The Times Between 36.

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This premise comes from an old blog post. So, for most readers, they will never have seen it before. Longtime diehards may remember it. It’s the only blog post that ever got fan art. I’m relatively certain it was never mentioned in the actual comic before now. Of course it still technically hasn’t since these aren’t in the actual continuity as such, but still. This is probably the only chance I’ll ever have to get it in at all.

I’ve been having trouble breathing today. It’s probably from sleeping in a bad position but at least part of the problem is my weight. With the endless stream of bullshit to do with the end of Grandma’s life I managed to put on more weight from stress eating. I already weighed as much as two average people, which was already very much too much. Now it’s like two and a quarter people which is probably nearing the absolute limit of what my already overworked heart can take. Of course it’s something you can’t just fix. It will take time to reverse course and grandpa is siting three rooms away making me anxious just by existing. Even without his shenanigins in the mix the disruption of my schedule is enough to make me want to just drink soda until my brain says it’s happy again. Since I can’t sleep well when he’s in my care I spend a ridiculous time trying to make up for the lack of good sleep, which makes me more sedentary than I normally am. It turns into a vicious cycle of being so tired that my body wants sugar to compensate. I eat at weird times and eating makes me want to nap, which compounds all the other problems. Plus we have food here that can last a long time, which means its bad for you. Combine all of this with being sick with “not covid” for a month and a third infection in my previously good foot, and it’s a physical disaster. On top of all of that there’s all the stuff happening to my extended family just crushing all of us under the weight of worry. I thought I was at my limit the day of Grandma’s funeral, so I have no idea where I am at this point. The place I thought was my limit is so far outside the range of the rearview mirrors and the car just keeps careening ahead. I’ve tried to just stay silent and not add to the problems but problems are adding up regardless.
If I can just survive long enough to get grandpa into some kind of dementia daycare maybe this shitshow will stop in time for me to save myself. From inside my meatsack it feels like it’s coming down to the wire though.

Let’s hope that I do survive and prepare for better times by promoting my patreon and subscribestar. Links are at the top of the post. Maybe once this is all over I’ll actually start making bonus content again instead of dragging around and not staying on task. There’s a whole future of wonderous possibilities if we dare to hope.

12 Comments

My bible for losing weight is a book called _Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle_ by Tom Venuto. It used to be ebook-only but now you have a choice of multiple formats.

If you want to know how to lose weight, it might help to talk to the people who make a living by looking good. Tom Venuto is a former body-builder. Body-builders and fitness models have figured out how to keep themselves lean. For some of them it’s easy when they are young but for all of them it’s a good idea to know what to do to stay in top shape. A fat body-builder doesn’t win any contests.

The basic secret of weight loss is to rev up your metabolism so you burn more calories.

Part of revving up your metabolism is exercise. If you are truly out of shape I would suggest going for walks as a good start.

Another part of revving up your metabolism is to eat a high-protein diet that is low in simple carbohydrates (like white sugar, white flour, white rice…) He recommends eating 5 or 6 small meals a day if you can… this, too, helps rev up your metabolism.

One snack I enjoy is to make a milkshake with some milk, chocolate protein powder, a little bit of peppermint extract, and some ice cubes. I’m not gonna lie to you and say this tastes as good as a real milkshake made with lots of ice cream, but I do enjoy it. IMHO it makes a nice evening snack (my last meal of the day).

The point of telling you this is that you shouldn’t need to starve and suffer. In fact, Tom Venuto says that starving and suffering is counter-productive. Your body will try to keep you alive while you are starving to death… if you deliberately starve yourself as a diet for weight loss, your body doesn’t know you are doing it on purpose and starts using all its tricks to conserve your body’s resources (also known as “fat”). If you are constantly eating, and exercising, and getting sleep, your body is more likely to just relax and let you burn the fat.

It’s less convenient to eat 5 or 6 small meals than to eat fewer, bigger meals. But it has worked for me. He recommends 6 meals a day for men, but that was enough of a pain that I decided to do only 5 meals a day, and that worked okay.

Best wishes from a fan.

Not gonna lie, I’d probably watch most of those just for the pun titles alone.

The only downside is that a punnish title makes it sound like a comedy. That kind of limits what kind of script you can produce around it.

I have to agree with this. Pun titles work if you’re making a comedy or a porn. If you’re going for a drama, then the effect just doesn’t click with your target audience.

Caregiving for elderly relatives has never been easy for anyone. But this whole mess makes it clear you need some HELP, man. There’s no shame at all in getting some, either. If your family won’t–or just can’t–do the job then it’s probably time to look into professionals. Get your grandpa moved to that “dementia daycare” pronto. Anyone gives you static about it, you just pull out the “what’s best for grandpa” card and slap them with it. Hard.

Literally the entire family is on board with getting grandpa into professional care. We’re just jumping through the governmental hoops needed to afford it.

THAT is very good news. Well, the best news you’ll get in this situation. God willing, the whole thing will resolve soon.

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