In this issue: Swim Suit Shopping…Swim Suit Jitters…The Right Swim Suit for You

So I went to Target the other day and they had a GREAT selection of swimsuits. Granted, they were all BIKINIS (I live in California), but they were very colorful, so I stopped to look. They happened to be on sale…$14.99!! So I thought I couldn’t afford to NOT try some on (like a true shopper).

Now, I’ve never been a bikini person. You see, my chest is a little small (that’s being REALLY generous), my tummy has always been flabby (I’m hoping for a flat stomach in my next life) and I have that “cottage cheese” thing going on on my butt and thighs. Despite feeling a little irritated looking in the mirror, I found a cute orange bikini (the BIKINI was cute…not me in it!).

You see, I’m just about at the age that I realize it really doesn’t matter how I look in a bathing suit…not too many people are REALLY looking! And that’s not because I’m so old (let’s get THAT straight!), but because I’m GETTING that I’m not really that big a deal. I need to be comfortable with me, and even when I’m not, I need to make the best of what I’ve got and enjoy LIVING. (And thanks to God and Be Totally Free!, I DO realize I’m blessed to be the weight I am.)

I think we’d all like to have our bodies be a little different than they are…and sometimes A LOT different. But we cannot miss our lives wishing for it to be that way. We can make changes, day by day, which is an important thing to do, but in the meantime we need to pray for acceptance and GET OUT OF OUR HEADS! After all, that’s usually the FATTEST part about us!

Oh! And when I went to check out at Target…turns out my bikini was $14.99 - PER PIECE…when did they start doing it THAT way?

Much love,

Tricia

HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR THE NYC “HEAL YOUR HUNGER” WORKSHOP? GET THE ADVANCED REGISTRATION PRICE ONLY UNTIL MAY 21ST! CLICK HERE: http://www.betotallyfree.com/hyh_nyc.php

Dear Ask It:

My husband surprised me with a birthday trip to Hawaii. While I should be excited, I’m mostly dreading the trip due to my size. I can’t bear the thought of being seen in a bathing suit. I’m so anxious I’m tempted to cancel. What should I do?

~ Terrified in Toledo

Dear Terrified:

No need to cancel! This is a wonderful opportunity for you to focus on what’s important, namely, that you are being given a much deserved vacation and time to be with your husband! Being in a bathing suit on the beach is only a fraction of what a trip to Hawaii can mean for you. Your husband wants to celebrate YOU and there are many ways to do that. Don’t stay away from the beach, however. Give yourself the birthday gift of accepting yourself exactly the way you are by buying a fun, new suit (see below for helpful shopping tips). At the same time, this may the wake-up call you’ve subconsciously desired to face some deeper emotional eating issues!

Tricia offers private "Heal Your Hunger" coaching sessions for those desiring maximum results with "weight loss from the inside out". For a fre*e 30 minute session, email Tricia at tricia@healyourhunger.com

(Have a question for Ask It? Please email me at tricia@betotallyfree.com)




(Please forward to everyone you know!)

With apologies to male readers...this article is more "suited" to women!

15 Tips for Saner Swimsuit Shopping

Experts offer advice on buying a bathing suit with a minimum of stress.

Bathing suit shopping. The words can strike fear into the heart of even the most die-hard shopper.

"Go shopping on a day when you are feeling confident about yourself, or at least when you are in good spirits," advises Anne-Marie Blondeau, marketing director for Maillot-Baltex swimsuits.

Once you've got your confidence in place, follow this expert advice on getting through swimsuit shopping season with your sanity intact.

7 Tips for Shopping Success

1. Give your body what it needs. You'll cut down on the number of times you cringe when gazing in that full-length mirror if you use your lingerie as a guide to what to look for in a swimsuit.
   
   "If, for example, you always wear an underwire bra and you know that your bustline needs that kind of support, then you should definitely be looking for swimsuits with an underwire bra," says Andy Paige, beauty and style expert on the Emmy-nominated NBC show Starting Over.
   
   The same is true for your bathing suit bottom, Paige says: Look for a cut and style that mimics the undies you feel most confident wearing.
   
   "If you're just not comfortable with your body unless you're wearing some kind of shapewear, if you hate the way your body looks in anything but a high-cut panty, then you've got to look for swimsuits with these same features," says Paige.
   
   
2. Prioritize your assets. Do you have a fabulous bustline, but not such a great tummy? Or a terrific waistline, but jiggly thighs? Silhouettes.com merchandising director Fran Kauchner advises making a list of your best assets before you hit the stores, then looking for suit features that flatter the top three things on your list.
   
   
   
3. Size up. Found a promising suit and can't wait to try it on? Before you hit the dressing room, take two: one in the size you think you are, and one a size larger, Paige says. And, she says, try on the larger one first.
   
   "That first look in the mirror is always less of shock when what you're wearing is little bit big than a little bit snug," she says.
   
   
4. Bring sandals. No matter what the weather outside, when you're shopping for a swimsuit, bring a pair of sandals, Paige advises."Nothing looks worse than a bathing suit paired with winter shoes and socks," she says. "You won't get a true sense of how the suit looks and you will shudder in the mirror."
   
   
5. Choose a store where you feel comfortable. If you love the styles a store carries but find its sales help (or even the other customers) intimidating, you're less likely to come home with a suit you love, says Blondeau. Also important, she says, is to "avoid heavily trafficked shopping periods – with weekdays better than weekends, and mornings better than afternoon or evening." This is particularly important if the dressing rooms are communal: The fewer people around, the less likely you are to feel intimated.
   
   
6. Never underestimate the power of mail order. Whether you're shopping online or in a catalog, nothing beats having your suits delivered right to your door. "You can try it on in the privacy of your own home, you can bend and stretch and sit and move and look at yourself from all angles," says Kauchner. "And if you buy at least two or three suits in different sizes, you can find the perfect fit, return the ones you don't like, and do it all on your own timetable."
   
   
7. Wear a thong. Because nearly all stores require you to wear underwear when trying on swimsuits, wear the skimpiest undies possible. "There's nothing more distracting that trying on a swimsuit over loose, bagging panties that are going to crumple and bunch under the suit," says Paige. Wearing a thong, or at least bikini panties, will give you a cleaner line that makes any suit look better.

Find a Suit that Suits You
Even when the shopping conditions are perfect, let's face it: You're still going to have to sort through dozens of suits to find the one that's right for you. To save time, here are eight tips to help you zero on styles that will work:

• To camouflage bumps and bulges. Look for large bold prints in light and dark combinations, Kauchner says. When possible, pick up a pareo or wrap to match.
• To hide a tummy. Choose a skirted suit, Paige says, but look for one with edges that turn up at the sides in a "shirttail" style. "This will make your legs look longer and the skirt look more flirty," she says.
• To diminish a full middle. Opt for a one-piece suit with a blouson top, or a long tankini- style top over a bottom that hits at the waist, Weston advises.
• To create curves in all the right places.Try a deep V halter top and high-cut legs to fill out your figure and give you curves instead of bumps and lumps, says Weston.
• To detract from a large waist and hips. Go for a low-cut suit with a wide neckline to create balance between the upper and lower body, Blondeau says. A solid-color bottom with a printed top will minimize hips.
• To slim a full chest. Choose a halter top to lift you, cover jiggly areas at the side of the bust, and put all the focus up front, says Paige.
• To enhance a small bust. Get a suit with a bright or printed top and an underwire bra or molded cup to enhance cleavage, says Weston.
• For the best overall control. Opt for a one-piece suit with tummy and derriere lift panels, says Paige. Or choose a two-piece with a bottom that reaches your belly button and has an interior support panel.

By Colette Bouchez
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

For more tips for the right bathing suits for all shapes and sizes:
http://www.redbookmag.com/your/fashion-beauty/suit-yourself

http://www.glamour.com/fashionbeauty/swimsuits

5/21 LISTEN LIVE this MONDAY (5/21) at 2 p.m. Pacific Time and hear Tricia interviewed on the "MidLife Miracle Radio Show" by Rev. Moira Shephard. LISTEN LIVE by visiting www.HealthyLife.net and click on the “Listen Live!” button

5/21 REGISTER NOW FOR THE NYC “HEAL YOUR HUNGER” WORKSHOP! ADVANCED REGISTRATION PRICE GOOD ONLY UNTIL MAY 21ST! CLICK HERE: http://www.betotallyfree.com/hyh_nyc.php

After overcoming her own lifetime battle with compulsive eating, drinking and weight-without the use of diets, pills, medication or excessive exercise-Tricia Greaves founded Be Totally Fre*e!, a non-profit organization that offers a unique and permanent solution for overcoming all addictions. To learn about the hope we offer to those who have tried everything to stop, visit www.betotallyfree.com.

Tricia is also a speaker, author, and private coach helping emotional eaters move beyond diets to lasting change. To learn more visit http://www.healyourhunger.com.