Venus Index

Malissa placed in our VT11 Venus Transformation Contest She works as a nurse on the night shift and is a busy mom, despite these obstacles she still was able to transform her body and mind in spectacular fashion during the contest!  This is what Malissa had to say about her transformation in her own words- […]

  Tabitha placed in our recent VT11 Venus Transformation Contest. She did a phenomenal job, and persisted through some hardships. Her results are wonderful! Here is what Tabitha had to say in her own words I started my weight loss journey in Jan 2012 with my husband. I did not know about Venus at the time and […]

  Leann placed 1st in our VT11 Venus Transformation Contest   Here’s what Leann has to say in her own words: I found Venus Factor through MFP in January 2014.  I’d joined a biggest loser competition at work because I was fed up with my post-pregnancy body.  I had just stopped nursing my five-month old […]

  Sue placed 10th in our VT11 Venus Transformation Contest   Here’s what Sue has to say in her own words: I discovered the Venus Factor program in March 2014 and really liked the structure of it and the community.  I weighed 172 pounds and while I’m 5’10” tall, excess weight on me is still […]

      Valerie Mainridge placed Fifth in our VT-9 Venus Transformation Contest.   Here is what Valerie had to say about how the Venus Factor program worked for her, in her own words: Since starting the VI 9 transformation contest, I have been on quite the journey.  I started strong in September by sticking to the diet and the workouts.  But, by the middle of September my father-in-law passed away which meant we had to fly back home for a week.  There were many temptations around, but I tried to stick to my calorie allotment and I found creative ways to get my VI workouts done while staying at a hotel.  By the end of September, I came down with a terrible sinus infection that had me out of commission for 15 days.  I briefly considered dropping out of the contest, but I had seen very positive results with the first month so I decided to continue on and make up the workouts I missed while being sick. I have tried so many diets over the past 15 years and I did initially lose weight on them, but I would get to a certain point to where I would stop losing weight and eventually the weight came back on.  With the Venus Index, I finally can see my body changing shape, getting stronger, and feeling healthy.  Now that I am at the end of the contest, I can truthfully say that I feel like I finally have control over my body to shape it through a sensible diet and exercise program.   Starting metrics: Height 68” Weight 153 pounds Shoulders 40” Waist 32” Hips 39”   Ending metrics: Weight 135 pounds Shoulders 41 “ Waist 27 “ Hips 36”     Congratulations on your success Valerie.  We at the Venus Factor wish you all the best, we hope you are proud of your success, and we are very happy for you!   You can find Valerie’s blog in our online Venus community for inspiration. Listen to Valerie’s interview with John here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

  Danielle placed Fourth in our VT-9 Transformation contest.   Here is what she has to say in her own words: "Wow, I can't believe I made it through the 12 week challenge! I entered the contest late (on a Thursday instead of Monday), so technically my last day is Thanksgiving. I'm really proud of myself for making it all 12 weeks because I usually lose resolve around week 4 of any other diet plan. I found the key to my success this time was John's secret of "never let them see you sweat". I never complained about dieting or bragged about hitting the gym 5-6 days/week. Instead I made it a personal journey and made sure to still enjoy social eating with my friends (within reason). I realized that in the past social pressure from friends ("you don't need to lose weight; you're fine the way you are") has really steered me off course. I know they love me and mean well, but my fitness and health goals are important to me. Both my jobs are in healthcare and it's very hard for me to encourage good diet choices and daily exercise to my patients and students when I know I'm not doing the same in my daily life. Beginning stats: Weight- 182.4lb Arms- 13" Thighs-24.75" Waist-34" Hips-44" Shoulders-45"   Ending Stats: Weight-164.6lb (-17.8lb) Arms-12" (-1") Thighs-23.2" (-1.55") Waist-32.3" (-1.7") Hips-40.3" (-3.7") Shoulders-42" (-2") I've still got a way to go, but I'm on the right path!" I started the Venus program in September 2013 at the urging of my mom. She said "This is it! We'll never have to try a yo-yo diet again!” Of course I was skeptical having been through the rigors of numerous diet and/or exercise programs that promised the "perfect" body over the years, but I figured I hadn't seen a program quite like this before so why not give it a try? Plus, the VT-9 contest was gearing up and I love a good competition :) I found that even though I was stressed out with being a full time nursing student, working part time, and being a new wife the Venus program was simple to follow and fit very naturally into my lifestyle. I was worried that I would lose my resolve around week 4, as that was what usually happened with past diets, but I just kept telling myself that I would be so happy at the end of the contest, not because I thought I'd place, but because I figured the new body at the end of the experience would be totally worth a few hunger pangs along the way. Being a nursing student at the time, all I did was study the body and disease processes all day long. I think that most people acknowledge the role of lifestyle choices (namely food and exercise) in preventing disease...but that doesn't prevent most of us from indulging more than we should. A lot of the patient education we do is coaching our patients on healthy eating choices and increasing their weekly exercise totals no matter what disease process they are working through. I felt like at the end of the day I didn't want to be a hypocrite! How can I know the "right “way to eat and exercise, teach this to others daily, and then not be an example of it myself? On top of that, me and my husband wanted to start a family in the near future and I did not want to increase my chances of having birth complications or adverse health complications for my future children by being overweight during pregnancy. Also, I want my future children to have a happy, confident, healthy mother who doesn't model yo-yo dieting as the "norm", but models balanced eating to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Venus program has given me the confidence that I can do that! :) I'm happy to report that I'm 30lbs lighter...and pregnant with our first child! I miss my Venus sisters on the blog, but I know they will be excited when they hear the news! -Dani   You can find

  One of the things that Michelle said in her interview that also worked for me; Stop looking at the scale and measuring tape and just hit the gym and your calorie budget!  It was actually the first time I'd heard of someone else following the same method I used to protect my psychic space, except she had Jake recording her metrics without her looking at the scale or tape measure!  How clever is that? What an awesome team Jake and Michelle make.  I loved hearing it.  John held up the interview for a moment to give us all a few words about the value of doing just that. Just focus on the process day after day for weeks on end.  Just do what you need to do, and track it with on a calendar or online tracking tool - track the PROCESS.  If you know you are really doing the process and not eating extra that is not accounted for (diet is usually the hardest part) then it will work.  But you will not get the linear feedback that matches the linear day to day effort.  You have to be patient and wait for the progress.  Watching water boil or grass grow is no fun - do what ever else you need to do while waiting. -Ro Michelle placed First in our VT-9 Transformation contest.     Here is what she has to say in her own words: My name is Michelle Hahn, and I am 31 years old. I have been self-conscious about my weight since I can remember and never remember feeling comfortable and happy with my size/shape.  I have been exercising on and off since I was a teenager, and the closest I think I came to comfort with my weight was when I got married 5 and a half years ago. Even then, I remember wishing my stomach was flatter and feeling uncomfortable in my bikini on our honey moon.  Over the following 4 ½ years, the scale kept creeping up and before I knew it, I had gained 35 pounds and was feeling horrible.  I started trying different exercise and diet programs, only to fail again and again, which took a toll on my confidence in ever changing. And even after all my efforts, nothing fit, I had to keep buying bigger and bigger sizes, and was on the border between regular and plus size clothing. In November of 2012, my husband and I started seriously thinking about having children, and I really started to think about the impact my extra weight would have on my pregnancy, the baby, and the ability to bounce back after the pregnancy, and also about how I had never really felt good about myself physically.  I decided that it was time to get in the best shape of my life, to feel great about myself finally, and to adopt a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise to set an example for our child(ren) so they wouldn’t struggle with weight the way I have my whole life.  First I tried a workout that was 3-4 days per week and concentrated on certain muscle groups in each workout. I was very consistent with that, started regular cardio workouts, and started counting calories. I eventually got bored with it, and my husband had found Adonis and started it in January, and he had great things to say about it and it sounded very interesting, so I ended up buying the original Venus program in March.  I started the program and actually entered the contest in May, but at the time, I was in grad school and had a lot of stress and deadlines, so ended up missing workouts and gained back about 15 of the 23 pounds I had lost since the previous November. When school was basically over towards the end of July, I rededicated and decided to enter the September contest. We had decided to start trying to get pregnant after we take a vacation in December, and I also booked a photo shoot for motivation. Over the 12 weeks, I definitely had ups and downs. There were times when I had moments of weakness and went over my calories, but overall,

  Lou Ann placed 3rd in our VT-9 Transformation contest. Here is what she has to say in her own words: Doing Venus is perhaps the single most empowering decision I’ve ever made. I’ve literally struggled with my weight since birth. Because I was very premature, my parents felt the need to feed me...a lot. Consequently, I was the fat kid. When I graduated college I’d ballooned to 225lbs and I’ve continued to yo-yo for 20+ years. Jenny Craig (even became a manager for them!), Quick Weight Loss, South Beach, UltraFit...I’ve been successful losing on every one. I’ve probably lost 200lbs in my adult life, but this is the first time I have absolute confidence that I will maintain because Venus has taught me to live, not just diet. It isn’t always easy, but it is beautifully simple:  eat whatever I want within my calories, and lift weights. The most monumental mental shift I’ve made is no longer having an “all or nothing” mentality, meaning I don’t punish myself emotionally and then blow off the rest of the day/week/month because I screwed up. I can LIVE and ENJOY my life as a Venus! I started this journey after seeing photos taken on my 40th birthday (UGH!) and deciding I WAS NOT going to look or feel that way on my 41st. Since beginning, I’ve lost 25lbs and now have less than 10 pounds to VI. I’ve already achieved my shoulder and hip metrics. If I never make it to my VI waist, that’s OK, but I’m going to give it my best while celebrating all I’ve accomplished along the way. Height 67” Start: Weight 174 pounds, Shoulders 56”, Waist 35”, Hips 42” End: Weight 156 pounds, Shoulders 40”, Waist 25”, Hips 38” You can find Lou Ann's blog in the Venus online community and be inspired by her story.   Listen to Lou Ann’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

  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:

  How do you sustain your new body once you achieve your fitness goal? Why do people relapse?  It is a new way of living.  It’s not the way you lived that got you to gain weight, and it’s also not the way you lived to lose the weight, it’s a new third way of living. This third way is usually not thought of for maintenance.  It is 90% mental. You are moving from a honeymoon phase back to dealing with real life in your new fit body. Sustainability for maintenance is a new concept completely.  There is a lot of mental change that needs to take place.   Expectations - Shift your expectations once you’re in a new phase of your diet and fitness life. Change of your expectations; you aren’t going to have the same rush of excitement as when you were losing weight.  You thought this was going to fix everything in your life, but now you are just dealing with the day to day stress of life.  There are not really any exciting changes anymore with regard to fitness goals.   Flexibility - Must learn to be flexible with your thoughts, and actions. Be Flexible; with the challenges of life, the messiness, and boredom, you can’t let the bad days define you.  Don't let yourself get into a negative cycle because your expectations about what maintenance were not what you thought it would be like. You are worth the effort to stay fit.   For the 12 weeks during a contest or challenge you may have been able to be more inflexible but that is not a sustainable way to live.  Now as you move on in life you need to learn to live your normally life again.   Vulnerability - Must accept and manage your vulnerability. Bad days will happen; you must get back on with life and it's messy sometimes. If you don’t accept your vulnerability you will fall into a trap of having unrealistic expectations of yourself that leads to a feeling of failure. Accepting your vulnerability; you are still going to have fears.  You are still not going to be supported by everyone in your life.  Life is still hard, messy, work stress is still there, fears still exist, relationship issues still happen, your insecurities and self-image are still there, you are still you.   We all stumble a little as we mature When I first achieved my fitness goal, no actually even when I exceeded my fitness goal, I didn't even realize I was there yet.  It takes awhile for your mind to catch up with your body. I'd spent so long losing weight that I didn't know how to stop.  I was afraid I'd gain it all back.  I was afraid to eat more.  I had a lot of fears.  There was a lot of jealousy and shifting relationships in my life. Yes I was fit and confident and that was fun, but all the problems that have always existed were still there.  All my fears and insecurities were still there.  I'd pushed a lot of things out of my mind to focus on my fitness goal, now it was done.  Now what? You learn to live a normal life again.  You learn to socialize again as the new fit person.  And you keep maturing and learning. You stumble and you make mistakes, and you learn and you keep going. What will you do to make sure you succeed when you reach your new way of life?  Make a plan.  Start now. There are many in the community who are willing to help. -Ro   Dr. Nicola and John talk about many of the issues that are important to start working on right away, before you reach your fitness goals: Ask Nicola; What is Self Sabotage? Ask Nicola; How do you deal with social pressure after you achieve fitness? Ask Nicola; Trusting Your New Self Ask Nicola; Are You Your Own Worst Self Critic? Ask Nicola; Perfectionist Mindset Ask Nicola; What Can You Do About Distorted Body Image? Ask Nicola; Learn to Love Your Body Ask Nicola; Three Things That Can Hinder Your Success Several veteran Venuses have written about their struggles and what they have learned: How to Sharpen your Sword and Win the Battle Your Goal, Your Choice

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.     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.       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,

Today we are honored to listen to Lourdes Cota who placed thrid in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.         Read what Lourdes wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:   A little about me, I am a...

How do you get yourself off the ground starting this fitness program? How do you get yourself to the gym every day? How do you get started again after a break? How do you keep from being frozen in place? How do you stop the negative thoughts that it's too hard? How do you get back into your healthy eating routine? None of us is immune to having a hard time getting back into the healthy routine Sometimes you have to pay attention to the negative and turn it into an emotional reward. Turn it into a positive. Link the positives to your exercise and nutrition routine. We can break the inertia if we don't focus on the effort, focus on the reward and benefit. Exercise feels good. Eating healthy feels good. Today Nicola and John talk about how to overcome inertia.   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:

Today we are honored to listen to Jessica Young Carbonel who placed sixth in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.       Read what Jessica wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor: My name is Jessica Young Carbonel. I am 27 years old and have worked/ been in a gym since I was 13 years old. For  the first time in 14 years that I’ve been able to say with confidence that I am happy with my lifestyle. Not just my  weight, my sizes, the way I feel but my entire life. My workouts have helped me and made a total difference in my  physique. Family have referenced my husband and I as “Models” and my jaw dropped! I have adapted and stuck with the Adonis Workout program since January of 2013. I started with my husband who would  not stop playing podcasts and reading books called “Eat Stop Eat. ” Once I started I only stopped once when I  pinched a nerve from lack of stretching... (my fault I TOTALLY know better!) My family has commented the most on my physique. For the first time I am buying sizes 0-4 when I have consistently  bought 8-12 ALL MY LIFE. I feel fantastic and am so motivated to keep up my work outs and my new lifestyle. I did  not utilize much of the forum/ community this time around but my husband and I are already planning on participating  in the next contest! Thank you for the introduction and the commitment for this new relationship. I am a devoted and  loyal follower!     Listen to Jessica's interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Today we are honored to listen to Lea Ann Archer who placed Eighth in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.       Read what Lea Ann wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor: The Venus Lifestyle to means freedom and a more relaxed approach toward my fitness. I had been lifting weights, the past year and a half and for the first year with help from a trainer. With some results but not what I should have with the amount of work and effort that I was putting in. I was lifting on average 6 days a week with at least 5 days of cardio. I was also eating 5 to 6 meals a day. I had become obsessive about food. I was always thinking about what I was going to eat next and watching the clock waiting for 3 hours to pass for my next meal. I was eating when I wasn't hungry because that's what I was suppose to do to be able to reach my goal. But I was never getting any closer to the body that I wanted. Now with the Anything Goes Diet I can be more relaxed when I eat. I still make healthy choices and I make sure that I get my protein in but if I want something I have it instead of depriving myself all the time. I'm more happy. I now know that if I eat a little more carbs that I will have some water gain but it will be gone in a couple of days. Through the advice of people on the community I increased my workouts to 4 times a week and then I decided to take it to 5 times a week. I really started seeing results then. I'm not where I want to be yet but I'm closer now than I have ever been thanks to VI and the community.     Listen to Lea Ann's interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done: