My Incentive

So this is a good time to mention I haven't worn a bikini since like Junior year of high school, if I remember right. It's not that I didn't have the body for it back then, it was the simple fact that I am entirely too shy and too modest to wear one. Most of the time... And anyone who really knows me can attest to that.

So with my husband's upcoming R&R and our reservation at the beach, I realized I needed a new bathing suit. The one from last year will be a little too big to wear again. (Queue silent cheer!) We went to JCPenny's because frankly, they never disappoint me with their clothes. Of course up front when you first hit the swimsuit section were the friendly suits. The tankinis resided in this area, perfect for covering bellies all stretched out from having babies or having eaten too many sweets prior to swimsuit season. That was what I originally went for. I didn't want a one piece, of course! I absolutely hate it when you have to use the bathroom and you are wearing a one piece. Even worse if you have just been in the pool and you have the sudden urge to "go." Nothing like the bathroom dance to get a wet one piece off! But I digress.

On the back wall were these cute little suits. Solid colored, mix and match tops and bottoms to wear. As I said before, I haven't worn a two piece actual bikini since I was in high school. I have lost a good deal of weight, and I knew I could lose more before my husband's vacation came up, so for the heck of it I decided to try some of them on. I chose yellow, grabbed the two types of tops and the two types of bottoms and carted them off to the fitting room. I first tried on the tankini top and bikini bottom. Cute, covers everything. Love!

Then I got a little braver. I put on the bikini top and the cute little skirt bottom. Okay I'll admit, a little flabby in the tummy still, and those stretch marks are never going to fade (at least not on their own). But considering where I was last year, it was a huge difference. And I realized--with my mom's help, of course--that in the time frame I have left until R & R, I could make the bikini even hotter.

So I did the impulsive thing. I bought the bikini.

The way my thinking goes is this: If I buy the tankini top, I won't do as great with my eating habits. My brain will think along the lines of "well, I have a top that covers my tummy. I'll just eat ONE doughnut at church." Instead, I bought the bikini top and now have the mindset of "Oh dear, I can't eat that at all. I have to lose these last few pounds before my time is up!"

                                       

                                       

So that is it up above. That's the bikini I have pictures of now to remind myself what I am working for. That's the bikini I think of every time I head to the fridge. And ever since I have bought it, I've been pretty religious about what I have eaten. Let's hope it pays off and I can stick to my eating plan. I would hate to have to go back to JCPenny's the day before my husband's R&R starts and switch out the top. Not to mention I do want to look nice when he comes back.

What about you? Do you have that bathing suit picked out for this summer? Are you going to be brave and daring, or safe?