Are you aiming for a bikini bod?

[Chickie 15]

I am a woman, I have curves... Even when I was younger I was a muscular girl, not an ounce of fat on my body, but I was never skinny. I am just not built that way.

I am weighing in at 160lbs now, and am wearing a AU size 12 (I think that is a US 10) I am starting to look like I did when I was a kid (but I have huge breasts now, I am a H cup :faint:) I look strong and healthy. I look like a woman. I don't really wan't to get into a size 6 (That would be about a size 8AU) On *me* that would look far too thin (despite only being 5ft 4in) I have bones sticking out everywhere already. I look great now (to me, anyway :dance:) And if I get slimmer from here, great. But if I do not, I look better than I have in my whole adult life, and am healither than I have been since I had my son. Being a bikini is not really a priority in my life.

[Wheetsin 714]

There's more to a bikini body than size.

The flabby skin I'm going to have, years of stretch marks, etc. don't make for a great bikini body. If size is all it took I already have a bikini body because they make them in my size. :kiss

Plus the person quoted needs to keep in mind that we aren't all built the same. A single-digit size on me would be downright "skinny", and I hae no desire to be "skinny" -- and that comes from what I like about me and how I like seeing myself, not from any fears that I simply couldn't lose that much weight. So maybe instead of just thinking people are giving up too early or underestimating our own abilities to lose weight, it's also important to remember that not everyone looks the same in the same size, and not everyone wants the same physique.

[Maggie63 0]

i do not want a "bikini bod" as much as i want to be comfortable in my owne skin. i have gained and lost so much weight over my life, that my poor skin has lost a lot of it's elasticity...i am afraid i will never be comfy showing alot of skin without some major plastic surgery.

i am a size 12 at about 190 lbs (isn't that amazing, but i am just a very sturdy girl...and i love it)!! if i was down to 150 or so, i think i would be too thin...

i do hope to put a bathing suit on this year...i have not worn one in about 5 years (and i am a beach lover)!!

[RavensRiches 0]

Even when I WAS a size 6, 21 year old and in the Army, ultimate hard body, and lookin' fine, I didn't like wearing bikinis. I've always liked one piece or tankini suits better. No, I don't want to wear a bikini but I do want to be a size 8 again. A size 6 is only an option after surgery, which I'm not opposed to but will need to save more money.

[NewSho 20]

I saw this thread title and I thought - Hmmmm, definitely a PreOp poster. Not just this thread, but the rather-naive posted response on the other "what size do you want to be" page that you quote in your own thread. And I was right. I don't mean that in a harsh way, but this is one of the things that absolutely consumed me before I had surgery, and now it doesn't really vex quite as much. I'd love to do it, but I have more bottom-line concerns now - like getting to the right fill level, not PB'ing, making good food choices - the basics of being Banded that we all deal with daily.

Just an observation. Once you get "into the thick of it" after surgery, you sometimes find yourself concentrating more on the day-to-day process of losing weight and sometimes focusing a bit less on what the ultimate "fairytale ending" goal will be.

... Many of us are resigned to the fact that we will never be thin. I don't mean underweight like a model or thin as compared to obese. I'm talking about "looking good in a swimsuit because you don't have any rolls or thunder thighs" thin...

...Why is this? Sometimes it feels like it would be settling for less than what I could accomplish if I were willing to work hard enough ...

Great - Count me in.

Make me a Size 8. (Not after being sick, or just temporarily, but for the next say, 10 years of my adult life.)

What do you want? Money? OK, sure, I'll get it somehow. Just tell me where to mail

it. I don't know what I'd have to do to get it, but if you could guarantee me I'd be a size 8 - I promise you I would get it to you someway, somewhere, some how.

Trust me!

I'm willing to work, willing to work hard, willing to pay - and it hasn't happened yet.

I am so willing, that I'd have a revision to a bypass tomorrow if I thought it'd get me there. Of course the insurance company won't pay (a BMI of 30 is acceptable to them, those dirty pennypinchers) as they don't think I'm obese enough, and my own original LapBand surgeon has resigned himself that I'll never get any thinner.

Pfffft, I don't lack motivation but as someone who's been banded 5 years, trust me when I say not every single person will come out of this process in "bikini condition" no matter how hard they work, or how dedicated they are. It's a fact.

After a lifetime of obesity if there is a Size 8 inside me, she is WELCOME to emancipate herself and take center stage. She has my permission, I promise.

Other times I think that coming from 268 pounds, I should be thankful if I can shop somewhere besides Lane Bryant and who cares if I'm still a bit chubby by "normal" standards?

I care. I don't want to be chubby, a little bit chubby, and certainly not fat anymore. I don't know what normal standards are, and I reject normalcy as a desirable option. I would love to be at any weight/size that would allow me to wear upscale fashion brands, overpriced designer jeans and of course, adorable little swimsuits.

Maybe it's a vanity thing. I mean, I want to be healthy, but I'll admit it - I want to look good too! As good as I possibly can, anyway.

Me too. But 1 and a half LapBand surgeries, and an Abdominoplasty later, I don't see me getting into anyone's bikini in public, unless there is some sort of cool prize being offered in return for sure public humiliation.

No but seriously, no one wants to see me in a bikini - I'm just not there yet. At this weight, I could wear a one-piece swimsuit without the authorities being called or without raising eyebrows. But nobody wants to see a size 14/16 shoehorn into a bikini. Now, Check me out later on - after I get some real band restriction and some weight loss, a Boob Lift and some Lipo later - and we'll see. But right now, it ain't gonna happen.

Do you guys ever go back and forth on this too?

I'm never back and forth.

I seriously want to be a Junior Size 9/10 or a Misses Size 8 or 10. If you know another way to go about it other than diet, exercise, surgery, prayer, and more - let me know. I was hoping I wouldn't have to trade my mortal soul for a single digit size but after some dark days I've had after surgery, even that thought hasn't been such an appalling thought. :eek:

But take it from a post op Bandster: Don't think people who aim for larger goal sizes aren't lacking in dedication or hard work. And they aren't necessarily selling themselves short - some of us just don't know how to do it, and have begun to think it might not be possible.

Thanks and Happy Band Journeys To All ...

[argon 3]

You know, I would love to look good in bikini. But I know it will never happen.. even if I were a size 2. I've got such hideous stretch marks, that unless theres a way to replace my skin from my bra-band line to my 'underwear' line, you'll never see me in public in a bikini. I'm worried enough that I'll never be able to wear a tank top, which is something *I* long for. I have stretch marks on my shoulders, and on the insides of my upper arms...

I haven't worn a swimsuit since I was about 9 years old. How bad is that? Even at that age I was embarassed. I wasn't fat, but I was chubbier than everyone else, and we all knew it.

I don't know what it's like to be a size ___ because if I ever was, say a size 10, I was probably 10 years old. I have nothing to reference to tell myself what size I want to be, cause I've never been. I don't think I've ever bought clothes that were anything other than a XL, XXL or XXL unti ran out of those options and had to go to plus size stores and buy 22,24 and 26's.

So.. uh... what was the question again? Oh yeah, am I aiming for a bikini bod? No. I'll take whatever I can get, but I'll never wear a bikini.

[Kelliebelly 13]

Even if I ever ended up skinny, I would not wear a bikini...I have never worn one and wouldnt start now. I have always wore shorts and a shirt swimming. I would love to feel comfortable wearing boardies with swimmers underneath.

I am certainly not aiming for "skinny" but a normal weight would be great. I just feel great for the first time being able to maintain my weight.

My sister is skinny and has a great body. She is beside me while I type this and has supported me through all this. She has worn a bikini once in her life. She said she doesnt feel comfortable wearing a bikini...it shows off too much and feels better in a one piece or boardies. She said she can understand how we dream about the day we can wear them, but when the day comes will we really feel comfortable wearing them? Who knows...I know I would never. Normal for me and Ill be happy.

[argon 3]

What are boardies and swimmers?

I likely wouldn't ever be comfortable waltzing around in a bikini, even if I could.

Mandi

[Dianechef 3]

Great thread!! I also have never had a desire to wear a bikini either!! I am thrilled to feel healthy & active. I never have worn a swimsuit in public & just don't go swimming because I couldn't handle the stares.

My husband just took some recent pictures of me in a swimsuit & I was so emberassed just to stand in front of HIM in a swimsuit. THEN, he coaxed me to put the pictures on my "The New Me" Thread. ACK!! I feel like I have worn my swimming suit in front of the world.

["Just" Paul 1]

I don't think I want to get into a Bikini...

Unless it isn't mine! Grrrrrrrr!!!!

[jude0426 0]

I suppose for me I want to be realistic. I grew up fairly thin, I was 136 the day I got married and I am 5' 6". BUT, I had to work at that by running 8 to 10 miles 4 days a week and 2 miles the remaining 3 (I was in the Army so that helped a lot). Now almost 11 years later I am about 50 or 60 lbs from my goal of 150 to 160. I have to take into account the fact I have had three very large babies, I am almost 36, and well, that nice tight tummy I had at 25 is gone forever (well, unless I have a TT). Also, I can no longer run. My ankles are shot other than the fact running is actually really bad for you. I guess I just don't want to set a goal that may not happen, 150 would be great and I could see that as a size 10 or 12. I won't be wearing that bikini, heck, I never wore one when I was skinny! lol

[Jammin & Losin 1]

I really don't think I will ever feel comfortable in a bikini...I would settle for just feeling comfortable in a one peice swim suit....even if I get some skin removed unless they will remove stretch marks I will never get in a bikini and feel good about it. What I will feel good about is getting to or at least close to my ideal weight that will continue to help me stay active and healthy...if a bikini at some time comes comfortably into the picture then I might wear one...BUT I DOUBT IT !!!!

[Sunta 5]

I don't think I will ever have a bikini body, because even when I weighed 140 pounds and was 17 years old, I had horrible cellulite all over my legs. I think my legs are deformed. Actually, even when I was 10 and weighed 109 pounds, I had cellulite. I don't think I'll ever get rid of it no matter how much I lose. I'm not talking mild cellulite, I'm talking massive, horrible cellulite as if I have elephantitis or something (no disrespect to those who may have, or know someone who has, actual elephantitis). I would be thrilled if I got down to a size 12. In fact, I can't even imagine being that small...

[Fauxnaif 1]

At my height and body frame, a 10-12 would definitely not be embarassing. I would probably wear a medium and be great with that!

:confused: I wonder if it meant to come across as "why do it if you can't get a very thin body?" That's how it seems that poster feels. There are so many other benefits to the band.

Also, in order to look super-great in a bathing suit, I would need a breast lift, Tummy Tuck, thigh lift and my arms done. I am NOT willing to have that many plastic surgeries-although I do plan on a tummy tuck.

[cashley 0]

You can have a bikini body without actually wearing a bikini....

I mean a lot of us wouldn't feel comfortable with our skin, stretch marks etc or just not like Bikini's but wouldn't you like to have the body to pull it off?