My recruiter is telling me he will mark me as 'not committed' for not losing weight and terminate my enlistment. is this a real thing?

2018-01-18T12:14:51-05:00

I am trying to enlist in the army, and have all of my paperwork for my med-read done as of a week ago. It has been around 3 months since I FIRST entered the office, at which point i was told I was 15 pounds overweight. The recruiter is now telling me that if I don't lose enough weight he will mark me as 'not committed' and terminate my enlistment. Is this true? Should I go to another recruiter?

Response by Austin Kasper made Jan 18 at 2018 12:15 PM

2018-01-18T12:15:52-05:00

Forgot to mention, I told him I am still working on my weight loss

- Austin Kasper

Response by SFC Anthony Shaffer made Jan 18 at 2018 12:28 PM

2018-01-18T12:28:14-05:00

Actually at this point you are still classified as an “applicant”, you are not officially “enlisted”. That being said, your med reads are pretty much worthless if you do not meet the MEPS BMI standards. As for working with your recruiter for the past three months, he does not the the time to be contstantly focusing on you. He has to find, process, and enlist others to help meet his centers mission. So once you safely meet BMI standards he will focus on your next processing steps.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2018 12:48 PM

2018-01-18T12:48:59-05:00

Austin Kasper How much weight have you lost in the last three months, and how committed have you been to losing this weight? You do not need another recruiter, you need to lose the weight.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jan 18 at 2018 1:19 PM

2018-01-18T13:19:24-05:00

I see no harm in finding another recruiter. If that one tells you the same thing, you have your answer.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Jan 18 at 2018 1:24 PM

2018-01-18T13:24:30-05:00

Austin Kasper Perhaps what the recruiter said was legitimate; perhaps it was about motivating you. Can't say. I was never a recruiter, so I can't give the definitive answer, but there are standards for all Army recruiters to follow, so I don't know if seeing another recruiter will help much. Heck, if you were of a mind to look at a different service branch hoping for a better answer, regardless of which, rest assured height and weight standards WILL count, even if the acceptable levels may vary from one branch to the next.

So, what help is the above statement to you? Well...

First remember, you are far from alone. The number of potential recruits seems to shrink more and more as American waistlines grow and grow. What matters is what you're willing to DO to separate yourself from the crowd in order to serve your country if that is still what you want.

Perhaps step back from the recruitment process--for a little while--and work on the lifestyle changes you need in order to enlist. That is NOT quitting! Its refocusing.

I won't bullshit you, depending on your genetics and commitment level, change may not be easy, and if it aint, you'll need to dig down deep to achieve your (reasonable) goals. Focus on diet and exercise-I'm sure you already are. Make your diet and exercise changes sensible NOT sensational! Remember, fads, crash diets, and the latest exercise trend may not help you--hell, it may hurt you!--over the long term! More fruits, veggies, running (my head Drill Sergeant used to say "we are a runnin' Army!"), and resistance training. There's no mystery to it.

If you get to a point where you meet enlistment standards, remember, that's only the beginning, so focus on the long term. Don't worry much about Basic; if you enter in good shape, your Drills will keep you there. After that though, you're health is once again in your hands.

Good luck!

Response by GySgt Charles O'Connell made Jan 18 at 2018 1:50 PM

2018-01-18T13:50:59-05:00

Loose the weight.

Response by LCpl Shane Couch made Jan 18 at 2018 2:31 PM

2018-01-18T14:31:55-05:00

Austin Kasper 15lbs is not hard to lose with the proper help from your recruiter. Once you sign your papers and swear in, you have up to 12 months to begin basic training. At least in the late 90s this was the case. In order for me to pass weight at MEPS, I had to drop from 420lbs to 315lbs. And then from there, I had to drop from 315lbs to 235lbs upon arrival to bootcamp. I did this last bit of dropping weight in less than 7 months.

Without knowing your story, I can kinda see his side of the fence. Again, 15lbs is not that hard to lose; unless its all muscle and your BMI is spot on. Were you told 3 months ago that you need to lose 15lbs? If you are not showing any improvement simply for lack of trying this could be very possible.

I suggest showing up every morning or afternoon in PT gear and ask for your recruiters guidance. This I am certain will change his mind on your commitment.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2018 2:48 PM

2018-01-18T14:48:24-05:00

I commend you for going through the processes, but I feel this won't solve your problem by going to "another recruiter". Each recruiter follows the same Army Standard for recruitment, do some bend the rules here and there, yes, but those are exceptions to that rule. I'll be completely honest with you, IF you even lose the required weight and get into Basic, what will stop you from putting that weight right back on once you reach your first assignment? (Assuming you pass Basic/AIT). I recommend you follow through with changing your eating habits first and foremost. Being in the Military is a life-style adjustment, and if you aren't practicing eating healthy now, it's going to be difficult for you once you finally do manage to get in, and end up getting flagged and/or chaptered because you failed to meet the Army Body Composition Standards. Believe me, I am not trying to discourage you, but am trying to offer you real-life advice. If you are in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. It's not magic, it's science. Calories in vs calories out. You do not lose weight inside the gym, you lose it in the kitchen. Good luck and I hope you meet your goals!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2018 8:36 PM

2018-01-18T20:36:15-05:00

Actual, current recruiter here, not going to tell you about how it was in the 90s.

Look. Your recruiter is absolutely right. If you can't manage to lose 15 pounds in 3 months, which can easily be done in one month. Yes, you can easily be terminated, and he simply won't waste any more time on you. Because if you can't drop that, you're not committed, and he can focus his time on someone who actually is.

It's very, very frustrating to put in a lot of time and energy to someone who won't come close to matching it.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Jan 18 at 2018 8:40 PM

2018-01-18T20:40:02-05:00

Ok 1. The standard is the standard military wide. 2. Army will invest about $250k in your Basic/AIT training. 3. Money is tight, with little room to waste. 4. Almost 80% of our youth can't qualify for the service. 5. It's not the Army's responsibility to have you at the weight standard, it's yours. 6. You have had 90 days to start losing the weight and have failed. 7. YOU DO NOT MEET THE STANDARD SO YES, THE RECRUITER AND EVERY RECRUITER CAN REFUSE TO WASTE THE ARMY'S TIME AND MONEY ON YOU!

Response by SFC Anthony Shaffer made Jan 19 at 2018 12:12 AM

2018-01-19T00:12:00-05:00

Be very careful giving diet advice unless you are a certified dietitian. It can actually be dangerous to loose too much weight too fast. And fast weight fluctuation can swing the other way just as fast and can mess with healthy metabolic functions.

Response by CPO Nate S. made Jan 19 at 2018 12:32 AM

2018-01-19T00:32:31-05:00

Bottom line, fitness is critical to military readiness. I have been working a researchers who confirms that those who need to lose weight in order to join service are at higher risk of injury and have a greater risk complying with fitness standards, thus impact readiness to serve.

If you are serious about serving get fit! The military spends a lot of tax payer money working to maintain fitness. Your military comrades must be able to trust you to be fit, their lives might depend on your fitness.

In all honesty, I have been > 20 yrs, but I served a corpsman with marines, and my ability to fit was critical. Think about how important serving is to you. If you serious, be serious about your fitness.

Response by Sgt Dale Briggs made Jan 22 at 2018 1:58 PM

2018-01-22T13:58:37-05:00

Why would they take you if your overweight ? It’s not safe in the first place and second it / you might slow down other recruites training. They try to reduce risk .

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2018 8:40 AM

2018-01-23T08:40:44-05:00

Sound like you need to lose some weight Austin, if the military is truly what you want. That sacrifice is miniscule compared to the ones you WILL have to make once/if you enter service.

Response by SPC Patricia K. (Williams) Elliott made May 3 at 2019 5:46 PM

2019-05-03T17:46:24-04:00

Yes it is true and going to another recruiter will accomplish nothing. Commit to loosing the weight ! I've always had a weight problem and sure enough when trying to enlist back in 1974, I was overweight and given the chance to loose the 20 lbs to finish the enlistment. I did and enlisted and was in for 11 years. Best decision I ever made!!!