Be stronger than your EXCUSES!

Coach Carla is stronger than any excuse!

Coach Lita is stronger than any excuse!

 

The thing I love the most about Coach Lita is she never stands behind a list of excuses.  Like all of us, she wears a lot of different hats, and her life is full of other things called LIFE.  She just owns it and moves on.

I’ll tell you a secret.  Even once you are done raising kids, life still fills up your plate.  You move from one season to the next, and life just keeps throwing things at you. The parents have aging issues, the other jobs place demands on you, the car breaks down, the bills pile up, your spouse needs your support, forest fires, tornado’s, hurricanes and other natural disasters threaten your home, your friends get sick and need help, tragedies happen around you and your community needs you, your aging pets get sick.  Family members have tragedy and illness. You have illnesses. It is endless. There will always be a huge list of excuses.

But they are not really excuses, it’s just life.

So, the best thing to do is just own it and keep moving.

Today is a new day.

We all have 24 hours.

We all wear different hats.

We all have responsibilities.

We all have stress.

We all have adversity.

We all have our own unique genetics.

We all have possible excuses.

We all make mistakes that give us doubt.

Even yesterday.  Whatever mistake you made, let it go.

Today is a new day.

Learn from it and move on.

DECIDE what you want today.

Make it a victory.

Nobody wants to hear the excuses.

Just do what you gotta do without the excuses.

If someone else succeeded in what you want, applaud them instead.

Don’t demean them just because you haven’t done it yet.

Don’t make excuses as to why you have not achieved it yet.

Just do it.

Just do it anyway.

Once again it’s the little steps every day and biding your time.

YOUR time will come too.

If you let go of the excuses already.

If you make today a new day and let yesterday go.

This is how we do it!!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Have a wonderful weekend.  It’s full of opportunity to make good choices.  A clean slate.  Like every fresh new morning.

And of course if you need help with those day to day choices, you can always choose your own Venus coach, or you can find friends in the Venus forum, or the Venus Facebook group.

-Coach Roberta

 

 

What’s in your HEART?

Naggiar Sangiovese FRAME

Venus is in my HEART

This grape, Sangiovese, is the heart of Chianti wines which are Randy’s favorite.

I spent a day last weekend on my feet, pouring wine and serving people at a very classy winery (Naggiar). I bought the bottle after my shift to share with Randy while we sit and watch a beautiful sunset in our backyard sometime soon.

It will be a learning experience for me to read about the wine, the grapes, and take in the experience to help me help others learn about the wines at this beautiful vineyard and winery.

I love the place because it’s family run and everyone works together as a team. No one is better than another, we all just jump in and do what needs to be done. I love that.

I wasn’t even looking for a new job.  I went to my Venus friend Kerry‘s birthday party and while chatting with the employees there it came up that they needed someone with a flexible weekend schedule to help out.  All my friends there said I would be a perfect fit.  So it just happened like that.

They grow the grapes right there, and make the wine right there.  Everything is family owned and operated and I am now considered part of the family.  It feels good.

Next week they will start hand picking the grapes at night when it’s cool, they start with the white grapes.  I shall get to see the whole process and help with the bottling for a day if I want.  I think I just might roll up my sleeves and do it!

 

What was it about the successful people there?

Hard work and variety is the spice of life and the fountain of youth; I’m more convinced than ever as I spoke with many people sipping wine that day.

Many were successful retired people, living up life to the fullest. One thing they all had in common was the ability to face adversity and not let it stop them from enjoying life, being happy, and learning to not take themselves too seriously.

They all had passion. They all had things that they were involved in that keep them occupied all day long. They don’t spend a lot of time being idle. There is no such thing as the word “boring” because they MAKE IT HAPPEN.

They were all kind and respectful to others. The customers and the staff alike. This is another key to success. They didn’t spend time gossiping about others. There is not enough time to waste on that.

By making it happen, they are able to take time to enjoy their friends sipping wine and learning about wine pairings on the weekend.

They also did not have problems with being over weight.  They ate slowly and savored their food and sipped their wine.  They were active and healthy people, even those into their 80’s.

 

The day I interviewed for the vineyard tasting room job, they hired me on the spot!  It made me feel good so I enjoyed the moment.

The day I interviewed for the vineyard tasting room job, they hired me on the spot! It made me feel good so I enjoyed the moment.

 

 

Focus on the positive and trim out the negative

Life is too short to focus on the negative.  Life is too short to spend time with gossip about others or even listen to gossip about others.

Life is too short to spend time with anyone who is mean or negative or drags you down in any way.

We all have some adversity.  But we choose to find a way through it.

DECIDE to face adversity and kick it in the teeth.

Think of at least one positive thing, and especially think of one person who you can help. There is always someone and it helps give you purpose.

 

Continue to attack the process, the results come later

Focus on your passion, focus on the work and the nitty gritty.

The results always come later, so focus on the process instead. That’s where the real magic happens.

The time is now.

I picked a new passion to add to my list, learning about wines at this beautiful place with these beautiful people, because LIFE IS SHORT and THE TIME IS NOW.

There is not good cell phone reception there, so it’s a great excuse to get off the electronic devices and focus on people in person, face to face, while pursuing many of my personal goals and passion at the same time.

See this is how Venus changed my life. I did not have the confidence until I changed my physique to what I wanted.  Sure, when a person is over weight the same talent existed inside.  But part of what makes me who I am now is the ability to move with agility in all that I do.   It is not just vanity;  it is health, vibrancy, walking with a spring in my step and a sparkle in my eye. I can also easily carry a case of the wine to the customers car for then and turn heads while I’m at it.  It’s something to be proud of.

And yes, I can still turn some heads and it’s heck yeah FUN!  That will never get old.  I love having an excuse to dress up and work at the same time.

This is how we do it.

Venus is truly in my HEART

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream
-Coach Roberta Our staff because it the end at all. Also, our custom writing styles, and protection of our service provides full confidentiality and understanding of your assignment immediately! We hire them. During the best! Our staff because it on your professor indifferent. WE GIVE 100% GUARANTEE If you can buy papers online; our . http://paperell.com/ We do it on your assignment. Our writers must pass through a Master’s or high level under any matter of writing service offers various types of scientific art that we will start working on the most demanding teachers! Attention, this to write a good price. Many students had already faced .

Your body is NOT the garbage can!

The Venus way is to treat our body with love.

The Venus way is to treat your body with love.

 

Your body is NOT the garbage can!

This is one of the things I had to learn on this journey.

I grew up with the influence of people who lived through the depression.

No waste.

Clean your plate.

But I had to learn that MY BODY IS NOT THE GARBAGE CAN!

On many levels.

Not just quality of food,

But the AMOUNT of food.

The Venus nutrition calculator will give you the RANGE you need to learn the correct amount of food for a sustained calorie deficit.

Then after you reach your goal, you can use the upper end of the range to learn how to maintain.

It’s still a learning process.

And I’ve learned to purchase smaller amounts of food so that I don’t waste, and yet I don’t EAT TOO MUCH.

Whether you want to face it or not, it’s too much food that makes us gain fat.

End of story.

I was at the peak of obesity eating 100% organic fanatic to the extreme, thinking I could “health” my way into losing the fat.

Sure, “clean” is best. And you will perform best with that.

On top of that though, the right amount is the key to controlling body fat level.

For years I got mad at my husband Randy because he would go all day outside working without eating. He said he wasn’t hungry and was happy to just eat a healthy dinner at night.

I thought it was hurting him.

He also always stops eating when he’s had enough and didn’t finish his plate, so I got mad then too.

But guess what?

He never gained the excess fat like I did.

Now I get it.

So, if he’s done and I end up scraping his plate into the garbage can I say “I’d better plan the right amount next time. I’m glad you didn’t eat this because YOUR BODY IS NOT THE GARBAGE CAN – scrape scrape scrape – THIS is the garbage can!”

So I’m better at planning.

Because I STILL don’t like to waste.

I plan it better now.

I can’t stand wasting precious food.

But because of Venus I’ll still be on track because I’m AWARE of amounts.

What about you?

What are the lessons you are learning?

Let’s hear it.

We love the good stories and lessons learned.

-Coach Roberta

Nutrition the Venus Way – Podcast

Liss Nutrition and Dumas Venus ladies

In this podcast which was recorded live in front of an audience for a seminar in Dumas, Texas, at the Moore County YMCA- Coach Liss answers:

  • What is the fitness hierarchy?
  • Why is rest and stress important to consider?
  • What are the 3 ways of eating?
  • Why, when, and how should we eat in a deficit.
  • Why is eating to maintenance level important?
  • Why we should consider error in our nutrition.
  • Why is protein important?
  • How a weekly and daily eating pattern might look.
  • Does meal timing matter?
  • What supplements should I consider?
  • Why should I consider gut health?
  • What is the Anything Goes Diet?
  • How might I consider actions instead of only goals

Goal to Actions Graphic

Along with many practical tips and actual examples of what Liss’ nutrition looks like on a daily basis.

 

Listen to the free Venus Factor Podcast below:

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The VT14 Venus Transformation Contest Winners Announced

The VT14 results are in, congratulations to all finishers!

One thing I love about the focus for women in the Venus program is The focus is proportions and shape (rather than weight loss at all costs or building muscle like a guy)John Barban.

Congratulations to everyone who entered and finished!  This took hard work on the part of everyone and it shows.

Here are the winners:

First Place – Jonda

Jonda-BnA-VT14

“Women face challenges that men don’t. We deserve to know what REALLY works and when we are wasting our time. This is not a difficult program. It is however a mindset. You have to be at that point in your life when you really want it.” -Jonda

 

Second Place – Denise

Denise-BnA-VT14

“My Venus Thanks for giving me my life back, i had given up losing weight , when one day I searched for a weight loss program, and then i saw Venus and heard everything that John said in this promotion waooooouw i was blown away and i still am, what a journey and i know i still have a lot to lose , but i am on my way, and im so happy for all my new Venus sisters without them, it would never had happened. I’ve found my place where I can be healthy and get fit :)” -Denise

 

Third Place – Vanessa

Vanessa-BnA-VT14

“I was able to finally lose the weight following the Venus Factor System in 12 weeks when I couldn’t do it with every other diet and exercise program on the market in 24 months. I call that a true success! I lost 8.2 lbs during this 12 week contest period but even greater, I lost 13 inches off my body. I had moved up to a size 6 but I am finally in my 2s again!!”  –Vanessa

Fourth Place – Nisel

Nisel-BnA-VT14

“Venus has given me a plan, purpose and goals to strive toward as I continue my journey toward health and fitness. The contests helped me to have a short term goal and accountability. With 2 kids and a full time job, I feel that the Venus program is one that I can keep as a lifestyle not just a diet and exercise program.” -Nisel

Fifth Place – Helen

Helen-BnA-VT14

“To me being a Venus means the process is a journey of learning and Venus fits in my lifestyle. Just as it was said in the beginning, the program is simple, but not always easy, but neither is life, and I feel such a connection to so many ladies on the forum, that my greatest hope is that one day I can meet them. I will continue on this journey, and I am not where I want to be, but I much better than where I started. Thank you everyone at Venus.” -Helen

Sixth Place – Aja

Aja-BnA-VT14

“I finally finished the Venus Index! My favorite development from working on a stronger, leaner body is my ability to do things that were difficult or straining to do before — such as dancing, reaching & lifting, rollerblading, climbing, jumping, and every day normal things. The best part? I notice it after a task is complete. I actively think every time, ” Wow, I am … a lot stronger than I thought!” I feel like I am a more capable person.” -Aja

Seventh Place – Julie

Julie-BnA-VT14

“Venus has given me the tools to succeed and has also given me a whole community of Venus ladies to swap stories with, get advice on nutrition or even advice on a modified move. I am so blessed to have found exactly what I needed for me, my body and my journey. This will always be the life style I choose to live. I hope my children grow and learn from all of this and never have to struggle with obesity. Thank you Venus, you saved my life.” -Julie

 

Eighth Place – Laura

Laura-BnA-VT14

“I’m a wife and a full time home mother of two little ones. I started to join the Venus work out class not to long ago because I was trying to find the work out class that I like in all the aspects. In a short time started to love it!” -Laura

 

Ninth Place – Therese

Therese-BnA-VT14

“Today, I challenged my husband to who can get abs first–me or him. It is going to be me!!! Since I have been doing the Venus Factor my husband has lost 30 pounds and two of my four children who are home for the summer have both lost weight. The journey I am on has no finish line. I will continue the weight loss with maintenance process until I reach my Venus Factor figure and then I will continue to strengthen my body and maintain the weight loss.” -Therese

Tenth Place – Dawn

Dawn-BnA-VT14

 “I still have a long way to go and look at this as part 1 and will continue on with the Venus plan. I have more energy and feel fitter and stronger. I have lost inches more than pounds and know that it didn’t happen overnight and will not improve overnight as well. I am thankful that I found this plan and grateful that FINALLY something is working for me to see some changes in my body and not feel deprived or overtired or too sore to workout in the process.” -Dawn

 

Congratulations to all!

As everyone who entered or is in the process of transforming to a healthy shape knows;  It’s hard!  Every single one of these ladies deserves a huge round of applause.

The Transformation Contest place has prizes for placements:

  • First place: $500
  • Second place: $350
  • Third place: $250
  • Fourth place through tenth place: $200

 

VT15 will start be Aug 31st – Nov 23rd

There is NO DEADLINE within those dates to enter.  You can enter your before and after pictures ANY TIME during those windows.  Obviously the earlier you enter your before pictures and the later you enter your after pictures will give you the biggest opportunity for change to happen.  It’s hard enough for any of us to produce a change in just 12 weeks.

We want this experience to be as stress free and as fun as possible for you.  That’s why there is no fee to join.  All Venus customers who have never placed in a previous contest can enter.

If you have placed in a previous contest and want to enter again, you can get featured in the “Cover Girl Calendar Girl” category.  No prizes are awarded except you get to show off how superbly you have maintained a beautiful shape with the Venus program.

Contest rules and regulations

 

Until next time,

-Coach Roberta

 

How to create your own PRIZEFIGHTER VICTORY every day

Embrace the process every day for those victories!

Embrace the process every day for those victories!

 

“You would only fail to accomplish something if you were focused on the outcome.”

– Ben Newman

Focus on the activity that fires your passion and you will do well.

Focus on the process, not the results. The results will come later.

THIS is why I succeeded with fat loss and building muscle.

It took me 3 years to lose the 85 pounds and even longer to build the muscle. I had NO IDEA what the actual outcome would be, but the focus on the PROCESS worked.

If you continue to focus on the outcome and results, it may not be what you expected. Once you let go of that, you have accomplishment.

You have passion.

You will go do great things.

Every day.

You will have a PRIZEFIGHTER VICTORY day every day.

-Tips from “Own Your Success” by Ben Newman

This is what you need to remind yourself about next time you get discouraged by the scale, a measurement, or a size. It’s not that those don’t need to be markers, but if that is the focus you will be disappointed in the end.

Focus on the process.

It works.

 

Pick one thing

Make a small power list of what you want to accomplish today.

It might be just one thing, or two or three, but that’s it.

It’s not about checking things off on a to-do list.

It could be just getting to the gym or whatever form of exercise you feel is right for you just now.

Make completing that task your VICTORY.

Have one victory every day.

Ride one victory to the next.

When you can add one or two more each day then do it.

Make those consistent.

Once those are consistent, they can evolve to a new task or new short list.

This is how we make each day a PRIZEFIGHTER VICTORY day.

You can do it.

We all can do it.

One day at a time.

That is how every successful person does it.

It does not seem very exciting unless you MAKE IT SO.

So, what are you waiting for?

Let’s hear some victory cries!

Coach Roberta

PS we will be announcing the VT14 Contest winners on next Monday.

Have a glorious weekend.  It is chalk full of opportunities to make good choices!

The DEADLINE for VT14 is Monday August 3rd at midnight.

VenusBnACollageSQUARE_DEADLINE

This is just a friendly reminder that the deadline for VT14 is Monday August 3rd at Midnight Eastern Standard Time.

The entry form CLOSES at that time.

How to ENTER a Venus Transformation Contest:

 

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:

Use your Venus login to use the submission form.

Then use the BLUE JOIN BUTTON for the contest ending August 3rd (08/03/2015):

 

contest screen shot

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!

Coach Roberta

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

Support for technical difficulties: http://www.venusfactor.com/contact-us/

Our 3rd and last contest for 2015 will be VT15: Aug 31st – Nov 23rd

 

 

 

Hold the rope! The final countdown to VT14

Hold the rope for the final countdown to VT14!

Hold the rope for the final countdown to VT14!

 

Don’t let go of the rope now!

Contest photo and data submissions for VT14 will be due no later than Monday August 3rd at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

For some motivation here are some beautiful pictures of previous Venus contest winners:

 

Deanne!

Deanne!

Learn about Deanne’s winning strategy; She kept it Simple.

 

Malissa!

Malissa!

Learn what Malissa did even working night shift.

 

Michelle!

Michelle!

Learn what kept Michelle motivated and committed.

 

Several times a year we have transformation contests in which 10 winners are recognized for their achievement in staying committed to their fitness goals.

All these contestants have one thing in common. No matter how tough it became throughout their transformation, they did one thing — they held the rope! What is “holding the rope?” Imagine that you are hanging on a rope like I did here a few days ago. There was only thing between myself and a fall to the floor, and that was hanging on!

For you hanging on is the Venus program. For many that includes our online community, our Venus Facebook group and friend connections there, as well as friendships with other Venus ladies on myfitnesspal and Instagram.

When the going gets tough, you can rest assured that friends are there to help you. Whether it is clarification with nutrition or a mental stumbling block, or encouragement, motivation, or Venus One on One Coaching. Rest assured, all you have to do is “Hold The Rope!”

The person that holds the rope when the going gets tough is a winner. When you’ve had a long day at work and choose to go to the gym afterwards that is a “winning” decision. If you are frustrated and have lost the willpower to track your calories come and visit with some friends in the various place in the online community where other successful Venus women hang out.

In a matter of speaking, they will tell you they have been where you are, just “hold the rope — let it burn but don’t let go!”

Win or lose, remember that your transformation is a personal achievement and you should be very proud of your accomplishment. Personally for me I know it is the Venus golden lifestyle that enabled me to climb up that rope for real, and never let go.

 

 

The Venus workouts are very empowering. You will learn you can eventually do things you never dreamed of. Just the other day I was at the gym doing my standard cardio when I saw a kid climbing this rope. I’ve never done it before so I thought I’d give it a shot. See there, at 54.5 years old Venus made me strong enough to do it!

Believe me, I was very scared at the top!  My heart was racing from the effort and I was shocked when I looked down and realized I can’t let go!  It took all of my focus to hang on until I got back down.

As for preparation for photos, there are many ways to do this. For the most part the work has already been done during the last 11 weeks. You can do some final last week “prep” but it not required to do anything special.

So hold onto that rope for life!

-Coach Roberta

PS if you have any trouble with submitting pictures or data you can email me:  roberta.saum@gmail.com

Ten days left to go in the Venus Transformation Contest VT14

With the deadline quickly approaching we thought you could use a little more motivation for the final stretch.

So here’s another tale of a successful and powerful Venus who started the program this year.

I first met Jonda in person on March 6 of this year.

I first met Jonda in person on March 6 of this year at the Firehouse in Old Sacramento

 

You have to be READY to make a change.

Jonda is a successful business woman with a busy career.  She had purchased the Venus program a while back but found she was not quite ready to start.  She had a number of health issues to sort out, so she found me and we connected on Facebook.

She lives on the East Coast in the USA and happened to be visiting a business partner in California where I live.  She contacted me on March 6th and we decided to meet for dinner.  It was a wonderful and elegant meeting at the Firehouse restaurant in Old Sacramento.  We talked about Venus and various diet strategies, but mostly just had a beautiful time with her business partner Julia.

What happened when Jonda was finally READY?

Jonda came back to California and "Kidnapped" me for an overnight Venus meeting.

Jonda came back to California and “Kidnapped” me for an overnight Venus meeting.

On April 20th Jonda Lowe came to California and “kidnapped” me for a Venus slumber party.

I reluctantly took a break from my normal busy life and allowed her and her business partner Julia to love on me and pray for me during the overnight capture.

 

We went for a nice long walk in the hills where the cows wandered nearby.

We went for a nice long walk in the hills where the cows wandered nearby.

 

During the visit we made my beloved homemade popcorn cooked in coconut oil and went for long walks in the hills where cows wander freely.

Jonda peppered me with questions over dinner, of which I of course did not mind.

It’s my passion. It’s what I write about every day.

She is vegetarian because of health needs and thus needed some help figuring out the holes in her diet in order to achieve her goals.

With the Venus workout and principles, along with supplements to fill the holes in her diet, we came up with a plan.

Jonda is one of those who really took it to heart and applied it. She is driven. She has passion. She has fire.

Not only that, she is genuine, loving, kind, and highly ethical and professional.  She is female POWER through and through, as she forges her own destiny with the gifts God has given her.

She takes action with guidance.

And she learns from mistakes. Has she made a few mistakes since April 20th until today?

Absolutely, but she knows how to regroup and keep forging ahead.

 

Did the strategy work?

Well here’s the data..

 

Calories over time

Calories over time

 

Jonda's meal plan on July 18th.

Jonda’s meal plan on July 18th.

 

Here’s what she says in her own words:

Messing around with the reports section on MFP. My only regret Roberta is that I didn’t take the 1000 cal with 100g of protein daily regimen more seriously at the beginning of my transformation. I convinced myself that the extra 150-200 cal/day wasn’t that big of a deal and what could an extra 20g of protein matter? Well I found out that cutting the 150-200 calories and adding in an extra 20+g of protein keeps me full and I am cruising toward my ideal Venus Index weight. I want to give a special shoutout to Will Grumke. When I first added the 1st Phorm’s Bliss Go Pack, I was getting hungry. Will encouraged me to eat closer to the 100g of protein per day to stay full. I’ll say it again, the Program works if you do!

 

But that’s just the diet side of the coin.

What about the workouts?

When we were together in April Jonda asked a lot of questions about the workouts and what her strategy should be for equipment. She decided to join a nearby gym.  Once she started there was no stopping.  She posted a lot of gym updates on her Facebook profile and posted questions on my timeline.  This kept her accountable and by posting the questions on my timeline others got the benefit of seeing the answers.  She inspired others the whole way.

 

Jonda at the gym on July 22 this past week!

Jonda at the gym on July 22 this past week!

 

Do you see how much she has changed since our walk in the hills with the cows in April?

She is amazing.  She is inspiring.  She is an example to all those around her.

She is going places. You might want to follow in her footsteps.

Pretty amazing what you can do when you:

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

 

What about the Venus Contest?

Clearly contest or no contest Jonda has already WON.

This is what Venus is all about.  Changing your life, Living your Dream.

But if you happen to be participating in the current Venus contest VT14, the deadline to submit your final pictures is August 3rd, 2015.  Make sure you get your final pictures in before then because the contest form closes at exactly midnight.

If you have any questions or problems entering your material into the contest contact me:  roberta.saum@gmail.com

Now, go WIN your LIFE BACK!

-Coach Roberta

Kirsty Set a Goal and Won VT13

Kirsty WON our recent VT13 Venus Transformation Contest!

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. Kirsty brilliantly navigated through a full time career, social events, and going to graduate school during her stunning transformation.

 

 

Kirsty before and after using Venus Index for only 12 weeks!

 

Here is what Kirsty had to say in her own words

This was me on 19th January 2015 – And this was on 14th April 2015. 85 days later.

I had been unhappy with my weight for a very long time. I always wanted to be thinner, but I could never get there.
My dieting habit started in high school. I would decide one day that I was sick of being chubby. I would start dieting immediately, and would plan to keep going for as long as it took to become thin.
I would cut out fatty food and do heaps of extra exercise. It would work for a few weeks and I’d be happy for a while. When the weight loss started to slow down, I would start doing EVEN MORE exercise and eating EVEN LESS food with the expectation of getting even better results.
Anyone who has tried to lose weight this way knows that eventually, you hit the dreaded weight loss plateau where everything comes to a screaming halt. As you try and force through it, you become as strict as you can be and have constant negative thoughts, trying to figure out what you did wrong to stall your progress. Your mood gets progressively worse, and eventually your willpower gives out.
My goal was to be thinner, and every time I stopped losing weight, I had failed. I was tired, grumpy and felt like a failure so I would give up on the diet. Then I put on the weight again, and sometimes more than I started with. A few months later I would decide to “do something about it” and the cycle would start all over again.
Did you see the mistakes I made?

My goal was not SMART. Being “thinner” is not Specific, and it’s never Achievable either. No matter how thin you are, you can always be “thinner”. It is a moving goal post that you can never actually reach.
My determination to stick to it for as long as it took could be seen as admirable, but when you set a goal that will require tremendous will power, it should be Timed so that you have an end in sight. This can force you to work hard and not procrastinate, so that you achieve your goal by the deadline; but it’s also important so that you have permission to relax once you reach the end without feeling like you gave up.

This time around, I was SMART about it.
I started by clarifying in my mind the reason for wanting to lose weight. It was to have more energy and avoid health problems. The focus of my goal was switched from being “thinner” to being “a healthy weight” which directly supports my dream of living a long and active life.

– I signed up with Venus and got advice about what my ideal weight and measurements should be. From their calculations I set my goals to reach 55 kgs, and a waist measurement of 65 cms. These goals were both Specific, and Measurable.
– Now, I actually wasn’t completely convinced that it was Achievable. Through all my prior dieting, I had never, even at 16 years old, gotten below 60 kg. I thought it was impossible for me to reach 55. I had convinced myself over time that I was genetically programmed to be bigger than my friends. But I listened to the stories and advice of others in the group and decided that it was time for me to really challenge and push myself. This would be my Big Hairy Audacious Goal for 2015.
– Reaching my target of 55 kilos would place me right in the middle of the healthy BMI range and this was a relevant step toward my long term goal of taking care of my health. This is in sharp contrast to my previous goal of “losing as much weight as possible”.
– Venus holds regular body transformation competitions. I signed up to the next one they ran and that gave me the Timeframe to work with. I had three months to transform my body.
I used the trick I mentioned earlier, and set my computer password to 55Kilograms so I was reminded of the goal every day when I logged on. When the contest ended after three months, I weighed in at exactly 55.1kg. which was almost 8kg lower than the lightest I have been in my adult life.
Since the deadline had come, I was happy to round off and say that I had made it. I rewarded myself by shopping for clothes that I would never have been confident enough to wear before.
By achieving this difficult goal, I now have the confidence to know that if the weight does creep back on a bit, it won’t really matter for long because it is completely within my power to do it again.

Kirsty side 2 before and after Venus Index smaller

Kirsty’s Metrics Results

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
Before 148 lb 63 in 32 in 43.5 in 38 in
After 137 lb 63 in 29 in 41.3 in 37 in
Change -11 lb 0 in -3 in -2.2 in -1 in
Kirsty is a stunning Venus

Kirsty is a stunning Venus

Kirsty’s Written Interview (scroll down for podcast)

How did you find the Venus Factor? – Life changing! My results surpassed all my expectations and while I wouldn’t say it was easy, it was definitely a comfortable level of effort. The idea of having “eat up” days so frequently (and not calling them cheating) was strange to me at first as I’d always been a bit “all or nothing” about dieting. Having permission to eat up, with well researched justification, was very liberating.

What things had you tried in the past? – I’ve been unhappy with my weight for as long as I can remember and at least once a year I would go on a diet. When I was younger it was an all or nothing approach – eat as little as I could and focus on vegetables, and do as much exercise as I had time for. Anyone who has tried to lose weight that way knows that sooner or later your willpower gives out, and you can never stick to that plan for long enough. In more recent years I’ve tried various types of diets – low fat, low carb, zero sugar, paleo, juice fasting… I had the most success (loss of 10 kilos) with completely eliminating sugar from my diet about 2 years ago but found it a very antisocial way to eat so even though I wanted to keep going I stopped that after 4 months and gradually put back all the weight I’d lost.

 

What aspect of the program was most beneficial to you? – The virtual nutritionist was great by taking all the guess work out of how much to eat. I’m an accountant and have a mind for numbers so calorie counting is a good method for me but each time I’ve tried before I never really knew what numbers I should be aiming for.

 

Which workout(s) did you use during the contest?  What did you enjoy about those workouts? – I did the basic 12 week Venus workout through the contest period. I really liked that I could just do them at home with dumbbells and didn’t need any fancy equipment. I also played netball once a week and made sure I clocked up at least 10,000 steps a day on my fitbit.

Did you use a particular style of eating?  What was your nutrition strategy? – I learned pretty quickly that the best way to make sure I wasn’t hungry on 1000 calories a day was to eat low-carb and high protein with a good amount of fibre. I swapped my cereal for eggs at breakfast and sandwiches made way for salads at lunch. I’ve worked out a good little chicken & veggie salad for lunch that is about 220 calories, with 20g protein and 10g fibre. I make up a big batch at the start of the week and take a portion to work with me every day. I’m lucky that I’m happy eating the same thing every day because I find having standard meals takes some of the stress out of monitoring your calories. A few weeks into the contest I started skipping breakfast and worked my way up to a 15 hour daily fast. That was probably the change that made the most difference for me and I am still comfortable doing it now. In the mornings I have a coffee with almond milk when I get to work, and quite often a second one about an hour later. Then I start listening to my body and I have a snack when I start to actually feel hungry, which is normally around 14-16 hours after the previous night’s dinner.

Did you use any supplements? – Not really. In the first few weeks I had some protein powder and fibre powder but once I started getting used to myfitnesspal.com I learned what foods to eat to get all my nutrients from diet alone so I didn’t need them anymore. Before I started Venus I would take iron and vitamin C supplements every day because I had been diagnosed as anemic at one point and for years I had trouble maintaining a healthy iron level. After a few weeks of better eating in Venus I also found that I could stop taking those supplements without any negative effects. My last blood test was pretty good so it seems like I’ve finally found the correct way to eat.

Did you use the online community and if so, how was your experience with it? – Yes, after reading the Venus ebook I was really excited about the program and went into the community reading almost every post to try and learn more. In the first few weeks I spent most evenings after dinner reading blog posts and making a few posts of my own on the forum. I found getting involved with the community was a really good way to stay on track when I got the munchies at 9pm. It gave me something to do so I didn’t eat out of boredom.

What was the hardest obstacle to conquer? – I found the biggest challenge to be the social side of eating, and having to say no over and over to people that want to feed me. Most social events with my family and friends revolve around a meal, and invariably it’s something like pizza and ribs with lots of alcohol and cake for dessert. I started turning up to parties with a precooked plate of chicken breast and veggies, and if we were going out to a restaurant I’d ask lots of questions and look up all the options in myfitnesspal.com before deciding what to order. I was ridiculed a bit for it. It got easier after I explained to everyone that I was in a contest and was determined to stick to my diet so I could win some money. Now that the contest is over and I’ve moved into maintenance mode, I give myself one day a week where I don’t bother tracking calories, and I try to listen to my body and just stop eating when I’m satisfied. I still try to make the healthy choices but don’t obsess about portion sizes or get upset if they forgot to leave the dressing off my salad. I’ve found that since starting Venus and really focusing on my food choices, my taste buds have changed to prefer the healthy options anyway. I never used to like seafood much but now I far prefer fish and crab instead of pasta and burgers. I’m also appreciating a much wider variety of vegetables

 

What kept you motivated? – Entering the contest made me accountable for sticking to the weight loss program. In all my previous diets, it was easy to give up because no one else was really affected. By signing up to the contest and telling people about it, I had made a commitment. If I gave up, I would have had to explain to a lot of people that I’d failed, and I really hate having to admit failure at anything. When we were about 3 weeks into the contest, my local newspaper actually announced that they were going to run a weight loss contest as well. I thought that was perfect since I was already putting the work in for Venus so my brother and I signed up to that one together. It was pretty popular, I think they had 500 spaces and they filled them within 2 days. My brother and I started going to the gym together once a week. We’re both pretty competitive people, so neither of us wanted to be the first one to admit that we were tired; that made sure that we both stayed there and kept working for longer than we would if we were on our own. He ended up winning the men’s division of the local comp, and I came 3rd in the ladies.

How did you feel about your final pictures? – I had a lot of fun taking them. I was still losing weight and hadn’t bought many new clothes yet since I wasn’t sure what size I would end up with so I started the day by raiding my friend’s wardrobe to find something flattering.

Is this a lifestyle you will continue? – Yes. I haven’t achieved my ideal Venus waist measurement yet but I’m at the low end of the healthy weight scale and people are telling me I look too skinny so I’m giving up on the last 4 cms and moving into maintenance now. I’m currently giving myself two eat up days per week (one midweek to the maintenance level determined by the calculator, and one on a weekend where I don’t bother logging food and just try to listen to my body). I’m a bit scared to stop logging all my food in case the weight piles back on so I’m just gradually increasing my deficit days every few weeks and waiting to see what level I can eat at without the scale changing.

What advice do you have for other women going through the contest or considering the contest? – Do it. You don’t lose anything by signing up and it makes you accountable for sticking to your weight loss plan. By having a deadline it’s far easier to keep working hard for the three months to achieve your goals, because you know it’s not going to be hard work forever. Three months is long enough to develop some really good habits and make big changes to your body, but not so long that it seems impossible.

 

Kirsty Venus Index Collage

 

Listen to and/or download the podcast contest interview with Kirsty, Coach Jenny, and Coach Liss below:

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