[Back]

Army Weight Control: Keeping Soldiers Always Physically Fit and Combat-Ready



Obesity has become an epidemic across the United States and other countries. To remedy this, there has been an influx of different weight loss programs in the industry aiming to help individuals suffering from obesity or being overweight. In the military service, being overweight is a big no-no!

Even extra little fat is not tolerated, that is why soldiers have to be very careful with their physical care. As what they say, a fit army is a combat-ready army. So, for the reason of keeping every military man healthy and fit, a program called, army weight control, is formulated to help maintain weight those who have excess body fat, or are overweight.

What is the objective of army weight control program?

The primary objective why this program was formulated is to ensure all military personnel and soldiers control their weight. This is very important so they would be able to meet physical demands, which are required of them especially when under duties of combat conditions. The secondary objective is all for appearance. The program aims to present each soldier in their best military appearance or look at all times.

The program is also promoted to avoid military personnel from being sanctioned with limitations, which include non-promotable, not given authorization to attend civilian or any professional military schooling, and not being assigned to any command positions, when they are overweight or have excess body fats.

How does an army qualify for the program?

As soon as the soldier is found guilty of such body condition, he is automatically made a candidate to undergo with the program. Basically, there are two ways how to determine if a soldier is a candidate. All soldiers are measured in terms of their weight and height using a standard screening table weight. If the weight of a certain soldier exceeds body fat standard, he is going to be given notification or recommendation letter stating the need to undergo army weight program to correct the problem.

Unlike civilian citizens, an army is considered overweight already when his percent body fat reaches more than what is stated in the standard screening table weight. However, in such condition when a unit commander decides a soldier looks his body fat is excessive, the former may automatically recommend him to undergo the same program.

There are reasons why the service has to be strict in implementing this program. Needless to say, soldiers or any others who are in the military service are supposedly the image of strong and at all times combat-ready individuals. Therefore, the concern with which arising from excess body fat is strongly advocated is to primarily avoid the representation of lack of personal discipline, lack of proper military appearance, and poor physical fitness, stamina, and state of health.

An army candidate for weight control program starts undergoing the training the day he has been informed by his unit commander or the day when he has been enrolled. During the program, an army is expected to be measured monthly to track his body fat changes. The circumference sites to be measured include neck and abdomen for male soldiers, and neck, wrist, largest part of the buttock, and forearm for female soldiers. A tape test is conducted through the use of non-stretchable material, mostly made of fiberglass and administered by two persons.