#RBCBluesfestFashion- Dress for the Fest!

Chantal Sarkisian Street Style RBCOttawaBluesfestFashion Ottawa Fashion Blog
Swooning over those tassels, that lace and tie die tops!
I am happy to announce that I will be representing on the #StyleSquad at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest this year! We will be covering festival fashion for 6 days. If you see one of us, pose for the iphone and let them capture the moment. We will be sharing the best of the best on social media and Ottawa Newspapers.

Here is what you have to worry about:

  1. Get your RBC Bluesfest tickets early!
  2. Look up some Festival Fashion favourites and find your look! I discovered an awesome booth in the Byward market in front of the Keg with an excellent selection (see pic above)! Remember #supportlocal when you can.
  3. Follow the Ottawa RBC Bluesfest Insta, Twitter and Facebook accounts and watch for details.
  4. Get spotted by the Style Squad at RBC Bluesfest.
  5. Enter all the contests for a chance to win cool prizes.
  6. Take lots of pics at Bluesfest and use hashtags #RBCBluesfest2015, #RBCBluesfestFashion and #FollowMeBackstage.
  7. Visit the merch tent, buy a Bluesfest t’ and support local designer Kania who is behind all this magical clothes!
  8. TELL YOUR FRIENDS… obvi! Whether through Social Media channels or in person, don’t leave your friends behind!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XNdSvEQOKI?rel=0]

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Transformation: My 6 Month Weigh-In

Remember back in March, when I exposed myself with my Transformation: A Weight loss journey post? Well, it’s been 3 months since my last confession. I bet you are excited to see the dramatic new me? My tight flat abs, my bulging biceps and new rock hard glutes…

Nope, this is the current me. An ordinary 185 lbs woman, trying to stay active and being aware of what goes into my body. Do I wish I was thinner? Yes. Do I wish I was TIGHTER? Of course. Am-I happy with the results? Abso-freeken-lutely!

Chantal Sarkisian Plus-size Fashion Blog Ottawa weightloss story
Here I am, on June 26, 2015 weighing in at a leaner 185 lbs!

I have a new mindset this far into the game. I want to keep the weight off. If I lose more, that would be wonderful. But I can’t go backwards, I just can’t. I spent too much time, effort and money (on my new clothes) that I am not willing to give it all up. As you will see, I only lost an additional 3 lbs since March, but you can tell that my body looks different (right?). I didn’t lose that many more inches, but my muscles have gotten more toned and defined. I did plateau, get lazy and gave myself a bit of a break the last few months, but I am really trying to step up my game now. I was on weight loss vacation and now I have to get back to work.

Let me tell you something about body image, it’s funny how your brain gets used to the new normal. I look in the mirror and although I know I have kept off the weight, I still look at my belly in the mirror and think “God, I wish that pooch was flatter, have I even lost anything?”. I look at my inner thighs and want to gag. I look at my flabby arms and feel like a failure. Yup, we are our own worse critic, and I just lost 17 lbs for god sakes!! Can’t I cut myself a bit of slack? I try on my old clothes and feel relieved that they are falling off. I am fine.This insanity is all in my head.

These toxic thoughts are what will motivate me to keep going until I have reached a new level of transformation. Turn the ugly, into something beautiful! Like when you can see some nice lines on my back, and when my back chubs are gone, that’s when I will feel more confident. In the meantime, here is the 6 months progression of my weight loss. (Notice how in the background the pictures go from winter, spring and summer! That’s sort of cool right?).

6 months resultsPlease feel free to share this post with your friends if you think it will help them keep going. The 6 month mark is hard and you can easily get bored with your routine. Sometimes all you need is a little motivational story to help you keep going. Humans are funny, they love a good transformation but are so impatient with time. This post didn’t take me long to write, but the work that has gone into getting these pictures did.

So, what are your thoughts? Are you going through the same journey as me? I would love to know!

6 month update

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Transformation: my frenemy the scale

  

This is me every morning now. 

Don’t get obsessed with your weight, it’s just a number, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s all about how your clothes fit, and how you feel (I call BS on this).

I hate that I have made this an everyday routine, but truth be told… it’s what keeps me in check. Lately it’s also been torture… I keep teetering between 185 and 187 pounds. I need to lose another 10 pounds to reach my goal. The last 10 pounds seems to be impossible. Although I have noticed my body shape looks different, and I am a smaller size now than I was three months ago, not seeing any numbers go down can become discouraging.

It’s almost like I’ve lost my drive, and have found a new comfort zone. It’s the same comfort zone I found at a higher weight. I keep telling myself I need to amp up my workouts and be careful with what I’m eating. I keep treating myself and congratulating myself on my efforts thus far. I deserve a reward right? 

I am terrified of gaining the weight back and feeling like a failure. All that effort and all the sacrifices I made… Can you imagine? It’s quite common for people to gain back their weight, but my ultimate goal is to keep it off, and not necessarily keep losing. That’s a challenge on its own.

I’ve been feeling a little bit down lately, and I feel like I need to get this off my chest. Thank you to my friends who keep encouraging me. 

Are you going through similar a phase in your life? Do you have any questions? Please leave your comments below! Let’s chat!

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Proutfit: Victory in this Darling Dress!

This summer I have been obsessing over floral prints. I have been in search, far and wide, for that perfect pattern and colour combination. With a little bit of digging and research, I think I found it!

chantal sarkisian plus-size ottawa fashion blog mode xlusive ottawa street style chantal sarkisian plus-size ottawa fashion blog mode xlusive street styleThis Darling Alice Fitted Dress was purchased at Victoire, a boutique in Ottawa, known for carrying a wide variety of dresses, skirts and unique costume jewellery. This size XL dress {paid $105} has a pixilated floral pattern, which makes it look quite modern. I love the colour combination here, it’s flattering for any skin tone.

The dress is perfect for my body shape, it hugs me at the waist and actually fits around my chest. The length is also optimal, since in hits me just below the knee and is not too short. It’s a thicker fabric which helps keep me tucked in. The busy print also hides any imperfections (like my nemesis- the belly button dip!).

I paired this dress with my nude Pour la Victoire heels I bought at Viens Avec Moi, another fabulous boutique, just down the street from Victoire.

Victoire seems to be the theme for this proutfit! Let me know what you think!

Have you bought anything at Victoire or Viens Avec Moi? Share in the comments bellow.

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