Pondering...How I Did It Last Time The "Stella Diet"

So I'm in known territory- I've been here before, I've lost this weight before...And I'm trying to remember how. What did I do? What do I need to be doing to do it again?

I know I mentioned before that I was extremely busy, overworked and stressed last time and that's how I did it. But to be honest, that wasn't all of it.

I remember I lost the last 15lbs when I was working for Stella. She was a 94 year old Pennsylvania Dutch woman who scared me to death. I was the first person her family had hired to do in-home care. And she hated me. She didn't want me there and she was extremely hard to be around. I cooked her meals, I regulated her medication, and I did her house work and put up with her demon cat. I worked 8-5 M-F and they were LONG days. It wasn't all bad, and she was just starting to warm up to me when I left to get married (and she broke her hip and was sadly, in nursing home after that). Part of my key to weight loss was that I was a nervous wreck there all day...I never knew what to do with myself, and Stella hated me cleaning (but her daughter would give me jobs to do and said to ignore her fussing ugh)- nervous stomach really must burn the calories- it certainly made it easy to cut back on the portions

A few things I did those months I was with Stella...
1) I was waking up early and doing 30 min work outs before breakfast.
2) I was eating small portions (1 egg instead of 2, 1 pop tart (recommended serving size) instead of saying "what the hey this is yummmy- *SCARF*. Pretty much 1 of whatever called for 2)
3) I ate my dinners off a tea saucer and only took one helping.
4) I was busy doing house work all morning long, always trying to keep my hands busy (I crotchet a really ugly blanket)
5) Some days I snuck in 20 min walks after lunch while Stella napped (w/ permission from her family of course).
6) I drank tea with a cookie every day after lunch (because Stella insisted I join her :0)
7) I ate very simple lunches of a sandwich and maybe a veggie.
8) I'd get home around 5:30 or 6 and Ryan and I would meet up for the evening- we rarely ate...So I'd eat nothing in the evening- maybe some times we'd have popcorn or some thing sweet- but generally we were to happy to be together and we'd go for walks or snuggle on the couch...Ah, those were the days.
9) I sat down to eat 3 meals a day
10) No snacking randomly!!! I had a snack at 10 a.m. (usually fruit) and sometimes something at 2:30/3pm. (usually ...? veggie?Oh it was usually some thing like carrot sticks and a piece of cheese- some thing to hold me over til dinner)

Yup, Stella was an awesome diet.

So I'm going to be making some more changes.

1) I am going to drink tea twice a day like I did with Stella. Instead of refusing sweets. I am allowing myself to have some thing sweet with my tea every day after lunch. I would say "well I'll wait until 'snack time'." and then never be able to find some thing I was happy with.
2) I am getting up and before ANYTHING doing 30 minute work out
3) I will stay busy (and away from sitting when I can) in the morning and playing on the floor with the girls- I get my 15min to drink my tea and then I need to go do my chores.
4)I will drink my tea while the girls nap and have my quiet Mommy time- and then sneak in a 20 min "walk" (thank you Leslie Sansone)
5) I will eat my suppers off a tea saucer- and that's all I get no matter how delicious it is.
6) I will keep my hands busy in the evenings when I'm watching TV- take up croteching or SOME THING- maybe I'll make some thing recognizable!!!!
7) I can only have popcorn of a 100 cal pack after supper as a bedtime treat.

Hold me to this please- ask me if I'm sticking with it- ... I'm excited to start the Stella Diet again... Let the pounds fall off!