Just putting this out there: Swimsuit shopping sucks.

I am in kind of a bad place with body image right now. I'm down to a new low weight today and have been feeling good. Until I got some swimsuits i mail-ordered and tried them on. I was so excited to get these! I thought that for the first time in a long time, I would feel good in swimwear. I was cocky!



And then, I looked bad. Really bad. Butt bisected by elastic. Pale, dimpled legs. Tiny chest lost in a baggy bra.

Even if I lose all my weight, I will still have cellulite, small boobs, and noticeable scars. No matter how thin I get, I will never get back the stomach I had before I had a baby. I guess I have been thinking that losing weight would automatically make me look awesome, and it's really discouraging to find out that I will look the same as I always did, only smaller.

Eh, sorry for this whiney post. Just had to let it out.

I was listening to Kathy and Hoda this morning and they were commenting how they wished they could be like some of the larger people who are not afraid to put it all out there and enjoy themselves and not give a damn about what they look like.

I know what they mean. I'm very self-conscious of my body too. I have it made from the belly button up, but below that, I'm fat, dimply, white as baked cod with lovely vein-y legs. Even my knees are fat!

I doubt there's anything I can do short of elective surgery about my shortcomings, but there is something I can do about my attitude.

Compared to either (or both) of you, I'm big as a house, but you can bet your bippy I'll be out in my ginormous swim suit this summer, playing with my 5 year old and having fun. Life's too short to miss out....at least that's what I tell myself when I want to put on a nun's habit and hide in it.

I feel you. What was really worse for me than those evil mirrors in the changing stalls was watching my very overweight 11 year old try on bathing suits at 2 stores and finding nothing that looked good on her. That was worse than seeing myself. She has lost 14 lbs since then and is doing better.

After I had a baby, everything changed. I am more confident but my body is less elastic. Just the way it is. I looked at your photo and it seems that you carried 'out' much like I did. Tough luck, but worth it in the end, I suppose.

Anyway, my best advice -- because I've gone through this before when I got down to the 140's (although it was before I had a baby) -- is to find a swimsuit with underwire, extra padding, extra lining and anything else you need to feel confident. It might cost a bit (okay, maybe a lot) more, but the true test is if you can walk from your beach towel to the water without feeling self concious (well, probably everyone feels a little like that, but you know what I mean). If you find a swimsuit that makes you feel like WOW ,then it's worth whatever price you have to pay.

Swimsuits are made for people with zero-gravity bodies. Some of us just are not built that way.

I always get one with a little skirt attached..I have very gross thighs. Also if you get it a little tight it helps hold in the bumps.

kayla - I feel for both you & your daughter. Poor thing! I remember being 10-12 and having the same kinds of experiences. (I was a 'husky' kid.) This is why I always order stuff online, even though it does mean returning things or waiting too long to get something good.

I settled on a suit from here that is pretty universally flattering:

http://www.mybabyjo.com/Swimwear_c8.htm

No underwire, which stinks, but it actually looks pretty good. I almost balked at the price tag, but it seems like it is well made and will last awhile. I also like that the models on the site are not all bone thin and that the sizes go up to 24.

I can get behind this retro trend. There are many like this around - even at Target! (The Target one is cheaper, but it didn't have much in the way of a bra.)

Before I had a baby, I used to wear an underwire bikini top with a pair of board shorts. This was the best. I was able to forget about my swimwear and have fun. This is why men wear long shorts that don't give wedgies, fall off, or need to be adjusted every 5 minutes. I am still too self conscious about my stomach to wear the bikini top, but I could see wearing the board shorts over a cute one piece.

Whatever gets you out from under your beach towel and into the water!

The nice thing in the world we live in, is that there is always someone who won't mind about the things we believe are bad about us.

For example, I'm sure there are men out there that have a fetish for pale, dimple legs, and tiny chested women.

Someone on this earth will think you are the most beautiful woman.

NExt, you need to believe too!