First bathing suit experience in SEVEN years and after losing 205 lbs !!! (pic)

So....until this weekend, I hadn't put on a bathing suit in about seven years.  I mean really, who wants to walk around in a bathing suit when you weigh 345 lbs, ya know??

This weekend, I visited my boyfriend in Dallas and had decided ahead of time that I was going to go swimming no matter what.  So, I spent weeks chosing a bathing suit, as if there's some magic swim suit out there that's going to hide all my saggy skin, lol, but....had to try, at least.  (:    I also spent forever choosing the little pareo (skirt) thing, which was a pain and came off about 30 seconds after I put it on, lol.

I was going to swim Friday, but it took me a day to get up my nerve...so Saturday, I did it.  I just decided that if people didn't like the sag, there was nothing forcing them to look....so out I went.

And...for the first time in seven years, I got to enjoy being in a swimming pool, splashing around in the water, laying out in the sun until i got  hot, then dipping in the pool again....it was heaven.  And if people thought I looked freaky, they did a good job of hiding it !

Anyway...HUGE wow moment for me, so I thought I'd share.  (:   Also thought you might be interested in what wearing a bathing suit looks like after a big weight loss, so here's a pic.  Not Cindy Crawford, but not hideous, either....in my estimation, at least.  (:    

Love to all of you!!

Lori 

Oh my gosh you look great.  Enjoy the summer!

Angie

Thank you !  I'm going back to Dallas next weekend and plan to spend a considerable amount of time by the pool again.  Maybe I'll even get a tan this summer !!

You look wonderful !! Never easy - we give up our weight and have flap issues - but you conquered it !! YEAH !!!

Thank you for the encouragement !  You're right...it isn't easy to see the saggy skin.  But....I keep telling myself that it's 100 times better than having all that skin filled to bursting with fat, right?!?

Isn't that the truth !!! lol

Babe you look amazing! You look happy and you look BEAUTIFUL!!!! I had not gone swimming in 7 years and now I have a membership for the summer at the country club and me and my kids go swimming everyday! Congrats! Its pure joy to see us all be happy for once in so long!  Luv ya back! Laura

So you know exactly how I feel !!  It is wonderful to have the freedom to do whatever we want to do, isn't it, and not be held back by our weight any more??

Enjoy your summer at the pool with your kids, and thank you  (:

Lori

You look really great---congratulations.  enjoy your new freedom!

Thank you!!  Honestly, it's nice to know there's a guy out there (other than my boyfriend, who's biased) that thinks I look pretty.

Lori