Originally Posted by :
Lottie,

Where did you get it? I must say that not ALL the swim dresses are horrid...but some definitely are!

I got mine from Wal*Mart and it was adorable. I had one that was purple flowers of some type...purple and black. It looked like the baby doll type shirts. The top was form fitting, all a one piece suit, with the skirt in a sheerer material from under the breasts to the tops of the thighs. Most of my weight, which had been carried in my mid section and rearend, wasn't poking out of the suit that way. I later switched to a one-piece that had diagonal pleats. That also helped with the midsection. Then I went to a two-piece with a skirt on the bottom as my hips still seemed to be bursting from a regular pair of bikini bottoms. LOL

I feel a bit self conscious in a swimsuit, but I have a two piece tankini and love it. My dh says I'm his little mermaid (where he gets the little from I don't know!!!), so if I am good enough for him I am good enough for anyone! I love swimming, when you are in the water, it's like you are weightless and almost invisible. Until some teenager dive bombs on you!!! :)

I have an above ground pool so I am fine swimming in that, but out in public I hate it. Several summers ago my husband and I went to a water park that had water slides in it. I wore a t-shirt and swim shorts over my bathing suit. Luckily they did not make me go in just my swim suit, but I still hated that people could see my chuddy snow white legs!! :yikes:

I'm not so sure I'll ever swim again after watching Eric Cartman take swimming lessons with all the first graders peeing in the pool last night on Southpark.

When I went on holiday last year I was 178lbs. Far from my heaviest ever weight (260.5) but still wanting to lose around 20-30lbs. I never ever thought I would do it, but I actually wore a bikini!! For the first day or so I felt mega self-conscious, but like others have already said, there are always going to be people a lot bigger than you, just the same as there are always going to be people a lot smaller. No one really cares, and no one really shows that much interest in YOU. They're too busy worrying about how THEY look probably!!

I have always been too embarassed to swim or take water aerobics. But I recently found out that the gym near me has a special water aerobics/free swim class twice a week evenings specifically for people trying to lose a signifigant amount of weight, and the swim area is closed to everyone else during that time. Embarasment-eraser, right? Well, now I am too embarassed to go because other people in the gym will see me going into the overweight-only swim class and *gasp* realize I'm fat! Oh, the tangled web we weave.