Okay girls, how do I PM someone? It sounds like I could learn from all of you and would love to follow your diet paths with you, share stories and recipes, or daily menus, I just discovered that fitday website, WOW how cool is THAT? I am going to write on there every day and share the info with my husband, I think it will really help me see things the way. I have questions for each of you but don't want to hog up the board with a super long post. Please point me in the direction of the PM?
thanks!!!!;)

PS - I am starting to come out of my funk and truly feel a little optomistic.

To pm someone, just click on their nick. A drop down list will appear and one of the choices it pm. But, I hope you will ask your questions here, we would all like to hear the answers. You are not clogging up the list :) That's what it is here for.

Can I jump in on this thread? I'm close to that range....5'5", started at 235, am currently at 229 and am aiming for 140...which just seems like so far away!! I suppose I'm thankful for mini-goals along the way! I don't have any kids...well unless my cat counts!

NESunshine: Of course you can join! Sounds like we are close in our current and goal weights! I need this support and need to talk to others. From what I've read on some of my other posts, I think mini-goals is the way to go! Goodluck! Keep us posted!

ejm: Thanks for the info on how to PM, I will try it, and I will aslo go ahead and post questions here :)

jelynn - a fellow mom with small kids...wow do we have lots to talk about! Feel free to PM me too. I told my Dr last week that I am surprised I don't burn more calories than I do considering I chase my kids all day. He had 2 kids the same age as mine and he said "well, I take care of my kids too but its not like its an aerobic workout all day" and I felt like saying "dude, you work HERE all day, you might be with your kids on the weekend, when you are on call, and partly home, you aren't chasing them at the playground when they are on opposite sides of the park or running after their bike or bending over picking up toys all day or running up and down the steps a million times and bending over to wipe up milk 12x a day, etc etc etc!!!. I truly do feel like I'm on my feet ALL day....I have tried dancing with the boys now that they are 2 and 4...not as demanding as a newborn, but yet they keep me just as busy and just as tired!!! Im glad that you and I are in the same area with current weight and goal weight, I'm anxious to follow your success!

mtp: ditto on the above comment -- a fellow mom with kids! Least you have FOUR which sounds "busier" or easier to understand. You are obviously twice as busy as I am. And with a 6 month old you are ALLOWED to have extra weight! Goodluck losing the rest, I'm sure you can do and I'm anxious to do it right along with you, week to week, lets keep in touch!!!

Angie: You have hypo-thyroid too?? Oh gosh, isn't that something! Don't you hate the jokes people make about it? My TSH is a 14 right now, after our 2nd guy was born it was a 58!!!! I also gained about the same amount as you did. 2 kids in 2 years though, well 4 pregnancies but 2 babies:( , I just don't understand how every single mom I meet is a size 2. Literally in our old neighborhood in a different state, and here...every single mom I meet THIN THIN THIN...my self-esteem is just shot...I feel like I can't make eye contact with people and I'm such a social person. I meet people very easily and can talk to anyone about anything...why do I migrate to the skinny moms?? I think waking up early is going to be the only way for me...the day just gets busy and time slips away, by 3pm I'm exhausted. I'm sure once the weight starts coming off I will find more energy and once my thyroid levels are in the right range then I'll feel better? I didn't know the Biggest Loser had a workout DVD, I will have to look for that. Right now my exercise is just a little here and there...the Dr said that is fine to start off with 15 minutes but to work it up to 1 hr, he also said not to worry about my heart rate right now, just stay busy, even doing sit ups on commercials when I watch TV, that sort of thing. Enjoy your holiday and check back with us to keep us posted. I worry about posting after Tgiving ...worried how much I'll gain this weekend...but I'm going to try my best.

Tisha - I should think the way you do, 175 should be my goal, it really should be mini-steps for me too...but my vision is the 140...I have to get there some day, I just have to. Goodluck, I'm so glad to meet you and all the others in the same area as I am, it will be fun to see how we succeed and for those of us who take a step back..hopefully the others will pull us through and tell us not to give up....thanks for posting!! keep us updated please!

aphil - like I just told Tisha, I guess you guys are right, I need to readjust my goal, but ultimately I am looking for the 140, but right now, I'll do the minigoal. Seems smarter...thanks for posting and please keep us updated too!

didi - another thyroid pal -- it's hard isn't it? But wow, more power to you, you are really working out! For some reason that reminds me of Tina from Celebrity Fit Club, she was great at working out and really gave it her all! Please keep posting and sharing your workouts with us. I need creative ideas. Right now I have a recumbant bike I can ride , getting too cold to walk outdoors...and I am dancing with my toddlers here and there! Slowly I will get there KEEP POSTING and keep up the great work!!!

IATE86 -- keep posting....we're all in this together!!!! We can do it! I'm so excited to have so many people on this thread.

Kiwi - glad to have you hear! We can do this, I am really thrilled to have so many people in the same group, same weight even if our heights are a little off. I'm just so thrilled you joined us, please keep posting!

Boaters wife: welcome! and thanks for the ticker tip, do I have to go in there each time...I went in there once, and then it sort of went away, do I need to do that first, then copy it, go do my post then paste it each time I post?
Please come back and check in!!

jasmine - I am still learning my way around the board and will look for your challenge board, thanks!!

ejm - welcome and please keep posting with your stats...sorry to hear your cats can act like 2 yr olds...least they don't talk back! LOL, or do they??

Okay - I tried to reply to everyone -- that was all the posts I could read as I was replying. Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing your information. I will post next week, and list my weight, and see if I gain over this holiday weekend. Hopefully by then I will have made time in my day to exercise...this will be hard for me, as I know it will be for all of you. Please don't think you will offend me if I'm going off in the right direction, I need a slap in the face now and then I'm sure...I want to keep it real and I want honest feedback...that's what it takes right?!?!?! Thanks so much!!!!! Please anyone -- feel free to PM me !!!
GOODLUCK!!!!:)