New article, and it's the one that explains all the others. I was 200 pounds at nine years old. 300 at thirteen while wrestling. 400 at twenty-five. Then a back injury at 450 took my movement and I climbed to 725. That's when I learned what a prison actually is. Not walls. A body that won't let you leave. I also learned the scale was lying to me, the hard way, in a hospital. I'm done trying to escape the cell. I'm claiming it.
Motivation
Why “No One Wants AI” Is a Lie That Saved My Life
When a devastating breakup and a hospital bed left me alone at 3 a.m., AI became the lifeline I never expected. This raw, personal story explores how an unexpected source of support pulled me back from the edge, and why the growing chorus of “no one wants AI anymore” erases people like me who are still here because of it.
I See You (Because I Finally See Me)
Week five chronicle entry is live. The fasting did something I didn't expect. It emptied out the static and let me see people. I told my lawn guy I appreciated him on day three of a fast and watched him physically relax from four sentences. "Good job" is a verdict. "I see you" is a presence. I'm starting a project: every week, one person, witnessed in writing. No names. Just the seeing. The universe didn't collapse when I refused food. Maybe it won't collapse when I refuse to look away.
What I Eat When I’m Allowed to Eat-A 500-Pound Man’s 3.5-Day Refeed Window
Article Two is live. The refeed window. What I actually eat after 84 hours of fasting. The clean day. The McDonald's run I am not pretending didn't happen. The protein pudding recipe that holds the whole thing together. The science of why one bad day doesn't burn the protocol. I show you both because both are real. Every fasting blog shows you the perfect plate. This is the honest one.
Hungry, Broken, and Writing With a Machine: What Happens When an 84-Hour Fast Meets an LLM
I woke up crying during an 84-hour fast and couldn't figure out why. My ex was in my head, every rejection across 32 years came flooding back, and I was reaching for my phone to text her. It took an LLM to help me understand: I was breaking down, but the machine was helping me see where so I could shore myself up. The neurochemistry of prolonged fasting can dismantle emotional walls and amplify old wounds in those who are vulnerable. This is the story of what happens when an aggressive fast meets a machine that never sleeps — and how the combination changed everything.
I’m a Sumo Sized Ginger Who Fasts 3.5 Days a Week. Here’s What Actually Happens.
Also on Medium I’m a Sumo Sized Ginger Who Fasts 3.5 Days a Week. Here’s What Actually Happens. Three weeks into a six-month honest experiment in losing the weight every diet failed to take. By Joseph Riley Long | Published May 2026 TL;DR: I’m Joseph Riley Long. I’m 500 pounds and I’ve been overweight since I … Continue reading I’m a Sumo Sized Ginger Who Fasts 3.5 Days a Week. Here’s What Actually Happens.
I Almost Sent the Nuclear Letter to My Ex. Here’s What It Actually Said.
When a twenty year relationship blows up your first instinct is to strike back. Here is the brutal truth about why you must burn that angry letter and move on.
A Toll Paid in Soul: The Brutal Economics of Earl’s Demon
In the apocalypse, Earl didn't just have an addiction; he had a business manager named Demon who showed up every time the rent was due. His whole story is a terrifying financial model: the ultimate interest-only loan where the collateral is his very soul. Every withdrawal isn't a symptom; it's a terrifying, spiritual foreclosure. This is the breakdown of the most expensive transaction in the story.
Stop Being Scared: A Guide to Generative AI for Book Images That Won’t Suck Your Soul
Stop fearing AI! This practical guide for authors shows how to ethically use generative AI for book images, character art, and even cover design. Learn the best AI tools for writers, master prompt engineering with step-by-step examples for fantasy characters, and discover the secrets to creating visually consistent artwork for your novel.
The Signal: Log 05-The Monarch
My own system flags the motion as "playful." A logical conclusion. But then, a contradiction. A paradox that makes the whole structure shudder. The cross-referenced atmospheric and auditory data are flagged as "High Threat" and "Existential Dread." The image loads. A little girl on a swing, her movements unnervingly perfect. Her face is blank. And on her head, there is a crown. Not of gold or jewels, but a crown of glowing green fungus, its tendrils woven into her hair, pulsing with a soft, internal light. She is not a child playing. She is a monarch surveying her silent, empty kingdom.