[davidhansen]

Minor nitpick.

A spouse, a mortgage, children, student loans -- life quickly throws you all kinds of things that you don't have the option of escaping.

Once you've made the choice to get married and have children, yes, you cannot escape your choice. But life does not "throw" these things at you; you choose them. Some people do not make these choices, and therefore remain free of these constraints forever, regardless of age.

[varelse]

Minor nitpick #2: if the guy's unencumbered, then he also has the choice to eat better and walk a couple miles a day to resolve that whole out-of-shape and overweight dilemma.

To quote Tuco from _The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: "If you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working?"

[shrikant]

> Minor nitpick #2: if the guy's unencumbered, then he also has the choice to eat better and walk a couple miles a day to resolve that whole out-of-shape and overweight dilemma.

100% agree. Speaking from personal experience - once I put a little thought into it, it turns out you don't really have to give up much to eat healthy and get a little exercise in the course of your day. It genuinely is really just a matter of getting over that initial hump.