I was watching a movie yesterday starring Chevy Chase and Richard Dreyfuss. The flick was about two elderly guys in a retirement home, one being a former manager of comedians (Chase) and the other a former comedian that had opted for a career as a podiatrist, shunning an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show 50 years previous (Dreyfuss). Both are really bored in the retirement home and then they decide to hit the road again for a comedy tour. In one of the more dramatic parts of the movie, Chase says to Dreyfuss: “I have realized that I live to work as opposed to working to live.” His personal insight basically meant that a large part of “who he is” is based on how work, and his need for work was not so much for the $$$ but rather the need for self-worth.
If you take a step back and look at the biological/physiological need for eating, what we require on a daily basis are a combination of a healthy admixture of protein, carbs, fruits, vegetables, vitamins, minerals and water. The “USDA” recommended daily requirements pretty much spell out what are “needs to live” are. Clearly, none of us walks around with a sheet telling us what these USDA requirements are and then stop eating when those amounts are consumed.
Most of us (including me) look forward to enjoying our next meals, snacks and “treats”. Before a cruise vacation, I start salivating even before I go thinking about those great buffets and dessert bars. We also look forward to social events and family gatherings knowing we will not only enjoy the company of our loved ones but we will also be thrilled to engage inn the fun foods and drinks that accompany these events.
To an extent, we all sort of “live to eat” as opposed to “eat to live”. I am not suggesting that we strictly go by USDA requirements and solely adhere to daily requirements, i.e. “eat to live”. However, for long-term weight control success, there does need to be a balance of sorts. Yes, we can all enjoy looking forward to eating great meals and drinking fine wines/cold beer, BUT these need to be done with more “mindfulness” of our quest for higher levels of health.
Perhaps we all need to Live and Let Die (old derailing eating/drinking habits).
Enjoy Paul McCartney and Wings (not the Beatles!) singing the theme song from the 1973 Bond movie, “Live and Let Die”.