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

"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 .

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

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.

 

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The 10th Venus Transformation Contest starts TODAY!

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

How to ENTER The Venus Transformation Contests.

How would you like to achieve the same success as these previous Venus Transformation contest winners?

How would you like to achieve the same success as these previous Venus Transformation contest winners? You definitely can do it too – at any age!

How to ENTER a Venus Transformation Contest:

We will accept contest entries any time during the 12 week window.  There is no deadline except both the before and after pictures must be entered during that window.  That is all.  Pretty simple right?  We want this to be as stress free as possible and for you to have FUN.

Obviously the bigger the window you create for yourself the better chance you have for making the biggest change.

Please follow the instructions on this page. The newspaper front page picture must be taken during the same photo session as your pictures.

PLEASE READ THE CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS.  The only confirmation email you will get is the automated response from the contest tracker entry form.  The email address for YOU is the one you use for your Venus account.

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

 

 

Here are the steps to enter:

1)      Login using your Venus login online Venus account

      Then use the BLUE JOIN BUTTON for the contest during the dates listed:

contest screen shot

 

 

Please carefully read the contest instructions before you enter the contest.

You will receive an automated email from the tracker tool after the pictures have uploaded.  This means YOU ARE IN the contest.  So it’s time to hit the gym (even it’s at home!) and follow your nutrition plan.  Make this happen!

See the results of our previous contests.

The Venus 12 week contest is an En Route Train Stop in your life long Venus journey!

Have fun!

Coach Roberta

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

 

Questioning Metabolism

Jenny Weaks is one of our contest winners who knows how to walk the line; pushing hard with nutrition and workouts yet allowing the body to recover so she can keep a healthy metabolism.

Jenny Weaks is one of our contest winners who knows how to walk the line; pushing hard with nutrition and workouts yet allowing her body to recover so she can keep a healthy metabolism.

What is metabolism?

 It’s a vague term.  It is the sum total of the various chemical functions in our body, not the calorie cost of those functions because that’s your metabolic rate, but your metabolism is actually how are all those functions working and are they working properly?   Most people are actually interested in their metabolic rate.

There are many different ways to measure this and the outcome will be different for each method, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really give you what you need to make a change to your body.

Generally people think that a higher metabolism is better or that a higher metabolism feels more energetic.  In fact people can’t really even feel metabolism.  

What you really want is a healthy metabolism. 

Mainly all you need to do is avoid exhaustion and systematic fatigue.

People push themselves too hard with both a calorie deficit and exercise, get fatigued, and then blame their metabolism.  What they really need to do is stop pushing so hard without giving their body a chance to recover.

Don’t try to make too much happen too soon.

Exhaustion is in your control, metabolic rate is not.

To hear more about what John and Brad have to say about metabolism and metabolic rate click on the link below.

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  paperopus.com

Questioning Body Fat Percentage

Caroline and Tori are fitness competitors who both got in amazing shape and hit their Venus ratio's. Both had 23 and 24 percent body fat in their legs yet 5-7% in their upper body.  The main thing here is everyone depending on their genetics and heredity will compartmentalize fat differently on their body.

Caroline and Tori are fitness competitors who both got in amazing shape and hit their Venus ratio’s. Both had 23-24% body fat in their legs yet 5-7% in their upper body. The main thing here is everyone, depending on their genetics and heredity, will compartmentalize fat differently on their body. You can’t compare yourself to others.

What is so important about body fat percentage?

Hydrostatic body fat percentage is the gold standard.  It is the method which every other method is calibrated on.  There are no assumptions; they use just the properties of your body in the water.

What is so important about of your body fat percentage?  It’s a number.

It reminds Brad of eating for calories when you need to lose weight when really you just need to eat the right amount of food to lose weight.  People like to go to an online calculator and find out they are supposed to eat 2712 calories a day as an example, then they don’t lose weight and they think their metabolism is broken.  The calculator just gave them the wrong estimate for their body.  People forget that the body is the end game, not the calculator, chart, book, theory, or what someone else did to lose weight.

The total over all body fat percentage does not tell you a whole lot unless you reach a dramatically low percentage that it is irrelevant.   It’s just like how your overall body weight on the scale doesn’t tell you a whole lot either.

DEXA/DXA is the most accurate and is the key for a health standpoint because it tells you regional fat percentages.

Everyone stores fat differently

Brad and John have a lot of data to look at and today they focused on two female fitness competitors who were both approximately 15% body fat which is very low for females.   This is dramatically low for a woman.   One of them had 6.9% in her trunk (her upper body from the waist up).  The other one had below 5% in her trunk (she had a full set of shredded abs and her back was totally visible). 

Tori and Caroline are fitness competitors that places first and third in their respective categories so they were both in amazing shape.  Neither of them looked awkward, they both looked totally feminine.

Both had 23 and 24 percent body fat in their legs.  See the difference between the upper and lower body?  The main thing here is everyone depending on their genetics and heredity will compartmentalize fat differently on their body.

So another female could have 20% in her legs, but maybe 11% in her upper body, and roughly the same overall body fat percentage as Tory and Caroline and look totally different.  If she tries to compare herself to these fitness competitors (or anyone else for that matter) at the same overall body fat it totally falls apart. 

Everyone stores body fat in different patterns.  These storage patterns are genetic and you cannot manipulate them.  There are some schools of thought that you can manipulate them with diet but there is no data or measurements that prove this theory.  The theories are purely anecdotal and guess work. 

Don’t let body fat measurements hijack your goals

Setting a goal as a percentage body fat can mess you up.  It is a form of goal hijacking.

If you get down to your golden ratio and then would need to go a lot leaner to get the ab definition it could change your overall aesthetic to not be as visually appealing.  Also total body fat percentage is totally dependent on how much muscle mass is there.  Body fat is relative to your lean body mass.  So if you increase your lean body mass without losing any fat your overall body fat % drops.

Body weight and body fat percentage is only useful if you have a “shape” to go with it or a measurable goal like Venus or Adonis Ideal or Ratio.

 

What is your goal?

What is your goal?  To get to a certain size?  A certain weight?  For some of us it was to simply leave our obesity behind, become healthy and functional, have the ability to walk or hike with loved ones, and enjoy a better quality of life and not necessarily become a bikini model.

When I first joined the Venus Factor my goal was to get down to a size 8 which was the smallest size I’d ever been as an adult.  The goal setting in the Venus Factor program enabled me to exceed that by several sizes.  In fact I had no idea how lean I got until I had a hydrostatic body fat test which showed I’d gotten down to 10.5% overall body fat (I am 5’1″ and I was 116 pounds).

It was good that I had the test at that time because it helped me to understand that I needed to increase my food intake and give up trying for the Venus Ideal waist.  I didn’t realize that I was an outlier yet.  I had no idea what I had achieved.

 

I was trying to get down to my Venus Ideal waist and didn't realize that at 10.5% overall body fat there was no where left to go, nothing else left to lose.

I was trying to get down to my Venus Ideal waist and didn’t realize that at 10.5% overall body fat there was no where left to go, nothing else left to lose.  On the right I was at 11.5% at the time of my DXA scan.  With unusually high LBM for my height getting to my Venus Ideal waist is not a realistic goal for me, and that is okay, I get to work with the genetic hand I’m dealt.

 

I’d gotten down to probably slightly below 10% overall body fat for my Venus Transformation VT4 photos (at 109 pounds.)  This was the only time ever that I got to my Venus Ideal waist, for a mere moment in time.

A year later I had a DXA scan which showed that I’d gone up to 11.5% overall body fat with 105 pounds of lean body mass. My Android fat was 5% (.4 pounds) and my Gynoid was 16.8%, so like Tori and Caroline my legs were significantly higher compared to my upper body.

As John said this is typical for females. I was 51.5 years old at the time of the DXA (over a year ago) and because of my age I might have lower estrogen levels.  My hormone panel shows normal levels but I’m clearly in the season of my life where estrogen levels start waning. This may make it more possible to gain muscle and get to a lower body fat for females later in life.

I was very proud of the fact that DXA showed my Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) at .06 pounds!  From a health standpoint this is really good, although it’s probably not necessary to be that low.

 

How do body fat tests help you learn to maintain fitness?

I’ve lived my life for several years now floating 12-13% overall body fat and sometimes up to possibly 14-15% (just a guess).  The body fat tests were good for giving me a health marker and a rough idea about where I’m at depending on how my clothes fit.

I find tremendous freedom in no longer needing the body weight scale.  I know how my clothes fit and if I need to slim down just a bit I know how much to eat to make that happen, nothing else is really needed for me to maintain (except to keep up with training!)

My body fat level is unique to me.  It doesn’t make me better or worse than anyone else and shouldn’t be used as a comparison. It doesn’t mean anything to me but a health marker and a bench mark that goes with my pictures and my look and shape at that level.  That said, I’m learning to feel good about myself even when I don’t live my life at that 10% benchmark and can move up a little in body fat and not be too hard on myself.

By listening to podcasts like this today I learn more about my body.  This helped me to feel good about what I’ve achieved.  I am still maturing in my fitness life and will continue to constantly learn.  Listening to Leigh Peele podcasts are also helping me learn about my body and my fitness level as I mature in this process.

 

What happens when you get close to your Venus Ideal goal?

If you are following the Venus Factor System you will find that you will learn more once you get closer to your goal.  The goal setting in this program is a perfect place to start and will allow you to achieve exactly what you want and most likely exceed your expectations for yourself.

Some ladies get very close to the ideal and say this is close enough, they’ve achieved what they wanted, now they just want to enjoy life and keep what they’ve achieved.  And they go on to do exactly that.  It is great.  It fits their lifestyle and they move on.

Others will reach the Venus Ideal at a much higher body fat than I did, and that is perfect.  I kind of envy women with that genetic hand.  Sometimes if they try to go lower in body fat to get “ripped abs” or whatever it won’t look as good because they go beyond the Venus Ideal.  The Venus Ideal is based on what the human eye finds the most pleasing, and that is why the formula is used in art.

Other women will find they build muscle fairly easily because of their genetics and so will also likely reach a lower body fat level if they keep going with the fat loss.  Denise and I are in this category.  We live our day to day life with our waist circumference slightly above the Venus Ideal (or like me several inches above) and it’s just as good as those who get to live exactly at the ideal with more body fat.  Neither is better or worse, it just is what it is.

It is just as well and okay for women who find living slightly above the ideal ratio at a higher yet still quite healthy body fat level. After all it’s about being healthy, functional, having a better quality of life, and enjoying more time with your loved ones.

What matters is what makes YOU happy and healthy.  Once again, you, your body, and your life are the end game; not the system, program, workout, diet protocol, theory, ideal metrics, book, chart, calculator, or what someone else says or does.  You get to decide what makes you happy and all these tools can help you get to that point.

It really all depends on the genetic hand you are dealt.  You won’t know what you have until you lose enough fat.  The best way to lose significant fat is to divide and conquer while also weight training to the best of your ability.  The Venus Factor workouts are the best I’ve found for my build and have enabled me to reach my genetic potential in a way that at least my husband and friends around me say is still pleasing to the eye and still feminine yet strong.

What will you do to achieve your best genetic potential that fits your life?  I would love to hear about it.

-Ro

 

 

Find out what John and Brad have to say about questioning body fat percentage:

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Why “Eat More to Lose Fat” Is an Oxymoron

Like many other tiny females Kiya learned to ignore the many myths regarding calorie intake and use her own body as the end game.

Like many other tiny females Kiya learned to ignore the many myths regarding calorie intake and use her own body as the end game.

Have you ever thought you had broken metabolism?

Have you ever thought you were broken or that your metabolism was broken because it seemed like all the hard work you put in to lose weight didn’t work?

I did.  So did Kiya, and so did many other women in our community who finally found success with weight loss was finding the correct calorie deficit for their own body.

We found that it was not what a calculator said, not what a nutritionist said, not what a personal trainer said, not what a fitness competitor or body builder said, and not what someone else with an anecdotal story about what worked for them said.

I thought my low thyroid, low progesterone, low adrenal function, older age, and various menopausal issues were the cause for my being overweight (and obese).  They certainly were obstacles for me but they ended up not being the cause.

I thought the prescriptions my doctor gave me for those issues would be the magic pill.  No, for me the cure was just eating less for my small 5’ 1” frame.  Yes the prescriptions helped my health issues, but I still had to work and create a calorie deficit to lose the excess fat.

A calorie deficit is not fun for anyone.  If you have too much stress it’s nearly impossible. Sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for the right season for the deficit to work for you.

If you think you have things wrong with your hormone levels of course go to your doctor and get them checked out.

It is the intake of excess food that causes you to store fat.  The only thing that will make you lose fat is a caloric deficit.  Once I embraced that concept things started clicking for me.

What about “eat up” days?

I lost 60 pounds just eating smaller portions on dessert plates and I did not need to track or count calories, but now I have to be more meticulous, especially when I’m serious about my results.  I might need to track and measure sometimes.  It is especially important for troubleshooting fat loss problems.

As a tiny female it’s always bugged me when people online who don’t know anything about me, not even my height, said “You don’t eat enough”, “You are in starvation mode if you eat under 1200 calories” and “You must eat more to lose weight”.   I’d think “Really, do you see how often I kill it at the gym on 1200 calories or less?”  I don’t think a person in starvation mode kills it at the gym very often.

I’ve seen these people who say things like this derail the efforts of hundreds of other small females like myself.

To say “eat more to lose fat” is an oxymoron.

Not that a slight increase in calories isn’t appropriate at times.  We have a built in “eat up” to maintenance days in our “12 week Undulating Metabolic Override Program” to help keep leptin levels up and prevent “crashing”.

Having “eat up” maintenance days are useful for preventing a crash and keeping hormone levels stable, but the simple “eat more” advice is confusing and may be inappropriate for a smaller person who really wants to be in a calorie deficit.

It can be an excuse for some people to overeat or give up on fat loss.

Maintenance days are not “cheat days”; they are normal eating days.  For some of us smaller people a normal eating day may only be 100-300 calories more than a deficit day.  To simply say “eat more” is a huge disservice to us.

I wish they would qualify the “eat more” mantra to say “If you have too low of a calorie deficit and crash and binge, then eat up to maintenance more often to prevent crashing.”  That would be a more accurate statement. But even so, it is actually the binge eating and “inaccurate mental accounting” for calories that stall fat loss.  Both of those are already “eating more” thus simply saying “eat more” exasperates the problem.

If the person is truly not losing fat then they are not in a calorie deficit to begin with, so telling them to eat more will only make the problem worse.  The person needs to accurately and methodically troubleshoot the problem regarding food intake.  Most of the time there is some inaccurate “mental accounting” or misconception of actual food intake that needs to be solved that does not likely involve the simple “eat more” mantra.

Eating up or eating at maintenance should be done as often and as long as necessary to keep yourself sane and healthy.  Leigh Peele has helped me solidify this concept for myself in her Starve Mode e-book (personally I love her podcasts that go with them).  This is all in line with what John and Brad have always taught us.  Perhaps it helps some of us women to also hear the same from a female.

 

We all do a little “mental accounting”

We are all different and there is no “one size fits all” for weight loss and fitness.  We all have different stress, health, lifestyle, and genetics.  Even so there are many similarities and most of us make the same mistakes.

We all play mental accounting games with both financial budgeting and food intake budgeting.  I remember when I just started my weight loss journey and my dear husband was trying to help me.  I had not learned yet to “budget in” treats.  I’d move along successfully for 10 days or with a nice deficit and suddenly go nuts for some treat like peanut brittle and say something like “I’ve been good.  I deserve this”.

Randy kept telling me you can’t keep doing that, it doesn’t work! And sure enough every time I did that I took a few steps backward in my fat loss progress and it took a week or two to regain my ground again.

After that happened a few times I started to get a clue that I didn’t want those backward steps, they were too demoralizing, so I finally stopped doing it.

I wasn’t counting calories at the time but my daily weighing on the scale was my reality check every time.  I still had enough body fat that the scale was still a useful tool if I ignored water fluctuations and only looked at the trend over time.  I also didn’t need to count calories because with significant body fat it was easy for me to simply eat less, pay attention to how I felt, and watch the trend on the scale.

Even in the years after we have already achieved our fat loss goals we can fall into the trap of mental accounting.  It happened to me this year.  I’ve had a rough year with strange hormone fluctuations and had what seemed like unbearable hunger at times.

Lack of sleep was the worst culprit of hunger for me and probably is for most people.  It puts a huge stress on your body.  Any stress will cause increased hunger and all stress accumulates.

So back to my “mental accounting”; I fell into this trap even though I was tracking my calories daily.  I seemed to remember my deficit days because they were so hard, but I seemed to lose track of how frequent and how high my “eat up” days were even when I entered them every day.  I knew it was good for me to “eat up” some days so I did whenever I felt like it, and I really was having a hard time with lack of sleep and stress.

I don’t use the body weight scale anymore but I could tell that my pants were getting tight and I didn’t like it.  I never got “fat” per se because even with my tight pants my body fat percentage is still dramatically low for a female.  It is nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s just my personal preference to be leaner when I can manage it.

 

Tracking calories is crucial for troubleshooting fat loss problems

I was practically in tears one day not that long ago.  I started feeling like there was something wrong with me.  I started thinking that my lack of progress for my personal goal was caused by my hormone issues.  I knew I was eating at a calorie deficit and dang those days were HARD!  Why was I not seeing progress?  It was time for a deep breath.  Calm down.

So my dear precious husband Randy sat me down in front of my computer and asked “Are you accurately tracking your calories?”  “Yes” I replied.  “So let’s take a look at the data” he said.

When we took a look at the 30 and 90 day charts it was obvious that I was really good at making sure I had some “eat up” days in between several summer vacation trips where I had plenty of “vacation eating”.  That is all well and good and part of enjoying life.  It should happen sometimes.  We are supposed to do this.  It was not the end of the world because I was nowhere near being “fat” and in fact was still within the realm of “under fat” on the DXA charts.

So the 90 day charts showed that the “eat up” days were far too frequent and far too high to make up for my very hard earned deficit days.  Since I’m very lean already I can’t go any lower on my deficit days.  So the only way I could make a sustainable deficit for myself is to knock down the peaks and try to make them fewer.  I had to get my “eat up” days back to a true maintenance day instead of way above what is needed for me.

 

The first 30 days here show what my pattern was for most of the prior year.  The peak were simply too high and too frequent.  Data like this is necessary for taking an objective look at fat loss troubleshooting.

The first 30 days here show what my pattern was for most of the prior year. The peaks were simply too high and too frequent. Data like this is necessary for taking an objective look at fat loss troubleshooting. Once I got those peaks under control for a couple of months things started falling into place.  Once again, yes the deficit must be there to lose fat.

 

I believe most of us have the capacity to eat far more than we need.  Most of us want more than we need.  I’ve only met a few rare people who can truly intuitively eat and regulate themselves and not get significantly over weight.  They usually are not the smaller people, but on occasion they are females.  You have a lot more room to fluctuate with your calories when you are a bigger person, especially taller males.

I measured my my food with the digital scale for a few weeks and meticulously kept my calorie peaks lower.  It was hard to get started but after a few weeks I fell into a groove and just rolled with it, constantly paying attention to how I felt.

If I felt good at the gym, slept well, and had enough energy to take care of my responsibilities and generally felt happy I knew I was doing good.  A few of the lower deficit days I woke up early and didn’t quite get enough sleep so I knew to eat slightly higher the next day, sometimes an extra 100 calories was all it took.

It’s not easy and it takes a fierce mindset to do this.  It never really gets any easier.  Sometimes I think the stars just have to line up perfectly for you.  So many things are out of your control during various seasons of your life.  Sometimes you just have to wait for the right season.  All you can do is your best and take it as slow as you need to sometimes.

The plan worked.  I still haven’t stepped on the scale but I can tell by my muscle definition, lose skin (well yes because I am nearly 53 years old!) and the way my clothes fit that I’m back down to slightly under 12% body fat.

When I see John and Carla in a few weeks they will be able to give me an objective assessment, but I know my body pretty well.  I don’t need the scale to tell me I’ve dropped significant fat in the last two months.  John and Carla have seen me when I was closer to 15% or so.  Now they will get to see me in person at closer to 11% and tell me if they notice the difference.

As far as what I eat I do exactly what Leigh Peele explains in her podcast I just listened to today as I was writing this. I have a few basic meals that I love and I tend to eat those repeatedly with just slight variety sometimes.  I love the food I eat.  It keeps me consistent.  I refuse to eat food I don’t like as long as I have choices available to me.

All of this helped me to reduce the “eat up” peaks shown on my graph from earlier this year.  I keep a public food diary online and have over 600 days of contiguous records.  I don’t really plan my meals too much, I just eat what I feel like eating while keeping my calorie budget and personal goals in mind at all times, balancing it with how I feel and my activity level.

If you are need help troubleshooting a fat loss problem I would highly recommend Leigh’s troubleshooting guide.

If you are in the Venus community and you want more leading edge knowledge and motivation on diet, health, and fitness I would highly recommend the Immersion package.  Our most successful women in the community who have lost significant fat and sustained their fitness for years are part of the Immersion program.

 

It’s very important not to compare your fat loss rate, muscle gain, or body fat percentage with others

I know I talked a little about my own body fat percentage and I wanted to make it clear that those numbers are unique to me.  We are all different and we get to work with the genetic hand we are dealt.  My dramatically low numbers for a female, especially that I lived that low for several years now, are unique to me and my higher than normal level of lean body mass.

I’m not a body builder or fitness competitor and never have been, but I have my own unique genetics and build.  I am also older and in a different season of my life with regards to my hormones.  I have been a long distance runner and have lifted heavy weights for over 30 years.

John and Brad will talk more about genetics and body fat next week.  For today I’ll just say that when it comes to rate of fat loss we are all different.  I actually lost 60 pounds fairly slowly over 2 years.  I’m glad I didn’t compare myself to others during that time.

Some periods of time it seemed nothing was happening but I kept plugging along and trusting the process.  I knew I was eating at a deficit, I knew it would work, and it did. I was patient and I was not in a race.  I was happy that it was happening for me.

Others around you may seem to lose weight faster. Don’t worry about them.  Just worry about you.

We all have different stress, different diets, different sizes and shapes, different fat patterns, different hormones, different water fluctuations, the list goes on and on.  All that matters is being patient and happy with your own progress.  Even if you participant in a contest it can’t be a race.  It’s all just for you and your own health and happiness.

Have a great weekend!

-Ro

 

Here are some pictures of Kiya and her stories to go with them.  She put this together for a speech she wrote called “The 1200 calorie fallacy”.  I think Kiya is pretty awesome and she is a fun and spunky personality in our online Venus community who brings lots of smiles and laughter around the place.

 

"When got back home, I started going through the pictures from the cruise – and everything stopped around me when I got to this one."

“When got back home, I started going through the pictures from the cruise – and everything stopped around me when I got to this one.”

Don’t I look happy, there? I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to celebrate my 35th birthday, and settled on taking a Caribbean cruise. I fell in love with cruising – with the convenience, with the cost, with the concept of a floating hotel which took you to different places – without having to repack! Before the third day of the cruise was over, I knew that I would be back the next year.


When got back home, I started going through the pictures from the cruise – and everything stopped around me when I got to this one.


I knew that was me – clearly, that was me. But the woman that I was looking at, the woman in that picture, she wasn’t who I felt like I was on the inside. I looked happy – but I felt like some of my spirit – some of my joy, some of my sparkle, some of my shine – was over-shadowed by my weight.

"After going through the cycle of gaining and losing and gaining even more back and fighting tooth and nail to lose even a portion of it again – I felt like I was broken."

“After going through the cycle of gaining and losing and gaining even more back and fighting tooth and nail to lose even a portion of it again – I felt like I was broken.”

I’d spent most of my adult life either obese or morbidly obese. My post-college weight ranged from a low of 190 pounds after over a year of strictly adhering to Atkins and a rigorous schedule of daily cardio in preparation for my wedding, to a high of 280 when I got burnt out from the constant cycle of denial and sweat.

 
And after going through the cycle of gaining and losing and gaining even more back and fighting tooth and nail to lose even a portion of it again – I felt like I was broken. That there was something essentially wrong with me, and that I was destined to always be fat.

"When I saw those pictures, of that woman who was me and yet not who I believed I was and not at all who my internal image of myself was - at that moment, I decided that I would dedicate 18 months to losing weight – and learning how to not gain it back."

“When I saw those pictures, of that woman who was me and yet not who I believed I was and not at all who my internal image of myself was – at that moment, I decided that I would dedicate 18 months to losing weight – and learning how to not gain it back.”

But when I saw those pictures, of that woman who was me and yet not who I believed I was and not at all who my internal image of myself was – at that moment, I decided that I would dedicate 18 months to losing weight – and learning how to not gain it back. And I was going to do something totally different – because clearly, the old ways didn’t work.

I considered getting gastric bypass done. That’s the ‘easy’ route, right? It was possibly certain to work, and well-proven.


But I’m cheap. And I don’t like going under anesthesia. And based on one of my friends who had the surgery done – it was no assurance of long-time success.

The idea, though, led me to wonder how many calories I REALLY needed to be eating. Gastric bypass patients lose the weight not from the surgery itself, but from the low calorie diets they are forced to go on because of the shrunken size of their stomachs.

With that awareness in mind, I started digging for the source of the 1200 calorie minimum caloric intake that was everywhere in regards to weight-loss, and couldn’t find any root source from the FDA.


In fact, the best source for minimum required caloric intake that I found was from a report from the WHO, which stated that for a woman my age, the adequate macronutrient intake for health was:

Carbohydrates = 130g
Protein = 46g
Fat = No required intake for health, recommended 15% of total
This meant that in order to maintain my body weight, I needed to be taking in a minimum of 520 + 184 + 162 = 866 calories a day.

Considering that I didn’t want to maintain my body weight – why was I sticking to a minimum of 1200 calories – esp. when that had been failing me for so many years?

I started thinking about my caloric intake as my salary. The fat that I had carried on me for over 20 years was my savings account, and the energy I expended on a day to day basis was my bill.

If I wanted to empty out my savings account – I had to quit my job!

I adjusted to the thought of having a calorie ‘budget’ – I could spend it any way I wanted to – but I had to be very conscious of what I could afford. Having that chocolate now might mean I have to skip dinner, later.

I started tracking every bite of what went into my mouth, I didn’t drop below the WHO minimum, but ate a lot less than I ever had and slowly but surely, the excess calories I had stored on me began to be burnt off.

"I learned that my body was a better guide than any calculator or book could be – that if I was gaining weight; I was eating more than I needed to maintain my weight. If I was losing weight, I was eating less than I needed to maintain my weight. If I was maintaining my weight – well, I was eating just enough."

“I learned that my body was a better guide than any calculator or book could be – that if I was gaining weight; I was eating more than I needed to maintain my weight. If I was losing weight, I was eating less than I needed to maintain my weight. If I was maintaining my weight – well, I was eating just enough.”

I started lifting weights – because as I shed the fat, I wanted to be sure that I shaped the body that was left behind.

I learned that my body was a better guide than any calculator or book could be – that if I was gaining weight; I was eating more than I needed to maintain my weight. If I was losing weight, I was eating less than I needed to maintain my weight. If I was maintaining my weight – well, I was eating just enough.

I learned that I was strong – in more than just body, but also in mind. I learned that I was not – and never had been – broken.

I learned what real hunger felt like, and learned how little I actually needed to eat to be strong and healthy and fully functional. I learned that as a small woman, I only need a small amount of food to keep myself going.

20 months after I decided to dedicate 18 months to changing my interaction with my body and food, I know that I’ve learned enough to insure that I’ll never wear these pants again – and most importantly, my light, my spirit and my joy – shows clearly for me – and everyone else – to see!

"I know that I’ve learned enough to insure that I’ll never wear these pants again – and most importantly, my light, my spirit and my joy – shows clearly for me – and everyone else – to see!"

“I know that I’ve learned enough to insure that I’ll never wear these pants again – and most importantly, my light, my spirit and my joy
– shows clearly for me – and everyone else – to see!”

 

NOTES:  Kiya referenced the Institute of Medicine reports:

 

Ask Nicola; Three Things That Can Hinder Your Success

There are three major things that can get in the way of your success:

This goes for all success, not just diet and fitness.

  •     Relationships with others
  •     Relationship with self
  •     Life stress and pressure

These will be your major challenges.  John and Nicola talk about these issues in today’s podcast.

You will experience negative backlash as you get in shape.  You will never be able to guess who will be on your side or who will not be as supportive as you thought.  As you gain your success it will put your relationships in a state of flux.

Some people who were your friends or that you are close to will become jealous or insecure because of your success; while at the same time you will make new friends who will support you.  All of your relationships will be tested.

The change in the relationship with yourself:   Are you being compassionate, kind, and loving to yourself?  You can’t rely on others to validate you.  Give yourself permission to be good to you.  This will help you with your relationships with others.

 

I’m finding out who my real friends are.  I’m happy to say that my friend Carla here is a true and trusted friend.  Our support goes both ways and we both cheer each other on and help each other when we are down.  It’s great to have true friends.

I’m finding out who my real friends are. I’m happy to say that my friend Carla here is a true and trusted friend. Our support goes both ways and we both cheer each other on and help each other when we are down. It’s great to have true friends.

 

My support circle changed.

Like everyone else who has paved the way before me, and what I also see happening for newer women finding success in our community; all the relationships around me changed.  I’m blessed to have an incredibly supportive husband (my dear Randy).

Randy has actually changed along with me regarding healthier eating habits.  He was the one who helped me get started and he has been my support all along.

Even though Randy was never over weight we both agreed that some of the steps we took to help me lose weight we will keep for good, like not having snack foods around the house as a normal routine.

Randy has even taken up Eat Stop Eat practices as a way to maintain his physique.  He also decided to join me regarding not consuming typical breakfast cereals and discarding a lot of the eating habits that are ingrained in our current modern North American society.

We both have evolved to a non-conventional eating lifestyle where neither of us puts pressure on the other to eat at specific times or when the other is not hungry.  We both respect the needs of each other while staying healthy and fit.

It does not mean we have to neglect time together.  Sometimes I’ll have a cup of tea and chat with him while he is eating, or other times we will skip a meal together yet sit outside on the deck sipping coffee or tea instead.  Other times we make an effort to plan a meal together.

I’m not sure how successful I would be without Randy’s support.  He was there for me during all the painful flux of my relationships with others.

 

 

We both have evolved to a non-conventional eating lifestyle where neither of us puts pressure on the other to eat at specific times or when the other is not hungry.

We both have evolved to a non-conventional eating lifestyle where neither of us puts pressure on the other to eat at specific times or when the other is not hungry.

 

Other people are still used to the old you.

The thing is; the others who said hurtful things to me many times didn’t even realize how hurtful they were.  When you gain success it changes how others view you and themselves, it causes insecurity, uncertainty, and it is scary to some people.  They were used to the old you. 

I have found out who my real friends are.  Friendships continued to change even after my fitness success and as I progressed along and found success in other aspects of my life. 

As my success increased, I had yet even new “fitness support” friends become negative and hurtful.  Again, I don’t think they meant it, I think they are just so wrapped up in their own insecurity that they don’t even see it.

It doesn’t mean that I can’t still be friends with them, but I’ve learned I have to put my guard up a little now and establish new boundaries.  It’s just part of life.

 

Don’t look back.

My new motto for when people are mean, jealous, and ugly towards me is to be thankful because they are a reminder of what I don’t want to be.  I can’t control them.  I can’t change them.  I can’t tell them they might need counseling for their insecurities, constant negative talk, or constantly putting other people down.

I can only change me.  I can decide I do not want to be like that.  Besides that, I know that the real reason they are hurtful towards me is because they themselves are hurting.  I can decide to be the one with compassion, yet refuse to be a doormat.

I also can’t spend the time to think about their negativity as it hinders my own growth and my own effort to strive to be positive and forward thinking.  It’s a waste of time and it is toxic.  My life is moving forward too fast to turn backwards and look at them.  Just like everything else we do; keep moving forward.

Randy and I have seen some funny changes over the last several years with the interactions I now have with people all around me in all aspects of my life.  As a female you will find that as you become fit many other females will become frosty towards you, yet the men will become friendlier and you will get more attention.   In general you will get more respect.

At the Sheriff’s department Randy jokingly says that I went from being an “ink blot” deputy (I would say I was frumpy and more matronly looking), to someone who looks more youthful and is highly respected. I am now sought out for advice and opinions or sometimes just for chit chat when I was previously mostly ignored.

It’s mostly all fun but it’s hard when at times it costs you some friendships.  It’s the price you pay for doing something extraordinary and improving yourself.  It is something we all have to work through.  Like Nicola said, the best place to start is with you.

-Ro

 

Dr. Nicola Bird

Nicola’s Online Program

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

 

For Everything There Is a Season

Liss is one of our Every Day Venus ladies who knows how to flow with the seasons.

Liss is one of our Every Day Venus ladies who knows how to flow with the seasons.

 

What about goals and systems?

There has been a lot of talk recently in our community about the difference between goals and systems.  Many of us read an interesting article recently on the Summer Tomato which gave us some food for thought.

Most of us have learned over time in our weight loss journey that there is no one size fits all.  No method that works for everyone.  No single right way or wrong way.  It all varies from person to person.  It all varies for a single person as you go through all the different seasons of your life.

What works for diet changes over time with your seasons.  What fits for physical fitness varies over time with your seasons.  What works for your successful mindset varies over time with your seasons.

Mind, body, and your life circumstances; all have their seasons.  Sometimes goals are appropriate and other times systems are appropriate.  You can move in and out of these as you please.

Much of what works with the Venus Systems is that the goal metrics we shoot for are mostly a range.  The weight goal is a range, the hip circumference is a range, and although the shoulders and waist are specific, most of us learned in the end that it’s also kind of a range.

The range is learned once you lose the “excess fat” and get fairly close to the specific ideal.  You learn what works for your individual lifestyle.  You learn what your body is once you get down to a healthy level.

Each body is different, even for two people of the same height, you learn to work with what you got.  You have control over some things and not other things.  You learn acceptance.

Liss is a perfect example of someone who uses goals and systems, and flows with the seasons in her life; balancing her family life and fun summer vacation times. She writes about much of this on her blog and in our private online community.

 

Goals and systems for the calorie deficit.

The diet and ability to sustain a calorie deficit changes with time.  Many of us found we could do an aggressive calorie deficit once or twice, but then it takes it’s toll and we find it’s no longer a good idea.  The season changed on us.  It’s a new season for some of us and we can’t do that anymore.

That is why John and designed the Venus Factor fat loss protocol in our manual.

Much of the time the season that comes upon us is out of our control.  Women in mid life have hormone changes.  Heck we females have hormone changes all of our lives between normal cycles, having kids, nursing kids, mid life, various health issues, it seems endless.

We have learned to roll with it and it is the same with our diet and whether our not we can sustain a calorie deficit.

Many women with find that with monthly cycles a calorie deficit is just not going to happen for one week a month.  They realize that it’s actually a win to simply eat at maintenance that one week in addition to any other days they might eat at maintenance.  Trying to force the issue will result in disaster.  This is not to say that some women can’t do it.  Most will find it extremely difficult.  This is normal.

Your ability to eat at a calorie deficit changes with the seasons in your life; work stress, family stress, health stress, changing hormones, you name it.  It’s always okay to eat at maintenance.  Always always always.

 

Always look forward, take a deep breath and stay positive

If you still need to lose significant body fat to be healthy remember that eating at maintenance is always a win. The same goes for if you are already at a healthy body fat and you just want to get a little leaner; this is a slower process and in many ways harder.  Eating at maintenance is always a win.  I will type this again; Eating at maintenance is always a win.

The only losing game is a long string of over eating and this usually happens when you simply give up. Just because you over eat one day or so, or even a few days or a week, it does not mean you have ruined all.

You can’t go back and change it, just move forward.  Just keep moving forward.  Leigh Peele gives really good advice, she said the same thing in her forum and on her Facebook page recently.

 

Don’t live in regret or have those moments where you get down on what you have done, could have done, etc. It’s a waste of time and literally achieves nothing because you can’t time travel. You can’t change the past. Nothing can be done. What you can do is push yourself now, today and the days that follow to make smart moves towards the direction of being a person you are proud of. When you are prideful in yourself, you accomplish things.

When you have doubt, lack self trust, or judge yourself in such a harsh manner – what is there to do than cower in your own insults? After all, no one knows better low blows than the ones we can throw at ourselves.

Don’t throw those blows. Look forward instead.

-Leigh Peele

 

Never beat yourself for eating at maintenance or even over eating sometimes.  Again the only thing harmful is self loathing or beating yourself up and then giving up.  It does no good.  It has no value.  It’s more than a waste time, it’s toxic.

Think of eating at maintenance as something necessary for your health and periodically part of your over all long term weight loss goal (or system if you choose to focus more on the process than the goal).

If you need to shift your mental mindset to stay positive and healthy do it.  Learn to roll with it like you’ve learned to with many other things in your life already.

We are all different, we all have to find our own way in a sense, but what worked for me in most of my fat loss cycles was focusing on the system and not the end goal.  It gets me to my goal, which is a specific shape and feel that I like for my body.  It does me no good to look at the scale anymore.  It does me no good to look at the tape measure anymore.  It does me no good to get a DXA scan.

What does me good is meandering in the direction of a calorie deficit with a fierce mindset (because it’s hard) yet learning to take maintenance breaks as often and as long as needed.  I can tell by how I feel.  I can tell by how I sleep.  I can tell by how strong I am.  I can tell by my ability to take on stress.

 

The answer is in you

As you go through the Venus Factor systems, listen to the coaching calls, read what others do, listen to the success stories in the contest interviews, research and experiment, but learn to listen to your own body.  It has the answer even better than a calculator estimate or the protocol or theory in the manual.

Your own body; it is the end game.  It tells you when you ate too much.  It tells you when you ate too little.  It tells you when you pushed too hard.  It tells you when you took on too much stress.  It tells you when it’s time to adjust your priorities.  It tells you when it’s time to change your mindset.  It tells you when it’s time to switch from a goal to a system, or back to a goal, or any combination of the two.

Everything we do in the journey here at Venus is a lifestyle and it’s long term.  Take the time.  Make the time.  You are worth it.

Learn to roll with the seasons.

It is training for maintaining.

Have a fabulous weekend,

-Ro

 

Another Venus and Adonis Power Couple; Lourdes and James

Today we are honored to listen to Lourdes Cota who placed thrid in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Lourdes got the fitness level she always wanted at age 47.

Lourdes got the fitness level she always wanted at age 47.

 

Lourdes before and after the contest.

Lourdes before and after the contest.

 

Changing your body composition at age 47 is no trivial task, especially for a female.

Changing your body composition at age 47 is no trivial task, especially for a female.

 

Lourdes health issues motivated her to get fit.  And she did a phenomenal job!

Lourdes health issues motivated her to get fit. And she did a phenomenal job!

 

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

 

A little about me, I am a 47 year old, single mother, with two wonderful kids. I work a full time job as a Quality control engineer and try to take life one day at a time. I started working out 4 years ago, but had a scary incident occur when I passed out during one of my workouts.

Opening my eyes and having strangers standing around me, with no understanding as to what had just happened was extremely frightening. Upon visiting my doctor, I was told that I had Bradycardia, or in layman’s terms, a slow heartbeat.

To combat the Bradycardia, I had to have surgery where a doctor surgically implanted a pacemaker under my skin, on the left side of my chest, just below the collarbone.

As you can imagine, having to have a pacemaker implanted in your body, connected to your heart, makes you think about life, your future, your health, your children and my list of concerns went on and on. Not to mention, the visible scar is a constant reminder. All of this was very overwhelming and I became very cautious in everything I did.

Armed with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of wellness and their value in living a long life, I always ate high quality nutritious foods, as such I was relatively thin. But, also knowing my cardiovascular system needed attention, especially now, I tried to push my fears aside and began exercising again.

To be honest, some days, just getting in to the car was a challenge, as I was fearful that I would have a repeat of the day I passed out.

For many years I went to the gym, only going through the motions, lifting the same (way too light) amount of weight, doing the same (non-challenging) exercises, the same (boring) cardio, all in the same order, day in and day out. UGH!!!!!

Upon meeting my boyfriend James Tonda, (who introduced me to the Venus Index) he observed my angst about the many things I listed previously.

After learning of my condition, he explained to me that Bradycardia is not considered dangerous and that quite often athletes have Bradycardia just from working out as hard as they do. He explained that the heart, much like the rest of our body can adapt to exercise stress and a fit persons heart doesn’t have to work as hard as say someone who is out of shape or not as fit, thus creating a lower pulse.

To say I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of me is an understatement. Finally, I was seeing a beacon of light that all of my panic was unwarranted and I could safely start living my life again!

Upon getting back to the gym, after the many years of redundant, non-challenging workouts, I expressed my frustration that my body just doesn’t seem to respond to exercise, even though I went to the gym regularly.

Well, interestingly enough, I was given the same example by James about the body’s ability to adapt to stress and since I had performed the same exercise regimen over and over with no increase or change in intensity, my body had adapted and as such, my body would not change unless my intensity did.

Enter Venus Index!!! James had been using the Adonis Index workouts and highly recommended I try out the women’s version, named Venus Index aka VI. The variety in the workouts and the level of intensity was incredible.

For the first time, I started noticing changes in my body that I liked very much. I even learned to appreciate the soreness that followed a grueling workout. (I included a picture of James and myself in my pictures)

Having the very user friendly and detailed Venus workout program, was like having a GPS to get from one destination to another, without having to worry about getting lost or taking unnecessary detours. I found myself feeling very empowered when going to the gym, versus the feeling of intimidation that I used to experience. Now I can confidently walk in to the free weight section of the gym and feel like I belong there!

I followed the VI workout exactly as it is presented. Not knowing a lot about nutrition, I leaned on James for his experience, but have paid close attention and understand much more than I ever have.

To make it easier as a couple, we both followed the same nutrition regimen with the only variation being our caloric intake. We both utilized the “Anything Goes Diet” by John Barban and fasting via “Eat Stop Eat” by Brad Pilon.

For example:

1. Monday thru Thursday, I followed the 16/8 fasting model, only eating 8 hours out of each day.

2. From Thursday at 7:00 PM to Friday at 7:00 PM I fasted for 24 hrs. eating dinner after working out Friday evening.

3. Saturday was Cheat Day, normally averaging 3000 calories, but a few of those days exceeded 4000 calories. Let me tell you that I am addicted to Gluten free Chicken Pesto Pizza followed by a slice of carrot cake? What an amazing feeling knowing that I can eat those weekly, with confidence that I will not get fat.

4. Sunday morning after breakfast at 7:00 AM, I fasted again for 24 hrs., starting the process all over Monday morning.

Supplementation wise: I use Muscle Milk “naturals” protein powder as a meal replacement when I’m at work, as my job does not always afford me the luxury of stopping to eat, BioTRUST “LeptiBurn” & “Pro-X10” and a generic Creatine – 5 grams two times/day. James used a pre-workout supplement (Extreme Rush) from Blue Star Nutraceuticals that he loved, but I did not because of my pacemaker and not knowing the effect it might have.

I purchased the Venus Index workout just as the 8th Venus Transformation contest aka VT8 was getting ready to start. Since James was entering the Adonis contest, I decided to take the plunge and go for it too!

What a blast this experience has been. From the amazing workouts, to learning about fasting, practicing posing and actually seeing muscles, shopping for and buying a Fitness posing suit, to actually posing for a professional photographer for my final pictures.

The Venus Lifestyle has given me the knowledge and confidence that I am now looking to compete in either the “physique” or “bikini” class at one of the local bodybuilding shows.

I am forever grateful and appreciative of everyone involved in the creation of the Venus & Adonis Index Lifestyles.

Regards
Lourdes “Candy” Cota

 

Lourdes and James; The Venus and Adonis power couple!

Lourdes and James; The Venus and Adonis power couple!

 

Lourdes interview with John is short and sweet, and it’s kind of nice to hear the voice of the winners in our community.  Please “like” it when you’re done:

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