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February Style Bits

February isn't even over yet, but with fashion weeks happening (new york and london specially) leave it to the Fashionistas and Connoisseurs to give us all the style lessons we need to take notice of! Here is Style Modesta's Style Bits for this month, here is to a little style advice!

Cheers To Healthy Eating and Healthy Being!

Dates, cocunut and macadamia nuts tart filled with banana and honey cream (sugar and wheat free) 

About a month ago I posted on instagram and tumblr a couple of "Before and After" pictures illustrating my weight loss, and immediately I got asked like 1001 times what I did to get there, I gave very short answers but I thought about writing a post on it to let everyone know about the simple way I did it, there is no secret really I just started eating/being healthy-er!

Disclaimer: I am not a nutrition pro or neither do I expect you guys to base your diet on mine, this is just for the sake of sharing and giving you guys ideas on how to do it in a manageable way.  

Ok so let's get started! Here is what I did:

1. I said no to speed and extremely restrictive diets: Speed and overly restrictive diets work fine to lose weight over a short period of time, however the second you get off them everything you eat that is different to them is not processed well and immediately turns into FAT in your body (not my words, that's doctor talk!) Instead I just took it easy and I made it a long-term thing, so instead of losing a lot too quickly, I did it over time (I am talking MONTHS) We all would love to wake up one day skinny, but trust me: Just as you one day woke up skinny after a speed diet, the day you eat a chocolate you will get fat within seconds!

2. I consulted my doctor: Before I started any diet plan or anything I went to my general practitioner to  check what exactly was making me fat and what exactly did I need to work on (health wise) and she was the one who told me what was wrong with me and that determined the diet. I had this thing where everything that went into my body would extremely turn into FAT just like that and fat was very hard to get rid of so I had to cut down on specific foods; which brings me to my next point: 

The healthier option: Almond milk!

3. No dairy and no wheat: THIS part was a  huge part of the success for me and even though it was specific for me, this may work for a lot of people, probably not completely eliminating but just by cutting back a bit. I used to drink A LOT of milk, I dank milk like if it was water. Turns out milk (dairy in general) has a whole lot of fat and hormones (from the cow) in it and in-taking a lot of it is only going to turn into localized fat in the body, it is like filling a glass full of of water with a whole lot more, it is going to overflow and spill. Wheat (gluten in particular) makes you swollen, I don't know how else to put it, it just makes you go big, simple as that, it literally makes your body go swollen. Cutting off/down on them two things was key. 

4. No fried food and if so, it has to be  in olive oil: Why would anyone drink oil from a bottle? Not saying anyone is doing so, but eating a lot of fried food is doing exactly that, cut it down and you will see the difference, I certainly did! Oh and if I need to fry something up I use just a bit of olive oil, it is always healthier. 

Fruit and sugar-free marmalade for sweet cravings!

5. I found alternatives and substitutes: I don't just forget about food. Since I had a very specific diet that required me not to eat a certain bunch of things I just simply found HEALTHIER SUBSTITUTES to what I couldn't eat: Cow milk turned into almond or rice milk, cheese (I don't eat it much anyway) became goat cheese but only on every other occasion if it is really necessary, it is less fatty. Wheat based foods turned into corn or rice based products. Oh, and in terms of sugar and sweets: I replaced them with fruit, fruit is an excellent way to give sugar to the body without over doing it (I do cheat every now and then and have some sweets).

6. I EAT EVERYTHING, I DON'T STARVE:  I LOVE EATING! I eat everything, sweet and sour (and anyone who follows me on instagram or tumblr can attest to that) I just try to keep it healthy, and keep the portions at reasonable level. I go to restaurants but instead of fast food I eat things like sushi (sushi can be the weight loss best friend, it is VERY healthy). If you feel smaller portions aren't filling, eat what you want in a small portion but have a bowl of soup, it will guarantee to fill you up. If you are as anxious as I am, feeling like you can't eat anything will only make you eat more, so don't go about not eating, just eat reasonably. I even have dessert, but I make it sugar-free, wheat and dairy free like the one from the picture at the start of the post. 

I do have a macaroon (or  more than one) every now and them, though!

7. I walk: Yes, I am lazy and I am not the best one at working out, however I did do some lifestyle changes to give some activity to my body. I used to take a car or a taxi to university and stuff, now I take public transport  which forces me to do more walking and be more active. I also don't stay in bed for the entire day, I just go out and walk around. Oh and also 30 mins a day on a cardio machine doesn't hurt!

That ladies and gentlemen is IT, they are minor tweeks and it is not dieting it is just being healthy. I want to lead a healthy life and fit into clothes (duh! Obvious ). I used to be plus size and now I buy medium size stuff  on almost everything, I just dropped a pant size this last months and I haven't even been very on top with the eating right so you get the point, it is easy! It is about long term health and being happy with who you are. Remember to go to your doctor because he/she will always help you get to where you have to be at. Take it easy and focus on being healthy and not on being skinny, because there are very unhealthy skinny people and that is NOT the point!

xo style your life modest and stay healthy!

Love,

Kiki Gil

Dreams & The Pleated Chiffon Skirt

I have big dreams and little dreams that set the tone for my daily life. Sometimes we feel the need to dream.  We dream about life, who we are and who we want to be. After we have dreamt we take action, we work and try to live and work for our dreams in every single thing we do. 

Personally, I see dreaming as a motivation and as the reason for me to wake up every morning, to learn and do something new that will help me be the person I want to be. I like to get ready everyday to live my dreams, I like to dress without regrets and always thinking that whatever I do today is just another step towards tomorrow. I have big dreams and little dreams that are a part of me and that like a pleated chiffon skirt fold and unfold revealing something new as I walk through life. 

Camouflage: Only As A Print, Never As A Lifestyle

Do we ever just blend in or do we just find different ways to express ourselves to fit the norm? I often ask myself that, specially when it comes to style, do we all just end up wearing things that end up becoming uniforms that make us blend in and get lost in the surroundings? 

To be honest, I believe it really isn't about what we wear per se, it is more about how we wear it. Let's face it, style is about bringing our inner self into the mix and let it improve the outer self, just like that, there will always be something about us coming through in the middle of all the fabric, the colours and the textures. Some may wear things that are on the daring side, others may wear things on the more discrete side and neither one means they'll fade into the background; on the contrary, they could both in different ways make you stand out when you choose to own every look, when you choose to let your actions, your ideas and ideals be what drive your style instead of opting to look like everyone else. So let the only type of camouflaging you do in your life be a print and nothing else! 

xo and style your life modest! 

Love, Kiki Gil

Beauty in Fear: A Message to You, Me, Us

I think people are afraid of sharing their fears, I think people are afraid of hearing others share their fears. What would happen if we dared share what's deep inside us? Would people panic or would they stop and listen?

What would happen if I told you you are not the only one with those fears?

Allow me to have an honest moment with you, my dear readers:

I have a fear of not being able to keep track of what I believe in, my fear is to be too sensitive to people scrutinizing me, of letting someone else's opinions bring me to question my life choices, that is my fear. 

Modesty, out of all things, is something that those who are brave embrace, something that is difficult to find in a chaotic world that demands us to keep very little to ourselves, something that we need to fight for to be able to hold on to. It ain't easy living a modest lifestyle. 

I feel as if people ignore the big elephant in the room and rather deal with their feelings on their own and end up feeling left out and out of place. I'm  not saying it happens to everyone, but in my personal experience I've felt and I've seen other women who choose modesty feel left out from everything from time-to-time. From not finding what to wear, to other more deep rooted situations like not being able to feel comfortable while going out because everyone stares, or not being able to love yourself for who you are. What ever the deal is, us women who adopt modesty as a lifestyle may feel the need to step away from it just so we can 'fit in'; however, always remember that you are not alone, there are millions of women around the world that like you,me, us chose to be different. 

Remember you have fashion and style to make it all seem a lot more fun and dare I say, beautiful. It really isn't about  "Oh look what I am wearing and look how many things I've got" it really is about "I can make myself feel pretty with what I like and what I believe in", modesty and fashion go hand in hand to make you, me, us feel gorgeous and powerful. Whenever you feel like you can't walk with your head held high and feel like you will never 'fit in', remember that princesses were never meant 'fit in', they stand out. So stand out in style and like a true princess, wear a head piece! 

Love, 

Kiki Gil

What To Wear: Formal Dinner

Hello Loves! I hope you are all doing great and starting off the week in great spirit. 

Today I am introducing another new thing on here: The WHAT TO WEAR section on the blog. Sometimes we have somewhere to be or something to do and we simply don't know what to wear and we need a friendly advice. Well loves, let me be that friendly advice! 

Let's get started: 

Last week I was asked about what to wear to a formal dinner party, I thought it was a good way to kick start this section given the complexity of the subject. As you will see in this and the following What To Wear Posts I have chose three different outfit choices to suit different kinds of style. It's every good stylist's job to present different options, so here we go:

1. The first option has as centre pieces the high-waisted and wide-legged red pants and the silt shirt with a bow. The accessories are all about white and ivory, keeping in mind a very classic and elegant approach with pearled jewellery with hints of gold. The scarf, a silk printed scarf keeping in tune with the jewellery. Clutches are a must for night outings and formal occasions, this one here is a mix of the color in the rest of the outfit. For outer wear (because I know the weather has been extremely cold and tricky lately) there is a simple ivory coat, the perfect touch for this outfit.
2. .The second outfit is for those who prefer a more daring approach, less classic and a lot more on the edgy side. The ensemble is centred around the gold and black dress, a velvet blazer and skinny black pants complete the look. As for accessories: Minimum jewellery but statement pieces in black and gold, burgundy shoes and a black, white and gold clutch. A simple black scarf tops the look to give it that touch of simplicity at the top.
3. The third outfit consists of a more simple approach, a little more low key and delicate. A simple black and white combination with a black lace maxi skirt and a white embroidered top make up the look. All of the accessories and the shoes are pink and the jewellery is kept simple with hints of rhinestones and gold. A very youthful and girly look 

Here we have 3 different options and choices for what to wear for a formal dinner.

 If you'd like to see a post on a specific occasion use the hashtag #WhatToWearStyleModesta on twitter or instagram, ask on the Facebook Page or email WhatToWear@stylemodesta.com to tell us what kind of post you'd like to see on this section, Style Modesta is always opened to suggestion. I'll try to cover as many different occasions as possible so that you can have the ultimate experience on the blog! 

xo and Style Your Life Modest!

Love, 

Kiki Gil