Such sweet pain...

If you've been to the physical therapist in the past few years, chances are you've run across something called astym.

http://www.astym.com/default.asp

Apparently it is a way that they've come up with to stimulate healing. I've had it multiple times over the past few years when I broke my ankle, when I had tennis elbow, and then today.

If you're not familiar with it, the therapist takes what amounts to a very hard plastic spatula and digs down deep through about every layer of tissue that there is.

IT HURTS LIKE CRAZY. But to tell you the truth, if it can help me keep running, I'll sit and endure as much of it as necessary.

It's not nearly as painful as when they were digging right into the pain location when I had tennis elbow. That was just bad. However...I do not have problems with my elbow today, so I'll take it!

Took another walk last night with the scouts. They are some good kids. We did a mile and a half (OK, the other scoutmaster and I did a mile and a half, I think the scouts did like 36 miles what with all of the zig-zagging they did). I had them paying attention to find 10 different native plants and animals. Left to their own devices, they certainly came up with some interesting answers. (They wrote them down on papers).

So I have been having some cravings recently. I'm trying to figure out why. Every day before work, I have the urge to get some crappy food. (Did you know that the bag of "pretzels" that I used to eat daily has more than 1200 calories? I already mentioned that?) The good news is that there is nothing that I want to get that I am willing to spend the calories on. So I grab my apple and come in to work.

Every day for lunch, I want to just forget everything and do whatever. But again, there really is nothing that is worth it.

I'm down more than 40 pounds. It has not been easy. I have EARNED this weight off of me. I have WORKED for it. Hard. When it would have been easy on Monday to just take it easy when my wife and the older kids were at a play, instead I strapped the youngest to my back and hiked for 5 miles. When it's 11:00 at night and I only just then remember to do my stretches, I do them, even if I'm exhausted. When the work lunch comes up, I go to the gym early and do 90 minutes of swimming.

And every single time I put something into my mouth, I account for it. When I want the candy bar, I remember the 2,281 calorie average deficit for the past 2.5 months.

Add those up? 152,835 extra calories burned. That's 43.66 pounds, by the numbers, and over 40 by the scale. I didn't weigh myself this morning, but I'd would not be surprised at all if I was at 257.

Anyway, I'm sticking to my plan. I'm WORKING THROUGH THIS. While I want the crap, while the donut would be good, while the chips are calling my name, I refuse to give in.

I will beat this.

Thanks for letting me rant...

-Silas