13:09 here - I recommend a first-thing-in-the-morning workout if your evenings are tricky. get it out of the way, you only have to shower once, and you spend the day feeling good about the "good" thing you did for yourself that morning. For some people, they'll eat better after a workout because they don't want to ruin their hard work. (before I had kids, I was religious about morning workouts. Now I'm stuck doing lunchtime workouts.)

How about daily exercise and you practice portion control, while eating a minimum of things that are nutritionally empty (most sweets, processed snack foods) and keeping alcohol to a minimum? And maybe trying to eat cleaner - fewer fried or processed things in general, more whole grains, plenty of veggies, leaner meats?

I don't think you need to count calories exactly if you're eating a pretty balanced diet and exercising.