The Female Diet - The Venus Factor Program

Never heard of it. I will google it.

Geez.
Stop with trying all of the products/programs that promise magical results. (hint: they are a waste of money, time, and energy)

I'm following the Venus Factor. It really is just tracking your calories and on certain days and certain weeks you increase the # of calories you eat. For me this is something that is doable.

Would these upped-calorie weeks coincide with visits from Aunt Flo?

I've personally never done the Venus Methods, although I've seen quite a lot of blogs referring to it (here's one):

http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/womens-body-ideal-measurements/

What my understanding is Barban tries to answer the question, "what is the ideal 'femine' body measurement FOR YOU. Every one is obviously different, but the equations are the same: lean body mass, waist to hip/height etc--they refer to it as the "rule of sevens"...Then they frame out how to work towards those goals. I believe it is VERY similar to what you will learn from listening to advice on this site (for free) which is watch caloric intake, pay attention to what you are feeding your body and that resistance training plus some cardio are critical to success.

I HAVE seen the before and after pics of people who have completed the course and the transformations are quite impressive.

I finished the program and still use it for maintenance. It's not a miracle system, but with a bit of work I managed to drop a lot of weight. During my time I found it both challenging and easy to follow. The best bit was the software that helps you find the appropriate amount you should be eating based on your needs and where you are in your weight loss goals. It was also more of a community then just a weight loss program. The forums are an amazing resource. The workout and diets were easy to follow and they give videos and illustrations to guide you. You can print off the workouts and take them to the gym or just keep them for home use. You also get your own personal blog and tracking software, which I still use to keep track of my progress.

I liked how the program is based on body shaping rather then just losing weight. It gave me a goal to work towards and a method to get there. It's hard work, but it's worth it. Also, the community is absolutely invaluable and just for women. If you’re interested I found a more detailed review at http://www.fitterpeople.com

Tomorrow is my first day on the program and I have a silly question for those who have done or are doing it. If I am exercising, should I be eating the calories I burn from exercising or not? (Recognizing that my body will burn tons of additional calories outside of the gym in a typical day) I'm just wondering if I will end up eating too little and starving if I don't eat the extra. Any help would be great...my head is still spinning from all of the info I read.