Archives for 2016

Venus Factor Week 1 Day 1 – Let’s DO THIS!

December 26, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Meet Malissa again, she placed in our VT11 contest.

The Venus Transformation Contest VT19 is quickly approaching. Many of us are getting a head start with the Venus Workouts in a 12 week workout challenge starting this week. We will just roll into the new year getting done what needs to get done.

Feel free to join if you want some workout support. It’s the Venus Factor Workout Accountability group on FaceBook.

You can view the Day 1 Venus Factor work-along video to help you get started.

Ever wonder why the guys can do this so much easier?

One of the Venus ladies in the Workout Challenge group had a question about her son the other day. Her son Mikey needs to lose weight and is doing the Venus workouts with her (which is actually great for the guys too!). Anyway, she wanted to know her son’s maintenance calories so I ran them on the Adonis calculator.

Holy freakin maintenance calories! Maintenance Calories: 3145 cals. Can any of us even imagine!!! Notice that he can eat 1200 and it won’t hurt his hormones so much. Not fair!! At the same time, guys can binge too so if he does that bumping it up to anything under maintenance consistently is the WIN just like us females.

NOW, does anyone notice the room of margin for error for calories? THIS IS WHY I came up with the “Calorie tightrope” we walk. A serving of something here are there can make or break a deficit for us. A freakin DAY OF OUR MAINTENANCE can make or break the deficit for this 25 year young 6 foot 5 male. NOT FAIR!!! We can scream it to the mountain tops how unfair it is, but it will not take away the excess fat on your body. Knuckle down and roll up your sleeves if you want it!! DANG, Let’s do this anyway!

Venus Next Year (2017) Contest schedule:

VT19: January 16 to April 10
VT20: May 15 to August 7
VT21: August 28 to November 20

And this is where you signup once you get a Venus login (but only during the dates above) JOIN the CONTEST.

I also have the Venus Factor Contest Prep group on Facebook which you are welcome to join.

And then there is the bigger support group with only women doing any workout, any diet, all empowering each other with love and support in Nibbles Fitness as we all nibble away at our goals.

Alright ladies, Let’s DO THIS!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: Contest, motivation, transformation Tagged With: becoming a venus, contest interview, diet for weight loss, The Venus Factor, transformation, transformation contest, Venus Index Workout, weight loss, weight training, working out for shape

And the VT18 Venus Transformation Contest results are …

December 6, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

There is nothing easy about this process. It’s a lifestyle. It takes TIME for people to learn a new lifestyle. Be patient with yourself. Give yourself permission to be human. Never give up. The only difference between those who succeed and those who have not yet is persistence and learning to dust yourself off and keep going after you fall.

And our first place winner is Jackie. Her prize is getting her life back but she happens to get her choice of either $500 or the Immersion package.

1st Place Jackie

“For VT18, I felt like the various pieces all came together – consistency in exercise and nutrition. It was only during this contest that I feel like the target measurements might be real. What if I could achieve that? What would that feel like? I am looking forward to finding out.”

The second place winner is Barbara and besides a beautiful shape for her body she gets the choice of $350 or the Immersion package.

2nd Place Barbara

“I feel that this is the beginning of Venus Index for life! My husband says whatever you are doing, it’s really working and now he is starting to ask me to help him! I am starting Final Phase tomorrow, thanks to the encouragement of my girlfriends on the Thanksgiving Challenge. Roberta, you are one amazing human being. I hope I know you forever.”

Our 3rd place winner is Lynn who not only looks amazing in her dress, but she gets a prize of $250 or the choice of the Immersion package.

3rd Place Lynn

“Daily planning of food to go with you, so you are not tempted by unhealthy choices becomes easy and routine. Choosing to change my mind set to” Slow and Steady, while incorporating the Venous System has made the difference. Life is not a race. Venus Index bring it on, you rock!!”

And not the least of all is our amazing 4th place Candy who looks absolutely stunning in her dress. She wins the choice of $250 or the Immersion package.

4th Place Candy

” I actually have only begun. I look at my after pictures with great pride, realizing the hard work and determination it took to get to where I am today. I will continue to eat clean and exercise, and to commit to the Venus lifestyle. Thank you for this incredible program.”

Congratulations to these beautiful ladies who put in a lot of hard work to make a transformation. Each of them lost 10-15 pounds which is above average for most women in the 3 month period of a contest. They enter the holiday season with a winning strategy and ahead of the game compared to the rest of society.

Why are there only four winners this time? Well first of all we don’t just fill up the ten slots, we pick those who showed a true transformation. If the pictures don’t show a change or transformation, then they can’t be used.

But mainly there is nothing easy about this process. The is no magic pill or short cut. It’s going to take some true grit and determination. It’s somewhat simple yes, but it’s hard to implement the nutrition habits. It’s easy to give up when you think you can’t do it anymore. Sometimes you make all the human mistakes we all make with food intake, you think you are a failure, thus you give up. But the fact of the matter all of us make a “controlled stumble forward” as John’s has said in his email. You have to give yourself permission to be human and keep going anyway.

I’ve emailed everyone who entered this contest and had extended the deadline for them, but the overwhelming response was “I just couldn’t stick with the nutrition plan”.

So here’s a list of the most common mistakes and some solutions:

Problem: Eating a deficit that is too low for you. The Venus calculator gives you a range, not an absolute number.

Solution: When you eat too low on your deficit days you will end up eating more uncontrolled on other days. The solution is to bump up your calories to something still under your maintenance number per the Venus calculator. Consistency is more important that eating low. The turtle wins this race. Everyone that tries to do this too fast end up rebounding. Aren’t you tired of the diet yo-yo? If so, stop eating so low. But at the same time don’t eat over maintenance. That’s how you win. That is how you walk the calorie tightrope.

Problem: Not eating up to maintenance at least one day a week.

Solution: You don’t have to follow an exact schedule on this, you can pick a day of the week that works best for you. Some weeks you need more than one maintenance day. Remember that eating up to your normal needs (maintenance) is ALWAYS A WIN. It is not back sliding, it eating what you actually need. Eating at a deficit is “corrective action” and is not meant to be long term. It is like taking medicine and some days the “medicine” causes too much stress on your body. If it’s hard to add in a little extra food on those days start eating a little earlier in the day, continue to eat small portions but add in a little more healthy more calorie dense foods like fats and carbs (yum!!) – enjoy it!

Problem: Not getting enough protein.

Solution: For your meal planning, focus on protein and veggies FIRST, then add a serving or two of both healthy fat and carbs, sometimes these are combined in other food choices already. The highest protein foods in the least amount of calories are in this order: Egg whites, white fish, protein powder, bone broth, Chicken/turkey/ham, fat free Greek yogurt, fat free cottage cheese. The calorie to protein ratio drops off dramatically after that with all foods including other food labeled “high protein”. Many foods have protein that are very high in calories.

Problem: Getting stuck in a rut with meal timing and thinking you must fast or delay your first meal of the day until afternoon.

Solution: Intermittent fasting and fasting has it’s place for sure, but it’s not always the best answer for the day or season of life. If you find yourself eating too much in the evening and not able to stay on plan, it’s not working. If it’s not working it needs to be fixed. By continuing the vicious cycle of fasting and binging you set yourself up for continued failure. Remember it’s okay to change up the meal timing according to how you feel for the day. You can always “Save the Day“. What matters is the calories at the end of the day in the 24 hour period, extend that out 7 days, 30, 60, and 90 days for results.

Problem: Not giving yourself permission to be human.

Solution: Accept the fact that you are human and will make mistakes with nutrition. Stress is a huge factor. You can’t rely on willpower alone, you need to setup your environment for success. When the nutrition didn’t go according to plan, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, take a deep breath, and decide to continue on. We all have to do this. I still have to do this.

Problem: Not realizing that you are not really accurate with food intake, the “But I’m eating less and it’s not working” syndrome.

Solution: This happens especially when you eat too low, because you will over compensate on other days by eating too high and not realizing it. This is called “Mental Accounting“. It’s very easy to make honest mistakes when tracking your food intake. In addition there are many times things you missed on the food labels or with measurements of food, or with supplements that have calories.

Sometimes you have to be your own motivator and other times you need a little help and support from friends. If you want help and support I have a Venus Contest Prep Facebook group. If you want to get started with a little New Years Challenge I have New Years Challenge support group where there is a prize drawing for participation. Before long you will know how to create your own prizefighter victories every single day for the rest of your life.

Next Year (2017) Contest schedule:

VT19: January 16 to April 10

VT20: May 15 to August 7

VT21: August 28 to November 20

Filed Under: change, Contest, Diet, fat loss, Food, transformation Tagged With: diet for weight loss, Fit at 50, goal setting, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation, weight loss, weight training

The deadline for VT18 is midnight Eastern Time Monday November 21st

November 19, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Cross the FINISH for VT18!

This is just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the final entries for VT18 is Monday November 21st at Midnight Eastern Time.

The entry form CLOSES at that time. The contest entry form will not work after midnight!

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 your final pictures:

Use your Venus login to use the submission form.

Then use the VT18 contest form for the contest ending 11/21/2016.

You will not be fully entered if you don’t put a picture in each mandatory field.

PS Even if you did not enter, if you feel you have a good story you can still win a prize like Heidi, email me if you have a success story.

If you have any problems with the phone app try the web browser.

You will receive an automated email from the tracker tool after the pictures have uploaded. This means YOU ARE IN the contest.

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!

Never Settle!

Never Give Up!

Live Your Dream!

–Coach Roberta

PS if you have any trouble with submitting pictures or data you can email me

If you are having TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES contact the Venus Support Team.

Any Venus customer is welcome to join the Venus Factor Contest Prep Facebook Group.

Filed Under: Contest, fat loss, transformation Tagged With: The Venus Factor, transformation contest, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Transformation Contest, Venus Index Workout, working out for shape

But my problem is I love food!

November 11, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Don’t believe the lies of society about mid life female hormones! You can do it too!

Just ditch the emotional eating excuse or the “my problem is I love food” excuse! There is nothing special about that problem.

This Morning’s Question: Hey, can I ask you a ridiculous question? Do you ever just go ‘off the rails’ with your eating? I have such a good plan in place, but some days it seems like I just can’t *make* myself choose wisely. I *know* what to do…but sometimes, I think I actually lose my ability to care. (I’m sorry; I *know* that sounds horrible, but that’s really how I feel!) The only thing that makes sense to me right now is that the problem *could* be my wildly fluctuating hormones, but I hate to be one of *those* women who blame everything on hormone issues!

Anyway, I was wondering if you had any advice on how to combat occasional apathy…

My answer: It is not ridiculous, yes we all have days like that, even me. I have learned to stop the flow of eating sooner, sometimes it’s making sure I don’t eat too low on other days, sometimes it’s taking a break to log it so I SEE WHAT I’M ACTUALLY DOING. Sometimes I can “save the day” or decide to start minimizing the damage the rest of the day.

Sometimes getting to the gym helps me get in the right mindset and away from the freakin food!

It’s a fine line. It’s a tightrope. Sometimes we teeter on one side or the other, but we learn to keep our balance better over time. Awareness and knowledge of your food and the values is where the power comes from. It isn’t necessarily willpower, that will always fail us. It’s learning from the failure and deciding on a plan to prevent it as much as possible next time.

TRUTH!

Never Settle
Never Give Up
Live Your Dream

VT18 is winding down and we at the Venus Factor want to see you succeed. I’ll be making a new contest schedule for next year soon. The next contest will be in Mid January 2017. Stay tuned for updates.

The deadline for VT18 is midnight Eastern Time November 21st. Enter your final pictures HERE.

Dieting for weight loss is hard for everyone so don’t feel alone. It will require some sacrifice. No one achieves their goal without hard work and some sacrifices.

If you want help with the last few weeks of the Venus contest feel free to join my Venus Factor Contest Prep Facebook Group. I will help you every step of the way. Any Venus contest competitor is welcome to join.

I know you feel like giving up. I know you feel you can’t do this. I know you feel you can’t keep going. I know you feel this is impossible. But that is not true. Those are lies. I am here to help if you need me.

Venus still offers the premium One-on-One coaching where you are welcome to select your coach. You do not have to participate in a contest to activate your coaching program. The link for coaching is in your downloads area. There is no reason not to succeed!

Roberta

email Roberta

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Bobbie Carper, Contest, contest prep, diet for weight loss, Fit at 50, goal setting, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, Venus index Transformation

Teresa used Venus to unwind 35 years of fad diets.

November 8, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Teresa had to unwind 35 years of fad diets!

Teresa placed in our last transformation contest and here’s what she wrote in her own words:

After 35 years of battling with food and exercise I have won! Venus has helped me conquer this lifelong struggle which I never thought was possible. Due to the Venus program I’m healthier, happier and have a new confidence that permeates everything!

I’ve been more successful at work, and my relationships with friends and my family have improved. This is because I have put my health first. I have an extremely stressful full -time job that requires travel. I’m married and have 3 young boys, ages 12, 9 and 7. There are so many distractions and excuses to not take care of myself and for so long I gave into them.

Once I decided that my health and how I feel about myself come first, I am happier, I’m centered which benefits everyone around me. I started this journey approximately 28 weeks ago and I KNOW that I will continue it for the rest of my life. I lost 20 lbs and 21.5 inches, I still can’t believe how much my body has changed!

I am 46 and when I started Venus I was fatigued by diet and exercise. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, if I could try again. Something changed when I heard John’s sister’s story, I was moved and I thought maybe I can do this. I decided with conviction that I would fully commit one last time, I would go all in! This time was going to be different. I took a chance and said I’m going to follow this program without question. I thought what’s the worst thing that can happen…I won’t lose weight? I said to myself, no excuses, no turning back and let’s see.

Not only did I lose weight, which in the end, doesn’t matter so much to me, I changed my body and I changed the way I eat. I didn’t have to give up food that I enjoy, I mean NOTHING! What a revelation! I modified and measured and planned and was careful. I was shocked at how well I did during the first 12 weeks and that I didn’t feel deprived at all.

I was so excited I wanted to continue my journey and I’ve almost completed the Final Phase program. I utilized all the elements of the program; the community, podcasts, diet suggestions, and the work-outs. It’s perfect if you like a program that has a variety of ways to connect with the information and the sponsors. The Community was an amazing outlet and my fellow Venus sisters and coaches supported me. Knowing they were there, that I could check in every day helped me feel less alone and motivated.

Due to the technology, you can access Venus anywhere, anytime and it TRULY changed my life. I have lost and gained weight so many times in my life I really can’t count. I’ve tried every program on the planet, Weight Watchers, Diet Center (old..i know), Body for Life, Detoxes, South Beach, Zone, the list goes on and on. I’ve even had a personal trainer. While some things worked here and there, nothing was sustainable. Several factors contributed to my success on this program, the single most important for me was that my relationship with food changed.

Venus allowed me to think about food and exercise in a completely different way. I have always enjoyed working out but I was one of those people who thought cardio was the only way and I had not done much weight training.

Now, I sincerely look forward to weight training and the impact it has on the body is FANTASTIC! I’ve slowly incorporated cardio back into my life but now it’s just for enjoyment, it’s not about needing to burn 100’s of calories. I’ve learned so much from Venus about myself and about the workings of the human body.

I am no longer a slave to the scale, it does NOT define me. I don’t mind feeling hungry, in fact I like it now. My body continues to change and I see muscle definition that was NEVER there before! I know that I will never go back to my old ways. I know this because throughout the last 6 months, I’ve been tested.

I’ve had bad days, I’ve had a week or two that I didn’t work out at all. Nothing happened! I didn’t completely fall apart, I didn’t unwind, and I just got back to handling my food and work outs. Because of Venus I have the tools to manage my weight and food.

I love the support and friendship of the community, there are so many resources available to aid in your success. You just have to want it, and before you know , you will have a new sculpted body that others envy.

Just imagine and take the leap, if I can do it, ANYONE can!!

The deadline for VT18 is midnight Eastern Time November 21st. Enter your final pictures HERE.

Dieting for weight loss is hard for everyone so don’t feel alone. It will require some sacrifice. No one achieves their goal without hard work and some sacrifices.

Listen to what Teresa had to say in her interview, she is an absolute pleasure, or save the podcast for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, cardio, Contest, fat loss, Health, Interview Tagged With: diet for weight loss, goal setting, The Venus Factor, transformation, transformation contest, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation

VT18 Venus Transformation Contest Ends November 21th

October 21, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

The deadline for VT18 is midnight Eastern Time November 21st. Enter your final pictures HERE.

Looking ahead at the holiday season!

Happy Friday!

Let’s get it done. Weekends count. If you can’t workout focus on diet. If you have parties or social events you don’t have to eat everything in sight. Take one bite of everything. Get involved in fun conversations and LISTEN to others and give them your full attention to make the time fly by and get your focus off of food. Make it a game. People love attention and being listened to.

Getting your nutrition, workouts, and supplements if you need them lined up will be the key to success for making a change happen. This is highly individual for each person, so don’t feel you have to do what the next person does. Feel free to ask questions. There is no one size fits all.

Workouts and nutrition consistency is where the magic happens.

For fat loss it’s really important to know your maintenance number. If you need help with that, ask. All you need for fat loss is a slight consistent calorie deficit over time. Lower is not better, consistency is better.

There are various methods to measuring your calories to make that deficit happen. Again, the method that works for your lifestyle is unique to you. Everyone is different in what works, and what works for you in one season of life may not work in another season. If you need help ask!

I call the calorie deficit a tight rope. You can’t eat too low or you feel like crap or binge. You can’t eat too high or you stay the same or gain body fat. The less body fat you have the more narrow the rope.

Your maintenance number is actually the more important number for everyone. Everyone puts their focus on the deficit number, but really that’s more of a moving target with workouts, stress, health, hormones, etc. The maintenance number is the steady number that should be the life raft everyone clings to. Sometimes right at maintenance can be a deficit with a hard workout.

Any slight deficit consistently under maintenance will cause fat loss if done consistently over time. It is that simple.

Dieting for weight loss is hard for everyone so don’t feel alone. It will require some sacrifice. No one achieves their goal without hard work and some sacrifices.

For those of you just getting started, if you want to join a 30 day mini challenge that ends right before Thanksgiving (A famous USA holiday), I have one starting on Monday. This is not a group for lookyloo’s, it is for anyone who is SERIOUS about making a change in their life and taking the steps for just 30 days. There is no fee or cost to join, only your dedication to your own health. It is a private group and what happens in the group stays in the group! Nibbles Thanksgiving Challenge Facebook Group.

Never Settle
Never Give Up
Live Your Dream

– Coach Roberta

Filed Under: Contest, fat loss, Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: The Venus Factor, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Workout, weight loss, working out for shape

The last 10 pounds at 54, Meet Lisa

October 10, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Lisa finally won what she wanted with Venus!

Lisa had a common struggle. That last 10 pounds or so. It seems so impossible, but really it’s just the slowest. This is where the rubber hits the road regarding trusting the process.

Many of you have a lot of weight to lose, that’s okay! The journey teaches you how to deal with the last 10 pounds for the rest of your life. For many the last 10 pounds is actually part of maintaining. But it’s the hardest part alone from just “getting started”. It is slow and the body weight scale is pretty much useless except for about checking about every 8 weeks or so.

Life happens, and you will repeat the cycle many times. That’s why it’s a lifestyle not a diet. That’s why it is important to learn sustainable practices.

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of watching Lisa on social media and learn the lifestyle, trust the process, and finally win her goal!

Here’s what Lisa has to say in her own words:

My experience with the Venus Factor System had been amazing! It has been what I’ve been looking for for so many years. My main objective when I joined the Venus Index Transformation contest was mainly to keep myself accountable. I knew deep down I needed to step out of my comfort zone (submitting pictures) to achieve my goals. I needed a proven program and I got that with the Venus Index system.

I started the Venus Index workouts hoping to lose those 10 pounds, lose inches, gain strength and self confidence. I really wanted to change the shape of my 54 year old physique that was heading in the direction I wasn’t fond of, lol!

Last year I had joined a local running club and committed to the Iron runner 15 race series. I focused totally on running and neglected the weight training. I made the mistake thinking I didn’t need to weight train anymore and that cardio was enough.

I learned that in fact I was really doing too much cardio and needed to get back to weight training.

The program has also taught me so much about nutrition. For example the amount of protein I needed blew my mind, I had no idea!

Lisa is pretty happy with her Venus life!

I learned that if you have the right tools and get your mind right you can achieve anything. Everyday does not have to be the same.

Nobody ever said it would be easy, but the plan is simple. Work it everyday, tweak it for you, never give up, trust the process!

I had to tell myself these things daily. I’m so happy to say I was able to achieve a 10.8 pound weight loss and a total of 9 inches overall. I’m also inside my ideal metrics, but at the high end. I’m a short person so the changes are slow and small.

I love the Venus Index system! I’m not quite where I want to be yet, but I know this program is one in which I can follow forever.

I’m a work in progress, it’s a lifestyle, it’s MY lifestyle!

Lisa

I don’t know about you but I think Lisa is stunning!

Listen to Lisa’s podcast now or save it for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Interview, motivation, Podcast, transformation Tagged With: diet for weight loss, The Venus Factor, transformation, transformation contest, venus index contest

300 pounds to Fitness coach; Meet Kimmy

October 3, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Kimmy is one of the most amazing and persevering women I’ve ever met. If she can do it you can too!

Dang, from 300 pounds to fitness coach with a full time job, a family, and 3 kids to care for. If she can do it so can you! Kimmy is absolute living proof that there should be no excuses. Yes, sacrifices must be made to achieve your goal and it may take longer than others. Kimmy learned to not compare herself to others and that is part of WHY she succeeded. She also had to brush aside the mean comments from others, as that seems to be something we all experience when we succeed, especially from other women. You have to learn that there is nothing wrong with YOU, the mean comments are all about the others and their insecurity about your success. Just keep going! You might need to make some new friends, but you WILL, you will end up attracting those who are successful and will support you.

Here she is, making it happen and looking very beautiful in her dress!

Kimmy’s story is simply amazing. She is a woman of extreme perseverance, and she is now coaching others to do the same thing. You don’t have to have super powers, you just have to keep going. You have to decide you want it bad enough. You have to be patient and trust the process and have the vision that you can achieve the same thing.

Here is what Kimmy wrote in her own words:

This by far has been one of the most challenging 12 week endeavors of my life. Not only physically but mentally as well. I’m a busy mom who works full time with 3 children ages 14, 11 and 3.

In the fall of 2015 my husband was diagnosed with a condition called Menieres disease. If someone asked me what that was before, I would have told them “I have no clue.” Now I can say it’s one of the most miserable conditions an otherwise healthy person can be diagnosed with. In a nutshell, he suffers from violent vertigo attacks which leave him bed ridden sometimes days at a time. One minute he can be great and the next he’s violently ill and weak.

When this happens I become Mom of 3 but also sole care provider which isn’t always easy. Try telling your 3 year old “Just a minute, Mommy needs to do a workout” and guess how well that goes over. There were many days I was struggling to take care of everyone else and neglecting the importance of taking care of me too.

When the Venus Transformation 17 challenge was announced I decided this was my time to join. It gave me a goal to focus on, workouts to follow that were easy and a deadline towards reaching that goal. A goal without a deadline can go on forever without being achieved right?

I started day 1 full of gusto. I bought my newspaper and took starting pics. I was in this to WIN IT! My friend Michelle placed back in the 3rd Venus contest so this time it was my turn!!

Then the first week in tragedy struck. A dear friend and co worker took sick and died very suddenly. She left behind a loving husband (also a close friend and co-worker) and 3 beautiful children. I felt a deep sense of loss and pain for her family, our co-workers and for myself. This friend was always there for me when I needed someone. I reached out to her for parenting advice, work advice, marriage advice, you name it! Now just like that she was gone? How could this happen? Life all of a sudden felt shitty and unfair. The contest didn’t matter anymore. Working out didn’t matter anymore. I cried a lot and went back to old habits of binge eating junk food. I basically didn’t care – I felt bad and just wanted comfort.

This friend and I often talked fitness at work and we went to boot camp classes over the years and often compared training sessions. Losing her hit me really hard because it made me reflect on my own life and my own family. What would I do if I lost my husband or they lost me? I struggled for a while with this and if I’m completely honest, it still scares me.

I’m not sure when it happened but one day something just hit me and said “You know Rachel would never want you using her as an excuse for this behavior right?” From that moment on I decided I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and continue to push forward.

Eating through my emotions would hurt me in the long run and it certainly wasn’t going to help anyone else. Roberta and the rest of the girls from the Venus and Nibbles group were extremely supportive. I reached out to them a few times when I was feeling down and they helped pick me back up.

I posted some before and after pictures of where my journey began years ago at nearly 300lbs and realized just how far I’ve come. It’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others but in the end the journey is yours and you should only compare yourself to YOU!

Someone else out there is always going to be smarter than you, faster than you, better abs than you, etc. Am I healthier, stronger version of Kimmy than I was 12 weeks ago? You bet and that’s ALL that matters.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Just see how far you have come and keep going. Achieve your own dream!

I look at these pictures and I’m very proud of what I accomplished in 12 weeks! I did it by eating real food, not too much and not too little – just enough. There are no gimmicks or tricks. I plan my workouts ahead of time and write them down in my journal. If I miss a day (hey I’m human), I make up for it the next day with no guilt. If I overeat a few calories for a family event, no problem, I work out harder and cut my calories a bit for other meals.

Venus has allowed me to find a balance and I love it. The relationships and friendships established since joining Venus are priceless. You won’t find a better community of supporters anywhere.

– Coach Kimmy

Kimmy knows how to get it done. It is so fun to watch her enjoying life with her family and kids, planning camping trips and living life to it’s fullest. You can follow her continued journey on Facebook, and follow her blog, and you can listen to her talk about all of this in her podcast below.

Venus women are real! Real women with real lives making it happen. It’s easy to think it’s all not true, but it’s true and you can see how real the women are when you follow them on Facebook.

Listen to Kimmy’s inspiring podcast now or save it for later. And remember, YOU can do it too! The podcast is in the link below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, change, Contest, transformation Tagged With: The Venus Factor, transformation contest, Venus Index, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Workout, weight loss

All the Girls Who Dream; Meet Monica

September 26, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Monica is achieving her dream of being a personal trainer, with the help of the Venus program.

To some people this may not seem like a lot, but to Monica her young life prior to Venus was stealing her dream. In reality, everyone who has more weight to lose can finally reach the last 10-15 pounds and find the struggle is much like Monica’s. This last stretch has it’s own set of struggles. The tools learned in Venus will apply even more critically at this stage of the game.

Not knowing how to navigate the over abundance of food in modern society was hindering Monica from achieving her dreams, but now she has overcome victoriously!

Monica always had this dream of helping others.

Here’s what Monica wrote about the Venus Factor:

My experience with the Venus Factor has been the absolute best weight loss/healthy lifestyle experience I have had. For such a long time I had focused on various diets or popular approaches to weight loss, but I was unwilling to take the challenge to count calories.

I was also ignorant of how many calories I ACTUALLY NEEDED on a daily basis! Especially knowing my maintenance calories has helped me to keep from just gaining all the weight back. In the past I did some extreme things to lose weight, but I had no idea what my maintenance calories were so I would eat as I was used to eating and would gain it all back.

After joining the Venus Factor, I saw results that I could rely on, and I learned skills and patterns of living that I have incorporated into my day to day life that also have enabled me to KEEP the pounds off! In these last 12 weeks of counting my calories (which, believe me, I used to HATE doing!)

I actually came to my husband and told him how much I enjoyed counting calories because it enabled me to eat snacks and goodies that I used to think were devastating for me, but now I can eat them as long as they fit into my calorie budget.

Food doesn’t control me anymore. I am in charge of choosing and deciding what and how much I will eat and it has brought so much more enjoyment and freedom!

I used to be afraid when I would go to someone’s house or a restaurant and not know what they were going to feed me because it could “ruin” all my efforts! Instead, now I just take into account my plans and I just eat a bit less before and after those meals and leave enough calories for those meetings.

Monica knows the importance of having support and giving support.

Again, freedom is the word I would use to describe my journey with Venus Factor. Its been amazing!

My husband has also been overwhelmingly appreciative of the Venus Factor as it has kept me from “yo-yo” dieting and has helped me to have a more balanced emotional perspective to my personal fitness goals.

The Venus Factor has also provided helpful and motivational community as well as appropriate and accurate information which helped to guide me toward effective weight loss.

I am a personal trainer and now I am pointing others toward the Venus Factor too, so that they can finally see REAL results!

You can find me on Facebook!

-Coach Monica!

Monica has achieved her dream!

“My husband has also been overwhelmingly appreciative of the Venus Factor as it has kept me from “yo-yo” dieting and has helped me to have a more balanced emotional perspective to my personal fitness goals.”

Listen to Monica’s inspiring podcast now, or download it for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Interview, Podcast, Weight training Tagged With: diet for weight loss, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation

Yet another 55 year young Venus bucks the trend; Meet Anita

September 12, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Anita is ecstatic with her results!

Anita placed in our last Venus Transformation contest and is ecstatic with her results. I had the pleasure of working with this amazing lady and watching her achieve her results.

Here is her essay from the contest:

My journey When I came to America from Belgium after marrying my husband, as an immigrant, I was mistreated an thought lesser by my peers. I ignored the hateful comments though and started my family, and had two kids, they turned out very well, god bless their hearts. Aside from the ridicule I received for being an immigrant, I was met with intolerance for also being hearing impaired.

These people just never understood my predicament, or tried to understand. This always made me so low and ashamed about who I was. I started doing the Venus contest in February of 2015, and I must say it is the best thing I have ever done in my whole life.

I lost weight, gained muscle, and better yet I gained confidence in myself. The journey is not yet over, still many miles to go, but one day I will succeed. One day this emotional roller coaster will come to an end, and I will walk away from it victorious.

Filled with the knowledge of how I turned the negative comments of others, into my strengths to do this challenge. As well as use that strength to change into the woman I am today. Thank you Roberta Saum , for being my strength, and it is thanks to you that I look this amazing. I am 54 going 55 years old, and I’ve never felt this good in my life before, until now.

Anita

Anita struggled with her weight a long time. Venus helped her buck that trend in her mid 50’s!

I had the honor of answering Anita’s questions this last year as she moved along. Most people just need a little confirmation that they are doing the right thing and trusting the process.

Anita is hard of hearing so we could not do an interview, so she wrote this additional story of her journey for you:

I have simply no words what to say about me placing in Venus contest. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is amazing how far I came and how proud I am of myself and I dare say so, it was my dream to lose weight.

The highest I weighted was 213 lb and lowest weigh was 135lb. My present weigh is now 145lb give or take, Roberta has taught me that it is okay and normal to fluctuate so much, especially we we are taller.

I would not make it this far without this program and all the support I have from Roberta and her group on Facebook , especially you everyday posting good or bad things like we were mind readers, lol,that why I believed!! We are proof we are never to old to get fit, we might not look like a fitness model but we will feel and look better and stronger everyday, we just glow more confidentially.

Here are my answers the most common questions:

How did I find Venus? When I was so fed up by being so tired and having joint pains all the time and overweight (now I know why was I so tired, from the extra weight!). I quit smoking to become a healthier me. I decided to go on fitnesspal and put myself in a research mode, then I found Roberta and started following her for about a year before I signed up for Venus contest.

How did I enjoy the Venus workout? The intensity of the workout, deficit plan with the menu was a plus, work out plan,this is a great program when you first start out.

Which workout did I do? I used both 12 weeks fat loss and final phase which I did several times.

What kept me motivated? All the good comments and pictures in the Facebook group Nibbles Fitness by Roberta. I loved seeing all the people working out with that have health issues and working out everyday, just made me see everything in another light, and looking at before and after pictures sure gets my butt in the gym.

What did I do for my diet? I started eating less and used my little scale to keep track of what I was eating, mostly meat veggies less dairy and over 100 grams of protein, more carbs early in the day not at night. Most of all I needed to eat gluten free for my own health issues.

How did I change my workouts with Venus? When I started Venus, I did not follow the program as planned. I did less reps and I just worked out in my own tempo until I was stronger and more sure I could do all the work out without any injury. That was so far my way of building up strength. I took my time and 1 year 7 month later I built up more strength. Now I workout everyday and I like cardio, cycling or on the treadmill for 30 + minutes.

What supplements did I use? I use a Bliss Go pack, Phormula-1 protein, Level-1 protein, Ignition, and Megawatts is the best energy drink. These are the best supplements ever.

How did my life change? I used to spend so much time reading on the internet all the time and I decided to stop reading and get my butt in the gym! I followed Venus and Nibbles on Facebook and the support is tremendous and it never fails.

Did I get support from family and friends? My family were supportive but I could tell sometimes the look on their face, how long will this last? Nonetheless, they are proud of me. I had them hide their junk food, lol, and I told them to eat candy at work and not around me at home!

What was the biggest struggle? The hardest part is the food. I love to cook and I love to eat. So I learned that if I want cheese cake in the evening I simply get it and eat it. I used to panic, but now I have learned that you are not going to get fat overnight. You just can’t do it everyday. Treat yourself once in awhile

How did I feel when I saw my contest pictures? I was amazed when I saw my pictures! I got so many compliments and that I look so happy. I truly was and still am on cloud nine. I was shocked that at my age 55 I could do this. I think we are a rare breed trying to get over the hill and I love it.

What is my best advice for you? When I first started, I took little baby steps. Nobody said you have to all the workouts at once. Find your own tempo and work your way up. I did 1 or 2 reps of all the workouts for 1 month. Never give up! Even if you don’t feel like it, go to the gym even (even if it is for 10 min). I have been there and done that, I have a full time job and I found a way to fit it in and I am loving it.

How did my life change? This program changed my life, I became stronger and more confident. I just glow and wherever I go and people heads are turned, lol, and this is fun!

Where did I get support? This program shows you how to meet your goal. There is always support on Facebook. You can ask your personal trainer how to do better for yourself, whoever your trainer is, but mine is a very special lady and her name is Roberta Saum, without her I would not be here.

What makes me the most happy? I am so happy that I can wear beautiful clothes and they make me feel sexy about myself, because it fits and it is a small size. I can finally say to myself “you look good baby”.

How did this effect the relationships with people in my life? The behavior of the people all around you changes. I have more haters and mostly it is women, but I know they are struggling with their own weight too. They think my life is perfect, but it is far from it. I am honest whoever ask me about my weight loss, I try to be nice and give complements even if I don’t get them anymore! I give compliments to the guys to and it’s fun to feel like an eye candy at the gym, lol, and that is fine with me. I love the attention.

What did I change for lifestyle? I live a healthier life style now. I still drink a glass of beer everyday with my meal now, but it is usually before 5pm. I don’t eat carbs late in the afternoon anymore.

What is my last piece of advice? The most important thing is you need to find a role model, that is fit and lean and has been there and done that. It can be anybody, your trainer or someone on Facebook who you can talk to and answer all your questions. Never compare yourself with this person, but make the most of it. Never give up when you ate junk food the day before, forgive yourself and start over. You are not going get fat overnight, trust me. It takes years to get fat. Take pictures even if you don’t want to. You will see the difference after one month even when the scale wont budge. I tell you what, throw out the scale! The scale is so discouraging, even now for me. It makes me I feel like I wanna give up. Search fitness for models on line, that is my motivation. It doesn’t matter how hard you workout everyday, but to lose the extra fat you need to do the calorie deficit. I did all my Venus workout 3 times a week and I just hired a personal trainer to set up a new program. My new trainer is showing me the body language. how to work your muscles and find better to find my balance. Who knows, I might do a fitness show. Imagine that at age 55! I can live my dreams, but I will always need my Venus sisters to get my motivation and give all the help they ask me!!

Thank you for having me, love you all and remember we can do it!! WE ARE PROOF!!

Anita

Look how beautiful Anita is now, and yes she enjoys getting attention now too!

Filed Under: change, Contest, Diet, fat loss, Food Tagged With: The Venus Factor, Venus index Transformation, working out for shape

Archives for 2016

Venus Factor Week 1 Day 1 – Let’s DO THIS!

Ever wonder why the guys can do this so much easier?

Venus Next Year (2017) Contest schedule:

And the VT18 Venus Transformation Contest results are …

1st Place Jackie

2nd Place Barbara

3rd Place Lynn

4th Place Candy

Next Year (2017) Contest schedule:

The deadline for VT18 is midnight Eastern Time Monday November 21st

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

Here are the steps to enter your final pictures:

But my problem is I love food!

Teresa used Venus to unwind 35 years of fad diets.

VT18 Venus Transformation Contest Ends November 21th

The last 10 pounds at 54, Meet Lisa

300 pounds to Fitness coach; Meet Kimmy

All the Girls Who Dream; Meet Monica

Yet another 55 year young Venus bucks the trend; Meet Anita

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