3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

LOL - yer missus had just kicked me out.... 🤭

Such wit Ricky. Amazing wit.

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

11 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

LOL - yer missus had just kicked me out.... 🤭

So you're admitting to being an adulterer?

Try harder - at least SF's sh!thousery was amusing.... .

Edited June 29Jun 29 by richard_smith237

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

But - perhaps she's just far more leasurely - she's on her own, zoned out, in her own world, doing what she likes.

Work out a little - watch a little 'stuff'... its her way to decompressing perhaps - her routine.

I'm not sure if that would translate to 'having dinner with her while her face is buried in a phone'..... thats very different and the behavior my not transfer.

Solid points. It’s just that my goals are very different when I walk into a gym. I’m there to continue making physical progress. In Asia, though, a lot of people seem to have different priorities. Many go there to decompress, as you said, while I’m there to improve, and the results usually reflect that.

I grew up in a fitness culture where the gym was about getting in, getting the work done, getting out, eating right to support those efforts, then enjoying the afterglow of progress. The endorphins, lower cortisol, increased natural testosterone production, better health, and greater longevity all come from training with purpose. I think people who treat the gym mainly as a place to unwind in Asia miss a valuable opportunity to improve their overall physical condition.

I’ve been observing this for years, so I’m not new to the gym culture in Thailand. Most people I see gradually gain body fat instead of losing fat and building muscle. Even she, despite being blessed with good genetics, has visibly put on unwanted weight in a surprisingly short time.

If the goal is simply to switch off from everyday stress, that’s fine. It’s just unfortunate that many people end up leaving in worse shape than when they started. I genuinely wish her, and everyone else there, the best.

What I struggle to understand is this. If someone is just going to sit on their phone and barely train, wouldn’t it make more sense to do that on the couch instead of convincing themselves they’ve burned enough calories to justify eating more afterward?

That’s often how the unwanted and completely unexpected weight gain starts. I think many people are really there to ease the guilt of being physically inactive. That’s what gets them through the gym doors. They simply lack the conviction to train with enough purpose to make meaningful progress.

There’s a group of four or five local guys in their late twenties or early thirties who come together nearly every weekday evening after work. Nearly all of them have gained what looks like at least 75 percent more body fat over the last 12 to 18 months. Some are now bordering on obesity based on BMI. One guy used to be skinny as a rail, and now you’d think he’d been overweight his entire life if you hadn’t known him before.

I’m not saying the gym itself is the cause of their unwanted weight gain, but I see this pattern constantly in gyms across Thailand. It’s very different from what I grew up seeing in the West.

At the end of the day, people can do whatever makes them happy. I just find it unfortunate that so many come to the gym hoping for one outcome, yet gradually achieve the exact opposite.

14 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

LOL - yer missus had just kicked me out.... 🤭

Ha ha, you're a good sport mate 😂

22 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

When someones reputation (from post dislikes) highlights that the are universally despised - the solution is simple.

Do not give them oxygen - ultimately they reincarnate under a different user name - yet their same vapid patterns quickly emerge - I have the same poster on 'ignore' from a handful of different user-names by now - in each of his guises he was equally classless, equally disliked and consistently showed zero redeeming features.

A true forum troll that brings nothing but degredation to every thread he pollutes - ignore is the only solution for such cretins.

Thank you. Point well taken. Ignore list sorted. 👍🏼

Would You Date Someone Who Is Always Fixated On Their Smartphone?

No

6 minutes ago, 123Stodg said:

Solid points. It’s just that my goals are very different when I walk into a gym. I’m there to continue making physical progress. In Asia, though, a lot of people seem to have different priorities. Many go there to decompress, as you said, while I’m there to improve, and the results usually reflect that.

I grew up in a fitness culture where the gym was about getting in, getting the work done, getting out, eating right to support those efforts, then enjoying the afterglow of progress. The endorphins, lower cortisol, increased natural testosterone production, better health, and greater longevity all come from training with purpose. I think people who treat the gym mainly as a place to unwind in Asia miss a valuable opportunity to improve their overall physical condition.

I’ve been observing this for years, so I’m not new to the gym culture in Thailand. Most people I see gradually gain body fat instead of losing fat and building muscle. Even she, despite being blessed with good genetics, has visibly put on unwanted weight in a surprisingly short time.

If the goal is simply to switch off from everyday stress, that’s fine. It’s just unfortunate that many people end up leaving in worse shape than when they started. I genuinely wish her, and everyone else there, the best.

What I struggle to understand is this. If someone is just going to sit on their phone and barely train, wouldn’t it make more sense to do that on the couch instead of convincing themselves they’ve burned enough calories to justify eating more afterward?

That’s often how the unwanted and completely unexpected weight gain starts. I think many people are really there to ease the guilt of being physically inactive. That’s what gets them through the gym doors. They simply lack the conviction to train with enough purpose to make meaningful progress.

There’s a group of four or five local guys in their late twenties or early thirties who come together nearly every weekday evening after work. Nearly all of them have gained what looks like at least 75 percent more body fat over the last 12 to 18 months. Some are now bordering on obesity based on BMI. One guy used to be skinny as a rail, and now you’d think he’d been overweight his entire life if you hadn’t known him before.

I’m not saying the gym itself is the cause of their unwanted weight gain, but I see this pattern constantly in gyms across Thailand. It’s very different from what I grew up seeing in the West.

At the end of the day, people can do whatever makes them happy. I just find it unfortunate that so many come to the gym hoping for one outcome, yet gradually achieve the exact opposite.

Boxing burns 1000 calories an hour. Weights don't. Weights are good for strength but best for office workers who don't exercise much.

Training fast does not build more strength. Rest periods of 3 to 5 minutes builds more strength as you can lift more heavy.

39 minutes ago, 123Stodg said:

There’s a group of four or five local guys in their late twenties or early thirties who come together nearly every weekday evening after work. Nearly all of them have gained what looks like at least 75 percent more body fat over the last 12 to 18 months.

At least they have friends to train with. It is a social outing and weights build muscle. If they wanted to lose weight stopping sugar and muay thai would do that quicker.

Interesting that you perve on Thais so much but never talk to them.

13 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

Good thinking, but she often comes late at night, as I do, and often there's only three or four people left in the gym. She does the face-lock phone thing all the time though, whether people are around or not. I think she's just obsessed.

Is she active on her phone (typing, touching the screen) or passively watching? The former might suggest game addiction, the latter would strengthen the 'defense mechanism' explanation.

Edited June 29Jun 29 by rattlesnake

11 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

All the while scrolling on her phone the attention she's getting from her "admirers". They have a thousand "friends" on FB who hardly know her, if at all, and who like pictures she's posted in "the gym working out". She wouldn't talk to any of them, but loves that attention.

Known the type, seen them many times, and how they act around men in person. Trained many of them also. Many have that phone addiction and most won't be hit on in the gyms, even though it is a good place to find a like minded partner.

See many on their phones while on dates, for years, talking to others or scrolling instead of interacting with their date. If this is the norm, know this will happen with her, especially in a gym where working out should be the priority.

Yeah, just yesterday I saw a young farang and Thai girl at a restaurant, facing each other and both deeply engrossed in their hypnotic devices. Sad, really, for those of us who knew the pre-smartphone world… but such are the times we are living in. As Mike Ness says, change is inevitable and resistance to change is excruciating.

Apart from that, I will add that Thai women are typically shy in public and phones often give them something to focus on and blank out everything else. I don't think it necessarily requires in-depth analysis. The same woman who will be ultra-focused on her phone in the elevator or on the treadmill to avoid uncomfortable silences or situations will often be seen chatting away joyfully in her 'safe space' of friends and family.

On 6/28/2026 at 5:12 PM, 123Stodg said:

There’s an attractive woman in her late twenties or early thirties whom I often see at the fitness center, and she has got me thinking about something.

We often end up exercising quite close to each other, and sometimes there are only a few other people in the gym, so it’s difficult not to notice her same pattern of behavior repeated over and over.

She spends more time looking at her smartphone than anyone I have ever seen in an exercise environment.

And I do not mean checking it between sets. I mean constantly. Between sets. During sets. Walking on the treadmill. Sitting down. Standing up. Virtually every spare second.

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I have also never seen her talk to anyone in the gym. I have never seen her make eye contact with anybody. Not even the staff. If somebody walks past, she often seems to immediately look back down at the screen to avoid eye contact or the possibility of anyone saying hello to her. It just seems excessive to me and not particularly healthy human behavior.

Now before anybody jumps on me, I am not claiming to know anything about her.

For all I know, she could be perfectly happy, socially active, married with three children, and coordinating a multinational business empire from the hip abduction machine. I have absolutely no idea.

What interested me wasn’t her specifically. It was the behavior itself, because it made me wonder whether I could actually date somebody like that. Somebody whose attention always seems to be directed towards a screen rather than the world immediately around them.

Perhaps I am showing my age, but I still find eye contact, casual communication, and simply being present in the moment to be fairly important parts of human existence.

And I sometimes wonder what happens when an entire generation becomes more comfortable communicating through a device than face to face. It doesn't seem like a good way to go through life.

Would somebody like that be just as engaged and connected in a relationship as anyone else? Or does constantly living through a screen eventually change the way people relate to each other?

I'm thinking eventually, humans might forget how to interact with each other in person completely. Or maybe this is completely normal for everyone now and I am the outlier. Dunno.

But if I was dating an attractive woman who spent more than half her waking life staring into a screen, I honestly think it would be a major turn off. I would definitely find myself wondering whether I was dating a person or merely competing with a six inch screen for their attention.

Maybe some people would see it as a positive if they just wanted a partner who was more of a companion, someone who did not talk or engage too much and was happy to simply be at their side, but leave them alone. I suppose there is a time and a place for that, and we probably all appreciate a bit of quiet sometimes.

But if someone cannot even focus on the moments when they are doing something that is meant to have their full attention, and instead is focused on a little glass panel emitting blue light, then perhaps we’ve become a bit too attached to the technology that was supposed to make life better.

Dude, you're talking about my wife! Nah, she works, too. Sure likes TikTok, though.

When I look down the Skytrain car and no one is talking, nobody's reading a book, they're just glued to <nothing> on their phones.

Phone zombies...

1 hour ago, 123Stodg said:

Solid points. It’s just that my goals are very different when I walk into a gym. I’m there to continue making physical progress. In Asia, though, a lot of people seem to have different priorities. Many go there to decompress, as you said, while I’m there to improve, and the results usually reflect that.

I grew up in a fitness culture where the gym was about getting in, getting the work done, getting out, eating right to support those efforts, then enjoying the afterglow of progress. The endorphins, lower cortisol, increased natural testosterone production, better health, and greater longevity all come from training with purpose. I think people who treat the gym mainly as a place to unwind in Asia miss a valuable opportunity to improve their overall physical condition.

I’ve been observing this for years, so I’m not new to the gym culture in Thailand. Most people I see gradually gain body fat instead of losing fat and building muscle. Even she, despite being blessed with good genetics, has visibly put on unwanted weight in a surprisingly short time.

If the goal is simply to switch off from everyday stress, that’s fine. It’s just unfortunate that many people end up leaving in worse shape than when they started. I genuinely wish her, and everyone else there, the best.

What I struggle to understand is this. If someone is just going to sit on their phone and barely train, wouldn’t it make more sense to do that on the couch instead of convincing themselves they’ve burned enough calories to justify eating more afterward?

That’s often how the unwanted and completely unexpected weight gain starts. I think many people are really there to ease the guilt of being physically inactive. That’s what gets them through the gym doors. They simply lack the conviction to train with enough purpose to make meaningful progress.

There’s a group of four or five local guys in their late twenties or early thirties who come together nearly every weekday evening after work. Nearly all of them have gained what looks like at least 75 percent more body fat over the last 12 to 18 months. Some are now bordering on obesity based on BMI. One guy used to be skinny as a rail, and now you’d think he’d been overweight his entire life if you hadn’t known him before.

I’m not saying the gym itself is the cause of their unwanted weight gain, but I see this pattern constantly in gyms across Thailand. It’s very different from what I grew up seeing in the West.

At the end of the day, people can do whatever makes them happy. I just find it unfortunate that so many come to the gym hoping for one outcome, yet gradually achieve the exact opposite.

Dunno about gyms, I'm sitting on the couch. But what I grew up with in the West is people getting fatter and fatter and fatter, with a 7-pounder in one hand and a litre Slushie in the other. Unfortunately, Thais have learned all the wrong <culture> from our TV and advertising. Blur out cigarettes but everybody's puffing up a storm!

A Woman like that is not going to cook you many tasty meals is she ? She is not going to do much Housework either is she ? In fact; she is a pretty useless individual all round when her Phone is her only interest.

Forget this type of Woman and look for a better type.

On 6/28/2026 at 10:02 PM, Rockyroad said:

Got nothing then writes 500 words about being a dork.

Maybe AI wrote it for him

On 6/29/2026 at 8:18 AM, wil iam not said:

The perfect example of a mysogynist. I bet she is so happy you do not talk to her.

It was obviously tongue-in-cheek humor that most would recognize immediately. I'm surprised it went right over your head.

5 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

A Woman like that is not going to cook you many tasty meals is she ? She is not going to do much Housework either is she ? In fact; she is a pretty useless individual all round when her Phone is her only interest.

Forget this type of Woman and look for a better type.

She could probably arrange a weekly cleaner, a meal for four via Grab and a 7/11 beer delivery within 30 seconds and a mere 3 swipes of her phone. That to me is talent and I will love her forever based on this alone.

Is it possible to find anyone who isn't. I am sick of doging people on the street who have their heads glued to the phone

4 hours ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

It was obviously tongue-in-cheek humor that most would recognize immediately. I'm surprised it went right over your head.

Thank you. I am astounded you got 2 thumbs down for pointing out the bleeding obvious. There is no pleasing some people.

6 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

A Woman like that is not going to cook you many tasty meals is she ? She is not going to do much Housework either is she ? In fact; she is a pretty useless individual all round when her Phone is her only interest.

Forget this type of Woman and look for a better type.

More to the point why is she fixated on her phone when with him. Rather than chatting?

1 hour ago, Keeps said:

She could probably arrange a weekly cleaner, a meal for four via Grab and a 7/11 beer delivery within 30 seconds and a mere 3 swipes of her phone. That to me is talent and I will love her forever based on this alone.

7/11 don't deliver beer.

14 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

7/11 don't deliver beer.

Wow, I bet you have been hovering on the site all day to pick up on a point like that. Perhaps you employ a team to pick up on such errors from posts which are clearly flippant. You must be a right laugh to be around.

Rearrange the words/letters:- life - a - get. Give you and your team something to work upon.

7 minutes ago, Keeps said:

Wow, I bet you have been hovering on the site all day to pick up on a point like that. Perhaps you employ a team to pick up on such errors from posts which are clearly flippant. You must be a right laugh to be around.

Rearrange the words/letters:- life - a - get. Give you and your team something to work upon.

Relax man.

On 6/29/2026 at 4:21 PM, Rockyroad said:

Interesting that you perve on Thais so much but never talk to them.

What is so fascinating about your presence on this forum is how effortlessly you compel others to despise you. But the real triumph here is the staggering depth of your own self loathing. No amount of vitriol that you provoke from this community could ever match the misery that greets you the moment you open your eyes each morning. You drag yourself out of your cheap bed after another poor night of sleep, consistently ignore the prospect of bathing, all while lacking the will to endure another day of your own existence. But then suddenly you grab your phone, immediately start lurking on AN, and before you know it, another twelve hours have slipped by. You have successfully survived another day inside your own miserable skin. For someone who clearly hates every minute of his own life, you sure have found a twisted way to use the abuse of others as the necessary fuel to keep yourself going for one more day.

17 minutes ago, 123Stodg said:

What is so fascinating about your presence on this forum is how effortlessly you compel others to despise you. But the real triumph here is the staggering depth of your own self loathing. No amount of vitriol that you provoke from this community could ever match the misery that greets you the moment you open your eyes each morning. You drag yourself out of your cheap bed after another poor night of sleep, consistently ignore the prospect of bathing, all while lacking the will to endure another day of your own existence. But then suddenly you grab your phone, immediately start lurking on AN, and before you know it, another twelve hours have slipped by. You have successfully survived another day inside your own miserable skin. For someone who clearly hates every minute of his own life, you sure have found a twisted way to use the abuse of others as the necessary fuel to keep yourself going for one more day.

Good luck with the roid look.

28 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Relax man.

So many uptight wannabes on here.

On 6/29/2026 at 5:16 PM, unblocktheplanet said:

When I look down the Skytrain car and no one is talking, nobody's reading a book, they're just glued to <nothing> on their phones.

Phone zombies...

I always figured they were 'avoiding eye contact' with the freaks !!! - its the same reason I keep my airPods in when travelling (even when there is no sound - though noise cancelling helps reduce the background din) to avoid having to talk with anyone who wants to strike up conversation..

... And when sat down waiting - its AirPods on, Phone out - I'm still fully aware of whats going on around me - I just don't want to talk to anyone - some people are just freaks.... and for women it must be 10x worse....

I can see exactly why they want to give off the "Do Not Disturb" vibes and the phone helps them do that.

Whenever the Wife is at the Airport alone (UK or here) someone invariably tries to start up a conversation with her - she doesn't want the conversation but that doesn't stop half of the guys, she doesn't want to be rude or dismissive - but she doesn't want the conversation either - AirPods and Phone now do the trick.

I've sat next to girls on a flight - Headphones on, hoodie on, neck-pillow engaged - message read loud and clear "Do Not Disturb".

The last flight I was on a fella gave me no chance - started talking to me the moment I sat down, nice enough lad, but didn't get a chance to get my headphones or iPad out - I moved seat to a row with more spare seats as soon as the seatbelt sign came off.

On 6/29/2026 at 6:22 AM, unblocktheplanet said:

Dunno about gyms, I'm sitting on the couch. But what I grew up with in the West is people getting fatter and fatter and fatter, with a 7-pounder in one hand and a litre Slushie in the other. Unfortunately, Thais have learned all the wrong <culture> from our TV and advertising. Blur out cigarettes but everybody's puffing up a storm!

You should watch this video.

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I always figured they were 'avoiding eye contact' with the freaks !!! - its the same reason I keep my airPods in when travelling (even when there is no sound - though noise cancelling helps reduce the background din) to avoid having to talk with anyone who wants to strike up conversation..

... And when sat down waiting - its AirPods on, Phone out - I'm still fully aware of whats going on around me - I just don't want to talk to anyone - some people are just freaks.... and for women it must be 10x worse....

I can see exactly why they want to give off the "Do Not Disturb" vibes and the phone helps them do that.

Whenever the Wife is at the Airport alone (UK or here) someone invariably tries to start up a conversation with her - she doesn't want the conversation but that doesn't stop half of the guys, she doesn't want to be rude or dismissive - but she doesn't want the conversation either - AirPods and Phone now do the trick.

I've sat next to girls on a flight - Headphones on, hoodie on, neck-pillow engaged - message read loud and clear "Do Not Disturb".

The last flight I was on a fella gave me no chance - started talking to me the moment I sat down, nice enough lad, but didn't get a chance to get my headphones or iPad out - I moved seat to a row with more spare seats as soon as the seatbelt sign came off.

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I always figured they were 'avoiding eye contact' with the freaks !!! - its the same reason I keep my airPods in when travelling (even when there is no sound - though noise cancelling helps reduce the background din) to avoid having to talk with anyone who wants to strike up conversation..

... And when sat down waiting - its AirPods on, Phone out - I'm still fully aware of whats going on around me - I just don't want to talk to anyone - some people are just freaks.... and for women it must be 10x worse....

I can see exactly why they want to give off the "Do Not Disturb" vibes and the phone helps them do that.

Whenever the Wife is at the Airport alone (UK or here) someone invariably tries to start up a conversation with her - she doesn't want the conversation but that doesn't stop half of the guys, she doesn't want to be rude or dismissive - but she doesn't want the conversation either - AirPods and Phone now do the trick.

I've sat next to girls on a flight - Headphones on, hoodie on, neck-pillow engaged - message read loud and clear "Do Not Disturb".

The last flight I was on a fella gave me no chance - started talking to me the moment I sat down, nice enough lad, but didn't get a chance to get my headphones or iPad out - I moved seat to a row with more spare seats as soon as the seatbelt sign came off.

I'm quite the opposite, though I usually keep my distance on long flights. I chat to people on the Skytrain, people in queues, waiting at the hospital. I like to find out what people think, and why. Discussed the merits of a Kindle last week..

My son was amazed that I chatted to the person next to me in line at Costco. "Papa, don't you know people only want to talk about themselves!" Actually, we were talking about different food items & whether they were worth buying, not a blip about ourselves.

I think I like the freaks because I'm one myself. Still letting my freak flag fly!

2 hours ago, TedG said:

You should watch this video.

My BIL and I were in a Jersey mall. We both noticed that the girls got bagged out after 16. The video was a great reminder. Consumerism consumes us all.

10 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

I chat to people on the Skytrain, people in queues, waiting at the hospital. I like to find out what people think, and why. Discussed the merits of a Kindle last week..

Chatting to random strangers is the best; no matter where in the world, especially if you have a smattering of languages.... 9 times outa 10 you know if they will be receptive or not, so rarely fall flat........invariably lifts my moment and sometimes longer, not sure about the target though..!!