Okay, here is my story. I grew up skinny. I was actually afraid of food and did not eat much. When I married (as a teen) I was 5'7" and weighed 115 or so.
With the first baby, I gained 60 lbs. With the second, just 14 lbs, but I was about 145 for the next few years, and although I grew to 5'9", I thought I was obese. At 25 I got down to 125. Another baby at 29 and 60 more lbs. Four years later, another baby, and I hit 180, two years later, my last was born and after I quit nursing, I weighed 168. I learned to like food and became a good cook. I lost 25 lbs with Atkins in 1999 and kept it off for a couple of years. I crept back up to 186 over the next nine years. I am 53. Everything hurts. It is very difficult to exercise, but I am giving it a go. I am at the age where I don't give a fig about what people think of my appearance, but I am tired of feeling like a decrepit old lady. My daughter recently lost 25 or so lbs and she has become an exercise addict. She is my inspiration, and I am giving it one more try before I give up and resort to Mumus. Correction, I am not going to try, I am going to change my ways, exercise daily, and say goodbye to chocolate and wine.
Except I didn't have that many babies....I've always battled the bulge, but it got progressively worse after being rear-ended twice, 11 months apart. I'm 57. I was addicted to wine...and came dangerously close to becoming addicted to chocolate this spring, six months after I quite alcohol cold turkey. I'm almost half a foot shorter, and yet I started 11 lbs. heavier than you are now. I've been at this 6.5 weeks, but I'm committed to this healthier lifestyle for life. I'm on South Beach, and gone from 0 minutes of exercise a year to an hour to 1.5 hours a day. Dancing. Pure, old fashioned "fast" dancing is my exercise of choice. 
Look at what you accomplished while you were here--workouts, eating healthy--you are well on your way to a healthier you!! And I'll be here cheering you on all the way! 
