Too Fat To Join The Army
How One Recruit Lost the Weight
By Myatt Murphy
There’s an old expression: Shape up or ship out. But for 28-year-old Christy Nicholson, the only way to ship out in the Army as a fresh recruit was to shape up. “My family and close friends always told me that I was just big-boned,” Nicholson admits. “When I went away to college, I didn’t just pack on the usual ‘freshman 15,’ I kept packing on weight each year up until I decided to join the Army.”
Weighing 269 pounds in June 2007, Nicholson knew she would have to lose more than just a few pounds in order to serve. By the time she went to enlist at her local recruiter’s office four months later, she had managed to lose an astounding 57 pounds, but even that wasn’t enough. “When I first walked in, I knew that I would have to drop some weight. I just didn't know how much that would be,” she remembers. Although Nicholson had brought her weight down to 212 pounds, she still had 48 percent body fat and was considered too heavy to enlist.
Nicholson’s story isn’t rare. According to ABC News, one in five military-age Americans is too fat to serve. The military has turned away 48,000 overweight recruits since 2005, more than all the American troops fighting in Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Army, the 5-feet, 8.5-inches tall, 28-year-old Nicholson needed
to be between 168 and 173 pounds. (To see how you would fare, you can visit the Army’s Web site.)
Click the gallery below to learn how Nicholson shed 73 pounds in just six months.
Story continues below the gallery.
Too Fat to Join The Army
Confuse Your Enemy
Instead of sticking with one type of exercise, Nicholson tried as many different activities as possible -- from swimming and running to aerobics classes and calisthenics -- in order to lose the weight. "Some days I would do jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups, while other days, I would run, do crunches and climb hills," she says.
Why it works: Nicholson's approach worked because she was constantly surprising her muscles with new forms of resistance. "Changing things around not only boosts the intensity of your workout, but it makes your body use a different combination of muscle groups throughout the week, which causes it to burn through even more calories for energy," says Dillinger.
Courtesy of Chisty Nicholson, pictured right at her highest weight of 269 lbs.
Clean Up Your Own Mess Hall
To lose body fat fast, Nicholson said goodbye to many of the unhealthy foods she grew up with, which included mostly fried meals, sugary foods and high-carb fare. "I'm a Southerner, so many of the things I needed to avoid were foods that were very near and dear to me," she says. Some other types of food that went by the wayside: soda, sports drinks and large amounts of red and/or fatty meats.
Why it works: "Limiting your intake of fried and fatty foods is an obvious important step, since both are rich in fat, cholesterol and calories," says Heather Dillinger, a certification specialist for the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. "But avoiding sugar and processed carbohydrates in your diet is equally key for losing weight, especially since both raise your insulin levels, triggering your body's desire to store any excess calories you're getting from those types of foods as unwanted body fat."
Courtesy of Christy Nicholson, pictured right.
Draft a New Diet
Replacing all of the unhealthy foods that once filled Nicholson's plate was her next challenge. In addition to adding more salads, fresh fruits and veggies to her diet, Nicholson practiced strict portion control to cut her meals down in size. "Anytime I went out to eat, I would immediately ask for a box to put half of what I ordered in to take home," she says.
Why it works: "Dividing your daily caloric intake into smaller portions throughout the day helps curb binges by keeping you feeling fuller all day long," says Dillinger. It also helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day so your body doesn't release insulin into your bloodstream. "The body's response to an insulin increase is to accumulate as much excess body fat as possible," says Dillinger. That means the bigger your meals are, the more likely your body will convert the bulk of what you eat into fat.
Courtesy of Christy Nicholson, pictured right.
Drop and Give Yourself (at least) Five
Prior to losing the weight, the most exercise Nicholson did on a regular basis was swim once a week. "I really didn't work out much beyond that," she admits. But once she was determined to lose the weight, she leapt into a minimum of exercising five days a week. Eventually, she was doing some form of cardio -- from running and swimming to water aerobics -- every day for at least an hour. "A few times, I even ran around shopping center parking lots, just to get some type of cardio in," she says. "I pretty much went from barely working out to working out all the time with lots of different people, which made it easier."
Why it works: Most people think that exercising just 20 minutes a day, three times a week is the best way to stay fit. "That's a great place to begin, but as you become fitter, it's important to elevate your workouts by spending more time sweating it out," says Dillinger. The truth is, every minute you can spend exercising beyond 20 minutes means you'll lose more weight. "After 20 minutes of exercise, your body runs out of glycogen, the stored carbohydrates your body uses for energy for short periods of exercise," says Dillinger. "Once that source is tapped, your body has no choice but to use more of its body fat for energy as you work out."
Courtesy of Christy Nicholson, pictured left.
Be All You Can Be
Staying motivated every single day was a challenge for Nicholson, but what got her through many of her toughest workouts was clearing out her mind and paying attention to her body instead. "A lot of times, your mind is your biggest enemy," says Nicholson, who figured out that sometimes, it's your "brain" that tells you you're too tired to work out -- and not necessarily your body. "Once I conquered my mind, I was able to push my body to go that extra lap around the track, or take a brisk walk in the afternoon when I would rather be sleeping."
Why it works: Nicholson utilized a version of what many trainers call the "hardest day" rule, where you push yourself to make it through the most difficult day of the week to exercise. To do it, "try planning a workout on your busiest day, then don't miss that workout no matter what," says Dillinger "What this does is give you proof that you can exercise through any obstacle, leaving you more confident and inspired to easily exercise the rest of the week."
Courtesy of Christy Nicholson, who weighed 211 pounds here.
Enlist at Least Eight a Day
To keep herself from drinking any extra calories, Nicholson made it a point to stay hydrated all day long. "I drank a lot of water instead of the usual sugary drinks I used to turn to," she says, a tactic that helped shave plenty of calories from her diet.
Why it works: "Staying hydrated can leave you feeling fuller, lessening your appetite for your next meal," says Dillinger. But drinking a minimum of eight, eight-ounce glasses of 'calorie-free' water a day helps get you get healthy in other ways. "Drinking plenty of water also keeps your digestive system working efficiently," says Dillinger, "This allows your body to absorb more nutrients and process food faster, so you get the most nutritional value from every meal."
Courtesy of Christy Nicholson, on right and down to 204 pounds.
Do Some Covert Exercise
To shave off a few extra pounds, Nicholson thought of ways to turn moments of inactivity into exercise opportunities. "Whenever I'd watch TV, I would always do some sort of exercise in between every commercial break," says Nicholson, who would do a mix of different exercises -- from crunches to sit-ups --between each two to three minute break. "It's something I still find myself doing even when I'm at home or on leave," she admits.
Why it works: Dividing your workout up into smaller chunks can give you a bigger calorie-burning boost. "After you work out, your metabolism stays revved, causing your body to burn more calories than usual for a short period afterwards," says Dillinger, "By splitting your routine in half or into thirds, you'll temporarily rev up your metabolism several times during the day instead of once, so your body burns even more calories during the day from the same workout."
Courtesy of Christy Nicholson, at her enlistment weight of 196 pounds.
Too Fat To Join the Army (continued)
After being rejected, Nicholson was told she couldn’t return for several
months to try to enlist again. That’s when she temporarily had doubts
about whether or not to continue to lose weight and try again. “I sort of
gave up,” she admits. “I felt I had worked so hard to achieve something,
only to be shot down.” Fortunately, a close friend inspired her to stay the
course and reminded her why she was doing it in the first place.
“Being in the Army, or any branch of the military, was just something I had wanted to
do from the time I was eight or nine,” says Nicholson. “And if you want to
do something badly enough, you will do whatever it takes to do it.”
In January 2008, after four more months of training and watching her diet, Nicholson took the Oath of Enlistment weighing in at 196 lbs. “I was
slightly over my max weight, but under the maximum body-fat percentage
for my age,” says Nicholson. (She came in at 33 percent body fat, just 1 percent lower than the Army would allow.) Today, she’s still in shape thanks to the Army, but Nicholson owes more of her new look to her own self-motivated exercise and diet tips.
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SlimSarah09 03:15:35 PM Jun 24 2009
I've already lost 16 pounds in seven weeks by taking ACAI-eez and working out in the mornings on an empty stomach. They have an online special that is not available in stores where you can Buy 3 and get 1 Free at http://www.acai-eez.com . I also recommend reading Body for Life by Bill Phillips. It's a New York Times Best Seller book.
HxCbmx570 06:07:30 PM Jun 22 2009
From the time i joined the Army i was always to heavy for thier standards. I joined at 215 pounds at 5'10. I have been bodybuilding years before the Military.. My body fat % was always within standards but they just couldnt understand how i still managed to weigh so much. I contiuned on lifting througout my term of service at my duty stationed and got up to around 230-240 pounds. As a 11 bravo (Infantryman) my company and platoon always seemed to have a problem with me getting so big.. Everytime i got weighed id have to do a body fat check. I was always under body fat standards but always weighed way more that i should of. I bieleve they said i needed to be around 170 pounds (more like a infantryman should be) lol. I never let that change my thinking of working out or how they think my body should be. I have gotten way more progress out of going to the gym at my duty station than PT in the mornings. I think todays military should be very strict on body fat % standards like they have b
Lethal Toxin8466 11:58:13 AM Jun 22 2009
Haha, Some of your comments are pretty funny saying that the military should accept people overweight like this...If it was the marines in stead of the army they wouldent even take a look.....If you are overweight, you cannot even do the regular PT that is required for recruit training.Military arent going to take people out of shape just because they want to be in the military, especially the marine corps takes the best of the best.And the thing I hate is, most people who join military are only doing it for college money...You want money get a ******* job and stop wasting the spot for someone who actauly wants to be in the military and wants to make a life out of it.And again with the people who hate Bush because people died in Iraq and "bring our troops home"THEY SIGNED THE ******* CONTRACT, they knew that they could be getting shipped out any day.You dont want to take the risk, DONT ******* JOIN THE MILITARY.
Ess1Ess2 07:48:49 AM Jun 21 2009
The military cannot afford to take on overweight people in the hopes to "shed it off in boot camp". It's not that simple. In our current situation, every soldier must be physically ready to do any job. You are a soldier first above all else. Those who cannot meet the physical standards become a liability. You can't just take someone who is out of shape and give them a "desk job" or something. If someone wants to truly show their true "desire and passion" to join the military, let them get into shape BEFORE they attempt to enlist, not on the taxpayer's dime.
BritNStephens 07:42:00 PM Jun 19 2009
I'm in the Air Force and I have to say I Love It!!! =)
Laidbackkev 02:08:46 PM Jun 15 2009
I spent 24 years in the Army, from Vietnam till the end of the 90s. First let me say that the military isn't like working for 7-11 or the parks department, they follow a whole set of different standards and need to be allowed discretion in those areas. Weight is one of them. In my first unit, they had a soldier that was so over weight that he could only fit in a tank through the largest hatch only. I always wondered what would the crew do if they caught on fire, because they couldn't get around him. I saw over the years when units had Post runs, they would always loose one or two to heart attacks because the big guys were made to run. Overweight regulations aren't a discrimination, its a life saver. You can't run to your best ability when the enemy is shooting at you nor when you have to carry ammo and water across a battlefield to your comrades. Just walking 20 miles in the hot Iraqi sun is hard enough, but to be overweight and do the same thing will bring you to your knees. Does the
Kiddanplay 01:27:30 PM Jun 15 2009
HisRavynBeauty- they're turning valuable people away who just barely miss the mark. Jsut my opinion.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------incase you didnt read the article she didnt miss it just by a mark she missed it by alot of marks as most people do...1 percent of body fat is roughly 3-5 lbs its not that hard to lose honestly it really is just a change of habbits thats it
Kiddanplay 01:22:43 PM Jun 15 2009
i spent my fair share of time in the army and i will say at 6'1 i always weighed 210-215 lbs never once did i pass the army weight standards there is a diffrent between weight and BODY FAT the weight for my height was 195 lbs MAX and my body fat allowance was 22% i was always around 10% but i never once stood on the scale and passed the weight standards i do not agree with them either TO AN EXTENT...the Army regulation that covers weight management has not been re-written in MANY years since the 80's i believe and i feel it does need a slim revamping ...in any case kudos to her for keeping with the army values and pushing herself to lose the weight to actually serve as she wanted atleast she did it which is more then can be said for most americans in that situation which is sad
Jonnital70 01:21:35 PM Jun 15 2009
DevilDog0311Usmc 11:23:06 PM Jun 11 2009 Report This! In my opinion women have no business joining the Army or the Marines. They are just wasting tax payers money. They can't serve on the front lines so why bother . Our idiot politicians are to blame for women in the military and equal rights, .. Combat is a men world not for panties. U.S. Marine. P/S don't get me wrong, i love women but only in bed.***********************************************************************************And with your incredibly great outlook/attitude, I doubt you see many there.
HisRavynBeauty 01:14:50 PM Jun 15 2009
Wouldn't our military being doing a better service to our country, especially in these times of reduced recruitment, to accept people like Christy the first time around. You can't tell me she wouldn't have shed those pounds in boot camp! I applaud her for having the desire and passion to go after her dream, and perhaps that's the best way for her to learn that lesson. However, I think the military should seriously consider stop complaining about recruitment rates when they're turning valuable people away who just barely miss the mark. Jsut my opinion.
