look, i am no petite fleur, but i’ve never been overly obsessed with my weight. when i was younger and dancing, i had no reason to; i was not as little and skinny as most of the girls i danced with or the girls i competed against, but i was healthy, in shape, and just as talented as anyone else. i’ve always thought of myself as “average” and though my thighs may be a little jigglier than i like, or my waist not as small as it could be, it’s never really been cause for much concern on my part. even now, when various medications have caused me to hover between a size 12 and 14 – do i love that? no. would i like to be back to my customary size 10? of course. but i’m not obsessing about it. i don’t lose OR gain weight easily, so i don’t stress… it’ll come off eventually, and besides, I am physically not able to start going to the gym or anything very strenuous. (although, let’s be honest, shall we? even if i were in fantastic physical shape, i wouldn’t go to a gym – it’s just not fun. i’ll look into dance classes or yoga, but plain workouts bore me and i can’t be bothered.) my mother did weight watchers for years, successfully, but i’ve never really dieted or worried about my food intake. i just watch that i’m not eating junk all the time and eat fruits and veggies whenever i can, mostly because i like them. i’ve also never been into weighing myself, and have never personally owned a scale. i base my fitness level on how my clothes fit and how toned i am, not some digital read-out.
i bring this up because i have observed the habits of the staff at our two main offices. most of the girls in this office (the one I’m at most frequently for now) don’t have a lot of self-imposed restraint when it comes to food. they’re mostly around my age-ish (mid-twenties to early-thirties), and while they don’t munch on candy bars all day or anything, they have no problem with going out to moe’s or wendy’s or wherever for lunch. they’re all also, for the most part, of average size or smaller. i don’t really think there’s anyone much bigger than i am, and it’s not like i’m a beluga. then there’s the other office. most of these girls are in their early- to mid-twenties and they OBSESS about their weight. they are constantly talking about it: how much they’ve lost or gained, how many calories they need to burn off at the gym tonight, how much they still need to lose, and what size they are now. i would like to point out that there’s only one receptionist over there that’s my size or a little bigger – and i’ve never heard her kvetching – while the rest of them are easily a size 6 or smaller. there may be one size 8, but she’s also quite tall, so she’s perfectly in proportion. their eating habits are diabolical. if someone brings in bagels, they will only eat one half, with the thinnest possible smattering of cream cheese on top. (honestly, i don’t see how there’s enough on there to even taste, but then that’s me, and we all know i love my food.) if someone brings in donuts, they will split one between two or even three of them. or worse, they will eat only part of it and throw the rest out. and they do this with nearly everything. (i had to restrain myself from commenting when one of them nibbled around the raspberry center in a jelly donut and tossed the rest yesterday. seriously? around the raspberry jelly? that’s the best part! and most of the donut!) they’ll eat half a slice of pizza and toss the rest; or if they bring their own lunches, it’s mostly a steady stream of fat-free yogurt, fruit, or salad. i don’t have a problem with any of those food items, but when your entire intake for an 8-hour day consists of a thing of plain yogurt and half an orange, you have some issues. especially if you’re already a size 4.
i’ve been trying to determine the difference between the two groups. there is the age factor, with most of the other office just out of college, or still in it. maybe that’s part of it, or maybe it’s the atmosphere. maybe once one or two people start discussing it, everyone else feels like they should fixate on it too? i really don’t get it. life is too short to not eat ice cream (fake or otherwise) and half a pizza occasionally. and chances are that unless you have a wickedly slow metabolism or hyperactive thyroid, you really don’t need to count every calorie or measure every portion. i realize that obesity is a problem, especially in this country, but the wrong people are worried about it. the truly obese and unhealthy seem largely concerned with the maintenance of their medical problems, not the elimination of the weight, which is the cause of many of those medical problems. and the young and healthy are preoccupied with getting as thin as possible and staying that way. talk about your skewed priorities…
i bring this up because i have observed the habits of the staff at our two main offices. most of the girls in this office (the one I’m at most frequently for now) don’t have a lot of self-imposed restraint when it comes to food. they’re mostly around my age-ish (mid-twenties to early-thirties), and while they don’t munch on candy bars all day or anything, they have no problem with going out to moe’s or wendy’s or wherever for lunch. they’re all also, for the most part, of average size or smaller. i don’t really think there’s anyone much bigger than i am, and it’s not like i’m a beluga. then there’s the other office. most of these girls are in their early- to mid-twenties and they OBSESS about their weight. they are constantly talking about it: how much they’ve lost or gained, how many calories they need to burn off at the gym tonight, how much they still need to lose, and what size they are now. i would like to point out that there’s only one receptionist over there that’s my size or a little bigger – and i’ve never heard her kvetching – while the rest of them are easily a size 6 or smaller. there may be one size 8, but she’s also quite tall, so she’s perfectly in proportion. their eating habits are diabolical. if someone brings in bagels, they will only eat one half, with the thinnest possible smattering of cream cheese on top. (honestly, i don’t see how there’s enough on there to even taste, but then that’s me, and we all know i love my food.) if someone brings in donuts, they will split one between two or even three of them. or worse, they will eat only part of it and throw the rest out. and they do this with nearly everything. (i had to restrain myself from commenting when one of them nibbled around the raspberry center in a jelly donut and tossed the rest yesterday. seriously? around the raspberry jelly? that’s the best part! and most of the donut!) they’ll eat half a slice of pizza and toss the rest; or if they bring their own lunches, it’s mostly a steady stream of fat-free yogurt, fruit, or salad. i don’t have a problem with any of those food items, but when your entire intake for an 8-hour day consists of a thing of plain yogurt and half an orange, you have some issues. especially if you’re already a size 4.
i’ve been trying to determine the difference between the two groups. there is the age factor, with most of the other office just out of college, or still in it. maybe that’s part of it, or maybe it’s the atmosphere. maybe once one or two people start discussing it, everyone else feels like they should fixate on it too? i really don’t get it. life is too short to not eat ice cream (fake or otherwise) and half a pizza occasionally. and chances are that unless you have a wickedly slow metabolism or hyperactive thyroid, you really don’t need to count every calorie or measure every portion. i realize that obesity is a problem, especially in this country, but the wrong people are worried about it. the truly obese and unhealthy seem largely concerned with the maintenance of their medical problems, not the elimination of the weight, which is the cause of many of those medical problems. and the young and healthy are preoccupied with getting as thin as possible and staying that way. talk about your skewed priorities…
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