Gerald Smith wants to have a healthy lifestyle. His body, however, has other plans.
The omnipotence of Smith’s feeding cycle is his greatest obstacle. As regular and unpreventable as the tides produced by the tug of the moon, it guides every waking moment. Given his dining hall limits its output to three times within twelve hours, Smith is forced to gorge himself tri-daily in order to live through “Starving Time,” the bleak period between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Smith’s frequent stuffing entails uncomfortable fullness that prevents him from working out. If he attempts aerobic activity in this bloated state, Smith risks ruining his efforts to acquire sufficient nutrients by spewing them all over the treadmill. Trying to exercise on an empty stomach has similar repercussions. Smith has found himself gagging on air before, but there is also the danger of passing out and lying around unnoticed until his blood sugar drops below life-supporting levels.
Although going to the gym between these two extreme states would be the obvious solution, Smith has discovered this stage is fleeting. The digestive plateau lasts approximately half an hour, and he often does not notice it until ten minutes in. There is no guarantee that Smith will not be in class or at work when this occurs, and it is almost impossible for him to make it to the gym in time to take advantage of the moment.
It is clear that the long-term goals and immediate needs of Smith’s body are utterly incompatible.
