[caryesings]

I swim laps once a week. Throughout this weight loss as suits have gotten too big and gone to the next size down in my drawer. I have all these smaller suits because in the 20 years since I gained 100 lbs. I have never actually tried on a swimsuit, would just order from catalogs. If they were too small, they got thrown in a drawer for someday. The good news is "someday" finally came.

The bad news is I still didn't check myself out in the mirror as a new suit came into rotation. Frankly a 50 year old body that's been carrying around an extra 100 lbs for 20 years is not an attractive sight.

I knew the suit I've been wearing has been getting too big but thought I could get a few more weeks out of it. Well today the Y was really busy so had to take a locker in section of the locker room next to full length mirror. I managed to get dressed with my back to the mirror, but walking to locker after the swim I had a full on view of myself and made a horrifying discovery - my pot belly/apron/whatever we call this awful part was hanging out of the too big leg holes.

It's too late to save myself from embarassment, but hoping this tale will inspire others to check out the view even if you think it will be painful...

[ubergirl]

Oh my goodness! How awful!!!

[LitChick]

This wasn't quite what I was expecting this post to be about (although now that you mention it, I will be checking for that)

My issue is the chest area. I even bought a 'conservative cut' style but it's a little big on me and now I find myself sometimes practically flashing the poor lifeguard when I swim.

[caryesings]

Litchick - Yes, I've been judging whether I can still wear a suit based on whether my GG girls are staying covered and this suit had gotten to the point I was checking each lap that I turned on my back for backstroke to make sure I was still contained.

You can be darn sure I'll now be checking the lower view both before and after the suit gets wet. Gah!!

[MablesGirl]

oh no! sorry that happened to you, but thanks for the warning. I'm so not there yet..... can't wait to lose more weight, dreading the saggy skin though.

[Eliana]

Oh...I hadn't thought of that either!! I think about the chest area. My suit is getting too big and there just isn't any support...at all. My chest no longer fills the bosom of the suit! I am going to pop out one of these days...it's only a question of time.

I need to get a new suit, but I hate shopping for them!

[PaulaM]

Oh Lord, thanks for the warning. I got a couple of suits from Land's End, the tankini ones, but the bottom is like shorts. I can't imagine the tops of my thighs are ever going to be for public viewing so now I can be comforted that the shorts will hide the tummy too.

I'm even older than you are, can you tell me, did some of your skin shrink, or is it all going to be flapping in the breeze if I ever lose it all?

edited to say: I lived in MI for my first 28 years, hi fellow Michigander! (been in CA since 1986)

[findingfawn]

Oh goodness. I'm not a swimsuit person (actually I'm terrified of water), but it's a good reminder to kind of keep everything in check

(Oh.... and I can kind of see some comedy in this too, please forgive me for getting a giggle out of it).

[TaraLee]

I'm sorry to hear about the embarassing moment and I know it wasn't flattering, visually, but in a way its complimntary... I mean, your now down A WHOLE NOTHER SWIMSUIT... WHOOT!!

[caryesings]

Eliana - I know what you mean about the tops not fitting. The next suit in the rotation is a swim dress style so no worries about the lower view, but my girls are natuarally falling belolw the cups and when I place them in the proper position, they are trying to float out of the top.

PaulaM - Honestly the saggy skin thing is not that bad for where I'm at in this process. Obviously the skin surface looked better when it was tightly packed with fat, but the "fitness" of the body beneath is starting to show in many places.

findingfawn - thanks for seeing the humor of the situation. My lifelong attititude has always been when something bad or embarassing happens to me that "at least this will make a good story". This was definitely one of those moments. First I gasped, then cringed, then laughed out loud, and then started thinking how I would write up on 3FC!

[Michelle98272]

OH MY GOSH! I hope to someday have my belly apron full of flat deflated, hanging loosely and well behaved against my taut tummy but hope it never pokes it's homely head out of my too big swimsuit! My family has a saying...."We aren't laughing AT you...we're laughing NEAR you!" ( I think it comes from Sponge Bob) To us it means, we are right there with you but find it morbidly funny. I had to laugh at the image of this and can image it happening to me. Like when my pants almost fell off at work in front of a lobby full of people. Sick and wrong but f***ing funny at the same time.

Only fat or formerly fat friends can appreciate this particular brand of horror!! You poor girl.

Thank you for the reminder to check ourselves out in the privacy of our homes in clothes we aren't totally 100% sure about. For the last 20 years I've worn control top super duper extra strength girdle undies under my suit to encourage my fat belly to behave. I think I might stick with that plan if my belly apron begins to head south once deflated. I could just roll it up nice and tidy and tuck it into the girdle.