program was most beneficial to you? All of it. I can’t imagine any of the parts being better than the others. The undulating protocol is brilliant; the workouts are fantastic and I can’t live without the community any more. Now that I have access the podcasts are just as important and I wish I had them to learn this from the beginning.

Which workout(s) did you use during the contest? What did you enjoy about those workouts? During the contest I was wrapping up Final Phase and then went to Phase 3 as my main workouts in the evenings. I also used Specializations and circuits for my morning routines. I did chest and butt specializations twice a week and legs once a week.   I absolutely love learning the weight lifting and pushing harder. I love the shape that has emerged that was never allowed to come out with all that cardio I did for years.

Did you use a particular style of eating? What was your nutrition strategy? I simply followed the undulating protocol with the thought to eat protein first. I printed out the protocol calendar and wrote my calorie totals in on each day.    I’m one who never gave up alcohol nor did I completely give up treats like ice cream and I didn’t really change what I eat. I just measured and ate less of everything.   I just account for it and keep going. I do always skip breakfast and lunch is usually my big meal. If I know I have a big dinner planned I have a light lunch and save the calories for dinner. It’s all just accounting – the job that comes naturally to me. I’m still working on getting better at the nutrition planning and having better variety in my food.

Did you use any supplements?   No.

Did you use the online community and if so, how was your experience with it? You know I think the community is the most valuable asset to the Venus program. Being involved in this group has made all the difference, it’s a huge part of my success. I could not have done it without Roberta and Liss, all the rest of coaches, and the entire Venus sisterhood.   We are never alone now that we belong to Venus.

What was the hardest obstacle to conquer? I’m still working on my hardest obstacle which is changing myself on the inside. In my head I’m still a fat woman in a thin fit body. I’m still working on confidence and the inner Venus. The podcasts are helping so much with this. I didn’t think I needed the inner work, but it really must go hand in hand or you just always feel like a phony and an imposter in the new body you made. You don’t just suddenly have confidence just because you look different.   I have most definitely learned a lot in the last few months working on this inner struggle. I had so many decades of putting myself down, and jokes on my own behalf it’s really a hard habit to break. But it’s coming around.

What kept you motivated? The results. When you see yourself shrinking before your eyes it keeps you motivated to keep going even through the plateaus and stalls.   When you know that the process is still working and the results will come if you just keep going. Being able to communicate with the Venus ladies during struggles is also very important, it’s nice to hear that that others experience these same kinds of difficulties.

How did you feel about your final pictures? I wish I would have had them done professionally. I will forever have this ideal of me now….I was good enough to place in a fitness contest. I did it and I can keep it that way!

Is this a lifestyle you will continue? Absolutely. I’m not stopping now!

What advice do you have for other women going through the contest or considering the contest? I would tell the ladies on the fence to go for it, there is really nothing to lose but fat. It’s not like a do or die thing, it’s just bettering yourself and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not in the least bit competitive but I thought this would give me the extra push to keep going and reach the Venus ideal for me. It worked for me even though I didn’t really want to win top prize or anything. I just wanted to get there. But I have to say the Immersion prize was the carrot I chased throughout the duration. Now that I did place I am super proud of it and don’t want to be the one who placed and then let it all go. I have something to be proud of and something to always aim for. I don’t want to let the Venus community down by letting my old self come back around. Being a contestant makes me feel responsible to myself to keep up my health and fitness.   If there are ladies out there who think they will do Venus for a while and are afraid they will let it go, perhaps they should try the contest because it makes you feel responsible to the plan and the community.

Jenia transformed inside and out

Jenia loves the online Venus community

You can find Jenia active in the Venus community and read her blog!

My Experience with the Venus Factor System – Jenia

I wasn’t planning on changing my life when I clicked the Venus advertisement. Approaching 50 years old, I thought I was destined to live in the overweight body I was used to, nothing would help at this age. I had given up scales decades ago. I always told myself to gauge weight loss by how my clothes fit. Yeah, well as long as you keep buying larger sizes your clothes will always fit so why bother with scales, right?

My original goal was to lose the same 20 pounds I have always lost over the years. Somehow that 20 pounds now put me at a higher goal than it used to. I chalked it up to age and just started the program with those 20 pounds as my goal. I began with the idea to totally ignore the Venus ideal body measurements, I figured they were for younger ladies.

Having the calorie deficit/maintenance undulating protocol really makes dieting easy for me. When you can eat whatever you want but just account for it, you really can’t go wrong. I think the really brilliant part of the program are the maintenance days. This is the kind of thing that is always missing in other diet programs. Feeling deprived each and every day is no fun in life. Looking forward to maintenance days is such a bonus to the program. It not only helps us mentally but internally as well. Simply brilliant!

So, like I said before, at first I thought the Venus matrix was unrealistic. I thought the system gave you this unforgiving number just to keep you working the program. However, the closer I got to my Venus numbers the more I realized that those numbers are real and they ARE attainable. They will actually give me the shape that was always just out of reach. Going at weight loss alone and blind I would have stopped with the first 20 pounds and would still be an ordinary, average, somewhat overweight woman.

I began the Venus Phase 3 exercise program about the same time that the contest started. The introduction to this program mentioned that this routine is not for everybody. It’s based on more exercise days per week and more dedication. I thought to myself, well when I reach my Venus matrix I won’t be every body. I will be my Venus body, so this is the right one for me at this point in my journey.

Working with weights has become my new passion. I absolutely love how it makes me feel and the difference in my shape is more than I ever thought possible. Being cardio queen for decades on bicycles and ellipticals, both indoor and outdoor, did not do anything to help me lose weight. Being Venus for less than a year has made all the difference – allowing me to achieve 45 pounds of fat loss and over 30.75 inches are gone from my circumference.

I say “being Venus” because that’s what I think this is all about. The best asset about this entire program is the most awesome community and support team. We are all Venus no matter where we are in our transformation, and it’s so nice to be able to get and give support to so many wonderful ladies. We are all on common ground and we are all supportive of one and other. So many times women tend to be super competitive with each other, you won’d find that here.

They say you are what you eat, right? Well I think the Venus ladies are what we DON’T eat. It’s a way of life, a mentality that will stick with me for the rest of my life. It’s really a life changing program, if you allow it to be. It’s something I totally fell into at the click of a mouse, and I am so happy I did. I am the fittest I have ever been in my life, even better now than my teenage years. I’m loving the new Venus me. My new standard is not ordinary, it’s extraordinary; I am Venus forevermore.

Thank you all so much for creating such a wonderful and workable program!

Jenia’s Metrics Results

Jenia lost 1.5 inches from her waist and 8 lbs in only 12 weeks using the Venus program!

Jenia made a stunning transformation and just glows!

You can listen to Jenia’s story here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: cardio, Contest, Diet, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: becoming a venus, cardio, Contest, contest interview, contest prep, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, Venus Index, venus index contest, vt12, working out for shape

We are halfway through the VT-13 Contest – it ends on Monday April 13th

February 23, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

I’m still a Venus through and through five years into the program and YES I LOVE FOOD TOO!

We are now at the half way point through the Venus Transformation Contest VT-13 and we at Venus thought you could use some motivation and tips.

Any Venus client is welcome to enter. There is no fee. The schedule and how to enter is HERE. When you finish on April 13th please feel free to enter extra pictures both before and after in a dress, suit, skirt, workout outfits, yoga pants, cute jeans, and anything classy that shows your beautiful new shape. We also always love a before Venus “before picture” that shows other that the 12 weeks is just a small snapshot in time.

It’s a long journey for all of us. It’s a life long journey to health.

But my problem is that I LOVE food!

Do you ever say “My problem is that I LOVE food!” when you talk about diet and fitness?

Actually most people will say this. Of course you love food! We all love food. We are human and we need it to survive.

Stress makes us hungry.

We as humans were designed to eat when food is available, especially when stressed.

The problem is that it is always available and we are almost always stressed.

So the trick is to reduce stress and attempt to make it “not so available”. This is done by changing your habits.

Changing habits happen slowly over time.

We call this “setting up your environment for success”.
Forgive yourself for being human. Of course you love food!
You can’t count on willpower, so set up your environment for success.
Allow your body to adapt to the changes you need to make.
Take it in smaller steps sometimes if you need to.
Learn to reduce stress.
Get trigger foods out of the house.
Focus on protein and veggies first along with calories and the diet falls into place.
Package up foods in appropriate sizes (don’t do this when you are super hungry)
Place motivational posters or symbols any place that will help you make the “right choice” (a mnemonic).
Never give up.
Get those workouts in and remember they don’t have to be ALL or NOTHING.
Use the online community for support.
Get your family involved, if you can.
Have a plan but learn to be flexible.
If you have Immersion LISTEN TO THOSE UNCENSORED PODCASTS.
Listen to the contest interviews

Have a plan but be flexible

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make with diet and fitness is taking a good thing and running it into the ground until it’s not good anymore.

Just because fasted workouts are good some days does not mean it’s good EVERY DAY.

Just because fasting or the calorie deficit really works does not mean it is good EVERY DAY.

Routines and rituals are GOOD and those certainly help build good habits. It is what has helped me through some seasons in my journey.

But at the same time it’s not the end of the world if you change things up ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR BODY GIVES YOU WARNING SIGNS.

Have a plan. But learn to roll with it a bit when your body clearly says the plan might not be the best.

If you are used to delaying your first meal of the day until noon, it’s not going to ruin the day if you have something at 10am instead.

In the end it always comes down to total calories at the end of the day, and even then, it’s really not the one day, it’s the rolling daily average over time that matters.

I like to look at the 30-90 day average more than the day or even the week. Our mind tends to forget the peaks (because those are easy like spending with a credit card). But we always remember those HARD days where we were “GOOD”. It’s that negative dominance thing again I wrote about recently.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “But I’m doing so good and IT’S NOT WORKING” and “There must be something wrong with my metabolism”. But all you have to do is take a look at the facts to see that is not true. Time and time again our emotions get in the way of the facts.

I’d say stress and lack of sleep are the biggest hindrance to success. When things are not working balancing those should move up to first priority.

Plan for your final pictures

Now is the time to start planning your final pictures.

Preparing For Your Contest Photo Shoot – Part 1: Posing Practice

Preparing For Your Contest Photo Shoot – Part 2: Photography And Lighting

Preparing For Your Contest Photo Shoot – Part 3: The Final Week

PS: Here’s a tip I learned at the recent magazine photo shoot. I learned it from the high fashion models who were there with me that day. When a picture of you is being taken sitting with your legs crossed like I am in today’s picture – don’t rest the top leg all the way down. Kinda hold it up. Try it and see the difference. You might have already known this tip, but I learned it the day of that picture. Good thing I had those other ladies helping me!

Credit for the picture goes to:

Victoria Napolitano, owner of Hopelessly Romantic Media Productions, San Francisco, California.

Make-up and hair by Shiree Collier – Makeup and Hair Artist.

Shirt and Skirt by Navins in Sacramento, California:

PSS I wrote a fun story in my Venus blog about this very suit when I was going through my Venus journey, and blogging like many of you are now.

The VT-13 Contest ends on Monday April 13th.

Keep up the great work out there!

See you on the inside,

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: Contest, Food, stress, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Bobbie Carper, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, working out for shape

What’s the best strategy for fat loss and maintaining? Uncensored Podcast

February 18, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

The strategy is different when you have a long way to go compared to close to your goal.

How do you apply diet and exercise principles to your fat loss or maintenance strategy? It is different depending on your level of body fat and physical conditioning. It will be different for you when you get close to your goal compared to when you are just starting out.

John and Brad want to teach you a sustainable lifestyle. It’s not intuitive. It takes time and practice. It takes a bit of trial and error before you find your balance.

Listen to what John and Brad have to say about this topic:

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

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

Filed Under: Exercise, fat loss, Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight training Tagged With: body composition, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, weight training, working out for shape

Sharon, A Venus for Life

February 9, 2015 by Jenny Leave a Comment

Sharon placed in our recent VT12 contest

She did a fantastic job, and these before and afters only capture a portion of her total transformation. Sharon completed one round of 12 weeks with the Venus Factor system before the contest started.

This is what Sharon had to say about her experience:

I stumbled across this program on FB and watched a portion of the video, then deleted it. A couple of weeks later, I came across it again. I know things happen for a reason, so I decided to watch the entire video and haven’t looked back since! My experience with Venus has been amazing! I’ve had a few setbacks and have had quite a bit on my plate. I’m opening a new business in two months, started a class that is very demanding of my time, have a full time job, a part time job and then I had to fit in a diet and exercise regime. I wasn’t always able to maintain self control as I love my sweets but that’s the beauty of this plan. You can have what you want as long as it’s budgeted in! However, if I fell off the wagon, I’d just get back on! The exercises were my favorite of all! I used to use workout videos and they got VERY boring. These workouts were always different, very challenging and had instructional videos to watch if I didn’t know how to do it. I NEVER missed a workout, ever! I may have had to do them on different days than I had planned and even sometimes back to back days but NEVER missed a workout! The best part was I could watch my soaps on TV AS I worked out. (I am quite the multi-tasker! Lol. Gotta use my time wisely, I’m busy!) Since I’ve started, I’ve actually inspired others, most importantly, my 18 year old daughter and that is soooo exciting for me! ME, an almost 49 year old, in menopause and a mom of an adult…an inspiration to others? Wow!!!! I weigh less now than when I was 29 and I’m positive I have more muscle now than I did then! This is definitely a program I will use the rest of my life. It’s the only thing I’ve used that made sense and that I’ve seen results with that I know I can actually do long term. Although I am pleased with my results, I feel as though I could have done so much better had I not been so stressed with so much on my plate and a little more self control. However, I do know in my heart, I will continue to get better after the contest. I’ve only just begun! Thank you Venus!

Sharon’s Results

Sharon lost 4.25 inches from her waist in only 12 weeks!

Sharon looks so confident and happy!

Sharon was a joy to interview and she has some wonderful advice to pass on to the next round of Venus contest participants. Listen to Sharon’s interview here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Diet, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: becoming a venus, brad pilon, Contest, contest interview, contest prep, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, injury, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, Venus Index, venus index contest, vt12, work arounds, working out for shape

How do you meet your protein goal on a calorie deficit?

February 6, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Last Friday I said I’d have more to share about the magazine photo shoot. I do, but I’d decided to talk about protein today. My inbox has been flooded with questions about my strategy for fat loss and how to get enough protein.

My strategy for fat loss is simply finding a sustainable calorie deficit and attempting to reduce stress. Stress is actually unavoidable sometimes, so some of my recent articles are about stress eating and recovering from stress eating.

I’ve had a lot of stress lately, some of it really great and exciting, but it’s still stress. Stress makes it very hard to stay in control of eating so my strategy is to simply get on track as soon as the major stress subsides. All we can do is our best and motor on, a sort of controlled stumble forward as John would say.

The only way to make up for over eating is some calorie deficit days. Usually it can’t be paid for in one day so fasting is not always the answer. The deeper the deficit the more stress on your body, and the last thing you need when you are recovering from stress is MORE stress. Nice and easy and slow does it. Give yourself weeks.

What protein should you eat?

You can select whatever type of protein you want depending on your eating style. The key for getting enough protein while on a deficit is to select foods with the highest protein per calorie ratio.

I put together some charts of various protein sources showing how many protein grams per calories:

Protein and Calories for Meat, Fish, Poultry, and Dairy.

Common protein supplements.

Some Vegan and Vegetarian items (Vegans don’t eat eggs or dairy).

Vegans will get most of their protein from a total sum of the day in plant based foods. Here are some Vegan example meal plans with the focus on protein.

An example of a deficit day for me:

I usually start the day with protein and vegetables.

My first meal is usually protein and veggies. This was the first meal for me last Thursday.

Later I decided to have protein waffles.

A few hours after that I had lunch meat, more veggies, and an apple. Right before dinner I decided I wanted popcorn with coconut oil, so I kept my dinner light; Soup with more protein and veggies. Before dinner I’d consumed 100 grams of protein for the day so I reduced the amount of turkey in my soup compared to normal to make room for the popcorn.

Soup, more protein and veggies.

I planned ahead so I could have my popcorn!

I usually easily get in 100-125 grams of protein most days. For me this is a perfect deficit day. I can’t go lower than 1300 calories and feel okay, in fact some days when I workout hard I can’t go below 1400 or 1500. I have to pay attention to how I feel.

I feel best with this amount of protein. I had to find ways to make the egg whites and protein powder work for me. I’m not a fan of drinking my food so I make protein pancakes, waffles, and custards.

Every day is different for me, but I always get the protein in.

Friday was a little different pattern, I had soup with rice in my first meal:

Friday’s first meal of the day.

I had my carbs earlier in the day.

Today I ended with protein instead of carbs

So Friday was totally different compared to Thursday. I ended the day with more of a protein meal and my overall protein was 108 grams, but the calorie total was the same. It’s still a deficit for me.

Some people might think that is too low for me, but overall for the week it works out because I had some high days too. In fact I’ve had a lot of high days in the last few months, so a few more deficit days will be needed for me when I can fit them in.

MyFitnessPal gives a nice weekly report.

Even though I don’t do the math for weekly calories I keep an eye on the daily average. MyFitnessPal has a weekly chart in the mobile app and I also keep an eye on the 30 and 90 day charts like this one in the web browser app on my computer.

What matters most is the daily average over time.

So that’s what I do. I don’t really plan a whole lot. I just keep an awareness going with a focus on protein and vegetables, and then make room for carbs and fat as I go along. It all falls into place for me that way.

I hope this helps.

In the future I plan to write more about the fun with the magazine and my experience with the Fitness Competition because many have been asking about it. I wrote a little about the high fashion models I worked with in my Venus blog inside the community. I’m learning a lot from them and I love to pass along what I learn.

I’ll also write more on the most common questions coming into my inbox now.

Have a great weekend!

It’s full of lot’s of opportunity for good choices to be made.

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: calories, Diet, Food, stress, Supplements, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Bobbie Carper, body composition, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor

What does exercise actually do for us? Uncensored Podcast

February 4, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

What benefits do we get from exercise?

What is cardio training?

What is resistance training?

What training is oxygen dependent?

What type of training causes muscle growth?

What is cross training?

What is low intensity training?

What is high intensity?

What is interval training?

What happens at the muscular level?

What makes the muscles stronger?

What about the angle of the muscle fibers?

Can you get stronger yet not bigger?

What makes the muscle get bigger?

What about capillary density?

What about the shape of the muscle?

What about the tendons, bones, and ligaments?

What is sustainable exercise?

What about stress and repair regarding adaptation?

What is over training?

What about muscle memory?

How does cardio effect health markers?

How does this effect insulin sensitivity?

How does this effect fat loss and energy usage?

Do you have to know how this all works to get benefit?

What about cumulative effects and stress?

What about consistency and transient benefits?

Listen to what John and Brad have to say about this topic:

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

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

Filed Under: cardio, Exercise, Muscle Growth, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight training Tagged With: becoming a venus, body composition, brad pilon, cardio, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, muscle growth, The Venus Factor, Venus Index Workout, weight training

Leah lost the baby weight and more with Venus

February 2, 2015 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Leah’s stunning transformation using the Venus Factor system in only 12 weeks!

Leah placed in our recent VT12 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. Leah brilliantly navigated through postpartum recovery and breastfeeding during her stunning transformation.

Leah made a mental and physical tranformation

Here is what Leah had to say in her own words

I am forever grateful for the Venus Factor and its community as my life has been forever changed! Little did I know how simple it was to have the body of my dreams, I only wish I found this sooner. I have always had a love for exercise and grew to find a passion in weight training. My weight started to change suddenly as I hit my thirties. I thought, maybe this is age related? Or because of a new relationship or both! It just started to go downhill from there. Many major life changes caused my weight to continue to escalate fast and seemingly out of my control. I decided I needed some help as my workouts just were not cutting it anymore. I enlisted a personal trainer at my gym and worked out hard. That was the most intense exercise ever and I hated it! But I did it faithfully trying my hardest to get the increased 40 pounds off. I ate healthy and worked out three times a week and barely lost weight. I managed a total of 15 pounds down in 5 months. Hardly satisfying after all that effort. Then I got pregnant, up another 45 pounds! It was depressing. I worked out my entire pregnancy, I ate really healthy. And I hoped the weight would fall off after my daughter was born but it stubbornly did not. Yoga, stroller fit, weight training, yet my weight seemed stuck. Many people agreed that it was just part of becoming a mom and never to expect to have my flat stomach again. I just could not accept that outcome and could not help but notice that this was not true for everyone. There HAD to be a way!

Then I came across Venus Factor “accidentally” through an ad and decided to check into it. The concepts just made sense so I decided to take a chance and try it out. I had nothing to lose except the weight. When I listened and read all the material it just clicked and I immediately gained insight to why so many of my efforts were failing to work. I started right away and immediately started to see it was working. I began to LOVE my workouts more than ever before and now I have a lifestyle that is so effective that it makes it so easy to maintain. I love that I can eat the foods I want and just pay attention to how much and when I eat it, adapting to normal life rather than living abnormally. Once you can experience for yourself and know why something works it’s hard not to do it. All the guesswork is gone and now I have a way of life that gets me the results I desire. At times going through the process there was doubt, even despite some serious weight loss and even still I have moments that I need reassuring. But I have the community of women to talk with and get their insight from and ask questions and this is truly priceless. They all understand what the process is like and had the same doubts and experiences yet are successful. They helped keep me motivated and focused during my weak points. The best part is I have reached results in my weight and physique that I didn’t even think or dare to dream of having at this stage in life. I have surpassed my “ideal” weight I thought I wanted and I fit smaller sized clothing than I can even remember. Ultimately, I feel more geared up for success in every area of my life after accomplishing this goal. If I can do this, I can do anything! Thank you Venus Factor and to all the Venus ladies, I am a changed woman!!

Leah with her brother before she found the Venus Factor system

Leah with her family after her transformation

Leah loves the online Venus community

You can find Leah active in the Venus community and read her blog!

Leah is active in the Venus community!

Leah’s Metrics Results

Leah loves the weight lifting portion of the Venus Index program

You can listen to Leah’s story below where she tells exactly how she did it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

How Wendy got better results with less effort at the gym

January 26, 2015 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Wendy placed in the latest Venus contest

Wendy’s before and after photo of her 12 week transformation using the Venus Factor system

Wendy placed in our recent VT12 contest

She had an amazing transformation in only 12 short weeks.

Here is what Wendy had to say about her experience with the Venus Factor program in her own words:

How did you find the Venus Factor?

Through a Facebook Link

.
What things had you tried in the past?

Many years ago at my heaviest (close to 200# after the birth of my second child in 1989) I had joined Weight Watchers and was able to get down to about 160#.

Throughout the years since then my weight has fluctuated between 135-160, once I was able to get back down to 125 taking Metabolift by Twin Lab but I was sick to my stomach and had headaches all the time so I stopped taking it and in less than a year my weight was back up to 140.

Even though I have always been active in a variety of ways including reaching a 1st degree black belt status in Tae Kwon Do I would never really consider myself actually fit, in fact my lower body tends to follow the genetics of my mothers side. She had alot of problems with her health including poor circulations and RLS which she always said her legs felt like they were filled with concrete, when I workout or use the stairs I can completely relate to that feeling.

I have tried many ‘fad’ diets/pills including the recent fad of Garcinia Cambogia, and Forskolin, but the thermogenics were always my go-to because they seemed to work, but because they made me sick I would stop taking them.

I have walked and done some running through the years but this activity aggravates an old knee injury and gets really painful when the weather is cold.

About 4 years ago I started doing yoga and some of the Beach Body video workouts like 10 Minute Trainer, P90, Insanity and the Les MIlls Combat Workout. Then in the spring of 2013 they offered a Cross Fit Boot Camp workout where I work so I was involved in that for 6 weeks. Through all of these programs I never lost more than 5 pounds and never saw a physical change except in my upper body.

Once the 6 week Boot Camp was over I continued to do cross fit type workouts either with a small group at work or on my own until I re-injured my lower back in October 2013 putting my workouts on hold for about 3 months (I tore the outer layer of the disc just above my tailbone so it wasn’t a full rupture but the Dr wanted me to hold off on everything but walking until it was healed so it didn’t tear through).

In March I came across the Venus Factor and decided to give it a try, I was into the 2nd week of the workouts when I tweaked my back again.

At this same time my dad’s health was failing and I devoted all my time outside of work to him. After he passed away at the end of July I decided it was time for me to give it another try.
What aspect of the program was most beneficial to you?

The workouts. They are designed to work for a women’s body, and they do!

Also the online community support.
Which workout(s) did you use during the contest? What did you enjoy about those workouts?

The Venus Factor 12 Week Fat Burning & Muscle Toning Workout.

It was a full body workout that was a nice variety that I was able to do on my lunch hour.
Did you use a particular style of eating? What was your nutrition strategy?

Some ESE days mixed with deficit days during the week, maintenance on the weekend.

I find I loose weight easier if I stop eating in early afternoon with nothing until the next morning. Although this is really hard & takes A LOT of willpower, this is what seems to work for me.

Sometime I’d bank calories for a special event.

I also looked at the calorie intake by the week, not the day.

I tried to get my protein up to 80 grams per day. Although I did hit it a few times I do get closer to that goal as more often now than when I first started.

Did you use any supplements?
AM: Protein Shake (NeoCell Collagen Sport)

During workout: BCAA+ (USP Labs Modern)

Post workout: Protein Shake (NeoCell Collagen Sport)

Vitamins;

D3 2000IU

Methyl B12 5000mcg

Glucosamine 1500mg/Chondroitin 1200mg

Did you use the online community and if so, how was your experience with it?
Yes, it takes a bit to learn to navigate but it’s worth it. Everyone is so positive and supportive, sharing tips and suggestions, and what has worked for them. It’s never like a catty competition against each other we are all out to do the best we can and help others be successful as well.

What was the hardest obstacle to conquer?

Food! I still have a lot to learn.
What kept you motivated?

At first it was the contest, knowing that I had a deadline. Also the online community.

Then towards the final few weeks I started seeing a real physical change, the reshaping had started to show, it was subtle, but when I took my weekly tracking picture and put them next to my before pictures the change was amazing! I finally found something that was really working!

How did you feel about your final pictures?

One word; AMAZED! I still can’t believe it is me! I have always had low confidence and a distorted body image, but I am actually starting to see the change in the mirror, I just have to convince myself that it is real!
Is this a lifestyle you will continue?

Definitely!
What advice do you have for other women going through the contest or considering the contest?

Just do it! The program really does work, you just have to give it a chance. It doesn’t happen overnight, and you do have to put in the time and effort, but you will get out what you put in.

This is a program that is designed for a woman’s body, unlike anything out there is truly is a “shaping” system. With all the workouts I had been doing this is the first one that has actually reshaped my lower body, in just a short 12 week span the change is amazing!

I believe in the Venus Factor system so much that I have become a true insider and became an immersion member, on to the next phase!

Another great before and after photo of Wendy’s transformation using the Venus Factor system

Wendy loves the online Venus community

You can find Wendy active in the Venus community and read her blog!

Wendy’s Venus community blog

Wendy’s Metrics Results

Wendy lost 9.0 lbs and 3.0 inches from her hips during the 12 week contest!

You can listen to Wendy’s story here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Diet, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: becoming a venus, Contest, contest interview, contest prep, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, injury, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, Venus Index, venus index contest, vt12, work arounds, working out for shape

How do you recover from the SPLURGE of stress hunger?

January 23, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Sometimes you have to have a warrior mindset to get back on track!

My friend Ryan took this picture of me last summer

and I felt he caught my warrior spirit!

What happens when your body adapts to too much food?

Do you ever notice that sometimes after a feast like Thanksgiving or maybe Super Bowl Sunday that you wake up the next morning feeling really hungry? You might even feel more hunger than normal.

The same thing can happen after vacation, or stress when you sort of “just let it go” with eating. It’s easy to lose track of how much food you actually consume.

Your body adapts to what you do and it’s hard to change. It’s kind of a catch 22. When you over eat your body gets used to it, and you’ll still feel hunger when you don’t really need the extra food.

There really isn’t anything wrong with you when this happens. It’s probably a rare case when it doesn’t happen.

The same thing can happen when people get used to a calorie deficit. Your body can also adapt to the less food. You will feel it’s normal and can sometimes have a hard time eating up to your true needs. This is okay as long as it does not cause a vicious eat low then binge cycle. It also can be okay if your body has plenty of body fat to draw from. At some point you have to train your body to accept the normal amount of food. This becomes more important as you get close to your goal. This is why the Venus nutrition plan is designed the way it is.

Hunger is complicated. It ebbs and flows in the body according to stress, emotions, exercise, health, and a whole lot more.

Last week I wrote about the stress hunger I experienced. It happens to us all. It doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you. There is a lot of stress in modern life.

Not only do you have more stress, but every where you turn there is all that food. You are constantly bombarded with it. The stores and restaurants purposely pump out the aroma to tempt you. The advertisements everywhere are designed to tempt you. All the treats the co-workers bring in tempt you. It’s constant temptation.

The more stressed and ego depleted you are the harder it is to make good choices or have willpower.

If you rely on willpower alone, you won’t succeed. You have to find a way to setup your own environment for success. That is different for each person. Most of us have to enlist the help of others.

You have to plan ahead. You have to have some strategy. You also have to adjust as you go along. Things don’t always go according to your plan. Your own body and the amount of hunger and stress doesn’t always cooperate with the plan. But as long as you do not give up and feel doomed, you can still succeed.

The only way to fail at fat loss is to give up. You will have the peaks and valleys; we all do. Keep plugging along and it becomes a lifestyle. It takes time and practice.

When you arrive at your goal and you won’t just stay there. You keep living life, you keep getting bombarded with stress, and you still have to put in some effort.

It’s not the long road effort like when we had over 50 pounds to lose, but it is the same skills.

As for getting back on track, you have to muster up a warrior attitude and get yourself determined to make it happen.

How can you recover after a splurge?

Get back on track ASAP. Get back to your normal routine. Everything you do feeds on itself both positive and negative. So tune out all the negative thoughts from your mind, and start trimming your interactions with negative people short or avoid those people altogether if possible.

If you keep doing your routines that move you toward your goal the momentum will start snowballing. This includes anything that helps you; The routine of taking supplements, stretching, workouts, meditation, getting enough sleep, food prep, etc.

The best thing you can do is get going on that as soon as you can. Don’t just think about it and make plans, pick something and just do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I can be going for a walk or cutting out some portion sizes. Take action right away to get the momentum going.

The first day is usually the hardest. The next day gets better. If you keep it up you end up on a roll with it. Your body starts adapting to the routine again and it feels good.

Find a good support group. The private online Venus community is a great place to find support if you need it. Not everyone has a family who supports their fat loss and fitness goals. There may not be many in your life who understand your goals.

Keep something near you that reminds you of your goal for yourself. This is called a Mnemonic. It could be a picture, a slogan, a statue, or whatever you want it to be. As you move forward from one goal to the next this symbol can change.

When I was losing 85 pounds in my long fat loss phase my Mnemonic was a picture of a swim dress I wanted to wear someday.

Right now my Mnemonic is a trophy I recently won at a fitness competition. Since I don’t plan on continuing with competitions I’ve attached a business card to the trophy of someone I’ll be working with very soon. In fact I will probably be on location as you read this and it’s a surprise. It’s pretty exciting for me and there is no way I want to blow it. The Mnemonic is right there on my kitchen table to remind me why all of my daily routines are important. The trophy itself is still a good Mnemonic for me because it represents the same skills I need right now.

You use all the tools and strategies over and over for life. The very first article I ever wrote for Venus was about this concept “How to Sharpen your Sword and Win the Battle.” This is still true for me three years later, except this time I am the warrior in the picture!

It didn’t take me long to get my groove back. I like to get right back on it!

It didn’t take me long to get back on track after the stress last week. I followed the exact process I lined out here and felt back to normal by the end of the week. I like to get back in the groove as soon as I can. Here I am doing one of my favorite exercises; pullups. This is a collection of the last few months, the video of me in the black ball cap was last Friday when I finally started getting my groove back:

Some of you are starting the Venus contest this week. Some of you are shadowing (not actually entering, but putting in the same effort). Some of you are just plugging along daily towards your goals.

Whatever phase you are in please be encouraged that you are honing your sword to win the battle!

Keep going!

See you on the inside!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: calories, Diet, Health, stress, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Bobbie Carper, body composition, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, Fit at 50, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation

Jenia placed in our recent VT12 contest

Here is what Jenia had to say about her experience with the Venus Factor program:

Jenia loves the online Venus community

My Experience with the Venus Factor System – Jenia

Jenia’s Metrics Results

You can listen to Jenia’s story here:

But my problem is that I LOVE food!

Have a plan but be flexible

Plan for your final pictures

Sharon placed in our recent VT12 contest

This is what Sharon had to say about her experience:

Sharon’s Results

What protein should you eat?

An example of a deficit day for me:

Every day is different for me, but I always get the protein in.

Leah placed in our recent VT12 Venus Transformation Contest.

Here is what Leah had to say in her own words

Leah loves the online Venus community

Leah’s Metrics Results

Wendy placed in our recent VT12 contest

Here is what Wendy had to say about her experience with the Venus Factor program in her own words:

Wendy loves the online Venus community

Wendy’s Metrics Results

What happens when your body adapts to too much food?

How can you recover after a splurge?

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