Joining the Miltary

Megthatgirl

Hey all

I am getting closer and closer to my goal weight, and actually being able to pass the PT standards... I'm still about 35 lbs off from being able to enlist.... Considering I was over 100 lbs off before, I guess thats not so bad lol.

Anyway- I was wondering if anyone has lost weight and been able to successfully join.. If so, please tell me about your experience...

I've had a very short conversation with an airforce recruiter, but Im thinking the Army may be a better option for me at this point... The recruiter told me where I need to be, and though it varies per branch, its not too far off.

Any advice would be much appreciated!! (Except telling me not to join, keep that to yourself!!) Thanks

debloves2ride

Congratulations on doing what you have and I'm sure you are motivated to obtain your goal! Proud of you for wanting to serve our country - it is a great career choice and our country needs dedicated young people. my husband is retired military and it was the best life ever!

anna0478

I did 12 years in the military (AF Reserves) and gained a bunch of weight. They changed their fitness standards, and I was not able to keep up, so I got out before they could force me out. I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I want to lose another 40 pounds and go back in to complete my 20 years!
Good luck! I hope you're able to get in. Keep an eye out on the age limits though. I think they vary by branch as well.

jonward85

I guess my thoughts would be how you did on your ASVAB. I was going to be an air force man before i was PDQed for a heart murmur i didn't even know i had.

Francesca3162

I am the mom to an army soldier and to a Marine.
While I worry about them all the time, I am proud of them beyond belief.
Do what your heart is telling you, the rest will follow. If you can pass the PT and you are dedicated to what you want to do, you should have no problem getting through bootcamp.

jsmamadden

Hey, I did not have to lose weight to join the military but I was in the army for 5 years. Probably every month or so we had to do a weight check. From what I remember if you were over the weight standard for you height it did not necessarily mean you needed to lose weight. If you weighed over the allowed amount for your height they then did a series of measurements of your waist and neck and such and then there was another formula for that and you could still qualify as being "fit" for duty. This was the case for a lot of guys because some had a lot of muscle mass from hitting the gym so they would always weigh too much but would easily pass based on measurements. While this may not mean you will pass it may be something to check out. Good luck. Keep at it.

grimsin

thank you for considering service to our country and working so hard to achieve your goal. I was active army for 11 years and was at the high end of the weight scale for almost the entire time. they will look at your weight to get in but once you get to basic/ait you will be tape tested for body fat, make sure you are within the current standards for body fat because weight won't mean anything if your numbers are over on the tape. whatever branch you decide, check their physical fitness standards and implement them into your workout, as you get closer to your time for joining then focus on the core exercises for that branch. the army is 2 minutes of pushups, 2 minutes of situps and a 2 mile run. good luck on getting in hooah!!

Malrouke84

I have two friends in the millitary currently, one who has been in the US Navy for about 6 years now, and the other just recently graduated from OCS. They're actually brothers (and if you knew them personally as I do, you would also be amused - trust me). My friends and I were sophmores in high-school when 9/11 happened, and we really felt a lot of pressure about deciding whether or not to go straight into enlistment after graduation - and a good portion of my friends did. Thinking back on it now, I think that this might be part of the reason I've been stuck in my life for some years now (so thank you for letting me talk at you long enough to figure it out).

I'll try to wrap this up in the quickest, simplest manner I know: www.terminallance.com

rml_16

Good luck and great job on the loss!

While I personally have never been a member of the military, I've dated military for a combined total of about 17 years and have a lot of friends in the military (pretty much every branch, including Coast Guard!). One thing I hear from all of them is that they are much harder on women who don't meet standards than men, especially once you're in. So just keep that in mind.

And to put that in perspective, it's the men saying that, not the women.

heartsoulshannon

My husband went into the Army directly after high school and he had to lose a bunch of weight senior year. It can be done, and you'll do great! You'll also have a great start if you've been working hard to get that weight off because you'll be used to pushing yourself Good luck!

cjc166

Good for you! Keep going! I was in the Army Reserve and did my time in OIF as a Staff Sergeant 63H and 63B (track and wheeled vehical mechanic). I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. Once you get to BCT and AIT you'll probably keep losing weight. One of my battle buddies lost 50 lbs in the 9 weeks of basic training. I stayed the same weight but pushed my gut up into my shoulders. You'll do fine, and you're really close to hitting that goal to get in! Hooah!

wolf1gft

I was a Marine recruiter and can tell you that I still have a friendship with a Marine I recruited. This young man came into my office at 100 lbs over his accession weight and 20 lbs over shipping weight, I never told him he couldn't do it. I told him it would take alot of work. So I invited him to all our weekly PT sessions. I will not take credit for his weight loss but I did see him lose 100 lbs in 10 months and I contracted him. He then went onto losing another 30 pounds in the 4 months prior to shipping to bootcamp. So this young man now a Sergeant in the Marine Corps, was able to ship 10 lbs under his max weight and in shape, ready to train.
Continue what you are doing, success takes time and effort. Whatever branch you decide on make sure you give it your all. Good luck and Semper Fi.

camrunner

I lost weight (150 lbs or so) towards the end of high school and then joined the Air Force after college. So I didn't lose weight *to* join, but I did join as someone who had lost a lot of weight and was used to taking responsibility for his own health and fitness. It makes it kind of rough to go into an environment where other people have control over what you eat (basic, various parts of training, etc.) and how you work out.

I didn't lose weight in Basic. I had been looking forward to that, but ultimately it wasn't THAT much PT. Then I got to tech school and it seemed like most people were getting pretty out of shape, and it's understandable to an extent, but since I didn't someone to tell me to work out, I did okay. The biggest thing I've noticed, in terms of fitness, is that the less the AF meddles in my fitness, the better shape I'm in. If I have to waste a bunch of time standing in PT formations and waiting for people, that's when I start getting out of shape. During tech school PT was like a two-hour experience usually, but we only spent a quarter of that actually working out.

So... yeah, if you're looking for a branch that's going to MAKE you stay in shape, you probably want the the Army or the Marine Corps. But I really don't think that sounds very appealling, since I'd much rather have the freedom to workout when/where/how I want to do it, and that's usually attainable in the AF unless you prove to your unit that you need to be supervised in your PT regimen.

I never really considered joining the Army, so I'm not saying that I chose the AF at the Army's expense, but, having had the opportunity to learn a fair amount about how each branch works, I'm really glad that I chose the AF. Recruitment is very selective, though. I had a pretty easy time because I got a 99 on my ASVAB and then made them even happier with certain other aptitude tests.

dirtydmvkid

I was about 2 pounds shy of the max weight limit when I left for bootcamp. 3 months later I had lost nearly 50lbs! Keep pushing towards your goals! There is nothing better than knowing that you have done your part for your country.
Good luck!
Semper Fi

jennmodugno

My husband is currently a recruiter for the Army here in NJ, and I can tell you he comes home all the time with stories about how he told someone months ago they needed to lose X amount of pounds, and they just came in having lost it. He's always very impressed with them, because it shows a dedication to the job. As a PP mentioned, ask about their weekly PT sessions - see if they'd let you join them. If you're serious about it they're usually more than pleased to include you, and trust me - those workouts are serious business! Even when I was in the best shape of my life, I couldn't keep up with my husband on a run, or with the billions of pushups he could do. Good luck!

Megthatgirl

Thanks so much to everyone for your encouragement!!! You would be surprised how many negative Nancy's there are out there!! I cant wait to reach my goals and go to MEPS! Its going to be well worth it!!