Posted on Dec 13, 2015
So I have a soldier who is overweight and wants to get squared away. I have heard of fat camp, but does this really exist?
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Army Reserve
Army Reserve
Posted 9 y ago
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SGT (Join to see), yes, fat camp exists and you are in charge of it SGT, especially for this Soldier of yours! Your Soldier is a reflection of you, and sounds like this Soldiers is motivated - keep pushing, this is an easy win, but you have to invest the time and get rid of the cakes and pies! You've done the hard part in instilling a sense of pride (wanting to improve), now you have to lead by example and follow up.
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1LT (Join to see)
Best response ever SGT MAJOR! "yes, fat camp exists and you are in charge of it SGT".
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SPC (Join to see)
This is awesome. I know a lot of Soldiers struggle with their weight. I did for a long time and still do. It's great to see that some leadership actually steps up and helps the Soldier out. That's a great example of great leadership SGT Hudson!!!! I wish leadership at my location would follow suit on that information.
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Wanting to get squared away is the first step. Rock on!
A couple suggestions rather than looking at "fat camp."
1) Height/Weight is all about MATH. It's a super simple equation, but a lot of folks don't get it. Basically, your body is burning Energy (calories), and you have to eat food to support that. Food is Fuel. Go into a Deficit (less calories than you Burn) and you lose weight. Go into a Surplus (more calories than you Burn), and you gain weight. If you can teach him this #1 rule, he's on the "right path."
2) There are "tricks" to ASSIST getting him back in regs. These are SHORT TERM solutions to LONG TERM PROBLEMS (See #1).
a) Cut out all Fast Food. No McDonalds. No Taco Bell. No Pizza. If you can't get it at the chow hall or make it on a stove, don't eat it.
b) No Sodas, or Drinks that have sugars. These are "Empty Calories." The average Soda (12oz) has 200-250 calories. That's 1/10 of your daily intake of food and 1/3 of what you need for Carbohydrates. They pack on weight. Stop drinking them.
c) No Alcohol. If your body is processing alcohol, it's not burning Fat. It's Either/Or. Also, many Alcohols have sugar in them. It's like drinking bread.
d) Cut salt intake as much as you can. Salt retains water.
e) Develop a Meal Plan, and sit down with him and eat it. PM if you need help. But trim the carbs, and bump the protein/fat. This is a SHORT TERM SOLUTION. The goal is to burn off a lot of WATER WEIGHT quickly (See d), which makes it easier to exercise, which in turn makes it easier to burn fat. (See Atkins' Diet)
3) Exercise plan. Exercise has a lot of great benefits. Generally speaking however weight loss is not one of them. The majority of weight loss is going to come from diet/nutrition. Exercise (energy consumption) provides benefits, but it also triggers hunger response so be wary of that, and overeating.
Every mile ran/walked is about 100~ calories burned. Every POUND of fat is 3500 calories. That means you need 35 miles per pound of fat, or 5/day (average week) INCREASED activity. Just be aware of this. So, use exercise to SUPPLEMENT the NUTRITION portion. It's to HELP diet, which is what is really going to drop the weight.
A couple suggestions rather than looking at "fat camp."
1) Height/Weight is all about MATH. It's a super simple equation, but a lot of folks don't get it. Basically, your body is burning Energy (calories), and you have to eat food to support that. Food is Fuel. Go into a Deficit (less calories than you Burn) and you lose weight. Go into a Surplus (more calories than you Burn), and you gain weight. If you can teach him this #1 rule, he's on the "right path."
2) There are "tricks" to ASSIST getting him back in regs. These are SHORT TERM solutions to LONG TERM PROBLEMS (See #1).
a) Cut out all Fast Food. No McDonalds. No Taco Bell. No Pizza. If you can't get it at the chow hall or make it on a stove, don't eat it.
b) No Sodas, or Drinks that have sugars. These are "Empty Calories." The average Soda (12oz) has 200-250 calories. That's 1/10 of your daily intake of food and 1/3 of what you need for Carbohydrates. They pack on weight. Stop drinking them.
c) No Alcohol. If your body is processing alcohol, it's not burning Fat. It's Either/Or. Also, many Alcohols have sugar in them. It's like drinking bread.
d) Cut salt intake as much as you can. Salt retains water.
e) Develop a Meal Plan, and sit down with him and eat it. PM if you need help. But trim the carbs, and bump the protein/fat. This is a SHORT TERM SOLUTION. The goal is to burn off a lot of WATER WEIGHT quickly (See d), which makes it easier to exercise, which in turn makes it easier to burn fat. (See Atkins' Diet)
3) Exercise plan. Exercise has a lot of great benefits. Generally speaking however weight loss is not one of them. The majority of weight loss is going to come from diet/nutrition. Exercise (energy consumption) provides benefits, but it also triggers hunger response so be wary of that, and overeating.
Every mile ran/walked is about 100~ calories burned. Every POUND of fat is 3500 calories. That means you need 35 miles per pound of fat, or 5/day (average week) INCREASED activity. Just be aware of this. So, use exercise to SUPPLEMENT the NUTRITION portion. It's to HELP diet, which is what is really going to drop the weight.
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COL (Join to see)
All great points. however, the math doesn't work if the individual has metabolism challenges. Mine ended up being a non-functioning thyroid, which meant there was low to no metabolism. Also, as individuals reduce calories, the body reduces metabolism, like hibernation. So, for 'normal' people, there has to be a balance of intake, usually above 1800 calories and activity and 7-9 hours of sleep. But, again, there are many variables to consider and these are just general guidelines for most people.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
COL (Join to see) - Absolutely, but we have to look at the General Population. Usually when someone is flagged for Height/Weight (at least in the USMC), the first thing we do is send them to medical and check for things like Thyroid just to rule out medical.
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COL (Join to see)
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS - Unfortunately, the majority of the general population is ineligible for entry for one of many reasons. Weight is a big one but not the only one.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
COL (Join to see) - I meant gen pop of Service, as opposed to gen pop at large.
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No fat camp exists. Some Commanders have setup short physical fitness programs to help fix soldiers.
Bottom line is that soldier needs individual nutrition counseling and a buddy to assist in the DFAC and PT 6 days a week until they meet the standards.
Bottom line is that soldier needs individual nutrition counseling and a buddy to assist in the DFAC and PT 6 days a week until they meet the standards.
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SFC (Join to see)
School: 1023 Location: 90 SOUTH 10TH AVENUE, FT MCCOY, WI
Course: 964-FITP Phase:
Course Title: FITNESS IMPROVEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
Academic Hours: 60 DL Academic Hours: 0
Military Career Development Crs Completion (Resident): EOX - FITNESS IMPROVEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
Military Career Development Crs Completion (DL):
TAILORED PERSONAL FITNESS PROGRAM INCLUDING COUNSELING, PERSONAL HEALTH PROFILEDIETARY AND SAFETY ISSUES. COURSE IS CONDUCTED BY MASTER FITNESS TRAINERS AND SUPPORTS UNIT REQUIRED ACTIONS FOR APFT FAILURES. CAN BE ATTENDED AS OFTEN AS DIRECTED BY THE COMMANDER. ALL PHYSICAL FITNESS TRAINING WILL BE CONDUCTED IAW FM 21-20
Course: 964-FITP Phase:
Course Title: FITNESS IMPROVEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
Academic Hours: 60 DL Academic Hours: 0
Military Career Development Crs Completion (Resident): EOX - FITNESS IMPROVEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
Military Career Development Crs Completion (DL):
TAILORED PERSONAL FITNESS PROGRAM INCLUDING COUNSELING, PERSONAL HEALTH PROFILEDIETARY AND SAFETY ISSUES. COURSE IS CONDUCTED BY MASTER FITNESS TRAINERS AND SUPPORTS UNIT REQUIRED ACTIONS FOR APFT FAILURES. CAN BE ATTENDED AS OFTEN AS DIRECTED BY THE COMMANDER. ALL PHYSICAL FITNESS TRAINING WILL BE CONDUCTED IAW FM 21-20
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SGT (Join to see)
I greatly appreciate all the reponses received from my question, all have been helpful and SFC Charles Williams thumbs up on the Fitness IMprovement Program.
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SFC (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) - My personal opinion is that we owe our Soldiers more than telling them to stop eating, run harder, if I can do you can do it, and why can’t you be like Johnny attitude. We don’t throw a HMMWV away if it has a flat tire or a busted radiator we fix it. I am not implying that Soldiers should be treated like equipment I am just saying why we give more time in effort into that HMMWV than the Soldier. I also think that with so many Soldiers facing this problem it might be more than an individual issue. I do thing the Army has gone away from physical activities a bit more field time is needed for every Soldier. The problem is which way we are going to go in the future. We can go the route of just keep kicking Soldiers out until we find the ones who fit the mold or we can invest time into the ones that are here. If we just kick Soldiers out continuously without really addressing the problem it creates two issues. One it will bring down morale because besides working with a Soldier the Command team may opt to see if they can get a better one to take their place without working with the Soldier properly. Problem two it really doesn’t solve the Soldiers problem which may end up at the VA with greater issues. We can also go a different route learning what the overall issue is then seek solution to help the present Soldier and future Soldiers it must be combination of the old guard and new privates to move us forward. These are my opinions and do not reflect on any of the Army’s Policies. I don’t want to lose any Soldier who wants to serve next to me they are valuable to my team. I tell my Soldiers I don’t want them to just pass the PT test I want them to be healthy and as a result of being health they pass the PT test.
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