In high school and early college I was very slim, probably underweight. 5'8" and 105 lbs, size 2. I practiced Tae Kwon Do 3-4 times a week, roller bladed and swam frequently. My metabolism was very high, the typical "eat whatever I want" active teen. My activity dropped a bit when I started college and I put on about 15 lbs my freshman year but nothing serious.
Then came Depo Provera.
In 2 years I went from 120 lbs, size 4 to 225 lbs and a size 22/24. I didn't even really link it to the shot until my doctor (a wonderful OB at the student health center) actually graphed my weight vs. time for me and forced me to open my eyes. I stopped getting the shot but changing my weight wasn't as easy.After graduation I started my career, I was a nuclear engineer for a DOE lab and trained Navy personnel. My job involved climbing up and down ladders all day and over the next year and a half I got down to about 165 lbs, size 12/14. (I also ended an abusive marriage in that time period, which also helped.) I hovered between 165-175 for the next few years.
I remarried and my DH is in the Navy. We decided that he would stay in until retirement and I quit my job when he transferred back to sea duty. My weight started creeping back up and I weighed ~190 when I got pregnant with my DS in 12/03. I put on 40 lbs during that pregnancy, partly because I spent 6 weeks on bedrest and spent most of that time eating. After he was born I didn't concentrate too much on weight loss, telling myself that it didn't matter because we were going to have another baby soon. I weighed 185 when I got pregnant with my DD. I only gained 25 lbs during that pregnancy and 10 lbs of that was baby, DD was a big girl.
In July of last year I had a wonderful homebirth and within a couple weeks was within 5 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight. (Admittedly, that weight was still too high.)When DD was 5 weeks old, DH went to sea. I was still getting used to having a toddler and a newborn and my family is 3000 miles away. So began the the fast food cycle. Then it became a habit, one I actually looked forward to. When I am in the car, DD will nap and often DS will nap too (it's the only time he will nap). That means I have anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to sit somewhere peacefully and read a book and drink a soda. Now, DS thinks that lunch is always handed to us through the car window.
We drive by Taco Bell and he says "oh, chips!", we drive by Wendy's and he says "chicken and fries!" That's not the example I want to set for my son. The ironic thing is, we eat fairly healthy meals at home. Lots of fresh veggies and fruits, whole grains, lean meats and very little sugar. But that doesn't matter when we eat a bag full of junk for lunch almost every day. I got on my scale this morning and it said 197, which is higher than it was when DD was 2 weeks old. My jeans are getting too tight, my shirts are unflattering and I hate seeing pictures of myself. When DS was about 4 months old, DH lost 30 lbs on SBD. I lost a little but didn't fully follow the program, DS was sensitive to dairy and soy so I had to completely eliminate those foods from my diet. DD was also sensitive to those foods (it runs in my family) but she seems to have outgrown it now at 7 months. I'm skipping Phase 1 because I am nursing (tandem nursing DD and DS, plus pumping for a friend's baby) so I'm starting with Phase 2. I'm here to be able to chat with some other people who are also working with losing weight and changing their eating habits, I need to make a change and not fall off the wagon again.
to the beach!! If you are doing that much nursing (more power to you, BTW!) make sure you are getting plenty to eat. Some of the wiser gals around this forum may suggest making sure this WOE is approved by your doctor.
Kestrel! You sure have your hands full of kiddos! 
We have several moms here who can help you with ideas for how to stick to SBD while being a busy mom. 
