Workout Wednesday: The Frustration of Starting Over

Oy - here we go again.
I haven't been very motivated lately.   Not to eat well.  Not to exercise well.  Not to blog. Not to anything well.  I feel like I am needing to wipe the slate clean.  To not look at how far I have come (and it's been FAR) or at how badly I've regressed (bad, but not horrible).  I feel like I am wallowing in the stagnant pond of my healthy(ish) lifestyle and I need a big shakeup.

Realities:
Start weight (Jan 2010): 208lbs
Current weight: 175lbs
Lowest weight (June 2011): 156lbs

Yes - to those of you who are new around here - at one point, I was down 52lbs.  Currently, I am sitting around being down 33lbs from the start of my journey of change.  My height helps me hide it well, but I am still tottering around in the land of the "technically overweight" and I hate it.  Even worse, I've been sitting around this weight with only minor ups and downs ever since I ran my first marathon in October 2011.
I am in the middle of another Dietbet and am at about 50% of the way to winning so YAY ME! but it doesn't feel like a successful thing.
I need a shakeup. I need to start making successes again.  I need my clothes to start fitting me better.   I need my workouts to actually look like I am working toward something.  Honestly, I need a focused training plan that fits with my lifestyle.  And I need to really buckle down...in less than a year, I have a trip to the Dominican Republic booked and I want to look better than "okay" when I depart for it.  Even more important than looking good, though, is that I need to feel fantastic so I can enjoy it.

Recent roadblocks:
Ok - and the past week I have been really sick with another nasty chest cold so haven't been doing much of anything except wallowing.  After how sick I was in December, I don't want to take a chance that I could have this thing take a turn for the worse - so I am not running at all.

Oh - and the sugar free thing.  Yeah..about that.  I must confess it's been a rough couple of weeks here.  I kinda let the flood and it's associated stresses as being a free pass to the sugar monster.  I MUST rein that one in.

I've been without a training plan for a month and I hate that feeling of not working toward a goal.  THAT alone has probably contributed to this wallowing in a pretty major way.  Luckily that ends this next week when I start my training for Harvest Half.

Starting over can be so frustrating, but it happens to the best of us.   Especially once we commit to a healthier lifestyle.   It is a lifestyle change - not a temporary situation until you reach a number on the scale.
Here are the things that have worked for me in helping me go with the flow a bit on my journey:

• Planning for success - set a start date and stick to it.  Draw up a calendar and fill in the things that I need to remember to do each day - whether it's a certain workout or a certain meal. Have a training schedule to help me stay on track to a goal
• If I have trouble with a certain food (especially since I am a "to the bottom of the bag" eater) then that food needs to not be in my house.
• Set mini goals and rewards - find a way to celebrate your success in 5 or 10lb increments.  
• Create some Unbreakable Rules.  For example - back when I was 208lbs and starting out, I bought myself all 4 seasons of felicity because I really wanted to rewatch them.  I made myself an Unbreakable Rule that I could watch as many episodes as I wanted...but only if I was on the stationary bike.  It helped me make exercise a daily habit.
• Be open to adventures - I am the type of person who needs to be excited about something and being open to adventures helps me shake up my routine a bit.  
• Find a buddy - having along run buddy gets me out of the house and gives this momma a break. If I log to many miles solo - I start to get a little bitter and start cutting down on my "me" time.  It sucks.

These are just a few things I have noticed on my journey and I add more and more every month.  So while I may say I am starting over...I'm not really.  I'm just continuing to build on what has worked for me in the overall journey.
It took me more than 3.5 years to gain the weight...to have taken 3.5 years to lose it isn't a bad thing. 

Successes So Far:Weight lost: 33lbs
KMs logged: 2858
Goal weight: None.  Not as in zero pounds, but as in, I want to be healthy and happy and comfortable and as much as a number might give me something to shoot for, it is a huge success that I am not tying my happiness to it anymore.

and now on to goal setting...
Cori's SHAKEUP To Do List

• Incorporate strength training - to plateau bust, I need to gain some muscle.  Need to work out my schedule so I can stick with 10 Minute Trainer OR to allow me to do my 8 Weeks of Rip:60
• Get back on a training plan that has at least 2 targeted workouts in it - plan is on the calendar...just need to decide which days are speed and hill days again.
• SUGAR WEAN! (again).  I felt so much better without sugar.  
• Coffee wean.  I have been a Starbucks junkie for the past 2 weeks...gotta get back to tea ASAP.
• Start scheduling my long runs so I have regular buddies again. Shifting my long runs to Sundays has been easier on my family but harder on this front...
• Try new things - I was supposed to take a Standup Paddleboard course on the 14th, but they cancelled it (for the stupidest reason) so now I am taking a different one on July 20th!  I can hardly wait to share the experience!

Ok - there's the plan...all I need to do is start it and keep going on the journey. Wish me luck.
Are you starting over?  What successes have you had on your own journey?  Share your tips in the comments!