How I Finally Got the Bikini Body I Always Wanted Everyday Health
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“My body had made it through a lot by then — an eating disorder, endometriosis, colitis, and ongoing fertility treatments,” she says. “And I thought, if my body is strong enough to handle all that, why should I feel like I have to hide it? Why can’t I go to the beach wearing something I like?” Baldassari started seeking out bathing suits designed for larger bodies and bigger cup sizes, instead of settling for suits that never quite fit properly. “Finding a suit that truly fit me has allowed me to feel more comfortable,” she says. And she takes the same approach with the rest of her wardrobe as well. “The second I bought size 16 pants, I just thought, wow, I look and feel so much better than I did when I was squeezing into a size 14.” “I’m not self-conscious about my body, and I’m not interested in what other people think about it,” says Madison Baldassari.The message that only certain bodies are “bikini bodies” is harmful and just plain wrong, says Liz Wienke, a licensed professional counselor at Venture Therapy in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, who specializes in intuitive eating and body image. “All bodies have the right to exist, to wear what they want, and to be comfortable in what they wear,” she says. “There’s no reason why a larger belly is bad, wrong, or in need of concealment.” Recently, Baldassari went to the pool with a group of friends, all of whom have children. “Years ago, I would have compared myself to them and thought, they’re so much thinner than me, even though they have children and I don’t. Now, I go to the pool with them and I’m thinking about the cocktails and the conversation we’re having — I’m not self-conscious about my body, and I’m not interested in what other people think about it.” And at their core, that’s what body acceptance movements are all about. For Baldassari, the key to feeling good in a swimsuit wasn’t losing weight — even when she did that, wearing a bathing suit was a struggle. Instead, she says, the key was learning to appreciate her body for all it has done and continues to do, and respecting it enough to find swimsuits that fit and feel comfortable.
How I Finally Got the Bikini Body I Always Wanted
For a 43-year-old food and travel writer who had struggled with an eating disorder and body insecurities for decades, it was all about appreciating what her body has done for her (not what it hasn’t) — and buying a swimsuit that fits. By Christine ByrneMedically Reviewed by Allison Young, MDReviewed: July 28, 2022Medically ReviewedA lot of dieting helped Madison Baldassari lose weight in her thirties. But it didn’t help her find the body confidence she was looking for, she says.Shutterstock; CanvaAt age 12, Madison Baldassari gained a significant amount of weight while recovering from a broken leg. “That’s when the name-calling started,” she says. “I was called fat, gross, all sorts of things like that by my peers.” For the now 43-year-old food and travel writer based in Durham, North Carolina, body acceptance has been a decades-long journey. Her body insecurities contributed to a severe eating disorder that lasted through her teenage years and into her twenties — and eventually required hospitalization. When Baldassari turned 30, she lost a significant amount of weight by dieting. But she continued to struggle with body image and past traumas. “It was so hard, because people told me how great I looked, but inside I was really struggling,” she says. “People kept saying, ‘You look so healthy,’ but I felt so unhealthy mentally.” Even at her lowest weight, she felt self-conscious in a bathing suit. A few years later, Baldassari started fertility treatments and gained back all the weight she had lost. Body acceptance was a challenge at first, but she felt something shift in her late thirties. My body had made it through a lot by then — an eating disorder, endometriosis, colitis, and ongoing fertility treatments. I thought, if my body is strong enough to handle all that, why should I feel like I have to hide it?— Madison BaldassariFacebookTwitter“My body had made it through a lot by then — an eating disorder, endometriosis, colitis, and ongoing fertility treatments,” she says. “And I thought, if my body is strong enough to handle all that, why should I feel like I have to hide it? Why can’t I go to the beach wearing something I like?” Baldassari started seeking out bathing suits designed for larger bodies and bigger cup sizes, instead of settling for suits that never quite fit properly. “Finding a suit that truly fit me has allowed me to feel more comfortable,” she says. And she takes the same approach with the rest of her wardrobe as well. “The second I bought size 16 pants, I just thought, wow, I look and feel so much better than I did when I was squeezing into a size 14.” “I’m not self-conscious about my body, and I’m not interested in what other people think about it,” says Madison Baldassari.The message that only certain bodies are “bikini bodies” is harmful and just plain wrong, says Liz Wienke, a licensed professional counselor at Venture Therapy in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, who specializes in intuitive eating and body image. “All bodies have the right to exist, to wear what they want, and to be comfortable in what they wear,” she says. “There’s no reason why a larger belly is bad, wrong, or in need of concealment.” Recently, Baldassari went to the pool with a group of friends, all of whom have children. “Years ago, I would have compared myself to them and thought, they’re so much thinner than me, even though they have children and I don’t. Now, I go to the pool with them and I’m thinking about the cocktails and the conversation we’re having — I’m not self-conscious about my body, and I’m not interested in what other people think about it.” And at their core, that’s what body acceptance movements are all about. For Baldassari, the key to feeling good in a swimsuit wasn’t losing weight — even when she did that, wearing a bathing suit was a struggle. Instead, she says, the key was learning to appreciate her body for all it has done and continues to do, and respecting it enough to find swimsuits that fit and feel comfortable.