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: A Weight Loss Journey

Ok, the secret is out. You know how much I weigh now. To be honest, I don’t care. Weight is but a number. It doesn’t determine your energy level, your physical capacity, your health, your sense of humour, your intelligence, your beauty, your style… you get the point. What it does however, is help you set your objectives, it’s a tangible and measurable number you can hold on to. So here is a picture I am so happy to share with you!

Chantal Sarkisian before after weight lossMar 2015

Having a plus size blog is a difficult battle in that, I promote self-love no matter what size. But as we all know, when you are not at a healthy weight, there is a stigma that you should strive to be “thinner/healthier”, that you can’t possibly “accept yourself” as a larger person without feeling guilty. You and I both know that my body type is never going to be a size 6/8. I see myself being a healthy manageable size 10. I just want to be “tighter” that’s all. Size 10/12 is still considered plus-size, which is why my blog will makes sense forever!

The point of this blog is really to teach others how to work with their body type and still look fabulous. But why am I on a weight loss journey if I accept myself the way I am? Well, because I am finally ready and determined to transform my body into what I think it should look like. No excuses, tons of motivation… it’s just my time. Plus, I had a baby 2 years ago, and my body needs some repairing. I had back pain because my core was weak. I wanted to get tight, fit and increase my energy level so I can keep up with my son… LOT OF ENERGY THERE!!

Transformation was a word that implanted itself in my head in December, so I went with it. I had laser hair removal (at Ottawa Laser Clinic) done ALL OVER my body, I started Weight Watchers and finally committed myself to a workout regime that I had to stick to because now I was accountable to a personal trainer! (Love you Tina!). I stopped eating stupid desserts and only ate things that were worth my calories. I plan more, grocery shop more, make my lunch every day. I loaded up even more on vegetables, limited starchy foods and alcohol. I don’t feel deprived (anymore) and my body has found a great rhythm. At first it was difficult to rid my body of all the terrible habits I developed, mostly sugar and eating out. I feel good now, and before eating something bad, I think twice. I still eat out, I just work around special events and earn my bad meals. I think about how my clothes are falling off or how the scale makes me feel before indulging.

I really want this to be a long term lifestyle change and I hope to keep it up. I had some bad weeks and had some fantastic ones. But in the end, the exercise is what really helps you stay on track, shape your body and repair it.

Please, take this as inspiration and trust me, if I can do it, you can too! Or don’t… do what makes YOU happy.

xox Chantsy

PS- I don’t want to lose my readers because I am turning into a health freak. I think everyone just really enjoys a good weight loss story.

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