I used to be a one meal a day, exercise by lifting the baby over my head and vacuuming, not enough hours in the day to sleep, let alone make the coffee I need to stay awake mom. And it's only been a month, but now I eat 5 times a day (most days), mounds of food (yes, most of it is fruits, vegetables, and lean protein), and workout 4 times a week (on average, although right now it's higher...). And eating more has definitely proven to be the turning point... my metabolism was so screwed from starving all the time, that my body wouldn't let go of a single thing. So all the running around crazy, being worn out all the time, feeling miserable in the world was doing nothing but making me larger. Today, I aim for about 80% of what fatsecret says my rdi is, or higher. But more importantly, I feed myself every 3-4 (people say 2-3, but usually right at 3 the baby needs to nurse... go figure) hours... even if its a handful of trail mix. And I am down to one coffee a day, and energetic enough to do EVERYTHING i need to and throw in a walk or a workout. Plus, the 13 lost pounds don't hurt. =).
I know its hard. I have 2 children, and a "man" who was mothered so long he never learned to cook anything besides mac and cheese...
but I read something the other day. I can invest the time into my health now, or give up all the years of life I will lose dying young. Given that alternative, I'd rather see my children grow up and have children then kill myself being there every second of every day.