Underweight on R-Day

AMI123

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
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Mar 18, 2009
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What happens if u report to R-Day under the minimum weight requirements. Will they have to issue a waiver?
 
I got a letter saying "You have until April 15, 2010 to conform to the body fat standards outlined in Table 2-1 and 2-2 AR 40-501. Failure to meet the standards... will result in disqualification..." So I think if you are in danger they let you know.

Minimum weight is a BMI of 19. Max is ~27 BMI. (both for males atleast)
 
there are ways to make weight!!

10 (PB + Jelly + Banana) Sandwhichs every 24 hours. Do that for a week and you will put on weight! Trust me :)
 
I'm not a nutritionist but have faced this with our guy over the past 3-4 years. He has the metabolism of a humming bird! Personally I'm a bit of a natural food fanatic and don't believe in "weight gain" supplements, as evidenced by the various scandals in professional sports. First, I would go to the family doctor or contact a nutritionist. If that is not possible, my advice is to drop any of the easy-to get, high calorie snacks such as chips, candy, soft drinks, etc., as they quell the appetite and you might not be hungry for meals. As your stomach is probably not large enough to contain huge meals, go to a 4 or 5 "meal" a day plan. The 4th meal is the after-school snack and the 5th meal is later in the evening about 8 or 9 o'clock. Make that a loaded PB & J like "croc" suggested, a cheese, meat or tuna sandwich is high calorie, or heat up the left-overs from dinner, make home-made shakes with vanilla yogurt or a couple of spoons of instant pudding hidden by the chocolate sauce with the meals you can. Now this is a little longer-term plan that might take longer than 6 weeks plus I don't know how much below the mark you are.
 
Son got the same letter as BAJohnson. Had to have the school nurse verify weight and BMI stats. He sent it in to USMA a few weeks ago as he has worked hard for a few months gaining muscle mass. I am interested to see what happens if he slips below the standard during BEAST. He is playing lacrosse, now until June, and is probably going to stay at current weight or lose a few.
 
You want to take this seriously. If you are underweight on R-Day either they can send you home for failing the physical or they will keep you and put you on a high calorie diet and watch you carefully. This will be the call of the examining physician.

If you are underweight three months from R-Day then you really need to contact admissions and let them know - they can give you some very good advice. I know a young woman who was helped a great deal by her admissions officer. You really need to take some proactive steps now to ensure that you will meet the weight standards.

I understand (and the Army understands) that some people are just naturally skinny. However, some people have eating disorders. Falling outside the height/weight can be a symptom of an eating disorder and you may need to prove that you do not have one.
Developing an eating disorder while a cadet can get you a medical discharge. IMO - females who are underweight run a greater chance of being flagged as having an eating disorder.
The other more obvious situation is that showing up for R-Day underweight is unhealthy. Many New Cadets lose weight and undergoing prolonged strenuous activity. Those who are underweight are at a greater risk of developing health problems - i.e. heat exhaustion or even heat stroke - which will get you discharged.
 
Gaining weight is easy for some, hard for others. I know what its like to have difficulty gaining weight. It's a long process, get in touch with a nutrionist now, who knows what you need to do. That is not something you want to fool around with. Its taken me 3 months to put on 3 pounds eating 5k cals a day.
 
I got a letter saying "You have until April 15, 2010 to conform to the body fat standards outlined in Table 2-1 and 2-2 AR 40-501. Failure to meet the standards... will result in disqualification..." So I think if you are in danger they let you know.

Minimum weight is a BMI of 19. Max is ~27 BMI. (both for males atleast)
nvm... no longer confused :)
 
Lift weights as well as changing diet. Its hard to add a lot of bulk with bodyweight exercises like pushups. You can put on a lot of weight by building muscle mass.
 
Weight Charts

With letter and form for school nurse to complete by April 15th was 2 different weight charts. The minimum weights are different by 10lbs. After research I discovered that the chart for the lower required weight is for Initial Accession (Joining Up) and the other is for enlisted. Does anyone know which requirment needs to be met by April 15th?
 
You want to take this seriously. If you are underweight on R-Day either they can send you home for failing the physical or they will keep you and put you on a high calorie diet and watch you carefully. This will be the call of the examining physician.
What a scary thought...I have a lot of trouble gaining weight (been 128 lbs for much of the past year). Do you or anyone else have like a chart for minimum weight requirements for the different heights?

I bench 3x a week so hopefully that will help :\
 
Here is one:
http://www.apft-standards.com/

If you are close then check with admissions, they can tell you the exact standards.

If you are low on weight, don't be afraid to put on some body fat. Bench pressing is nice but will build muscle. During Beast when you are losing weight you want it to be fat not muscle. Eat high calorically dense foods, often.
 
Yeah the PB+J idea is a good one because it is easy, cheap, the pb is high in calories, and most people don't mind the taste. One of my buddies on the football team was being recruited to a DI school, but their coach wanted him to get bigger. Our Coach would give him a PB+J before and after practice and not let him leave till he finished it.

Also eat one upon waking up and before going to bed
 
You want to take this seriously. If you are underweight on R-Day either they can send you home for failing the physical or they will keep you and put you on a high calorie diet and watch you carefully. This will be the call of the examining physician.
What a scary thought...I have a lot of trouble gaining weight (been 128 lbs for much of the past year). Do you or anyone else have like a chart for minimum weight requirements for the different heights?

I bench 3x a week so hopefully that will help :\

Well, benching is definitely not the thing you should be doing if you want to gain weight. Do you really think you chest is going to gain more than 5 lbs of muscle? You should A. Eat, eat, and eat some more. and B. Work on the large muscle groups. Butt-Thighs (squats, weighted lunges etc.), Back (Rows, weighted pull ups). Lifting regularly along with a high calorie-protein diet should easily put you over the minimums).
 
Peanut butter - yes. It is fat and protein. Eat it out of the jar. Seriously, buy a big jar and just eat it while studying, watching TV, whatever. New Cadets have been known to eat it out of the jar at meals during the summer.
 
You’re responding to a thread ten years old.

Google Army height/weight standards. Cadets are held to the same standards as big Army.

I will say being underweight, if that’s the concern, isn’t as much of a concern as being overweight. I say this as someone who showed up to school 5’11” and 135. The height/weight table is a screener. If you don’t fall inside the min/max weight, then further action is taken. Overweight, you’re taped to make sure your BMI is within standards. Underweight, the command may refer you to a nutritionist if there’s concern there’s an underlying condition that might need addressing but can also take no action if it’s deemed all is healthy and you’re just skinny.
 
Caloric Surplus (300-600+), Weight Training, and Progressive Overload had me gaining 20lbs in 6-8 months
 
Once at the dept store ds was buying dress pants. I asked the sales man The 32s are too big but there aren't any 30s what do you recommend?
He said Feed Him. 😄
 
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