Military Families
eileenhealy
member
if you are looking to stay in the military....
eileenhealy
member
go to the fridge and pantry and just get rid of all of the junk food right now. Water is now your new beverage and the gym needs to be a twice daily event, with cardio and strength training....
And the next time you have to choose between completing a work assigment and going to the gym, PICK THE GYM!!! The military is not looking for dedicated workers, just people who look good in a uniform... if they get both, that is good but if they have to choose, they are looking for the people who can look good in a uniform.. this was a different story over the past ten years when they just needed bodies and deployed everyone, no matter what their weight was, including us.
we just got our walking papers because of APFT failure and being overweight... yeah, i know we got what we deserved but after mulitple deployments, being hit with an IED, and 15 years service with zero disiplanary issues.. we just lost the opportunity for retirement. we chose to work long hours on deployments instead of cutting out early and being gym rats!! we clearly should have made a different choice!! some peoples metabolism are better thans others, we are people that have to spend a lot of time in the gym and use food journals to lose/maintain weight.
I am saying this because there is a lot of talk about downsizing and we are those people. we just lost everything because we had a rough patch after mulitple deployments.
We submitted medical documentation to prove why weight gain and APFT failure occured and it wasn't even considered. We also successfully completed the Army move program, lost weight, got within standards and were told, sorry but it was too late.
Again, I know that many will read this and think, oh what shitbags for gaining weight in the first place, so to those folks... god bless you, you are entitled to this opinion but I am writing this to those who might be in a position where they are struggling to stay in and I am writing to let them know that the Military is serious about cutting and what may be required if they want to keep their lifestyle in tact.
Be proactive, rather than reactive. Get your profiles in tact and start getting very serious about working out and eating right!! If you have already failed weight or APFT, despite your best efforts it may already be too late, but if you haven't had any problems, start now and you might be able to save your careers!
Get all of your medical conditions documented, if the doctors won't help you, go to the hospital's patient advocate and keep your profiles CURRENT.
they are dead serious about kicking both enlisted and officers out.
Good luck and god bless to everyone serving and their families who support them.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: if you are looking to stay in the military....
CJ 05/29/2013
Married 11/27/09 and TTC right away
Dx: Complete septate uterus with cervical duplication, endometrial polyps, PCOS, endometriosis, hypo thyroid, luteal phase defect
4 uterus surgeries to correct my complete septum and to remove polyps and 2 years of seeing the RE, medicated cycles and IUIs
Baby 1 and 2: BFP 3/3/11 with 2 babies EDD 11/1/11, M/C 4/6/11
Baby #3: 8/11 pregnant EDD 4/27/11 and m/c:(
Baby #4: 10/12/11 BFP! EDD 6/16/12m/c 10/26/11
Baby #5: 3/13/12 BFP! EDD 11/25/12 ANOTHER m/c
Baby #6: 2/14/13- BFP! EDD 10/24/13, CP 2/19/13
Baby #7: 3/15/13- BFP! EDD 11/27/13, another CP
Baby #8. BFP 5/19/13 EDD 1/22/14. 8 was not our lucky number
4th septum resection on 5/31/13.
Baby #9: 6/29/13 BFP. C section scheduled for March 5th!
My miracle baby was born March 5 at 9:33am. He was 8 lbs 12.5 oz and 21.25 inches long!
We, as in you and your H are both getting cut due to being overweight? Or your H is being cut, and you just decided to attach yourself?
Bottom line is that physical fitness is a part of the package. All service members know their max weight. Once you realize you're getting close, it is time to cut back. If you can't exercise regularly, then you cut back your calories and ditch the big Mac.
The ownership is yours (or your H's), and that is where the blame lies. The military is not to blame for the overweight status. It sucks that it happened, but it is what it is.
I love it when people try and blame the military for their issues when the standard was made known since day one.
BFP #1 11/07/2012 EDD 07/09/2013 M/C 11/22/2012
BFP #2 02/05/2013 EDD 09/19/2013 Arrived via c-section 09/27/2013
This. Put just out of curiosity, aren't you exempt from standards when you are pregnant?
CJ 05/29/2013
That's why I assumed she was writing about her H, but decided to make it a we, instead of he.
Yep.
When my husband graduated from the Naval Academy in 2002 one of his classmates was denied graduation/commission (after 4 years of school/leadership/commitment) because he couldn't pass the 1.5 mile run on the PRT. By less than 10 seconds (he was given a few chances but failed each time by less than 10 seconds).
He was kicked out and forced to enlist to pay back his education (that he didn't get credit for in the form of a USNA diploma). Standards are standards. The military is pretty dang transparent about them.
I agree that it stinks that there is zero retirement benefit for people with 15 years of service. But that is a wholllllllllle different ball of wax.
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens
As PPs have mentioned, you are placing blame in the wrong area. Part of the duty day is doing PT. There is no excuse for not doing it. You should have been viewing it as part of your long work days, and not looking at it as "cutting out early". If you have been in for that long, I can only assume you are in a leadership position. Therefore you should be setting the standard, not making excuses.
All of this! OP, really? You failed to take care of yourself even though you've known the standards for years, and now you're blaming the military.
I'm AD, almost 38 years old, and have been in the military for many years. I'm also in better shape than many 20 year olds who come in. Part of being a leader in the military is leading by example, and this includes leading a healthy, fit lifestyle.
You have no one to blame but yourself.
I 100% agree it's the individuals responsibility but I don't agree they are given time during the work day to do it. Some commands do command PT but that is usually only 2 times a week and NOT all commands do it. When I was AD we had to work out on our own time. My DH's last command had mando PT 2 times a week at 6am IF they didn't have early flight schedules and he often worked 12 hour days. He works out 4 days a week on his own time.
Like I said I agree it's the patron's responsibility but please don't make it sound like the Military gives them time during the workday to do it because that's not always true.
I am too AD and know the limitations with the work day. However the poster stated that they did not want to "cut out early" like the others within their job. The poster made it sound that that was unacceptable and not part of the work day. Bottom line is that the majority of people are in agreeance: it is the individual's responsibility to make weight and pass PT. The military is past the point of being friendly about these topics.
I did read your post, which is why I said we were in agreeance that it was the individual's responsibility. I don't really see what you are arguing about at this time.