In other threads recommendation has been given regarding sports bras. I know it may seem a bit early to be thinking about swimsuits, but my guess is the type I need will be hard to find and expensive. Better to start looking and saving early.
This summer I plan to start taking adult swimming lessons. Yea, it’s been many years since I took swimming lessons, and although I can float, I’ve forgotten most of it. And I want to do some other sort of exercise to keep challenging myself plus I dream to eventually get a SCUBA certification. Swimming should help with that, no?
Anyways, I have a couple of swimsuits, but they’re definitely not swimming material. Not like doing laps or anything, just good for floating around. Plus I’ve lost a bit of weight, so I’m afraid I’m not getting good support with them.
And by full figure I mean big boobs, plainly. Although if someone else gives recommendations for larger sized ladies who may also want some advice, go ahead. Thanks!
I buy my plus-sized suits from www.swimsuitsforall.com. Sometimes suits are expensive (I consider $80 for a suit expensive) but they often have tons of deals, especially this time of year.
Anything that has a high neck, like this works great for me when swimming laps. I am only a C cup and find that I barely fill out the bra cups in most styles, so they’d fit comfortably for a D or higher.
If you are going to be swimming regularly, I suggest not spending more than $50 on a suit and plan on replacing it after 6 months or so - unless it’s just that good that it doesn’t get all worn out from the chlorine.
Kudos for you - swimming’s great exercise. I did the same thing a couple of years ago - though of course I’ve gotten out of the habit now and need to get back into it - and it was great. Although I know how to swim, the lessons were really awesome. Biggest tip? Slow down. You can stop at any time and put your feet down or grab the wall, you’re not going to drown. Slow down. And invest in some goggles.
Anyhoo…
I’m going on 20+ pounds heavier than I’d like to be and I still find Speedo to be the best suit you can buy for lap swimming. I’m a C, so I’m not particularly hugely endowed, and I love my Speedos (even the ones that don’t include a bra). They’re tight fitting, and I think the tightness gives a great level of support, even without any sort of bra. I buy the cheap, no nonsense ones in blue or black that you can find at any sporting good store for $50ish (or less) - they’re even at Sam’s Club or Costco. They also have several fits, so you can get a more conservative cut on the leg if you prefer. And with the tight fit, they make me look great.
I just found that Sierra Trading Post carries them too at nice discounts, but you’ll probably want to head into a store to try one on first before buying.
They’re also chlorine resistant and will withstand good use, but yeah, you’ll need to replace them every so often.
I’ve bought a couple of suits from Woman Within, which used to be Lane Bryant catalog. They’ve held up pretty well. The sizes start at 14 and go up. There’s a variety of styles available, some of them with swim skirts or trunks, and others with just the regular brief bottoms. None of the styles are very revealing, as far as swim suits go. The ones I bought were true to size. And it looks like they’re all on sale right now.
Hmm… The two swimsuits I own I bought at Dillards… I think it was 8/M in one and 6 or 8 in the other.
I’m not slender, but yea, I would still fit in a misses (more likely petite) size, but with large boobs. My concern is getting something that is either too lose or too tight/not covered enough. I don’t want anything getting out when I exercise!
If you can fit into “smaller” sizes, you might want to try Victoria’s Secret- I know it’s a little crazy sounding, but they have oodles of suits and they sell many by cup size.
LandsEnd was absolutely wonderful the last time I went looking. I saw what I wanted, or thought I wanted, but it didn’t seem to be available in my size. So I called customer service. We talked back and forth about my body size and shape and she found exactly what I needed in a size that worked (telling me what to look for on the internet so I could see). It was surprisingly flattering on my 200 lb body.
Got to go looking again this year – I’ve lost 30 lbs since then.
If there’s an actual swim store in town, go there - at least to get properly fitted.
I’m always amazed at how tight they think the suits should be in order to “fit” properly.
I thought the last one I bought was about two sizes too small, but they assured me it was right - and they were absolutely correct. It’s a great suit. (It’s not a Speedo, but it’s cut like one. I was about to start mom & baby exercise lessons, and I wanted something relatively baby-grab-accidental-nudity-proof)
Land’s End does virtually all of their business by catalog/internet. Some of their stuff is available at Sears (they were purchased by Sears a couple years ago). If you have a Sears in your area, you might be able to try on a few things there and if you don’t find something you love, turn to the catalog/internet for more color and style options. The downside is no trying stuff on first, of course, but on the bright side they are very used to selling by catalog so have lots of charts and IME run very true to size for all of their merchandise.
Not so much on where to buy, but try to find a T-back (not meaning thong). I wear these for aqua aerobics and they’re great. Also, with you being full figured at the top, one with a bust minimizer would help. It’s amazing how much flotation the girls have.
