A little prep goes a long way

Well it turns out my love for writing lists has come in very handy through this process. I know some poeple find them super annoying and believe it is the first warning sign that you are becoming a control freak but in my personal experience I find if I write it down I get it done....its like a personal contract and you know how seriously we tend to take contracts right ?
So I always start the night before or morning of depending on my mood and energy by making my to do list. This consists of appointments, phone calls, pretty much all the important stuff and then once i have an ideal of how busy my day looks, I  start to pencil in the "me" stuff. I think about what my meals are going to look like...which ones i have more time to fuss over and which are going to be simple but satisfying. Then I decide what will be my exercise for the day...I want anywhere between 30 mins to an hour but I keep in mind it can be divided so I take time and weather in consideration. I purchased one of those cute pill caddys so i could organize my vitamins for the week...and so far I havent missed a dose. I was always famous for forgetting pills....which is why birth control " hence four children " !!!! never worked for me :) But I am trying to look at this as life or death and honestly I have noticed a difference in my energy and motivational state of mind so I must be doing something right !!!
Keeping snacks on hand has been much eaiser since I started the magical fridge of tupperware....filled with all of my favorites and some new found loves that are all cut, washed and ready to be devoured !! I have been making time for my day time tv boyfriends Dr. Oz and Travis Stork of the doctors. I always find something useful to in-coperate into my life style and lets face it...Mr. Stork is easy on the eyes....although washboard stomach is not typically my type i think his dreamy eyes combined with his brainy advice is super hot and informative ;) One recent thing i picked up from Oz was how cinnamon can be a useful spice and so instead of drowning my apple slices in caramel...which although so delicious...it has zero benefits to the body, I sprinkled the spice in my slices and yummmm !!! apple pie without the preservatives and fatty crust !!! Its one of my fav go to fruits now which works out perfect since i was looking for a good source of fibre that i could have for breakfasts.
I also invested in this cute box of prepackaged almonds....so good, already portioned so this nut doesnt eat all the nuts !! Also took the advice of someone who i honestly cant remember told me....which sucks cuz I'd love to give them props, and I bought a bag of dark cocoa chocolate chips. I put some in a tiny container and i keep it in my purse. When i need a sugar fix i pop 2-3 in my mouth and suck them slowly and i am not lying when i say i had the same gratification as i used to get from eating a mars bar. I dont know why...but I am able to stop there and not eat the whole container and I love it !!! So if this person reads my blog, speak up !!! Your a genius and I thank you for your awesome advice :)
So now I am going to make a public list of things I am proud of.... I think doing this will help me appreciate my efforts and maybe give you guys some tips you never thought of !!!

1. I am officially down from drinking 5 or more cans of diet pepsi a day to no more than two glasses that I water down with lots of ice. This is mostly because i am not willing to give up the taste that i crave when trying to wash down my lunch or supper. Water, though ive tried it doesnt doesnt taste good with certain foods in my opinion.
2. During each of my restaurant experiences...which were a handful given all the recent special ocassions, I demostrated control and ditched that " gotta eat my money's worth" attitude. I even tackled the all you can eat breadsticks at Olive Garden !!! I enjoyed my food, but stopped when i was starting to feel full not when I was ready to pop and be rolled home !!
3. Stuck with my vitamins and weights for tv time so I can build back my endurance and be strong like bull :)
4. I drink more water now in a day then i ever used to in a week !!! Mind you I cheat by putting lemon wedges, limes, oranges and once i get my mothers day present....this fruit and tea infusing water pitcher I will be creating some delicious flavored waters without the gritty pulp floating around which after a while can be a turn off. Still, I never thought I could like water this much...eight glasses or more a day will be much eaiser now that I found a way to make it more enjoyable for me !
5. Making time for exercise. My walks with our dogs have become one of the highlights of my days. Its good for them, its great for me. All the fresh air and movement has me shitting rainbows all day and wanting to sleep at night which if ayone knows me well and has had those phone conversations with me til 3 am knows that sleeping was not something i was able to do easily. One warning I can give is that since I have been putting a hustle to the muscle Ive noticed my good friend "charlie horse " has been coming to visit me through the night a bit more aften then before. I wont let this discourage me...I know that its my bodies way of saying.." hey !!! you havent used this in a while " !!! It sucks and it can be painful and very alarming to be suddenly be awoken by your leg tightening and have sudden urge to leap out of bed an walk in out, but I want to desperately believe that If i keep this up, eventually my body wont see this as a shock anymore and the pain will ease up.

So there is is...everything I have been doing for the last couple weeks. Soon I will have results and share them with you. I wanted to do this for 30 days and then just look back and take notice of all the changes...not just weight but how I feel physically and mentally too. So far so good....I just need to keep this train rolling and hopefully if I am entertaining enough...you guys will ride along :)