This article on Time.com fascinated me.

In case you’re short on time, here’s the gist of the article. Despite the conventional wisdom of the last few decades that says exercise is beneficial if not necessary for weight loss, many people still have trouble losing weight despite hours in the gym. Why?

1. People who exercise often eat more because A) the exercise makes them hungry, and B) they feel they have “earned” the right to eat more food or less healthy food.
2. Because they get tired after exercising and feel they have “done enough” for the day, many exercisers are actually less active the rest of the time.

So for some people, despite the other health benefits, exercise is actually counterproductive for weight loss. Surprised? I was, too, but it makes sense based on my own experience and what I’ve heard from other people. If I run for half an hour, I might burn 300 calories and then decide I deserve a 1000-calorie Braum’s milkshake as a reward. Then I’ll relax in my recliner the rest of the night watching a movie. Sound familiar?

So, according to this article and much of the current research, the traditional adage still holds true:

Weight Change = Calories Consumed – Calories Burned

The problem is that many who exercise are consuming more calories and burning fewer than they realize.

Twice now on Northwest Highway I’ve been approached by prostitutes. Each time it has caught me off guard, even though their methods have been similar. Here’s how it went this morning:

1. I’m filling up my car. It’s light outside and seems fairly safe.
2. A car pulls up next to me carrying 2-3 young women, maybe in their late teens or early twenties, dressed nicely. I immediately put my guard up any time someone approaches me in such a situation. Generally it’s a guy looking for money, sometimes with a fabricated story. Not today.
3. One girl smiles and says, “I like your cute little car.”
4. OK, this is weird. “Thanks,” I say.
5. Girl 1: “Where are you going?”
6. Me: “Home”.
7. Girl 1: “Where you coming from?”
8. Me: “Sorry, ladies, I’m not interested.”
9. Girl 2: [Coy smile] “How do you know we’re not selling cologne or something?”
10. Me: [Don’t BS me look]
11. The girls drive off. Seemingly cars work better than walking the street. A fast getaway is easier if the cops show up.

My wife will be glad to know that I don’t normally talk to prostitutes. My lack of contact with them might be the main reason I got so defensive. I guess I didn’t know how else to react. In retrospect I wish I’d had some information on New Friends New Life to give them. All I knew about them was 1) they were young, female prostitutes, and 2) God loved them anyway, just like He loved me despite my own sins. I wish I had been kinder to them. I’m sure their lives are difficult, filled with plenty of unkind words. I wonder if they want out. Maybe they do, maybe not.

Despite my awkwardness and sympathy for them, I also wonder why prostitution is illegal. Hang on, hear me out for a second. Is sex for money wrong? Most people would say yes, as would the Bible. But how is it any different from any other sex outside marriage? Does adding money to the relationship make it any worse from a moral standpoint? How is sex for money any worse than pornography or strip clubs, both of which are legal? In terms of impact on society, I would suspect porn, alcohol, and tobacco cause significantly more harm than prostitution, yet all three are legal while prostitution (except in a few Nevada counties) is not.

To me, our law on individual behavior, including sexual conduct, seem very inconsistent. The law attempts to legislate morality in some circumstances (prohibiting murder, rape, kidnapping, insider trading, drug use, drunk driving, etc.) but allows us to make our own potentially harmful decisions in others (smoking, extramarital sex, gambling, gluttony, sloth, etc.). The government tries to protect us from each other and ourselves but also gives us enough rope to hang ourselves. I don’t understand. Maybe I’m trying to make things too black and white. What do you think?

Regarding sex and prostitution, we could make the law more consistent with either of two options:

• All consensual sex is legal (libertarian view), or
• All consensual sex outside marriage is illegal (conservative view).

Put another way, either we’re free to do what we want sexually, or we’re legally prohibited from doing anything harmful sexually. I think choice #1 would have some negative consequences (higher STD rates, for starters) but would be more politically acceptable. Choice #2 would be much better for society overall but also extremely difficult to enforce.

Thoughts?