Diets are life’s quick fixes. They are used in our moments of frustration and desperation. The most common place for these moments is when: your clothes do not fit, you’re heavier than ever before, summer’s around the corner, you’ve got a wedding in three months, you’re getting ready for vacation, etc... I know because I’ve been there myself and so have 1000’s of our clients. Diets are that piece of potential magic each of us hold on to, believing that it can be that easy & simple. We become so overcome by the pain of our current status that we’ll do practically anything. It’s at these times that our vulnerability is at its highest and our sense of reason is at its lowest. This is when we reach for the magic potion and unfortunately as we all know, the reality is it doesn’t exist. When do quick fixes ever solve the real challenge? What in life can successfully be accomplished by going for a quick fix? Can a business succeed without a plan? Can a relationship succeed without continued communication? Can you parent without leading by example? Your health is no different from these things. The fact is that anything we do that’s worth something takes a proper foundation, hard work and a commitment. I’ve never seen a diet work permanently, never. Please ask yourself... have you ever seen one work permanently? We know they can create a temporary result – they really can do that... and then life shows up again. My invitation to you is to focus on Programs and let go of the “Quick Fix” mentality that leads to a Diet.

Now, realize that Programs are actual plans. They’re designed to give you an education and follow a system. They provide Structure that can be worked into your lifestyle and direction on how to do that. The goal of a Program is to create a plan that you can follow the rest of your life. Now, there are many programs to choose from, and each can be categorized into one of two Philosophies. This is where we can finally get to the heart of the matter. If you can learn the base physiology and science behind both Philosophies, you can quickly determine if the program you’re investigating will provide you with the long lasting results, education and foundation to become a permanent part of your life.

Philosophy 1:

The type of Program centered on Caloric and/or Carbohydrate Restriction & Deprivation – A Philosophy that Creates Deficits:

This is the most common nutrition philosophy, most clearly explained with the phrase “calories in vs. calories out”. The thought process is this, if you are Burning 2500 calories per day and you eat 2000 calories a day, you are putting your body in a 500 calorie deficit. With that deficit, your body will burn body fat and you will lose weight... This philosophy also states that it doesn’t matter when you consume those calories as long as the deficit stays in place. These restrictions will assist you in losing weight, unfortunately, because they’re based on deprivation, the body will always hit an immovable Plateau. While following a program like this, the initial drop in weight and bodyfat you experience will be stimulated by Low Blood Sugar. Yes, it will cause the body to drop fat, but it will also cause a drop in your muscle... The drop will continue to happen until your body reaches its internal Set Point – the weight it’s used to being. Once you reach your Set Point, your body will begin aggressively attacking its muscle converting it to the glucose it needs to feed the brain the fuel that’s necessary for the rest of the body to Function. Physiologically speaking, your stored fat cannot be converted fast enough to feed the brain the necessary glucose. This is why it begins "cannibalizing" (burning its own) muscle tissue. Each pound of muscle burns approximately 30-50 calories per day, which means every pound of muscle you lose slows down your metabolism. This is why it’s almost impossible to lose fat in your trouble areas when you’re on a program centered on restriction; it prevents the body from reaching an internal hormonal balance and actually slows your metabolic rate. After this slowdown occurs, eventually you begin eating the 2500 calories again, except now your body has lost part of its engine (muscle) and you gain more weight back. The worst thing about this is that this weight contains more bodyfat than you had before you started. What I’m describing is what we call the Yo-Yo syndrome. Think about it, when in life are deficits ever a good thing? Eventually every Deficit must somehow be paid back. When the focus is on cutting and restricting, the outcome is already set. If you want the weight loss to continue, you’ll need to keep cutting more and more because you’re training your metabolism to Slow Down, not speed up. I have personally worked with clients that came to me because they could only eat 500 calories a day! They told me about the cycle of cutting and restricting and then how they gained back all their weight and body fat plus some. These people came looking for solutions, looking for answers... They felt they were doing what they were supposed to do.... They just didn’t know what they didn’t know. The bottom line is: this Philosophy is based on incorrect physiology. It fails question #1 above and for most people it also fails question #2. This leads us to Philosophy #2...

Philosophy 2:

Blood Sugar Stabilization – The Solution:

Imagine using Nutrition as a foundation. Imagine using it to create balance in the body. I always like to use a baby as an example. Babies eat every 3 to 4 hours, and never overfeed or underfeed... Babies eat when they feel hungry, and stop when they’re satisfied. They drink Breastmilk, which is a balanced mixture of Protein, fat and Carbohydrates. You see, from the moment of birth, our bodies are meant to be fed with a balanced source of nutrients at regular intervals. This is due to the fact that our Energy source comes from Glucose (sugar). Our Nervous System is fueled by Glucose, and our body’s number one goal is to create Balance (Homeostasis). Homeostasis means stabilizing your blood sugar. The key to stabilization is to implement the correct Nutrition Ratios and Calories per meal, as well as maintain the correct Meal Intervals to help the body maintain stable blood sugar. This in turn creates Homeostasis among all systems in the body. Homeostasis causes the continual release of the body’s Stored Fat (each pound of stored fat has 3500 calories), which is then burned within the Muscle Tissue. As long as the body maintains balance it will continue to build Lean Tissue (what forms your Metabolism) and burn Stored Body Fat. The biggest thing that makes Philosophy 2 stand out from Philosophy 1 is that even if you are in an overall Caloric Deficit, because your blood sugar is stable your body will use the calories from your stored fat, NOT your muscle. This key process will increase your appetite and calories as you progress, which is in turn the sign of a faster metabolism. Homeostasis will also eliminate all your sugar cravings and increase your overall energy. The key to Blood Sugar Stabilization is to Use Nutrition to Create Balance, Balance to Create Energy, and Exercise to Burn that Energy up.

As I said in the beginning I think any action that’s creating a moment of health awareness is positive. Diets will fail you, and programs centered on restriction & deprivation will take you to immovable plateaus and ultimately create a high level of frustration. Programs centered on Blood Sugar Stabilization are based on the physiology of the body. That is a clear fact.

Making your Health a Permanent part of your life is a true commitment.

So, my Invitation to you is this: Take Action with your health, Become Educated on how your body works, Implement the correct strategies, Accept you don’t know what you don’t know, and Engage in a program that you CAN follow for the rest of your life which is Centered on Blood Sugar Stabilization.

1. What Program should you do?

2. How will You Achieve Permanent Results?

Before I provide some information on Why Venice Nutrition, I would like to share the diversity of the hundreds of thousands of clients who through the years have come to Venice Nutrition for help:

Clients of all different ages - from 8 years old to 80 years old

Clients with Different Goals - from someone who wants to lose anywhere from 5-100 pounds, to a high performance athlete or a fitness model

Clients that live Busy Lifestyles - who frequently eat in restaurants and/or travel often

Clients with a variety Health Challenges - High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Autoimmune issues, as well as many more...

Clients who’re looking for more energy - who want to eliminate sugar cravings and better understand how their body works overall

We can attribute our success with such a vast diversity of clientele to our Three Step Process, which creates the necessary foundation which will help make your health a permanent part of your lifestyle.

Step 1: Know Your Why. Your “Why” is the driving force that motivates you. It will determine your level of Consistency. Everything in life has a Cost and a Payoff. Your “Why” must be strong enough to keep your goals in focus and keep you on track as you move through the more stressful times. Yes, there is a cost to living a healthier life, however, the payoff is much greater. Succeeding for a moment is easy. If you create a "why" powerful enough, you will succeed for life.

Step 2: Develop Your Health Structure - Diets fail people because they are based on Caloric and Carbohydrate restriction and provide no game plan for long term success. The key to that long term success is to have a foundation to work from and create a game plan that you can build from for the rest of your life. There are 6 main components to your Health Structure: Sleep, Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Water and Stress. If you educate yourself on these 6 components while also learning how to permanently implement them into your lifestyle, you will have a Blueprint to Success.

Venice Nutrition’s Health Structure will provide you with the tools to achieve all of your health goals:

Here are some tools that the Online Software will provide to assist you with implementing your health structure: You will receive a Personalized Health Structure, A 3 Phase Guide to Achieving your Goals with a Complete Goal Setting Section to Track Your Progress, Customized Meal Plans, Thousands of Meal Options, Creative and Healthy Recipes, an Interactive Journal, Personalized Exercise Recommendations, a Comprehensive Online Member Handbook, E-Newsletters & member Articles, a Health and Fitness Blog, an International Member Forum as well as FAQ’s and a Q&A section, plus more...

These tools provide you with the necessary game plan and education to achieve your goals.

Step 3: Balance Your Quadrant - It’s time to make room in your life for your health. An idea to help organize this process is “The Quadrant”. The Quadrant is made up of four sections: Health, Relationships, Lifestyle and Profession. We have seen that a healthy lifestyle requires balance among each of these four parts. We live busy lives and too often, we decide to get ourselves healthy without making an organized plan and without creating the right amount of space in our lives.

It’s easy to crash and burn if you add a nutrition and exercise program on top of a life that is already 100% full. Instead, if you strategically adjust the other parts of your life – you can more easily find a place your health can occupy... Permanently. The magical part of this is that if you manage to create balance within your Quadrant, that balance will enhance every aspect of your life.

We all want to be happy, we all want to feel good, we all want consistent energy, and to live the fullest life we can. How is living a life like that possible without finding a way to make your Health a Priority? Every one of us gets caught up in wanting change right now; All great things in life take time. By giving yourself a Health Education, then applying that knowledge and becoming consistent with it, you will create means to live the life you truly desire. If you choose to implement Venice Nutrition’s three step process, "The Juice will be worth the squeeze!"

I invite you to Get started by taking a Free Online Health Assessment (begin below). Based on your answers, you will be provided with an immediate Health Score along with feedback to learn what you’re doing correctly and what adjustments you can make to maximize your results.

Your Next Step would be to enroll in Venice Nutrition, and receive a Customized Nutrition and Fitness program. There are two types of memberships to choose from: an online program or a one-on-one consulting program. Please review both memberships to see which one will best assist you in permanently achieving your Health Goals.

Thank you for your interest in Venice Nutrition.

"There are many things we cannot control in life, the one thing we CAN control is how we choose to take care of ourselves."- Mark Macdonald, Creator of Venice Nutrition

It is up to you. Your Goals. Your Lifestyle. Your Choice.