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was that due to their not being other food available to Him rather than a form of abstinence ?

The scholars mention that the poverty that the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa sallam endured was totally as a result of his choice; had he wanted, he could have enjoyed all the riches he liked. This is typically mentioned in attempts to reconcile the Messenger's abstinence and and his duas against poverty (faqr).

Guys, yes, a balance would probably be most suitable to the vast majority of us. Don't make sweeping judgements, though. The Messenger would go days without food - had he wanted, he could have spent his share on booty, at the very least, on food. Alhamduli Llah, he chose not to.

If you guys have a chance to read Minhaj al-'Abidin, you'd see how the author (who most consider to be al-Ghazali) stresses on leaving seeking provision, and on tawakkul (trust in Allah). At first, I - like many of you - found this concept troubling; this, in part, is due to the very materialistic environment we've been brought up in. The reality is that Allah has promised to sustain us, and for people with firm faith and trust, their sustenance may not even be physical. Just because you are not at this stage does not mean you have to downplay it (as I once did, even if subconciously). We know that during the fight with Dajjal, at certain points the sustenance (qoot) of the belivers will be dhikr!

As for the people who went to extremes, and were subsequently censured by the Beloved salawatu Llah wa salamuh 'alayh, it is less straight forward than some may be led to thinking. According to some of these ahadith, we are prohibitted from fasting the siyam ad-dahr (constant fasting appart from the prohibitted days). Hence, the Hanafis declared it Makruh. On the other hand, an-Nawawi ash-Shaf'i declares it mustahabb for certain groups of people. In fact, the companion, Ibn 'Umar declared that he would consider those who did so from the best of the best! (saabiqin). Clearly, it's more subtle. It depends on the state of the person. The three men who came to the Beloved (one who decided to never marry, the other who decided to fast constantly etc) were doing so in a state of challenging the Beloved. The Beloved thus stated: "Whoever turns away from my sunnah, is not from me". This was the purpose of that hadith - that our will should be submitted to the Messenger's will at all times, for he is our door to Allah. Salla Llahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. Which people are most qualified to determine a person's state when doing such actions? Which group are most qualified to determine one's desire to follow the Sunnah? Clearly it's the awliya'. If we disagree with them regarding these 'extreme' feats of worship, the least we can do is keep our mouths shut.