Too Fat =(

bjd020694

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
3
I would like to think that I am academically qualified for the NA. Of course everyone here would like to think that, and honestly I could be smarter, but there is a major issue I need resolved.

I am obese.

I weigh 245 pounds and am 5'10". I can meet the run time, the pushups and situps, and can do about 6 pullups.

But I'm still fat.

I am willing to lose the weight, but by April I want to be able to go to the Seminar. Is there any hope? I've been trying on-and-off for the past year but the amount of time left only really hit me today.

If there is hope, what should I do to lose the most fat?
 
Getting down on yourself won’t help! Just make a conscious effort to eat better. Have fruit as a snack, all that stuff you have heard your whole life probably. A few studies have shown drinking a few glasses of cold water a day burns fat, also it means you aren’t drinking things like Starbucks’ lattes. Remember though, it will just help a tiny bit, it is mostly about running, and eating right. Protein shakes aren’t good for losing weight at all by the way, things like eggs are. There is still tons of time, if you try hard enough it's definitely doable. Good luck!
 
If you are serious about becoming healthy,hire a personal trainer. It will not be cheap,my dad is one so I know, but the investment will be worth it. Even if your educational goals change you will still be more fit and healthier! But remember, your trainer can't control your diet. That must all come from you and your commitment.
 
Please make sure that any dietary changes you make are healthy lifestyle changes. IOW, this is not the time for crash dieting, etc.

I suggest that you see your school's dietician to put together a list of foods/serving sizes and so forth that will help you to gradually lose weight. You might also want to have a discussion with your family to enlist their help. For instance, you might be able to get them to agree not to have junk food in the house, or at least to decrease what's there. Moderating your eating habits, in conjunction with lots of aerobic exercise, will allow you to see real improvement pretty quickly.

May I also suggest that you find a support group. It might be your family, or possibly friends (some of whom might also want to lose weight), or it could even be a group like Al-a teen. Many of us here on this site will also be glad to provide encouragement over the coming months. Whether you ever attend a service academy or not, adopting healthy lifestyle is a worthwhile goal. Good luck to you!
 
I agree with futureAFA. Getting down on yourself isnt going to help.
I was the complete opposite, I used to be 5'5'', 105 lbs, and no muscle. Couldnt perform 20 pushups, forget about a pullup.
So me and my friends would workout every friday, didnt even have to be a routine thing (though in hindsight I'd reccomend monday, tuesday, friday workouts).
Within that year, I was 5'6ish, 125 lbs, and could max a PFT minus the run. We continued workouts, and now, I'm even stronger with respect to weight lifting (varsity, and hopefully going to state this year :))
I know it seems like a big jump between the running, but if you're obese, the best thing you could do is maintain a balanced diet (lots of water) and then run. And the third best thing? Bring friends.
At USNA, noone expects you to do it alone, you'll have your friends/squad with you. Why not start now?
 
Another idea I do sometimes is I will use running as a punishment kind of. If I am studying I will have somebody quiz me, and I say I will run 100m for every thing I get wrong. This may not work for you, but the point is make running and working out less mundane by making it into a game, or a punishment. It served me as encouragement to study, and I got in better shape.
 
the best thing you can do is start! now! you need to eat - but make each calorie be a nutrient that your body needs. keep a food diary so you can see what your issues are. exercise 5 - 6 days a week. frankly - using the candidate fitness assesment as your workout is a great way to train. you get cardio; strength; and if you take little time to rest between events you will be getting quite the workout. you can get help from a personal trainer;or a nutritionist - many medical plans will cover consultations with a nutritionist. exercise will help but nutrition is 75% of the equation. Educate yourself on what you need to eat to be healthy. a real simple site that is a great place to start is mypyramid.gov. just be careful of any professional that pushes alot of supplements/shakes that you have to purchase thru them. Explore the idea of Clean Eating. if you have a bad day or a bad meal; don't beat your self up - analyze what happened, learn from it, put it behind you and move on. let us know your progress!
 
With commitment and follow-thru, losing significant weight in 4-6 months in an entirely healthy way is totally doable. Look @ Phillips "Eating for Life" or another good health cookbook. Engage your mom in a partnership. Eat small protein/carb balanced meals 5-6X/day. And exercise 4-5X/week. This is not easy, but not difficult ...IF you really want to do this. And do it in a timely, totally healthy way.
 
Can you play football?

The Navy football roster includes about 45 Midshipmen who do not meet the standard Naval Academy weight standards (including a 5'10" 230 lb plebe and a 6'0" 300 lb plebe) so apparently being overweight isn't taken too seriously if you are a football player. They are given a "special" category to remain competitive in D1 athletics (COMDTMIDNINST 6110.2C).
 
Can you play football?

The Navy football roster includes about 45 Midshipmen who do not meet the standard Naval Academy weight standards (including a 5'10" 230 lb plebe and a 6'0" 300 lb plebe) so apparently being overweight isn't taken too seriously if you are a football player. They are given a "special" category to remain competitive in D1 athletics (COMDTMIDNINST 6110.2C).

My understanding is they get just a few months after their "championship season" to meet the requirement. Sounds like they're on a yo-yo which is not healthy. Then again, it may just be that they have to meet it only after their Sr. season. The instruction doesn't go into it specifically.
 
Can you play football?

The Navy football roster includes about 45 Midshipmen who do not meet the standard Naval Academy weight standards (including a 5'10" 230 lb plebe and a 6'0" 300 lb plebe) so apparently being overweight isn't taken too seriously if you are a football player. They are given a "special" category to remain competitive in D1 athletics (COMDTMIDNINST 6110.2C).

Wooo that's a tank! Would not want to be on the field when he's out there. Bet you he could hit 350-375 in a yr.
 
You might try these two easy "tricks". Drink a glass of water before your meal. There are multiple reasons this is purported to help, so I won't bother listing them here. In fact, try drinking some water first whenever you feel hungry. People often mistake dehydration for hunger. Also, place small servings on your plate and EAT SLOWLY, making sure you enjoy your food with both your senses of smell and taste. You will eat less and still feel satisfied!

Here is a great place to keep a food diary, and if you interact with other users, it helps keep you accountable as well. (And, it's free!)

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/

As a former personal trainer, I can tell you that commitment to yourself and your health is key. Eat healthy, not just low calorie. Don't focus on losing weight but on feeling better and being healthier. And, if you slip, don't get down on yourself and give up; determine to make the next meal better and keep moving forward.

Also, keep moving, but don't try to jump right in to being a super athlete. Start slowly and build at whatever form(s) of exercise you choose or are recommended for you.

You won't believe how well this one-two punch of healthy eating and exercise, works and how much better you will feel! You can do this!!

Keep us posted on your progress! This community is very encouraging, and we would love to hear how things are going for you! :thumb:
 
It is good that you are committing yourself to become fit- regardless of SA. ROTC, or regular civilian school.

My USNA dreams began in 7th grade. Physically, I was in pretty bad shape too. 5' 5" or maybe only 5'4", 160 pounds. I recall having to do some "cheating push-ups" to get the 20 required to pass the test and running a 13:30 mile. Pull-ups were a dream back then (I doubt I could hang on the bar for more than 15 seconds).

Here are some suggestions:
1. run everyday, even for just 10-20 minutes (you can cover 1-3 miles and get a decent workout)

2. run up and down stairs (makes running laps on a track feel easy), try something like 3 sets of 20 reps up and down

3. go on a diet- don't eat a lot less but eat healthy

4. drink a lot of water

5. do push-ups when u wake up in the morning (come on, it only takes like a minute)- try something like 5 sets of push-ups throughout the day (take your max number of push-ups, dived that by 2= the number of reps you should do in a set): building muscle helps burn fat faster when you do cardio.

6. same deal with sit-ups

7. I can't prove this works, but rigorous studying does tend to help me lose weight.

Now a junior in HS, I am in the best shape of my life (still have a lot of room for improvement). I am 5'8", 164-167 pounds and able to do 80 push-ups, 9-10 pull-ups, run a 6:20 mile, and about 75-80 sit-ups in the 2 minute time range. I even became soccer conditioning; for the most part, only slightly more rigorous than my regular summer workouts. Regardless of where I end up, physical fitness is becoming a part of my life. I actually want to lose 5-10 pounds of fat and max out on the CFA.

Good luck
 
bj, you are getting some good advice from the other posters. Here's what I can add (FWIW).

My DS did attend NASS (he's a skinny soccer kid). Some awards were distributed at the conclusion of his group. One kid, fitting your description, was awarded the "most improved Candidate award". My DS told me that this kid NEVER gave up, came in last a lot, but NEVER, ever gave up. Two things to note here, he did get accepted to NASS, and they did recognized his determination.

Now my DS is at NAPS. There's another guy there, similar description, heavy lifter type, who is having some difficulties with the running component. He is making a special effort to achieve the requirements set out for the Midshipman Candidates. My DS is friends with him and is encouraging (and running with) him. Two things to note here, he did get accepted to NAPS, and they recognize his determination. The drill Sargent is running with him in a special program to get him where he needs to be.

A determined effort is key. Good luck
 
Hi,

You need to retrain your eating habits and a nutritionist can help you come up with an eating plan. Look into whether or not your parents medical insurance will cover the cost of a visit or two to a nutritionist and if not, maybe your parents can swing a few visits. You will need to eat a well balanced diet. Also, consider joining "Weight Watchers" which will help retrain you to eat. Weight Watchers is based on a diet recommended by American Heart Association diet. There's also an American Heart Association Cook book ($7.59 amazon link included below). I know people who have lost weight by eating meals prepared based on the recipes in this book.

http://www.amazon.com/New-American-Heart-Association-Cookbook/dp/0812929543

Also, consider joining a gym. Most will offer you one or two free personal training sessions as an incentive to join. You will benefit from someone setting up an exercise program for you to follow that works with your body type and personal fitness goals.

Also, just know that Mids do come in all shapes and sizes.

Good luck to you.

GoNavyMom
 
Do some research on kettlebells, they're great fat loss tools.

i personally believe any light weighting/cardio combination can be effective for weight loss. However, for the purpose of overall strength and endurance fitness, components needed to do well on the CFA events, it would be most effective also combine that with running.
 
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