Need a girdle?

OK Ladies.  I am frustrated.  I am driven.  I am passionate.  I am on a search/quest for a shapewear garment that we as obese women can wear...  and later after we've lost all the excess weight, we can wear too because it will meet our specific needs of hanging skin!  SOOoooo...  I've searched the world over... thought I found true love (think Hee Haw)... and guess what?  No true love after all.  Just heartache and disappointment.  i've spent hundreds of dollars on shapewear, girdles, blah blah blah, you know the drill.

Well I have a garment in my head.  I've searched for hours on the internet, for weeks and months, but to no avail.  Although, I do have some pretty great ideas to give to the makers of Spanx and Lipo In a Box. I did that; they didn't want to listen.  But, makes me wonder, have those women ever been morbidly obese? Dun't think so.  Yeah, that's what I think.  Anyways...

 Ladies, can you please do me a huge favor?  Please list the things in a control garment that you look for...  what you have found that you like...  what you have found that you don't like...  I have some "ears" right now of garment companies that I have been in communication with, and this is a time for our voices to be heard of our needs...  It might be hard for some of you because you might be just going into surgery and thinking you'll never have need for a control garment again...  for others, it might have been so long since you were morbidly obese that you can't remember... but please search back into your memories on wearing these garments, how they felt, what you liked, didn't like, what you needed but didn't get... etc

I have some great ideas in my mind, and I need to know whether these are all inclusive of the needs of my bypass family...  Thanks! And if its too personal, please feel free to send them via personal message.

Mel.  I have never worn these things even when I was my largest.  I am thinking about it now because as I lose, I have bulges that are more obvious for some reason.  I think it is just that the clothes fit differently now.  Not so much "hanging" material, more things that hug the body more. 

Anyway.......This would be my "wish list" for an undergarment that would work for me:  

"  A garment that would "breathe" that wold hold you in, but would not make you itch all day and make you hot.  It would make me miserable in the summer.    

   A garment that would hold up the "girls"  and support the back. 

   A garment that would hold in the mid section as well as the stomach but not to the point that you can't breathe. 

   A garment that would come up high enough under the arms that it would hold in any sagging skin in the back,

   A garment that (if made thigh length) doesn't cause chaffing on the inner leg. 

   A garment that is easy enough to get on that you don't feel as if you have run a marathon by the time you get it on.  It's bad enough to have to wear it without feeling worn out by the time you get it on. 

   A garment that you could go to the bathroom in without having to take it completely off to do it.


OK Guys.   I know you are laughing out loud, but these things are important.  Otherwise, I'll just have to say thanks but no thanks and "let it all hang out"  so to speak

Thanks Mel for trying to help us.   Hope this helps.

Cathy, pretty much those are the things I've all expressed in my emails to these people...  except the chaffing part.  I didn't think about the chaffing.  I just mentioned how our legs rub together and we really need that support in the upper, inner thigh areas....

Thanks for posting this. I posted on another board, and they too have started responding...  I hope it will work!

To add to Cathy's, it stays up without rolling down (area between waist and breasts) and stays down without riding up (thighs)
To realize many times the garment is holding in/up/back excess skin, not firm tissue
To realize that not every woman who is large has large breasts, although many times I looked for an "all in one" garment, it was sized based on bra size. I was trapped in the TJ Maxx dressing room one time trying to pull the foolish thing off over my head, when it got stuck on my shoulder blade - I thought the sales girl was going to have to call the jaws of life to get me out of it (funny, but not fun!)

That's all I can think of for now. I haven't tried lipo in a box, but spanx are the best I've found so far - still not perfect for our needs by any means, but the closest.

Thanks Mel!

Pam, thanks for responding - - Loose skin issues are an entirely different set of problems than just when I was obese.  At least back then, my skin was plump, firm, "pretty"...  now its just kinda loose, jiggly... thank goodness for gravity when we stand up so others can't tell!  I can completely see the mental picture of being stuck in a garment in the dressing room.

A friend of mine works at Macy's.  She said one lady got into a skirt and could not get out... they did have to get scissors and cut the skirt off her! Can you imagine having needed that while in an undergarment? I would have been so embarrassed!  Oh lord!

Interesting that you brought up this topic as I was just researching shapewear last night....HSN has a line of shape wear developed by Dr. Rey from Dr. 90210...they seem very interesting...check them out...you can watch videos that explain the garment and show before and afters...Hope this helps...

Christa

Christa - on another board, one of the ladies actually met Dr. Rey at his recent Fashion Forum, and he said they are also selling his shapewear at Sears. I'm headed to Cool Springs today to see what I can find.

I tried some of the Dr. Rey stuff for my back and underarm boobs and was not pleased. Some others may like them, but in the size I needed (I am still a DD), they did nothing.

Christa,

I don't know how to do this so maybe you can add me as your friend somehow through this post. WHen I bring you up, it says you are listed as PRIVATE.  We will keep trying - it is probably something I am not doing right.  Looking forward to our evening at the support group meeting on June 11th.  Think we might be able to leave early and go have supper together before the meeting starts???  Let me know.

Mel, I agree with everything Cathy and Pam have already said.  I've been looking at some but haven't bought anything yet.  Right now I'm just lettin' it all hang loose but I'm starting to get a little self conscious about it.  Especially my muffin top.  My hubby thinks it's cute but I don't.  I think what you are doing to help all of us is wonderful.  You do so much to help your "bypass family".  You may not be told near enough but I for one appreciate everything.

Melissa