Body Shapers

Hi all!  I'm sure this has been discussed before so feel free to redirect me but here goes!  I used to wear a long line bra and girdles to hold everything in but now a long line won't work b/c the cup size is to big and I no longer have a pannus (whoo-hooThanks Dr. David!) so a girdle isn't really necessary.  I need a top shaper that I can wear with my regular bras that will hold in my new found bread box - it's to big to call a muffin top but hey i am NOT complaining!  My size 18 pants fit great but I'd like to be a little smoother between the tah-tahs and the waist.  Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.  I was tempted to try the Kymaro Body Shaper (a la As Seen on TV)  but after reading a myriad of horrible reviews, I thought I'd check with some folks who would probably be more knowledgeable and honest than a salesperson. 

Thanks in advance OH family!

Tammy 

Hi Tammy....
I was just looking thru a Speigel catalog and saw a bunch of different ones.... you can check them out at speigel.com.  You can also look at spanx.com and look them over... if you find something you think you might like you can go to a Marshalls or a Target and they have "off brands" for less $$$....

I am definitely becoming an online shopper!  And I must confess a shopaholic in general!  I'm heading to Speigel.com right now!

Hi Tammy,
I too had my pannus removed and very happy with the results but they forgot the muffin area.
I have found that I enjoy wearing my Lycra capri's under long pants.
I got them on www.junonia.com they run around 50 dollars and help hold everything in place.
If I am wearing loose fitting clothes I feel like a bowl of jello walking around.
Trust me I am always checking and rechecking to make sure all is well tucked in.
                                                               Annie

Thanks Annie, I will definitely check them out!  I wish I could have had the whole TT done but it wasn't time for that right now :(  I'll take the panni removal especially since it was covered by insurance :)  whoo-hoo!!!!!

I wear the kymaro and it works great for me. I actually have mine on today. I wear a small or medium top in most things and I'm down to a size 4/6 in my slacks, but I wear a medium in the kymaro. That allows me to be comfortable, but also avoid any 'jelly belly'. 

I really like a camisole with a built in bra that I wear made by seamless essentials bodywear by 'novelle seamless.' I wear this soft type shaper in a medium. One of the things that is nice about this is it has an underwire, but the bra cups are soft, not shaped and give you some latitude regarding cup size. This is an incredibly soft shaper, but does the job. 

The last one that I like is called a 'Marylin Monroe' and it has formed cups. I wear that in a medium or large. I tend to like the medium a bit better now that I've slimmed down some more. 

All of them come down low on my hips, so the ride just above my thighs and are easily tucked neatly inside my slacks. I have also successfully worn them with dresses. 

I tend to like the camisole style or slip style shapers better than the ones that are like pants that come up under the bra because they don't move around as much as the others do. I have trouble with the ones coming from the waist up rolling down, especially as the day wears on. 

Good luck!

Barb,

Of the ones you listed, if you had to pick one absolute favorite or had to rank them in order of preference what would come out on top?  One of the complaints about the Kymaro is that it seemed to work better for smaller sizes.  Congrats on your success!  I'm still in a 14/16-18/20 top and definite 18W in pants.  I can only dream of working my way into a 4-6 but truth be told if I stay in an 18 I am not complaining since that is far away from the 32-34 I was once wearing.  Thanks for your input!

Hi Tammy,

First of all, let me congratulate you on your phenomenal success and I'm so glad to hear that you are 'good' with where you are. I'm sure you'll be glad to take what ever continued success comes your way, but I'm also glad that you 'see' the successes that you have attained. Way to go!

Re: my favorite shaper... For comfort, I really like the 'Seamless Essentials', Maidenform's Flexees line, and the Marylin Monroe shapers. I think that the Kymaro is more 'effective' and I do wear it in a larger size than I wear the others, but I don't care. I don't want to wear the smaller size and feel like I'm wearing an iron maiden girdle. I have to say that I don't really have a 'favorite', but like with my shoes and other things, I've developed a 'wardrobe' of shapers from which I select what works best for me with a given outfit/occasion. I'll bet you will too. 

I tend to get most of my shapewear from Ross, TJMaxx and Marshall's because I'm on a tight budget. I got my Kymaro from Bed, Bath and Beyond. If you are going to try something like the Kymaro, I'd get it a size larger than you wear other things, so if you wear a 1X now, I'd go for a 2X. 

This is something that I just ordered tonight from walmart. com, its called Sweet Nothings - Firm Shaping Torsette cost is $19 item #003024120. A girlfriend of mines who is going on 1 yr of post op just turned me on to it. I understand exactly what your talking about, it feels like you mid section is just in the way now when your sitting, so this should help conceal it. She also said that it doesn't rise up, stays in place. It also comes in black. When I get mines and where it a couple of times, I will give you an update.

Thank you!  I Love Walmart :)  This is exactly the style I'm looking for!