Before leaving for the Race, I joked that it would be just like going away to fat camp. At training camp, the girls were warned that many would gain weight, but at the same time, they fed us very small, if not tiny, meals to prepare us for life on the Race. I just knew I wouldn’t, couldn’t, be one of the girls who would gain weight while on the Race. I figured between the lack of food, the lack of options, and the daily physical activity and exercise, there was no way I’d gain weight. So I started this journey with every intention of it being a time of weight loss.
Boy, oh, boy, was I ever so wrong. The World Race is definitely not fat camp. There is not a lack of food or a lack of options. The only thing lacking is the physical activity and exercise. First, let me focus on the abundance of food and options. As has been my experience, every ministry contact has the assumption that Americans eat a lot, thus provide large amounts of food for each meal. Not to mention that these meals are more often than not carbs, starches, and more carbs. For instance, a meal consisting of fried bananas, pasta, and french fries (see below). Oh, and in Africa, everything is fried in a vat of oil. EVERYTHING! For one meal, we were literally served grease patties (see below). There was no substance but flecks of carrots – it was a patty of conjoined grease. No lie.
In terms of options, meals were limited in that sense, yes, but we always had snacks on hand to break up the monotony of having the same meal, day after day. And of course, these were not healthy snacks. We’re talking crackers, popcorn, chips, and chocolate. We’d go through stints of bingeing on fresh fruit and vegetables; hence, my parasite problems of Africa. Oh, and then there were days off, when we’d be on our own for food, all desiring something more familiar and tastier to our palets. On these days, the common theme was pizza, pasta, or burgers. Even if you wanted to do a salad, most countries really didn’t have them to offer, and if they did, you knew it was a risky option.
And I cannot forget to mention how Coca-cola becomes a part of your life, even if it wasn’t part of it before the Race. Coke is everywhere, and usually the cheapest option in terms of beverages, even over water. On super hot days, you just can’t help but to want a cold, fizzy coke to quench your thirst. Not to mention that you begin to believe the myth that “a coke a day keeps the parasites away”. I’m not joking. Many Racers firmly believe that and live by this belief. Obviously, this did not hold true for me (again, remember, the “dancing” parasites in my stomach). The times I have found Diet Coke (or, coca-cola light, as it is called everywhere but in America) or Coke Zero, I was delighted. However, it would cost twice, if not 3 times, more than a regular Coke. It became really hard to justify spending that much more just to decrease my calorie intake.
In addition to Coke, my squad seems to consume cans and cans of Pringles. If a store sells them, they soon run out. Literally. Same goes for Snickers. Oh, and if you come across a McDonalds, you better believe that nearly every one of us will eat there more than once. Even those who are not a fan of it in America, they still desire to eat there. My theory is that all of these things …. the Pringles, Snickers, McDonalds, they become in a sense, comfort food to us. These food items remind of us America, and for that reason, it’s comforting to eat them. For those moments, we can almost feel like we’re back at home.
Then there comes the subject of physical activity and exercise. I made the mistake of having the expectation that ministry would more often than not include something physical. I’ve only had a couple circumstances where I was physically exerting myself (hiking mountains in Nepal) or doing manual-labor type ministry (painting and tilling gardens). There are days where we walk a lot, but it’s still nothing substantial. Of course, personal exercise is always an option. Month after month, I am determined to work out more, but it just never pans out. Every month, I have stints of running, but as each month goes by, the hotter it has gotten. In order to beat the heat, you must get up really early, and even then, you will sweat in places you didn’t even know would sweat. Sometimes the schedule is busy and getting up early means sacrificing sleep, and since I can count on one hand how many “good” nights rest I’ve had, I try not to cut my hours of sleep short.
Don’t misunderstand. I recognize all of that as a bunch of excuses. I could try much harder to eat healthier. I could be more diligent in terms of working out. Some girls have tried hard, yet they have still gained weight. Even on my good months, it doesn’t appear to make a difference. Some girls eat worse on the Race and never work-out, yet they have lost weight. And don’t let me even get started on the men, who get skinnier by the day by doing nothing at all.
But here’s the thing, and my reason for writing this blog, I cannot be out here, on the Race, and be so caught up in my body image. I didn’t come on the Race to lose weight, though I had high hopes. I came on the Race to spread God’s love to people all over the world. All the time I spend focusing on what I’m eating or not eating and thinking of how or when I can work-out, that is time I am NOT focused on God. Even worse, every time I am critical of my body, complaining about how fat I am or how I don’t feel pretty, I am rejecting the body God made. I am His creation. I am perfect in his eyes. My body is His temple, thus I do need to take care of it, but I cannot criticize it or point out its imperfections … because in His eyes, there aren’t any imperfections.
There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to
your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body …..
Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller [or thinner]
by so much as an inch? Matthew 6:25-27 MSG
I can’t be worried about what people are going to say or think when I get home. No, I did not lose weight. In fact, I gained some. But it doesn’t matter for a couple of reasons. Once I’m home, I can return to my normal, healthier diet and work out schedule. More importantly, it doesn’t matter because God sees me as beautiful. This is His body, not mine, and to insult it, is to insult Him. As a wise woman on E-squad explained to a couple of us girls, “Those thighs, those stomachs, this arm flab. They’re not ours! It all belongs to Jesus!”
Looks aren’t everything ….. God looks into the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 MSG
