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Life's Pleasures Quote by Jack LaLanne

"Do you know how many calories are in butter and cheese and ice cream? Would you get your dog up in the morning for a cup of coffee and a donut?"

About this Quote

LaLanne doesn’t argue nutrition like a lab coat; he argues it like a trainer with a whistle and a raised eyebrow. The first line is a blunt inventory of pleasure foods, delivered as a quiz because he wants you to feel caught. Calories aren’t just numbers here, they’re a moral receipt: you chose this, you own the cost. It’s classic LaLanne showmanship - not gentle education, but a jolt of accountability meant to break the cozy trance of habit.

Then comes the pivot that makes it stick: the dog. It’s funny, slightly insulting, and strategically disarming. By comparing your morning routine to what you’d feed a pet, he flips the usual logic of self-care. People will splurge on themselves and call it “a treat,” yet they’d never rationalize that same low-grade neglect for an animal they love. The subtext is sharp: you’re extending more basic stewardship to your dog than to your own body.

Context matters. LaLanne built his brand in mid-century America, when convenience foods, TV dinners, and sugar-forward breakfasts were becoming normal. His whole persona was the counterprogramming: the original fitness influencer before the term existed, using simple images to cut through advertising fog. The line lands because it turns health from abstract longevity into immediate dignity. He’s not asking for perfection; he’s asking why you’d start the day by treating yourself like an afterthought.

Quote Details

TopicHealth
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
LaLanne, Jack. (2026, January 16). Do you know how many calories are in butter and cheese and ice cream? Would you get your dog up in the morning for a cup of coffee and a donut? FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/do-you-know-how-many-calories-are-in-butter-and-128743/

Chicago Style
LaLanne, Jack. "Do you know how many calories are in butter and cheese and ice cream? Would you get your dog up in the morning for a cup of coffee and a donut?" FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/do-you-know-how-many-calories-are-in-butter-and-128743/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Do you know how many calories are in butter and cheese and ice cream? Would you get your dog up in the morning for a cup of coffee and a donut?" FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/do-you-know-how-many-calories-are-in-butter-and-128743/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne (September 26, 1914 - January 23, 2011) was a Athlete from USA.

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