I would make it a family affair. Don't call it a diet, just decide that you want your whole family to be healthy. You have to just make the decision to start and stick with it. Your husband has to be on board with this 100% or else he could undermine your efforts. Start slow and plan to lose only a pound a week.
I lost about 20 pounds this way before getting married. After my son was born, I started this plan again. I am still working on it since he is only 4 months old, but I have lost almost 35 pounds so far. I plan on losing another 10. It's not a fad diet and it will keep everyone healthy, not just thinner.
Here are my basic guidelines:
Throw out all the junk food in the house: chips, cookies, anything with more than 10 ingredients is generally not healthy. Stop drinking soda and juice (eat the fruit and you get vitamins and fiber instead of excess sugar). Or drink juice diluted 50/50 with water. Switch to water, skim milk, or herbal teas (there are lots of flavors that you can make that taste great when chilled too). Stay away from artificial flavors, colors, high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, "diet" products made with sugar substitutes (these are just as bad for you as regular sugar). Stevia is the exception- this is a plant based sweetener that is not bad for you. Ban fast food, pizza, ice cream, breaded stuff like chicken nuggets.
When you are hungry, make sure you aren't just thirsty. Pour yourself a tall glass of water and drink it. If you are still hungry after, then eat something, but this way you will have less room in your stomach so you will feel full quicker. Be sure to keep well hydrated, especially if you are breastfeeding your youngest. When you eat, put a smaller serving on your plate and take your time eating. Don't eat off your kids' plates when there is food left over. You don't realize how much extra you are eating. Just throw it out or give it to the dog, etc.
Buy lots of fresh produce and make sure you cut it up into snack sized pieces as soon as you come home from the grocery store. This way it will be available right away in the fridge. Buy some healthy dips, like hummus, guacamole, red pepper spread, etc. Make your own salad dressing with olive oil & vinegar or lemon juice and spices. You can use greek-style plain fat-free yogurt instead of sour cream to make dips or other stuff; it's thicker and it tastes great. Dried fruits and nuts are good snacks too.
Buy whole grain pasta, brown rice, whole wheat bread and get lean cuts of meat and add more fish. Cut back on cheese or buy low-fat cheese (not fat free it tastes terrible and who knows how it is made). Don't buy processed cheese and deli meats- get the fresher brands of sliced meats and real cheese without all the extra nitrates.
At dinner time, cook some extra chicken breasts or other lean meat that you can cut into strips and leave in the fridge so you add it to salads for lunch the next day. Or add extra finely chopped veggies to tuna salad (celery, carrots, onions, olives or pickles, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc).
Replace sugary cereal with healthy brands, like Kashi or buy the new kind of Quaker oatmeal that is more natural. Use spices or good fats like olive oil, grape seed oil and Smart Balance (made with healthy oils to lower cholesterol) to add flavor to healthy foods instead of butter or margarine.
Go on a walk every day with the family, even if it's only a 15 minute walk around the corner. Push the baby in the stroller. The older kids can ride bikes if they want to. This should be easier in the summer. Take them hiking, camping, play sports and all kinds of outdoor activities. In bad weather you can go to the mall and push the baby around in the stroller for exercise. Or find a few girlfriends who would be willing to walk with you every day. The other thing is that many cable companies have a free "on demand" exercise channel with lots of different workouts for all different levels and interests. Some are even 10 minutes long that you could fit in while the baby is sleeping.
Don't worry if you have an off day, just remember that it is a process and that you have not ruined everything just because you ate some French fries. Don't skip meals! Allow yourself to eat a small amount of something bad every week, or maybe have your husband hide some dark chocolate somewhere and you can have a piece every day. Kashi makes these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which are pretty good. Some people even have one "cheat day" per week.
And don't weigh yourself more than once a week. Do it in the morning before breakfast and after your first trip to the bathroom, that way you will see how much you weigh without any food in your stomach.
Good luck and you can do this!!
