Weight/ Body Fat Requirements for Enlistment

[MtnMom62]

For several weeks my son has been visiting the recruiters office weekly to have his weight and body fat checked. He has been walking/running and swimming daily but seems to only losing in his rear, legs and arms. They keep telling him his waist is 1/2" too big. All he wants is to is be able to go to MEPS for his physical and test but they keep telling him he can't go yet till his waist is 1/2" smaller. Do they really think that he won't lose 1/2" in boot camp? My son is frustrated and ready to give up his dream of the Navy. Sadly, it doesn't seem like it makes a difference at the recruiting office one way or the other. They told him the Navy was pretty full of applicants right now and they only want the most fit. My son is 5'9, 206 with a 42" waist. He doesn't smoke, drink or do any type of drugs. He has a high school diploma and college credit hours. Any advice? My son's dad, grandfather, great grandfather and several uncles were all Navy. None of them ever experienced anything like this. Any suggestions on how we can move the process along?

[Nette]

My son was having a similar problem. He lost 70 lbs in 3 years training to join the navy. He barely met the fat % and was 11 lbs overweight when he depped in. He was doing a core program which actually made the situation worse. Even tho this program was burning fat it does build muscle, which weighs more that fat, and put more muscle around his waist, which made his measurement even larger. Since his neck is small, this threw his measurements way off. He stopped the core program he was doing. Like your son, he ran, swam, and worked out at the gym daily. He then added the p90x to his daily routine, cut carbs drastically, but ate very healthy. No products with bleached flour. Lots of protein and vegetables and limited bread. No heavy starches at all, like potatoes, pasta, rice, corn, etc. Drank lots and lots of water. The week before he left to boot camp he was 2 lbs under the max weight so they didn't have to go by the tape measurement.

[bjsh57]

I know this might sound stupid but my daughter had the same problem.. She is not fat by any means but she is wide around the hips .... I was looking at some videos and some of the guys appeared to be even a little chubby in the midsection. I asked about that and I was told those guys have big necks and they will do exercises to keep there neck big so they can have bigger measurements./wt... I dont know if that is true or not but It might be a idea..( My daughter has what we call a Cinderella neck... Long and slender. )

[Cindy]

It looks like you've received some great advice and are well on your way to a solution so this will be a mere setback in your son's career. My son's entry to the Navy was delayed for this reason and his recruiter was clear that he wouldn't go to MEPS until he met the standards. As tough as boot camp is, the more recruits can do to prepare mentally and physically before, the better off they'll be. Beyond the ideas already posted, an additional possible approach is to consider his activity/exercise program. When my son was delayed he did a few sessions at our gym with a personal trainer who helped him target activity to support the changes he needed to make. It turned out to be well worth the invenstment and within a couple of months he had met his goals and was headed to MEPS. I'm confident your son can make the changes needed and we'll be reading your postings about him getting his Navy career underway. Good luck!

[Tiff_O (FC wife)]

My husband was 240lbs when he told the recruiter he wanted to be in the Navy. The recruiter told him what he needed to be, and gave him a regiment of foods to eat, and excersizes to do. Basically, supper - 1 helping of meat, 1 cup starch, 1 cup veggies. water only. for breakfast - 1 peice of bread, couple slices of bacon/1 patty sausage, 2 eggs (no whites), fatty food during the morning. For snacks, eat 1 apple or orange. Do NOT eat bananas because they retain weight. Your son's recruiter should be giving you information like this. My husband did this, and hardly ran at all and lost almost 40 lbs.

[Kathy (Jillians Mom)]

See if he can work with a personal trainer to help him zone in on the area that needs help. He will be tested about fitness throughout bootcamp and A school, they will consistently have to pass Personal Fitness Assessments. My daughter was on a weight loss product as she was being driven to MEPS just so she would skim by, she did but at the last possible minute. I know it sounds tough, I thought so too, but throughout their careers in the Navy they will be challenged by physical ability at many jobs. Dont give up...he can do this. There is a formula they work with to determine if they are within the limits. 1/2 inch is nothing....a Navy career is worth it. Good luck.

[valeriejean]

My husband had trouble with his bodyfat measurements all through his 20 years of service! Our son got in, much larger than my husband ever was, but he has a much bigger neck so it wasn't a problem for him (my brother was also bleassed with a large neck so he never had trouble either, and he was larger than my husband at one point). My husband did it by eating salads and excercising daily! If he has trouble now, it may follow him through his military career!

[Viki]

Jenna was overweight but had OK body fat. I recently tried that HCG hormone shot and lost 10 pounds in a week.