Kelly, welcome to your 30's!!!
My youngest is almost 2. I am 37. I weighed 170 when I got PG with her (I had gestational diabetes and only put on 8 pounds - or should I say, I replaced some of my fat for her nutritional benefit). After a couple of months of nursing, I was down to 158. I was so happy, I hadn't seen that number in years. I nursed her for 4 months (work made it difficult to keep it up), anyway, 4 months later, I had put on 20 pounds. I went to Jenny Craig and dropped 10 of it in 8 weeks. And spent the rest of the year trying to manage it on my own, unsuccessfully.
I recently started with LA Weightloss. This time upping my fruits and veggies and water and cutting out all the bad stuff (have missed out on birthday and shower cake the last 2 weekends), yet my body seems to be stuck at 165. I have not been diligent about working out, though I KNOW that for me, this is truly what I have to do if this is going to work.
A few things I do know... 1) eating less is good, but you still have to maintain a good calorie count. Make sure you are eating a minimum of 1200 calories a day - otherwise, you'll put your body into starvation mode and it'll just hold on to whatever you give it. 2) Keep a food journal - include calories. You would be shocked to know what you will avoid eating just so you don't have to write it down! OR you'll find that perhaps, you really are eating more than you thought. 3) Drink lots of water (This is my most difficult task). I was informed that diet cokes do not count in that 64oz of water I'm to drink (minimum) a day - dang it!!! 4) You have to move more (now that the days are getting longer, let the boys ride their bikes and you push the baby in the stroller along side them).
Good luck, it's a rough road. If you wish to chat, for moral support, email me.
M.