America's kids to FAT for the military!

[meggers]

You mean all those people that skipped the country in the 60's only needed to eat cheesecake?

I think it's kinda sad that they won't let someone join because of 20 pounds. Why not bring them in & help them if they're willing to lose the weight while in training? Some people really don't know HOW to lose weight.

[CW&M Mom]

If you don't meet weight, they tape measure you. Men and women are taped differently. Women used to be taped on their forearm, their wrist, their neck and the widest part of their butt. They just changed it in the past couple years. They now measure only three places, but I don't know where/what. If you pass tape, you are good. If not, your are too fat. I've taped guys who are all muscle, very clearly!, and they are considered "overweight" by army standards.

This is my husband...he used to weight lift in highschool and have these massive leg and arm muscles. He took the BMI for insurance...they said he was obese...ya whatever.

[kval07]

You mean all those people that skipped the country in the 60's only needed to eat cheesecake?

I think it's kinda sad that they won't let someone join because of 20 pounds. Why not bring them in & help them if they're willing to lose the weight while in training? Some people really don't know HOW to lose weight.

Let me tell you, by the time I was done with basic training, my pants were falling off!! Literally. The crotch of my pants was between my knees. The pockets on my uniform top no longer covered my boobs, they were under them. (I lost all my weight in my boobs first. They worked us out so well, I didn't have my monthly for over a year.) They MADE me get new uniforms when I went to my medic school because I looked like such a hot mess. So to say that anyone is too fat for the army is stupid. Basic will whip you in to shape if it is still like it was when I went.

Now Reserves/NG, I can see not maintaining that. I hate exercise, one. And two, I came home and got right back to my "healthy" weight in no time, lol. The military and I disagree when it comes to exercising. But damn, did it feel good to come home and have people say how amazing I looked.

[Arie]

Basic will whip you in to shape if it is still like it was when I went.

When I went to the airforce office with a friend and expressed an interest, the recruiter told me flat out that if I had more than 19 lbs to lose they wouldn't even let me get a pen to paper for the application.

I was mortified and disappointed all rolled into one jilly body. :sad:

I'll get there though. This thread has reminded me to get off my butt, put the jelly donut down and get back into the gym!

[beth119]

When I went to the airforce office with a friend and expressed an interest, the recruiter told me flat out that if I had more than 19 lbs to lose they wouldn't even let me get a pen to paper for the application.

I was mortified and disappointed all rolled into one jilly body. :sad:

I'll get there though. This thread has reminded me to get off my butt, put the jelly donut down and get back into the gym!

They weigh you at the RECRUITERS office? THat seems... really... mean!


Ok, what about people who are UNDERweight? I have ALWAYS been considered "to skinny". No matter HOW MANY hostess cupcakes I eat.

Would they reject my chicken legs?

[foggierbard9]

They weigh you at the RECRUITERS office? THat seems... really... mean!


Ok, what about people who are UNDERweight? I have ALWAYS been considered "to skinny". No matter HOW MANY hostess cupcakes I eat.

Would they reject my chicken legs?

They weighed me at the recruiters office, because they have to take you to the MEPS station to actually enlist. You do all the paperwork and such at the recruiter office and then go to, for me St. Louis, and get your physical, sign the papers for a final time and are sworn in. Nobody wants to drive you 3 hours away to find out you don't make weight and drive you all the way back over and over until you make weight.

If you are underweight you have to gain, if you are over you have to lose. I knew people that were craming anything they could in their mouth to get that extra weight right before they stepped on the scale. When I enlisted I had to lose to get in, my required weight was like 140, if I weighed 140 I would look anorexic. The weight standards are different for every branch of service also.

I have to agree with kval too, when you get out of basic, you lose everything you could imagine losing and are in amazing shape.

I will say the NG is harder to maintain where you are suppose to be weight wise, but you are still held to the same standards as active duty and have to exercise on your own

[foggierbard9]

This ain't foggierbard9; it's her DH :P Those of you arguing weight standards understand the the US Military height and weight standards are based off of insurance standards set in the 30's and 40's. Those insurance height and weight standards are based on historical data gathered about Civil War soldiers during the war. Don't ask how I know this, I could tell you, but then... well you know the rest :). As for current height and weight charts used, I have NEVER qualified for the Army height and weight standards (unless you count my junior year in high school). According to the BMI charts I have always passed. Bottom line is (and the Army recognizes this) that FITNESS is the measure to use, not height and weight. The only times I can think of that height and weight are used are in Airborne School (you have to weigh a minimum of 100 lbs to get the static line to operate correctly), Aviator School (big guys like me just don't fight inside small cockpits), and for tunnel rats (again big guys like me don't work). Another bit of trivia, each generation's foot size is on average one size bigger than the previous, and they are 1 inch taller; and small wirey skinny guys tend to do better in Ranger School (has to do with the metabolic rates) than bigger guys - but bigger guys are the ones that tend to do better in SF School than small wirey ones. Again, don't ask how I know that -- I just do :)

[beth119]

This ain't foggierbard9; it's her DH :P Those of you arguing weight standards understand the the US Military height and weight standards are based off of insurance standards set in the 30's and 40's. Those insurance height and weight standards are based on historical data gathered about Civil War soldiers during the war. Don't ask how I know this, I could tell you, but then... well you know the rest :). As for current height and weight charts used, I have NEVER qualified for the Army height and weight standards (unless you count my junior year in high school). According to the BMI charts I have always passed. Bottom line is (and the Army recognizes this) that FITNESS is the measure to use, not height and weight. The only times I can think of that height and weight are used are in Airborne School (you have to weigh a minimum of 100 lbs to get the static line to operate correctly), Aviator School (big guys like me just don't fight inside small cockpits), and for tunnel rats (again big guys like me don't work). Another bit of trivia, each generation's foot size is on average one size bigger than the previous, and they are 1 inch taller; and small wirey skinny guys tend to do better in Ranger School (has to do with the metabolic rates) than bigger guys - but bigger guys are the ones that tend to do better in SF School than small wirey ones. Again, don't ask how I know that -- I just do :)

LOL. Thanks.

I was actually just on the phone with my dad and asked him quickly about weight standards. He gave me an odd run down about the airforce (sort of like you said). DIdn't know about any of the other branches though (assuming because he only was in the airforce).

[kval07]

They weighed me at the recruiters office, because they have to take you to the MEPS station to actually enlist. You do all the paperwork and such at the recruiter office and then go to, for me St. Louis, and get your physical, sign the papers for a final time and are sworn in. Nobody wants to drive you 3 hours away to find out you don't make weight and drive you all the way back over and over until you make weight.

If you are underweight you have to gain, if you are over you have to lose. I knew people that were craming anything they could in their mouth to get that extra weight right before they stepped on the scale. When I enlisted I had to lose to get in, my required weight was like 140, if I weighed 140 I would look anorexic. The weight standards are different for every branch of service also.

I have to agree with kval too, when you get out of basic, you lose everything you could imagine losing and are in amazing shape.

I will say the NG is harder to maintain where you are suppose to be weight wise, but you are still held to the same standards as active duty and have to exercise on your own

Yes, foggie is correct! To me 140 IS anorexic, lol. My recruiters had guys who needed to lose weight to sign contracts running around the track with trash bags covering their bellies, wearing sweats in 90 degree humidity in MI in the middle of summer. They also had them use Preparation H and rub it all over under where the trash bag would go. Something about it would help them sweat more?? Don't remember...that was 8 long years ago!!!

I can vouch for exercise being hard for Reserve/NG. I am a Reservist. I was a teenager and worked a full time job and part time job on nights and weekends. Even if I had the motivation to go out and exercise, I sure as heck didn't want to do it during my time off. But I was a lost cause anyway. I wasn't born with a dieting or exercise gene. And I'm glad.

[neverfullprice]

My DS was told he had to lose 50 pounds to join the Air Force. Only 8 more pounds to go... At first they went by weight only, then they went by BMI (I think that is what it is called) they used the % of body fat vs muscle mass. They also took into consideration his neck measurement...what for, I don't know.