On Mon, 18 Aug 2008, wrote:
>On Fri, 15 Aug 2008, Amy wrote:
>
>>Before you take any BMI related advice from TM, please note how he
>>instructs people on how to measure BMI. His words:
>
>The section you quoted, I paraphrased a story on US Army procedure, that
>someone else posted, in a flame war with a group retard. That's US Army
>procedure, as stated in the story, on accepting new people. If you don't
>like it, bitch at your local recruiter office, not to me.
>
>For the record, the story clearly said that...
>1) They look your weight and height up on a chart, to see if you fall
>within the OK range.
>2) If not, they take physical measurements of your body, and calculate BMI
>that way.
>3) If you are still too high, they give you a physical exercise test. If
>you pass, you are accepted, on the condition that you drop enough pounds
>to pass either step 2 or step 1.
>
>Again, if you don't like it, bitch at the original author of the story,
>the person who posted it, or the US Army. I am none of the above.
You are either lying or stupid. Which is it? Here's the original article.
Google is not your friend.
http://www.slate.com/id/2189692/?GT1=3D38001
Fat Soldiers
What's the Army's policy on overweight recruits?
By Jacob Leibenluft
Posted Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 6:54 PM ET
In an effort to meet its recruitment targets, the Army has begun granting
more waivers to people who would otherwise be ineligible to serve—including
overweight recruits. What's the Army policy on fat people?
They're not particularly welcome. The Army's basic recruitment standard is
linked to a candidate's body-fat percentage, measured (PDF) by an equation
involving height and the circumferences of the abdomen, neck, and—for
women—hips. If they're 27 years old or younger, men must have a body-fat
percentage below 26 percent, while women must be below 32 percent.
Typically, however, recruits are first judged against a table that lists an
appropriate weight for any given height. The upper limits on the Army's
weight table are slightly more lenient than the definition of "overweight"
provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: For example, a
21-year-old male recruit who is 5 foot 10 and weighs 190 pounds would be a
bit overweight under CDC guidelines but not above the Army's weight
maximum. (You can also be too skinny to be recruited—the minimum body-mass
index (PDF) is 19.) If candidates pass muster according to the table, they
don't need to go through a body-fat measurement.
Because of increasing obesity rates in the United States, the Army's
standards now disqualify a large percentage of the population. A study
conducted by Army researchers found that 27.1 percent of the 18-year-olds
who applied to join the military in 2006 were overweight—up from 22.8
percent in 1993. Weight is by far the most common medical reason why
potential recruits are rejected from serving. And while prospective
enlistees can try to make weight before their official screening—often with
the support of eager recruiters—the pool of eligible young adults remains
smaller than the Army would like.
As a result, the Army has tried to find ways to admit recruits who fall
outside the typical boundaries but are still likely to succeed in the
service. In particular, the Assessment of Recruit Motivation and
Strength—known as ARMS—has become a source of automatic waivers for
recruits with a body-fat percentage up to 30 percent for men and 36 percent
for women. The ARMS process requires participants to complete a five-minute
modified "Harvard step" test—which involves stepping onto a low platform
120 times per minute. After that, applicants must do a certain number of
pushups in one minute—at least 15 for men and four for women. Applicants
who qualify through the ARMS test get a free pass on being overweight, but
they do have to get themselves in shape within a year of entering active
duty. Early research suggests that recruits who get ARMS waivers have
attrition rates similar to enlistees who enter the Army without a waiver.
Once a recruit makes weight, he's expected to stay slim. At a minimum, Army
personnel are required to take a physical-fitness test every six months,
which includes a weight screening. If a soldier is above the maximum
body-fat percentage (PDF) for his age, he must take part in a "weight
control" program that includes a workout regimen and nutritional
counseling. While under an "overweight flag," soldiers can't attend a
professional military school, be promoted, or even re-enlist.
And yes, you can eat yourself out of the Army: If you don't eventually make
satisfactory progress after being placed in the weight-control program, a
commander can initiate "separation proceedings" leading to an eventual
discharge.
Re: BMI (Body Mass Index) 
Linear Mode
