Swimsuit HORROR!!

i went to wal-mart with my grandmother yesterday, and she insisted i try to find a swimsuit for my vacation next month-i found one, a beautiful blue 1-piece in a SIZE 16!! not only was it on clearance for $13.00, but it FITS!! ok, now the scary part-i put it on and looked at myself in the dressing room mirror and OMG!! my skin is sliding off! honestly, it didn't look that bad in my dresser mirror at home, but HOLY CRAP the dressing room mirror really shows every little flaw! i have shar pei thighs! i turned all the way around and looked at both legs carefully-the calves look like cottage cheese! imagine what i'd look like w/o 4-5 days of exercise a week! (weight training, walking & aerobics). now i knew with a starting weight of 374.5, i'd have a good bit of sagging skin, but this is the first time it really hit me just HOW bad it's going to be! i wanna cry! but i suppose i'd rather have empty, sagging flesh than still weigh close to 400 lbs. Hugs to All, Donya -164 lbs *who'sdesperatelylookingforaswimsuitcover-up*

Aaaaw {{{{{ Donya }}}}} ...no reason to cry about it, or feel anything less then absolute and complete PRIDE IN YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS! The hanging skin is just a temporary thing - some of it actually does FIRM up with time, especially based on your age and what doesnt CAN be addressed. I'm 45 and mine managed to bounce back in "some" places - granted, there were ALSO other areas that absolutely didn't stand a chance in hades and had to be sliced off. Regardless - whether it's the scars from the surgeries, or the hanging skin (my thighs and backside still look really REALLY bad) I view 'em all as badges of pride and honor. I fought a long hard fight to get to the place Im at today, and although I can NOT say that Im scar-free or sag-free, Im definately FREE and living, loving, enjoying life again. You wear that bathing suit with the grace and beauty of the woman we already know YOU ARE! Hugs - Lei

**Big hugs** I know what you're going through. I lovingly refer to my midsection as "the congealed pile of liquid breaddough." Its hard to see it as it really is for a lot of reasons. One is, even though I tried not to - I still had pipedreams that I was going to lose this weight and look "normal". I do look normal in clothes, but out of clothing . . .its a different story all together. When I look at what I actually look like its hard because I liked to pretend when I was SMO that I wasn't really sick, and I wasn't "that" fat. Now that I see the skin, it's impossible to deny what I have done to this body - the hell I have put it through. I figure that I will bear the scars of my obesity for the rest of my life, but they are also badges of honor - a testament to how far I've come. I'm also a person who's working on Plastics for some skin removal - but some (like my upper arms) can stay. There's ADORABLE gauze coverups out there and really cute sarongs out there. Big hugs - and know that our skin continues to snap back even up to a year after we stop losing lbs. Don't lose hope quite yet - its going to take some time. Best wishes, ~Lara -212@goal

I have the same thing going on. I went to the fabric department right in walmart, bought a couple of yards of chiffon, got some of the iron on tape to seal the edges and I tie that around my waist and go on with my life. I know that the loose skin can really bring you down. And it took me a long time to deal with it. But I had to take on the attitude that I do not care what others think or say....I have lost a ton of weight and I am now physically capable of doing things I only dreamed of 2 years ago, and da-n it, I'm gonna do it!!!!!! I go to the pool, I untie the wrap and let it float behind me before I hang it up. Attitude. It's all about attitude. How you feel about you, and not taking on other peoples stuff. And getting out there and living life out loud without apology. I'm here! Loose skin and all!!! Good luck to you Donya!

Misha, Thanks so much for the absolutely beautiful mental image ... untying that chiffon wrap and letting it float ... that's wonderful! I'm going to work on getting that sort of attitude going for myself! I love it! Myra

Oh my, Donya, you sound like me! I joined a water-aerobics class and for awhile I wore a tank top and long, long shorts. There were other large ladies in the class, though, and they didn't look so bad in their swimsuits, so I did what you did ... went to Wallie-mart and actually found two suits ... one that fits and one for this winter (smaller size - call that expectant thinking, right?). I got home and first thing I did was put the one that fits on and I was horrified. I realized just how long it had been since I'd stood in front of a mirror "exposed" like that, and my weight loss has "softened" everything up like melting butter ... er make that cottage cheese. I got over the flapping upper arms, deciding (shrug) that was the way it is, but I just couldn't get past my belly, butt and legs. Definitely Shar-Pei baggy, crepe-thin looking (in some places) and wrinkly, cottage-cheesey, yuck!!! That's when I decided I might wear the bathingsuit, but the other ladies were just going to have to keep putting up with my shorts over it. As a travel coverup, I wear a loose shin-length knit shift. Starting this at 442lbs, I knew I'd have a lot of excess skin left, but I wasn't prepared for this lumpy bagginess. And definitely, we'd rather have empty sagging flesh, than be so overweight that our lives are in danger, but I can tell it's going to be a long haul putting up with my skin flapping in every big wind that comes along until time comes for plastic surgery. Duct tape! Think that would work to hold up some of this sag? Oh well, we just gotta laugh, right? from Missouri, Myra