BATHING SUITS

Hey girls. I know not all of you will don the bathung suit this year, but yours truly is a water rat!!! I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of places to shop for swim suits, when I really hate the extra skin on my thighs. I dont want to cover up, but I need a halter top and boy shorts. Seen any cute?

Hi Rachael! I just got a really cute suit from Land's End, I got a tank top with a little swim skirt and it is so comfortable to wear and covers just enough to not be totally self conscious about being out in public. You can buy the tops/bottoms separately and they have a ton of different styles to choose from. The tank I got is a little longer too, so it definitely covers up.

I'm sure you will be a knockout in whatever suit you choose, Rachael, but here's a thought for you...having just spent a week in Jamaica, I wore my daughter's size 6 one piece pretty-in-pink suit with PRIDE! My thighs jiggled like an award-winning mound of jello (sugar free of course!) and I had plenty of stares, but I just smiled and sashayed on by with this thought: the loose skin and dimples on my thighs is a visual battle scar, remnants of a war that I fought tirelessly to win. I'm proud of this mind and this body - don't care much about anything else! Just go out and pick something cute and enjoy the heck out of life! Hugs, M.

AWWWWWW, You are too sweet!!! I am a little teary eyed over here at my desk!!!! That was really sweet and you know what!??! I am going shopping this weekend and I will have you in my mind saying that "this was a battle" and I won!!!! ))))))))))) Thanks !!!

No advise on where to get a cute suit... but a funny story of my early days of post op life and bathing suits. I have a small inground pool. Nice for lounging in the water on a hot sunny summer day. I had my surgery in early July of '04. By August I had lost enough weight for my pre-op bathing suit to be "a little lose", but in my estimation, still wearable. My closest friends will tell you that I am not a shopper... so there was no rush to get a new bathing suit "yet". I had years to do that! One August afternoon, my then 10 yr old grandson and I were in the pool wading back and forth for about an hour or so, just talking and playing around. My husband came to the screen door, looking out at us in the pool. He looked at me.. then at Antonio...then said to me... "Nice Booby!" "What?!" I looked down and saw my right breast hanging out for all the world to see! (picture Maxine! meaning.. no perky girls to be found here!) Apparently, my bathing suit was much larger on me than I realized. Aghast, I "tucked" said booby back into it's home. I looked at my grandson. eek! His retort? In his innocence and loving way... he just said to me... "That's OK Nana. It's been like that for a while." gotta love it. T.

Lisa beat me to it, but Land's End (you can find them at Sears) has cute one's...and last year, I got a great one from LL Bean catalog. My legs are SO cottage cheesy that it's embarrassing...I'll be at pools more this summer cause we're moving away from the Rhode Island shorline...I'll just deal with it. Nobody's perfect! I think even the thinnest person has something they don't like about how they look in a b-suit! Paula

I got an AWESOME bathing suit last year at Fashon Bug....it is beautiful...and I am still pre-op...they have a different style for each 'problem area'......

Hi Rachael, I know you posted this a few days ago, but I just had to write you. I had my surgery Nov of 2005. Last summer was the first time I have worn a bathing suit in 22 years. It felt great. I love the water but had stopped going because I looked horrid in a swim suit and would wear shorts and a tank top and hope no one saw me. Well I am making up for it now. The suit I bought last year is too big this year and I am on a hunt to get a new one. I am going on a cruise to Cozamel May 21, and I will be pool side and at the beach when we dock. I know I don't look the greatest, but I am happy to have accomplished what I have. (135 pounds gone) No one knows how I feel. They just see how I look. SO what I am trying to say is Please you!! The heck with everyone else!! If you like it, wear it, and be proud!! Your awesome and don't forget it. Enjoy the summer, Sarah