Air Force! Goal: lose 70+ lbs

GreenRiderLiana
GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
edited November 9 in Motivation and Support
Hello all,

I'm Liana. I'm 5'3" and 225lbs (as of this morning) and I want to join the Air Force. I'm currently teaching in China and am scheduled to return to the continental U.S. in July. My dream is to go directly into the Air Force (minus the time for MEPS etc). But in order to do that, I'll have to lose 70lbs in 7 months. That seems a little harsh to me. I'm in abhorrent shape. It's awful. I have absolutely no upper body strength. I can walk but not run and I won't even mention the state of my abs.

This makes me feel a little hopeless about joining the USAF.

But joining the USAF is something I want to do. My father is a veteran of the Army and is currently in the Air National Guard. I've always wanted to join the military, but my fitness level just hasn't been good enough. (I've never been "fit") It's time to change that.

What I'd like is to hear some of your success stories, or advice about how to go from morbidly obese and unfit to military ready. I'd also love to have some more friends who actively use MFP.

Thanks in advance for your comments and advice :D

Replies

  • kirstenmaria
    kirstenmaria Posts: 112 Member
    You can do it. Due to ops sec these days I can't tell you who, but I know someone very well who was in the same boat. Or plane :P He lost 90 pounds in several months, and shocked his AF recruiter.He lost even more in San Antonio, before gaining about 10 lbs back, but passes those PT tests like he needs to. He did it by running and really watching his diet. For example, he alternated breakfast: Day 1: a can of tuna. Day 2: serving of oatmeal. To meet your goals quickly you may have to look at protein to build up some muscle instead of just counting calories. You can do it! He just passed his 4 year mark and will put on ssgt this spring :)
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    kirstenmaria wrote: »
    You can do it. Due to ops sec these days I can't tell you who, but I know someone very well who was in the same boat. Or plane :P He lost 90 pounds in several months, and shocked his AF recruiter.He lost even more in San Antonio, before gaining about 10 lbs back, but passes those PT tests like he needs to. He did it by running and really watching his diet. For example, he alternated breakfast: Day 1: a can of tuna. Day 2: serving of oatmeal. To meet your goals quickly you may have to look at protein to build up some muscle instead of just counting calories. You can do it! He just passed his 4 year mark and will put on ssgt this spring :)

    Congratulations to him! On the success of his weight loss and the ssgt :D that's a big achievement. Thank you for the tip about protein. Hopefully I can follow in his footsteps :D
  • Train4Foodz
    Train4Foodz Posts: 4,298 Member
    I wish you the very best with your goals!

    I have a similar story in some respects, when I started my journey I had a dream of one day joining the Royal Marines (uk) and now, I'm well into the assessment stages and at the fittest point of my life.

    If you give it your all, there is nothing you cannot achieve!

    Reach for your goal!

    All the best,
    Adam
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    Adam2k10 wrote: »
    I wish you the very best with your goals!

    I have a similar story in some respects, when I started my journey I had a dream of one day joining the Royal Marines (uk) and now, I'm well into the assessment stages and at the fittest point of my life.

    If you give it your all, there is nothing you cannot achieve!

    Reach for your goal!

    All the best,
    Adam

    Thanks for the vote of confidence!
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    I want to wish you the best of luck on achieving your goals! i commend you for wanting to join the military. My brother and sister were both military and I realize the dedication it entails. You can add me as a friend on here if you would like to.
  • jennifercreighton
    jennifercreighton Posts: 29
    I'm trying to do the same thing. 70 lbs by July. Friend me and let's do this. I was in the Army and miss it dearly. I want to get back to Army shape.
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    Down 3 lbs since I first posted. Feeling good :) it's slow progress, but it IS progress :D
  • Juliannethmpsn
    Juliannethmpsn Posts: 2
    GreenRiderLiana wrote: »
    Hello all,

    I'm Liana. I'm 5'3" and 225lbs (as of this morning) and I want to join the Air Force. I'm currently teaching in China and am scheduled to return to the continental U.S. in July. My dream is to go directly into the Air Force (minus the time for MEPS etc). But in order to do that, I'll have to lose 70lbs in 7 months. That seems a little harsh to me. I'm in abhorrent shape. It's awful. I have absolutely no upper body strength. I can walk but not run and I won't even mention the state of my abs.

    This makes me feel a little hopeless about joining the USAF.

    But joining the USAF is something I want to do. My father is a veteran of the Army and is currently in the Air National Guard. I've always wanted to join the military, but my fitness level just hasn't been good enough. (I've never been "fit") It's time to change that.

    What I'd like is to hear some of your success stories, or advice about how to go from morbidly obese and unfit to military ready. I'd also love to have some more friends who actively use MFP.

    Thanks in advance for your comments and advice :D

    Hi I'm Julia, I'm currently 222 lbs and I want to lose about 50-70 lbs so I can join the navy within a year and a half. I think we can be great support to each other. Add me of you'd like!
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    I think we'd make great friends! I'll be sending a request right away :D
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    Progress! Down three pounds since the original post. Not loss, but any loss is good loss.

    also, I discovered virtual races for running and biking! They sound really cool. They give you a time period in which to complete the distance and they'll even send you medals! I'm definitely going to be trying these. :)
  • Train4Foodz
    Train4Foodz Posts: 4,298 Member
    GreenRiderLiana wrote: »
    Progress! Down three pounds since the original post. Not loss, but any loss is good loss.

    also, I discovered virtual races for running and biking! They sound really cool. They give you a time period in which to complete the distance and they'll even send you medals! I'm definitely going to be trying these. :)

    Awesome going!
    Well done on making great progress, keep on giving it 110% and I KNOW you're going to reach those goals!

    Adam
  • watchhillgirl
    watchhillgirl Posts: 597 Member
    Former air force here! Keep it up you can do it. I can tell you basics or OTS is more psychological than physical. You will probably be in better shape than the TI's. Keep it up you can do it.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Okay talk to Air Force people, but here are my concerns having worked with people in military struggling to make weight.

    First of all, very hard to lose that much weight so quickly. But even if you do, you are likely to struggle to maintain that loss, which depending how your branch and command handle it could be very tough on you. At worse, it can effect promotion, you can get kicked out, but even if those don't happen it can be very psychologically difficult if you are struggling to meet the standards. I would really encourage you to be careful about signing up under those conditions. However, each branch is different so talk to people doing what you want to do and get their honest opinions.
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    You're right. I've had to reevaluate my goals. losing 70lbs in 7 months is pretty outrageous. >.< idk what I was thinking, I've since changed my goals to reaching goal (150lbs) in July of 2016 and signing up then. Giving myself the extra year will help me lose weight the RIGHT way. I still plan to go Air Force, I'm just going to do it a little later then previously thought.
  • GreenRiderLiana
    GreenRiderLiana Posts: 18 Member
    Update:

    I'm still around the same weight, mainly due to a foot injury I got the second week of February. Took quite a long time to get better but I'm proud of the fact that even though I was injured and couldn't really work out, I didn't gain. Now I'm back on the wagon and making progress again. How is everyone else doing?
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Congrats to you for making the decision to serve. Looking at all other achievements my service in the Navy will always be at my highest.

    I think your goal may be a little overly ambitious, but would certainly speak to a recruiter and involve them in your plan. Make small changes that are sustainable for you and don't try anything drastic - people just never stick with it. Incorporate weight lifting into your regimen as you will be entering a community where fitness is a key performance piece - one which can really help your career.

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