Wednesday, January 27, 2010

I'm Sorry, I Don't Believe In Calories

I'm baaaaaaaack! Happy 2010! I have been meaning to blog but life has been a bit...crazy lately and I haven't had much time. But I'm focused so I figured while I was I'd bang out a blog entry!

Well, now I'm sure you're wondering about the title of this entry. For anyone who reads this and doesn't know, I work in a cupcake bakery. They're all the rage in New York City lately. But it's a NY State rule that if a food service company has more than like 10 locations they are required to post the caloric intake of all the delicious baked goods being sold. Let me tell you this first: no, it has not effected business. Second, yes it's a pain in the tush when people asked me about the calorie counts on our products. One because I don't know! We didn't start posting calories until after I started working for the company and they didn't make us learn them or anything. They're printed on every sign in black and white. This does not stop people from of course asking a bazillion questions. When I tell them I don't know, most people (especially women) have the initial response "well of course YOU don't."

I want to stop and say "excuse me, but what is THAT supposed to mean?" I know what they mean but still. Yes, I realize that I'm slim and appear to be in good shape but that soooo does not matter. Yes, I'm sure people of my build like to count calories. I'm definitely not one of them but how do the people talking to me know that? I'm a firm believer in eating whatever you want because why starve yourself? Eventually we're all going to die anyway so why not be happy? Of course one should be healthy and such but come on, you have to indulge every once in awhile. And I'm not saying eat the whole cupcake at once. You have to create boundaries for yourself; not deny yourself what you really want because you're striving to fit some ideal body type.

Here's my philosophy on weight and body (especially for women), you shouldn't have to starve yourself to be happy. No one says that you have to fit an ideal body type and you shouldn't force yourself to fit one. You should be happy with what God gave you and as long as you're healthy, that should be enough. It makes me so sad when people look at me while I'm working and ask "how do you stay so thin working here?" and then I have to explain that one gets sick of cupcakes after working there for like four months. But still, when I want something, I have it! I don't stop myself from eating the brownie, I just portion myself. I don't freak out after I eat it or agonize and then force myself to repent on the treadmill the next day.

I feel that society places too much emphasis on being thin and not enough emphasis on being healthy. We as women are forced to believe that anything over a size six is fat. God forbid a woman is a size twelve, she is considered plus size! Plus size used to be a size sixteen or something. Isn't it crazy that what's considered bigger is getting smaller? Especially when women are getting bigger? What happened to the days when a curvier, larger framed woman was considered sexy? Its sad that to see this on television. Like Christina Hendricks on Mad Men. Now, that's sexy.

I would kill to be a little more full figured. I'm naturally thin, its in my genetic makeup. So I know I'm never going to be terribly heavy or full figured. People hate me for it but hey, its not something I can change. We have to give our fellow sisters support. But back to my points earlier, you should be happy with how you look! If you're not, no amount of calorie counting or running on the treadmill is going to change that. So have the big cupcake instead of the small one, eat that extra handful of M&Ms and smile! Tomorrow is not guaranteed so be happy today ladies!!