Notices by 🇳🇴 Thor — backup account (thorthenorseman@octodon.social), page 112

@sdm Oh yeah, this is assuming that you don't have any mental health issues. I think overeating may often be triggered by a mental health issue, but can remain as an appetite regulation issue long afterwards.

I considered bariatric surgery for over a year before I went through with it. I tried moderate calorie restriction for a few months, but it was exhausting to keep up and never became a habit.

@dr1ft I follow you because you work in the same business as me, so I assume we've got some things in common, and that's good enough for me. 😅

@sdm You're 200% more rational about this than 9 out of 10 people. They're probably trying to stay non-judgmental, but there's no real upside to being obese. Obesity needs to be taken seriously. Judging obese people or telling them to eat less and move more is not constructive. I'm a strong proponent of bariatric surgery, because only a pitifully small fraction of obese people manage to lose weight and keep it off on the long term.

@frankiesaxx Yes, but that gives me an excuse to post pictures of him on Mastodon.

@Siphonay The version most often seen in Europe is radio pop playing at a low volume in a restaurant. Muzak, on the other hand, is often made for the purpose. Venues have to pay fees to play commercially released songs for the same reason that radio and TV stations do. Some opt to simply buy music where such fees aren't charged to avoid that. I don't know why European venues are more willing to pay such fees.

@Siphonay Muzak. Easy listening. Ren & Stimpy music (mid-20th century elevator music). Music with pan flutes in it. Ballade pour Adeline by Richard Clayderman. Usually gentle and without vocals. Inoffensive for every taste, but suits no taste in particular.

My cat is weird.

@mary In STEM fields, it often *is* a side skill. Not so much in other fields, probably because learning to do it only seems to come naturally to certain types of people.

I personally have no illusions about my personality. Yes, I'm intelligent and I have integrity, but am I a particularly charismatic and funny person? Probably not. I'd have more friends if I was *that* likeable. Seeing as I am 35 and not 20, this state of affairs is not likely to see major change, so I must take more practical measures, like reaching an acceptable weight range, to increase my attractiveness to the opposite sex. To me, this seems 100% logical and sensible.

One can argue that caring about weight is superficial, but if you're a woman, would you date this guy? Maybe if he had attractive personality traits, you say? Yes, but if the same guy was slim, he wouldn't need to be *quite* as nice in other respects to make the cut. Not every guy can whisk you away with a wonderful personality, fat or slim, and *that* is when losing weight can give a guy an edge.

My informal survey of BMI limits on a dating site forum has so far yielded that 30 and above is the no-go zone for most people. Being overweight is acceptable, being outright fat is not. I have lost 20% of my body weight in 6 months, and this means that I've got another 30% left to lose to reach the point where I don't lose points for my weight in the eyes of a prospective date.

@lufthans The oil money is collected through taxes. But oil jobs also drive up prices for everyone, including the government. When everyone has more money, the purchasing power of that money tends to go down.

@lufthans Most taxes disproportionately tax those with low income. The more money you have, the more profitable it is to spend a fraction of it on tax evasion.

@lufthans Sweden, our extremely similar neighbour (that doesn't have any oil), has a tax burden of 50%. It's not the oil that causes the high tax rate, but many social-democrat governments in succession since WWII, a.k.a. the Nordic model.

Most annoying thing in the world? People who refuse to admit obvious things like "Yes, women avoid you because you're fat. You can give up on trying to date until your BMI is within the acceptable range, which is between X and Y. Also, why haven't you had bariatric surgery yet? You know that lifestyle change only works for 1 in 100 people, right?"

All my friends were polite and full of platitudes, and I had to slowly figure all of this out on my own. They could've just told me at age 20.

@chakaal What?

Oh god... My winter itch is returning, and it's only August. My legs decided to hate cold weather starting last year. I was hoping it wouldn't be recurrent, but I can feel it coming on.

I tried various creams and ointments with and without steroids last year. If anything, they only made it worse. Did I mention that I hate creams and ointments?

Urge to relocate to Canary Islands intensifying...

My inner voice at the moment: "Do NOT eat anything now. It's after 8. Also, brush your god damn teeth. No, you don't need food, you already had too much to eat. Also, first thing in the morning, you're going to clean up the living room. Your mother and your sister are going to visit, and you're going to impress them by cooking a good meal for them, and then you're going to serve them coffee and desert."