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

We get asked a lot of these questions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Many things about your body will give you a clue:

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

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

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

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

We all learn from our mistakes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sometimes you have to keep adjusting

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

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