To wear a wetsuit when I weigh so much?

[Arkengarthdale]

I'm desperate to go swimming in the sea when we go to the beach soon. I love it. But I'm 5 stone overweight and self conscious. WIBU to stick two virtual fingers up to judgy people, zip myself into a size 18 wetsuit and hide in the water?

Or is the prospect just too grim to contemplate? Might I be mistaken for a stray sea lion and culled? Or find myself on the wrong end of a whaling harpoon?

We're talking Scotland BTW, although it's June it's still bloody freezing, hence the need for neoprene

Go for it! Sod what anyone else thinks

No-one looks great in a wetsuit, anyway. And I don’t think a size 18 is gargantuan. I’d love to be going to Scotland. It’s my dream to take my kids to Arran. I went when I was 16 for an A Level field trip, and loved it.

Course you should!

Do it!

I e just come back from Cornwall where I literally broke the wetsuit. Busted out of it. I'm a size 22. I just thought- fuck it- I love body boarding and I haven't come all this way to hide in our sun tent. I went in just with my swimming costume and had a cold but brilliant time with my kids.

It was one of the first times I CHOSE not to punish myself for how I look, and it felt great.

Nah, I was size 18-20 & it all gets squeezed in. I'm a bit smaller now, don't look much different in my wetsuit. Can always wear board shorts +/- a rash vest.

Weirdly, I'm a men's small due to height...

Do it!

Zip that wetsuit on, girl!

I had to wear one when I went swimming with dolphins on holiday. Some skinny girl looked me straight up and down but hey, I was swimming with dolphins, who cares

Do it. Or like someone else said wear a rash vest and shorts. I used to wear a rash vest when I had a crap tattoo that needed covering was quite nice to not worry about sunburn.

I'm a solid 16 and have recently start d open water swimming - wetsuit & all! I was most embarrassed by the thought of having to hire one in my size, but in each place I've been the staff just sized me up by eye and gave me one that fitted first time. Do it - & enjoy it!!!

Of course YANBU.

Wetsuits are needed most of the year round in the UK if you're going to be in the water for any length of time.

Get zipped up and go and enjoy yourself.

I am, I just did. OK so I looked slightly more like a seal than many others but hey, so what, water was bloody freezing.

We were in St Ives at Whitsun with every size and shape of people in wetsuits. I need to lose weight but if I had anyone to watch my bag I would’ve been right there bodyboarding with my kiddies.

I also like a pp went to Arran when I was 16 for my a level geology and was stunned by the island. Would definitely need a wetsuit

I do and I’m an 18, and I do a little run on the beach before i get in it! I give a great “go on, I fucking dare you” look to anyone who looks at me and laughs. They soon get the vibes boring into their bones and look away.

Get in there!

Haha love a wetsuit it holds everything in, makes you feel solid !

Excellent! All yeses! I've tried rashie and shorts before and it was too bloody cold. I will wear the rashie under the wetsuit though.

Now I'm really looking forward to it 😁

Get that wetsuit on, stick two fingers up to small minded assholes and go live and enjoy your life!!

You're more likely to regret not doing it and letting what other people may think of you dominate your enjoyment of life.

You've got one life, embrace your body for the great stuff it can do and stuff what anyone else thinks.

Have fun!

You are all awesome. Loving the attitude

I struggled to get one that fit, but got a custom swim one for about the same price as some of the OW wetsuit brands.

Go for it and have fun, nothing better than the feeling of being in the sea.

And muchtomuch, nooooo you can swim in skins for at least 6 months of the year

I'm a PADI scuba diver and started when I was a size 26 - rock that wetsuit as it does smooth those curves right out!
Enjoy the water!

Definitely wear a wetsuit OP! You want to go in the sea, and in Scotland in June you need a wetsuit so just go for it! Theres no point missing out on something you want to do because you are worried about what a stranger might think about your body. No one looks good in a wetsuit anyway tbh and I suspect everyone else will either be in wetsuits themselves or doing their own thing.
If you go to Cornwall or Wales or somewhere literally every shape and size of person is in a wetsuit, and no one even bats an eyelid, definitely get one.

Ok. So shorty or full fat length? It's only for playing in, not distance swimming or anything

Definitely do it! My friends do open water winking and triathlons, and all shapes and sizes take part.

Get that wetsuit on and have some fun!

I find a shortie much easier to swim in so I prefer those. Most peeps seem to go for full length this time of year tho.