your right, you did say that you were not bashing. My bad. I personally believe that women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful and that there is no ideal shape. With that being said I always see women at the beach who squeeze themselves into these itty bitty bikinis, that make them look fat when they are not...be it a full chested woman wearing a string bikini or whatever. I'm not saying having a little flab makes you unattractive...I'm saying that if this is the case a bikini might not be the best option. If you ever look at a womens magazine that does a before and after bathing suit edition (ie they take someone at the beach wearing the wrong bathing suit for their body and give them one that flatters them) it is amazing how much better women look in bathing suits that flatter them.

Thanks Soul Bliss I've worked really hard to get to this size! I just get bummed. I'll be thinking wow I look great and then I see some dumb broad who has never been fat and is the same size as me and they look a million times better and then I feel like what was the point? No matter how small I get I will look like crap. I'm right back where I started though I don't know if I should wear one or not? I have long legs and a short torso so if I wear shorts or a wrap with a bathing suit it makes me look like I have no torso. Oh well people pick on each other no matter what size they are so I guess if I feel like I look good then I should just do it. i just feel like I think I look good until I get on the beach and have to take my coverup off then I feel like a huge freak. I always have to look in mirrors to make sure that I haven't blown up in the past 5 minutes. I hate it.

Wear what you're comfortable in. Period. If you're not comfortable at your weight in a bikini then don't wear one. The point is to have fun; don't let your choice of swim wear ruin it for you.

I think the problem is the choices we have for bathing suits these days. I mean... even in the most conservative one-piece, don't you still sort of feel like you're walking around in public naked?? I do

And men get away with long baggy shorts to their knees! I don't get it!

I personally go with bikinis because they're easier to put on and off (especially if you have to go to the bathroom in a wet bathing suit). My legs are gross (spider veins, cellulite, flab, and stretch marks -- and I'm only in my 20's, so it's just going to get worse with time) and no matter what kind of bathing suit I wear, it will never hide my legs. What's a little belly flab to go along with it?

I wore a tankini top and matching board shorts.

This is cute but looks like something you would wear in the bedroom

I'm all for wearing whatever you are comfortable in! I wear a one piece to swim in at the pool, but at the beach its board shorts and a tankini. And I doubt this will change regardless of my size, its just what I am comfortable in (plus being from NZ we have wicked sun that fries you even with sunscreen so a bikini=way too much skin!)

Do you mean a real bikini or a two piece suit? The latter can be quite flattering, but I think about five women with perfect bodies look good in a real bikini.

I'm sorry, Flabuless, I know you said you have skin issues, but your measurements, height, weight, are pretty darn good!

You know, I just don't believe that you look like crap. And I don't believe you're a huge freak. Why tell yourself these things?

Have you considered seeing a counselor? It may be that there are other issues here than some loose skin...

Jay

I haven't wore a one-piece bathing suit since I was 13
I have tiny boobs (well, not that tiny, but very small considering I'm huge at all the other parts of my body ) and one-piece suit makes my boobs look invisible

I really like wearing a two piece bathing suit
and I don't care what will other people think about me, because I feel ok, and I enjoy summer
I believe you should wear something that will make you feel good about yourself

life is too short to waste it on worrying will some skinny girl think you're fat or not
if you didn't like yourself fat and you don't like yourself thin, it's wrong, and there is something wrong with your mindset
you are great person and you should be loved by you

you should say f-it and go and enjoy yourself

That could have seriously been typed by me!! It's such a frustrating feeling, isn't it? I hope you feel better. *hugs* I wish there was some way around that but I've yet to find it. I wish I'd never been fat, too. If it makes you feel at all better, I was much fatter than you!

Thanks girls. I know I should just be happy and proud of all my hard work. Being a fat kid I sure had the cards stacked against me and the fact that I even lost any weight is pretty amazing. I'm trying to learn to not focus so much on thinking about how fat I look. I know it's dumb but I was repeatedly reminded for years and years that I was large so it's kinda still in there repeating in my head. My parents used to even tease me about it and they were the ones buying the junk food!! then when they saw me after losing the weight they hardly even acknowledged it.

Flabuless,

I've been between 120-250 pounds. I remember the 130s. You & I are the same height, and I think I wore a 2 piece, but with a bottom that came up to the waist (only because my belly tends to stick out no matter how thin, how many crunches I do) & bra style top. You're probably being too self conscious.

Jitterfish,

I love your quote about the cookies! If I were the embroidery type, I'd embroider it and hang it in my office (where there are always cookies tempting us). Instead, I'll just print it out & tape it to the monitor.

Here are 2 examples of the type of style suit I currently wear:
http://www.landsend.com/pp/OriginalS...2&origin=index

http://www.landsend.com/pp/SportFlor...2&origin=index

It covers everything, yet it's got the convenience of a 2 piece so I don't have to wrestle with my swimwear if I need to use the facilities after swimming. I hate wrestling with my swimwear as it usually seems to win!

Try not to get caught up in wanting to wear someTHING. (ie bikini) If you fee wonderful in it - wear it! Remember... Wear what makes you FEEL spectacular... Because when you feel spectacular it shows... in the way you carry yourself - no matter what size you are.

Wear whatever you want.
I go to nude beaches. I see every type of body there. The reality of nude beaches is not the fantasy. Walk through any grocery store, mall or other public place and the mix of people you see are the same mix of people you will see on the beach. It is VERY liberating to go nude at the beach. It becomes a non-issue.
You should be comfortable in your own body, no matter what the weight, no matter what the perceived "flaws" are. I have many "flaws"--fat, rolls, stretch marks, saggy boobs, pale skin and cellulite. I just decided to like me for me. I am trying to improve me, but some of these things will never change.
Enjoy your beach time, no matter how you choose to dress or not dress!

Personally, I don't recall ever wearing a bikini - I just didn't feel I could be active wearing one without parts falling out

That being said, wear what you feel comfortable in. If you're self-conscious the whole time you're at the beach, you won't enjoy yourself no matter what you wear. But please quit beating yourself up! You've done great, and you're on the right track. Don't lose all that to dark thoughts - stay in the

Well, I can only say what I will do when it comes down to it for me. I plan on wearing a bikini when I get to a good body fat percentage. Sure, I'll probably have loose skin and I'll definitely have stretch marks a-plenty, but at the same time, no one will be able to call me fat. They can say that I'm all scarred up, but not FAT. And that's usually what people make fun of when people are wearing bikinis - the fat. Not the stretch marks (because honestly from far away those aren't usually very noticeable). And as far as the loose skin goes, from what I've observed a lot of people can "tuck" their loose tummy skin into their swimsuit bottoms, so maybe a bikini with a more conservative bottom would work well in this case? I wouldn't let it hold me back... you said yourself that you can see your ribs and hipbones, so clearly being too chunky for a bikini isn't most likely the problem.

Ultimately, wear what makes you comfortable! I'm sure you could come across a swimsuit in any style that would be extremely flattering on you!