GOING SWIMMING TOMORROW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS HELP!!

"those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" - Dr Suess!

You just need to focus on all the postive things about your body that you like. You appear a very beautiful young lady that should hold her head up high and smile, this always keeps people guessing.

I think you just have to realize that EVERYONE feels like theyre being judged when they bare down to swimwear. And people WILL judge you, but thats all down to a lack of self confidence from others. Hold your head up high and know that you are trying to be healthier! xx

I'd say exactly this! Its inevitable but you can't psych yourself out or that day when you're proud to walk in your bikini may never come...

I love swimming,it is fun and burns so many calories,Don't forget to bring a water bottle.Sometimes people forget because they are in a pool,but you are working hard in there.Good luck! Tell us how you did later.

I agree with these Everyone is there for a reason.. I belong to a gym that has a pool and i see people of all shapes and sizes. I see the women that are much bigger than i am and realize they are actually out there doing something about it and getting healthy and feel a little pround of them. I promise that walking out there in your bathing suit will feel a lot better than feeling sorry for yourself. Good luck tomorrow!!

Hey MFP

i have joined the gym, my induction is at 7 am tomorrow but it is not that i am afraid of...yes its the local massive pool with actual human people in. I have purchased a swim dress which looks ok but still shows my mammoth legs. I am nervous and worry i am going to talk myself out of it tomorrow.

I used to love swimming and i can do loads of lengths i guess im ao scared of going in and out of the pool?

Can anyone suggest anything to help me overcome my confidence??

A bin bag and running as fast as i can and bombing into the pool hoping no one sees is all i have up to now!! :'-( xx

I have swam all my life, I was on swim team in high school and when my friends were sizes 4 & 6, I was at a size 18, so I know what you're going through. I actually started swimming again this past week and just my luck my first day was the one day of the week when the local swim team practices. I had my 2 suits on (for drag and honestly, self confidence) my goggles and cap and just went out there like i knew what i was doing. Once i got in the pool and swam my first 25, all my insecurities melted away. Yes, I was THE slowest and biggest person in that body of water but everyone else was worried about what they were doing that i was invisible. I like to think that when they see me, they're thinking 'wow, that's a big girl, but good for her that she's here' and if they're not thinking that, then i pretend I'm taking my fat *kitten* and stomach rolls and suffocating them :noway:

YOU CAN DO THIS!!! Think of all the calories that you're gonna burn in the water, where your jiggle doesn't show like it does at the gym At least that's what i tell myself since i feel the safest in the water.

Good luck!!!

Just walk in the pool area and set down your stuff and hop in. I swim 2-3 times a week. When I started I was so nervous about what people were going to say, but you know what who cares. If you love it, by the time your legs get under the water no one is going to notice anyway. I started in a size 22 bathing suit, and now I wear a size 12/14. You are doing this for you and not anyone else.

i was in the same position last year when i was trying to do some rehab after a knee injury and you just have to be brave that first time and you'll soon wonder what you were worrying about

Babe, you are going swimming because you know its the right thing for YOU, what anyone else thinks really doesn't matter, that said, I know where you are coming from, the way I always deal with a situation like this is to go with the mentality, "if i cant see them then they can't see me" - by this I mean, just focus on where you want to be, which is in the pool, don't look around you, don't make eye contact with anyone, just head for the steps and get in the water, once you are in and you are covered up you wont feel so self conscious. ~After the first time of going to the pool and seeing how great you feel when you get out, you really wont care what anyone else thinks x x I find this mentality works for me in lots of situations and helps to overcome my body confidence issues. Good luck and have a great swim

Hey,

My best mate has the same problem when we go together and I always tell her that she shouldn't worry what people think and if she does, they'll think more of her for the fact that she's trying to do something about it. Also getting in and out of the pool is only 10 seconds, that's got be worth doing the exercise and regaining your confidence?

Best of luck

Everything everyone said is absolutely true- you are doing this for YOU, not for them... so it doesn't matter what they think. Just get in there, have some fun and think of that awesome and FUN total full body workout you will be getting. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to swim and once you are in the water no one is paying any attention to you anyway... just got and enjoy yourself. You won't regret it.

I too started swimming a few months ago with my wife. It was tough to walk out of the locker room into the swimming area and wait for a lane to come open. I hated standing around smelling the chlorine, feeling the humidity and the worst part anticipating how cold the water was going to feel when I first jumped into the pool. I found myself getting really snippy with my wife because I thought everyone was staring at me. She became the catalyst to get me into the pool. I soon realized that fellow lap swimmers do not care how I look. If anything, the people swimming laps were helpful and encouraging in getting me started. Swimming has helped tone my body and rehabilitate muscles that have been injured. So go and swim. If you have longhair take a swimming cap and don’t forget goggles. Remember you’re not alone in your feelings about your body. We all feel that way but that’s why we joined myfitness pal…to get better .

With those lovely eyes, who is going to look at your legs???????

If anyone says anything about my weight, "I can change my size, but can you change your negative attitude?". That usually shuts them up~

I always think the same when I feel self conscious... "I can lose my weight but you will always be ugly because of your personality"

Makes me feel better