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The obesity problem could become a real national security issue if enough people can't pass the physical expectations. Bad mojo.
Too Fat to Fight: Is the Obesity Crisis a National Security Risk?
Marcus Williams is unemployed but says he really wants to join the U.S. Army. Right now though, it is just a dream.
"I can't pass the physicals because the recruiters say I am too fat," says the 18-year-old resident of Detroit. "But I am working on it."
Currently, he weighs 250 pounds and is 5 feet 10 inches tall. "They tell me that I am technically obese," he says of the Army recruiters.
Williams has chronic health problems, including asthma, high blood pressure and pre-diabetes, that are linked to his weight. "I want to be ready by September and I am working hard to get there."
He has already lost nearly 50 pounds since December on a twice-a-day, 90-minute cardio and weightlifting regimen and through significant dietary changes. "I had to give up the junk food for sure," Williams says.
He also gave up juices and high-calorie sodas. "I pretty much eat lean protein and lots of vegetables all day. I live with my grandmother and uncle, and they don't cook that way, so I have to fix all my own food."
Williams is one of the increasing number of young black men and women considered too overweight or obese to meet the minimum physical requirements for enlisting in the U.S. armed forces.
Gregory Poland, a medical doctor at the Mayo Clinic, says young people like Williams are literally "too fat to fight."
For more than 20 years, Poland has also served as an unpaid consultant to the Defense Health Board, a federal advisory committee to the Secretary of Defense that provides recommendations on health policy, research and requirements for the treatment and prevention of disease and injury.
According to Poland,
"In fact, obesity and overweight is the No. 1 cause of ineligibility in the armed services," he says. "By the year 2020, only two out of every 10 recruits will be able to meet the weight-fitness qualifications to serve."
Cont:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/too-fat-fight-obesity-crisis-national-security-risk-n582331
sevenhelmet
05-31-16, 12:40
Only 2 out of 10 recruits will meet standards 4 years from now... That's frightening. Do kids still play sports?
The Navy is updating their fitness guidelines now too, including stricter BCA standards, dietary guidelines for people "on the bubble", and giving unit COs more power direct additional PT for folks who need it. At least they're recognizing we have a problem now. It's always bothered me that we have more obese people than any other branch.
Unfortunately this isn't new. It's been getting this way for the past 20 years, at least. One reason it's such an issue now is because of the budget and continuing drawdown. If a big war hit us again those standards would change again.
I am glad to see proactive standards with the Marines in recognizing that not everyone who is "overweight" is unhealthy or out of standards.
This is a parental problem. Train the parents and this issue will go away.
Ya either got kids who are fit with bad records or kids who are upstanding citizens but are lardasses.
Stupid army, kid probably has all the qualifications to be a drone Super Ace. Just give him some pizza pockets and happy hunting.
Unfortunately this isn't new. It's been getting this way for the past 20 years, at least. One reason it's such an issue now is because of the budget and continuing drawdown. If a big war hit us again those standards would change again.
I am glad to see proactive standards with the Marines in recognizing that not everyone who is "overweight" is unhealthy or out of standards.
This is a parental problem. Train the parents and this issue will go away.
Not new for sure, but getting worse vs better it appears. I recall reading something about the issue at least 10 years ago.
It's been ongoing for years. Way back when I was involved in recruiting for my college ROTC detachment. I remember kids who would have been good officers but couldn't pass the USAF PT Test due to weight. Hell, I had to be taped each time. That branch, at least, wanted tall, lanky distance runners, not former offensive linemen, linebackers or fullbacks.
That branch, at least, wanted tall, lanky distance runnersTall has been out of style in war for quite some time.
Tall has been out of style in war for quite some time.
It was Air Force.
I used to think being a swole sonuvabitch that could break people over their knee like a stick were all that.
But ultimately the guys who can run forever, go a week without food, and stay wiry and in motion do tend to inherit the Earth.
In the short term, Godzilla stomping people is effective.
But running? Real running? And not being tired or clamoring for a cigarette and a sit down and huffing and wheezing like you been screwing all day after 2 miles?
That's what ultimately does win the day.
I learned tgat the hard way and it takes more upkeep. Anybody can just lift and eat.
But endurance....God endurance.
Anybody who has been in a no shit five minute fight will attest that there comes a point where you're all "I may just have to shoot this SOB, I'm sapped!"
It's not that you're losing. It's just that Rip Its and Marlboro Reds can't compete with Crack and not wanting to go back for a no joke nickel stretch.
In my next renaissance, I'm shooting for lanky but wedgy.
The Robocop Deebo deal really doesn't cut it. It's just a way of bullshitting through life.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. But yeah...
sevenhelmet
05-31-16, 16:59
The recognition that weight vs. height doesn't tell the full story is a good one IMO. I know plenty of rail thin guys who would collapse if they had to run more than a 1.5 miler twice a year or ruck a pack anywhere. Conversely, I know some really big guys who can run and lift all day, but struggle with the Navy's height/weight standards. Either way, I agree that the obesity problem starts at home for most people.
Cardio.
It's so important but nobody wants to do it.
I bet these lunchbox looking dudes probably started out running forever then got jacked.
Smoke less, run more. But it's soooooo haaaaard. Why can Jetpacks not exist?
When I attended public school, physical education was a required course and you could be flunked if you did not put forth the effort a coach felt you were capable of applying. It was during the Vietnam War era, and a few of the coaches told us repeatedly you needed to be able to lift your own weight and have the ability to run long distance so you could run from trouble when the need arises. We performed a lot of calisthenics and did a great deal of running. In plain English we went balls out for 40 minutes every school day.
We need to reinstitute physical fitness training in the Junior High and High Schools. It seems like many who are not interested in High School sports teams are not being encouraged to become and stay fit. Even if a person does not join the Military, self discipline and a physical fitness regimen will help a person succeed when they reach adulthood.
If youve seen the videos from the 1960's regarding physical fitness in High Schools, it appears that it was taken much more seriously. Why did public schools relax their standards in the first place?
sevenhelmet
05-31-16, 18:13
If youve seen the videos from the 1960's regarding physical fitness in High Schools, it appears that it was taken much more seriously. Why did public schools relax their standards in the first place?
Because too many unique and beautiful snowflakes were being traumatized...
Not sure, but it's a theory.
BrigandTwoFour
05-31-16, 18:38
If youve seen the videos from the 1960's regarding physical fitness in High Schools, it appears that it was taken much more seriously. Why did public schools relax their standards in the first place?
Because the Cold War ended. There isn't a threat of the Soviets charging through the Fulda Gap and initiating WWIII, putting our nation's survival at risk. For the most part, there just isn't a compelling reason that makes the general population want to be fit. Most of our careers are sedentary office jobs (including the military) that reward you for production, not for health. The only real motivator for most of the country to try and work out/eat right is to "look good naked," and that goal just isn't important enough for most people to challenge their lifestyles over.
If being strong/swift/durable was an existential requirement to survive, people would care about it again. As it stands, the only thing we can do is tell them how fat/unhealthy/unhappy they are going to be in so many years from now. Delayed negative consequences never work.
It's been ongoing for years. Way back when I was involved in recruiting for my college ROTC detachment. I remember kids who would have been good officers but couldn't pass the USAF PT Test due to weight. Hell, I had to be taped each time. That branch, at least, wanted tall, lanky distance runners, not former offensive linemen, linebackers or fullbacks.
That hasn't changed, really. I'm active USAF, and the service is even more so rewarding tall/lanky runners more than anything. Sure, I could stand to lose a couple inches off my waist, but there is no reason that I should have to work my ass off to get that magic 90% score (which, these days, is everything to an Air Force career) even though I can lift more, ruck more, and generally survive longer than the skinny nerds who rarely lift a finger to exercise except for a couple times a year.
Cardio.
It's so important but nobody wants to do it.
I bet these lunchbox looking dudes probably started out running forever then got jacked.
Smoke less, run more. But it's soooooo haaaaard. Why can Jetpacks not exist?
That's because, if done right, it SUCKS! Shooting a few hoops, playing volleyball, even a leisurely bike ride ain't true "cardio". I do it 5x per week but I detest every minute of it. By this point in my life I have the self-discipline to make myself do something I hate and sucks. Younger folks don't seem to have that motivational aspect about their lives. If it wasn't for the Army I sure as hell wouldn't have been doing cardio as an 18-22yo. They MADE me do it. Then for years afterwards I swore I was done with it and just lifted. By the time I was around 35 I realized that a longer life was not going to be achieved in the weight room alone.
Cardio.
It's so important but nobody wants to do it.
I bet these lunchbox looking dudes probably started out running forever then got jacked.
Smoke less, run more. But it's soooooo haaaaard. Why can Jetpacks not exist?
Exactly, f*ck running. When I was in I ran 3 miles every other day. Now that I'm out I might run 2 miles every other week, I'm often on an elliptical or walking up hill on a tread mill while watching 30 for 30, I'd say I'm fitter then most but I'm 30lbs over the Marine Corps standard. More muscular then ever, but not rocking the 6 pack that 23yr old me was so proud of. The beers and cheeseburgers don't help either I suppose.
I used to think being a swole sonuvabitch that could break people over their knee like a stick were all that.
But ultimately the guys who can run forever, go a week without food, and stay wiry and in motion do tend to inherit the Earth.
In the short term, Godzilla stomping people is effective.
But running? Real running? And not being tired or clamoring for a cigarette and a sit down and huffing and wheezing like you been screwing all day after 2 miles?
That's what ultimately does win the day.
I learned tgat the hard way and it takes more upkeep. Anybody can just lift and eat.
But endurance....God endurance.
Anybody who has been in a no shit five minute fight will attest that there comes a point where you're all "I may just have to shoot this SOB, I'm sapped!"
It's not that you're losing. It's just that Rip Its and Marlboro Reds can't compete with Crack and not wanting to go back for a no joke nickel stretch.
In my next renaissance, I'm shooting for lanky but wedgy.
The Robocop Deebo deal really doesn't cut it. It's just a way of bullshitting through life.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. But yeah...
Begrudgingly admit that is true. I used to be in great shape. I could literally run across town in order to engage in some activity with friends. Used to bike everywhere. What killed me was a job that was sitting at a computer for 8 hours combined with rotating schedules that required me to work morning shift one day, evening shift another and then afternoon shift.
Sleep disappeared along with my life. I basically sat for 8 hours, came home, ate and passed out until I had to work again. Only worked that job for about 6 months but it wrecked me and I never fully recovered.
These days I try to get in two serious workouts a week, two to three hours of serious training. I could probably do a third if I could find the time but I don't recover from workouts like I used to. These days I need two days recovery to be able to train at a maintenance level otherwise I can't do any meaningful training at all.
Leonidas24
05-31-16, 22:16
I remember going to OSUT being overweight, 230 lbs and 6'0". I couldn't pass the APFT at first; I did something like 19 pushups, 68 situps, and a 19 minute 2-mile that made me look like a malingering shitbag. But going balls to the walls for 6 weeks straight after that all the way to the end of white phase I was passing my pushups, was a freaking star at situps, and had a sub-14 minute 2-mile that didn't suck the life out of me. I know so many guys that couldn't run or do pushups at all, but 16 weeks at Sand Hill in the dead of summer will make a super star out of almost anyone. I left Ft Benning at 165 lbs and was frighteningly skinny.
Sounds to me like this kid's other medical ailments besides his weight would be more detrimental to his potential military service.
Well, let's just say that it's not just a problem for recruits. In 2009, I was the Chief Medical Officer for CJTF Phoenix for a couple of months. For those not familiar with A-Stan, Phoenix is a "FOB" in Kobul that is as close to Camp Cupcake that you can get. It had a Pizza Hut, Dairy Queer Ice Cream, Subway, Green Beans Coffee, and a DFAC that's open more often than not. I'd routinely have a cohort of FLS's (Fat Little Souldiers) who would put on 30-40 lbs in a year deployment. One little bastard had the audacity to claim that he couldn't pull guard duty because he could no longer fit into his IOTV. These Sick Call Rangers would show up to the TMC every morning with joint pains, cough, headache ("there is a band-like pain around my head when I wear my helmet"), etc. They'd all want PT profiles because the air quality in Kabul gave them shortness of breath. It was enough to make me want to go to the most Eastern part of RC-East...
When I went to Army basic in 1989, I was 177 pounds (at 6') and could do 20 pull ups. After two months of what felt like a near starvation diet, I was sick, weighed 162 pounds and could barely manage 9 or 10 pull ups but boy could I run. I ate everything I could find, sneak or steal (including sugar packets during our two weeks in the sand). Always had a fast metabolism but that was quite a calorie deficit. I remember after one 18 hour day of marching around in the heat when everyone was absolutely exhausted thinking that I'd march another 10 miles one way if there was a pizza at the end of it.
Don't they still starve people even if they don't need it? I'd think that would work out a lot of the weight issues. Basic musculature and strength might be another issue.
Fat people are also a pain for morticians. Special order caskets for big lard ass dead people are now common. One major casket maker increased dimensions on its entire adult line. 400-500 pound bodies hang over and off standard size embalming tables. Sometimes a really morbidly obese person will be placed on the floor next to a drain because he won't fit elsewhere. You know the lifts used for pulling motors from cars and trucks? Guess who else uses them.
Correlating to the death of PE is part of it, but when the fat kids are fat at 5 or 6, it's a parent problem, not a PE problem, not a fast food (per se) problem...it's a parent problem. I am sure Sensei has seen it; I have seen 10 year-old kids come through the ED that are 200 pounds. Mom and dad let them eat crap and sit in front of a TV, computer, or video game all day. Everything is automated now, fewer people actually work outside, and even fewer exercise on a regular basis. And eating right? Don't even get me started.
I was lucky (said sarcastically) in that I had to run 4 PFTs a year when I was in; two for the Navy, two for the Marines. Having to 'train' for both kept me in shape. The fact that a Sailor or Marine would have to go on the Fat Body program because they carried an extra couple pounds in spite of nailing the PFT was part of the problem (in the military). At least now the Marines have seen the light and have changed standards to be more proactive.
Cardio.
It's so important but nobody wants to do it.
I bet these lunchbox looking dudes probably started out running forever then got jacked.
Smoke less, run more. But it's soooooo haaaaard. Why can Jetpacks not exist?
It's just a matter of time
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/12/pentagons-experimental-4-minute-mile-jetpack-wows-/
KalashniKEV
06-01-16, 10:22
Correlating to the death of PE is part of it, but when the fat kids are fat at 5 or 6, it's a parent problem, not a PE problem...
The parents received all that good PE back in their day, but apparently didn't get "educated."
https://nchspressroom.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/obesity.gif
It all tracks.
Every age category is increasing in size at about the same rate.
It's a combination of sedentary living (smartphone/ internet age) and the availability of super high calorie foods/ highly processed foods that are actually poison.
Not that I'd ever want to add any more BS to ACAP, but they make you sit through all kinds of job related BS, dress for success, etc... they should be warning soldiers about turning into a fat bearded mess and providing a recommended transitional PT program to take dudes from daily pullups and ruck runs to recreational running/ rock climbing/ tennis/ other shit that adults do.
As for the other end of the pipeline... my solution is to put them into a one year feeder program post-HS that will get them eating correctly and doing daily PT. Let them pick up garbage, be lifeguards, direct traffic, or whatever for the rest of the day, and provide them with minimal pay. They can live in a labor barracks.
I shall call it "gap year for non-rich kids aspiring to military service."
The parents received all that good PE back in their day, but apparently didn't get "educated."
https://nchspressroom.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/obesity.gif
It all tracks.
Every age category is increasing in size at about the same rate.
It's a combination of sedentary living (smartphone/ internet age) and the availability of super high calorie foods/ highly processed foods that are actually poison.
Not that I'd ever want to add any more BS to ACAP, but they make you sit through all kinds of job related BS, dress for success, etc... they should be warning soldiers about turning into a fat bearded mess and providing a recommended transitional PT program to take dudes from daily pullups and ruck runs to recreational running/ rock climbing/ tennis/ other shit that adults do.
As for the other end of the pipeline... my solution is to put them into a one year feeder program post-HS that will get them eating correctly and doing daily PT. Let them pick up garbage, be lifeguards, direct traffic, or whatever for the rest of the day, and provide them with minimal pay. They can live in a labor barracks.
I shall call it "gap year for non-rich kids aspiring to military service."
Concur. Part of the problem is not knowing how to wind down or how to ramp up, on both ends of service.
When I was 18 and in high school a buddy joined the Marines. He was a DEPer, and he had mandatory workouts with the recruiters and other DEPers. I went with him a couple times since I thought about joining before college, there were a bunch of fat kids who were trying to work out and lose weight before they could actually get small enough to join. I always thought that was a great idea. It gets the kids into the fitness/nutrition culture, and even if they never join, they can get a few skills to get them on the right path.
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