Losing weight slowly isn't so bad after all

Hi everyone,
I have been struggling to lose weight since I've had two big boys. I gained 50 pounds with the first. I very quickly lost 45 of those pounds! I was doing great, just had some toning to do. Then I had another baby. I only gained 26 pounds with this one. I lost half of it very quickly, but because he was born over the holidays I gained the weight back, without knowing it. I weighed myself on Christmas day on our new scale (what kind of gift is that anyways? LOL). At that point I took a stand to lose the weight. Well, it's been over 2 years now and I still haven't reached my ideal weight. What I have found, though, is that the weight I do lose stays off. I lost 20 pounds, but still have 20 more to go. (Because I was not my ideal weight when I got pregnant in the first place). Anyways, I said all of that to say this: I've learned that with my new metabolism and increasing age...ok, I'm not old, but still, in your 20's you lose some of your youth....I can at least understand where I am and accept it. I averaged almost 1 pound in a month, rather than 1 pounds a week, like I aimed for in the beginning. I rearranged my "goals" on my fitness pal page and it helped me to make more reasonable goals. I was trying to eat so few calories that every day I'd have to exercise more to make up for the extra calories intake. Now I can eat almost 400 calories more a day and I don't feel so much like a failure at the end of the day. My goals are for a more stretched out weight loss program...and ultimately, it will work, because the weight I have lost, generally stays off. (unless I have a bad weekend...but I get it off very shortly). So, my success is that I have understood my situation and can happily eat and exercise...and can maintain my weight with a slow and steady weight loss that I can handle and enjoy. I hope this helps those who are struggling with the calorie intake/exercise outtake.
Thanks for everyone's encouragement. It has been a long road. (And I do plan for a tummy tuck once I finish having babies )
Suzanne