I Don’t Care If My Body Offends You

[phdprocrastinator]

Thank you for posting this. What an interesting link at the way in which women objectify themselves. I have done this, too, without reflecting on it. The message that or bodies are not for us but rather for others to enjoy runs deep.

I'm going to have to come back to this.

[mrsukyankee]

My 40s have been all about working on this and I was happy to wear a bikini this summer and not give it too much thought beforehand - and honestly, once I was splashing around in the pool, I forgot my body worries as my body was doing and that's all that mattered.

[jillboston]

Mar 7, 2015 8:42:36 GMT -5 mryrcn said:

I wore a bikini on vacation recently. I decided I'm 45 years old & give no fucks about what other people think.

Thanks for this! I'm 49 and I feel the same way - but not feeling a bikini I'm afraid.. (that's what a 35 pound weight gain will get you..)

[omgzombies]

I finally broke down and bought a bikini for a vacation we were taking. After two kids I was less than thrilled with my new post partum body. The thing that triggered me was looking back at old photos of myself. There were times in my 20's where I felt that my body was less than, and now I would love to have my 20 year old body. I don't want to be in my 40's and realize I did the same thing to my 30 year old body. I'm gonna love what I have, because it is fleeting.

[jillboston]

Mar 7, 2015 8:48:35 GMT -5 mryrcn said:

Mar 7, 2015 8:44:53 GMT -5 jillboston said:

Thanks for this! I'm 49 and I feel the same way - but not feeling a bikini I'm afraid.. (that's what a 35 pound weight gain will get you..)

If Helen Mirren can do it we sure as hell can.  Baby steps & you will be there.  I've recently lost 18 pounds & went from a size 12 to a 6 in pants.  I'd like to lose about 10 more pounds but I'm really focusing on how tone i am & how I feel on the inside.  

That's amazing! I don't like to be a Debbie Downer with the ladies here- but it is seems so much harder to lose weight past 40.

[mrsukyankee]

I've lost 20 lbs while in my mid-40s. I have taken it slowly while weight lifting which has helped a LOT. It's doable. I have not cut anything out at all. Just smaller portions (TDEE-15%). It's taken over a year with some diet breaks in between but so worth it.

[gpw]

Mar 7, 2015 14:06:30 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

I've lost 20 lbs while in my mid-40s. I have taken it slowly while weight lifting which has helped a LOT. It's doable. I have not cut anything out at all. Just smaller portions (TDEE-15%). It's taken over a year with some diet breaks in between but so worth it.

Weight lifting is the key to weight loss (along with diet).  At any age.  

Congrats on your achievement! 

[SmartyCat]

I spent way too many years sitting on the sidelines, waiting until my body was somehow worthy of what everyone else was wearing/doing, and evaluating all my food and activities by whether they were "working". What a waste of happiness.

We went on a beach vacation in January, and while my body is even less (way less) suit-worthy than it was when I started worrying about it, this time I decided to stop looking for the best body on the beach and counting all the ways I suffered by comparison (WTF, right?), and start noticing who looked like they were having the most fun and think about whether I wanted to do what they were doing. Best beach vacation ever.

[foundmylazybum]

I yearn for the day when women realize the media is totally fake and in reality no one is actively judging your body except yourself.

Kim Kardashian pays someone to photoshop her instagram. IT'S ALL A SHAM.

[josieposy]

I admit I'm having a hard time right now. I really need to lose 60-80 lbs, and my knees are junk. So the obvious idea for me is to get back in the pool. I liked the pool. I was a decent swimmer and it worked for me in the past.

But then I get into this internal chicken-and-egg discussion because I have to buy a suit so I can get back in the pool so I can get back to my healthier formal self and feel more confident with less clothing on.

[tacosforlife]

Mar 7, 2015 21:13:11 GMT -5 @soudesafinado said:

Mar 7, 2015 19:18:30 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I admit I'm having a hard time right now. I really need to lose 60-80 lbs, and my knees are junk. So the obvious idea for me is to get back in the pool. I liked the pool. I was a decent swimmer and it worked for me in the past.

But then I get into this internal chicken-and-egg discussion because I have to buy a suit so I can get back in the pool so I can get back to my healthier formal self and feel more confident with less clothing on.

It's all old people and little kids at the pool, get the suit and go get your swim on.

YES!

ESPECIALLY if it's a public pool and not a private gym.

I have gone to 3 outdoor pools in DC. One is frequented by serious swimmers, so I felt inadequate but whatever, I floated in the open swim section and enjoyed myself. One is designed largely for kids but has a separate lap section, so I was basically the only non-parent adult there. I got to swim laps and then telax in the shallow section. It's my favorite pool. And the third? A teenage girl told me that my swimsuit was super cute. My tankini I bought from Lands End.

[josieposy]

Mar 7, 2015 21:13:11 GMT -5 @soudesafinado said:

Mar 7, 2015 19:18:30 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I admit I'm having a hard time right now. I really need to lose 60-80 lbs, and my knees are junk. So the obvious idea for me is to get back in the pool. I liked the pool. I was a decent swimmer and it worked for me in the past.

But then I get into this internal chicken-and-egg discussion because I have to buy a suit so I can get back in the pool so I can get back to my healthier formal self and feel more confident with less clothing on.

It's all old people and little kids at the pool, get the suit and go get your swim on.

You're probably right. The pricey gym is always packed but I've never been past the Y to see how busy they are. Maybe I will commit to go check them out before month end.

[swsaradee]

I will be 45 this year and am morbidly obese. I have decided in the last few years that I don't give a damn what others think about my body. I am working on losing weight, but my motivation is cuter clothes. I will be rocking my one piece all week on this cruise.

[itsme]

Mar 8, 2015 0:11:34 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

Mar 7, 2015 21:22:56 GMT -5 @stpete said:

I really think growing up near the beach has caused me to be very realistic about bikini bodies. I have always seen all body types in all states of undress at the beach and have never though only super models should be in a two piece.

Agreed! People at the beach don't care.

I'm right there too.  I have been wearing a bikini for years, even when well over weight.  I am comfortable with my body and have been for a long time.  It never crossed my mind to care what others thought.

[ijack]

We went to mexico a couple years ago and the resort we stayed at had a lot of older (50ish) couples and couples from europe. I was one of very few (I think less than 5) women wearing a one piece suit. It didn't matter what body shape the other women had, everyone was rocking bikinis and not even caring. It actually made me more self conscious that I wasn't comfortable with my body