Paczki put the 'fat' in Detroit's Fat Tuesday celebrations

On Fat Tuesday, the last day of revelry and indulgence before Lent, many celebrate Paczki Day. The centerpiece of the day is the paczki, an incredibly rich and caloric take on the doughnut designed to use up the last of the lard, sugar and eggs in the household before the fasting of Lent begins.

And in metro Detroit, there's no better place to indulge in paczki than in the once-predominantly Polish community of Hamtramck.

Hundreds packed places like the New Palace Bakery to purchase the treats that come in a range of flavors from strawberry to chocolate to lemon custard.

Click the video player to see more from FOX 2's Amy Andrews.

New Palace Bakery manager Suzy Ognanovich says she opened the doors to customers at 3 a.m. and can't keep track of the thousands they'll sell before the end of the day. "We have a lot of extra help from our friends and family and everybody's in good spirits," said Ognanovich.

A typical paczki contains approximately 400 calories and at least 25 grams of fat -- roughly equivalent to a double cheeseburger at McDonald's.

In fitness terms, for every paczki eaten you'd have to put in one high-impact aerobic session or walk two miles in 30 minutes.