Are you kitten kittening me?? Military personnel need lipo to pass fat test??

[BaiHu]

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2...aces-criticism

Doctors say a number of military personnel are turning to liposuction to remove excess fat from around the waist so they can pass the Pentagon's body fat test.

Some service members say they have no other choice because the Defense Department's method of estimating body fat is weeding out not just flabby physiques but bulkier, muscular builds.

A number of fitness experts and doctors agree, and they're calling for the military's fitness standards to be revamped.

Defense officials say only a small fraction of those who exceed body fat limits perform well on physical fitness tests.

The checks are designed to ensure troops are ready for the rigors of combat. Pentagon officials say the military doesn't condone surgically altering one's body to pass the test, though liposuction isn't prohibited.

Someone tell me that this isn't as retarded as it comes off? Is the new head a anorexic/bulimic or has our military personnel gotten that slovenly??

[Kevin B.]

Someone tell me that this isn't as retarded as it comes off? Is the new head a anorexic/bulimic or has our military personnel gotten that slovenly??

In many units, the latter.

[Byron]

...has our military personnel gotten that slovenly??

U.S. Population

1962:
Overweight (but not obese): 32% of adults
Obese: 13%
Extremely obese: 1%

Total overweight: 46%

2010:
Overweight (but not obese): 33%
Obese: 36%
Extremely obese: 6%

Total overweight: 75%

(With most of this change taking place between the late 70's and 90's)

Source: http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/statist...dex.htm#graph7


While the military can never staff based on a representative sample of the population, there's also a balancing act. As our population grows more and more obese, the military will eventually hit a crossroads (assuming it hasn't already happened). Relax standards so that enough positions can be filled, or accept lower enlistment numbers on the basis that a smaller and smaller percentage of the population is fit for duty?

[BaiHu]

Oh, I hear you Byron. I just can't believe that 'lipo' is part and parcel of the military 'fitness' regime, b/c 1) we have such an obese society and 2) such a lazy society that they'd rather spend money on 'lipo', than hit the gym or push themselves away from the table. The only thing more ironic in this story is if the lipo is "covered" by their gov't insurance

[GardoneVT]

I met a lot of guys in the AF who were in shape but had thick waists .Some people are not built like railroad ties, so for those guys their ability to feed ther families and serve their country could come down to one inch on the waistline measurement.In that position, I completely understand why they'd get liposuction.

Sure, there's a lot of fatties in the mix, but such people find ways to dodge PT anyway.I knew a Tech Sgt. who never went to unit PT....ever.She was always on a waiver.

[Byron]

I just can't believe that 'lipo' is part and parcel of the military 'fitness' regime

Based on the way the article is written, I'm disinclined to believe that it has truly become "part and parcel."

I may turn out to be completely wrong, but I personally won't give it much credence until a source can provide some facts. This piece doesn't cite a single number, doesn't refer to a single source, and doesn't even name what test is being used.

Any snark below is most certainly not directed at you, but rather at the author of this article. Some things that set off my 'awesome journalism' flags:

Doctors say a number of military personnel are turning to liposuction to remove excess fat from around the waist so they can pass the Pentagon's body fat test.

"A number"?
1? 100? 1,000,000?

Since they don't even offer a range (dozens? hundreds? thousands?), it's generally best practice to assume the number is extremely low. If it was actually significant, they wouldn't hesitate to tell us.

Some service members say they have no other choice because the Defense Department's method of estimating body fat is weeding out not just flabby physiques but bulkier, muscular builds.

God forbid the author tell us how they estimate body fat.
Skin folds? Water tank? Bioelectrical impedance?

Though if someone is making the "I'm being unfairly targeted because I'm built like a Greek God" line, it's probably BMI. And if it is indeed BMI, Greek Gods who are unfairly targeted wouldn't see benefit from lipo anyway.

A number of fitness experts and doctors agree, and they're calling for the military's fitness standards to be revamped.

Again: "a number."
Not one of these doctors or fitness experts could provide a statement in time for publication? To be fair, I guess "fitness experts" are pretty universally known for their aversion to getting their name in print, not to mention their general reluctance to provide fitness advice and commentary

The author can't even tell us what the suggested changes are?

Defense officials say only a small fraction of those who exceed body fat limits perform well on physical fitness tests.

I guess it's only fair that the counterpoint to a numberless argument about stats is another numberless argument about stats.


It seems the article could be summed up as:

An unknown number of military personnel are undergoing controversial surgery to pass an unknown body fat test that is criticized by unknown individuals, but supported by unknown data from unknown sources in the Pentagon.

[BaiHu]

Agreed. Sad, but agreed.

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[Totem Polar]

If any of us are waiting for deep reporting and facts to emerge from print media these days, it's going to be a long wait. It ain't 1974 anymore. Pure click bait, as others have often noted, and great fodder for people like Baihu and myself to go all "WTF?" and shake our heads. Which I like doing, mind. Good thing, too.

I wonder how the soap is on base... a little waxy?

[SGT_Calle]

This body fat problem is two fold.
I believe the only thing the current body fat measurement has going for it is that it is consistent and easy to apply. For men it is two measurements, neck and waist (stomach). Take those measurements three times with a basic cloth measuring tape, plug them into a dummy chart, viola. (If you look AR 600-9 you can see all of the details of the Army Weight Control Program). I don't think it is a realistic measurement compared to other methods but I am not a doctor. I'm just a tall, skinny guy who has "taped" A LOT of Soldiers between my time as a training NCO and as a recruiter, which leads to my next point.
I think that some of this stems from a change in recruiting standards in the early 2000's. People were recruited with a higher allowance for body fat with the stipulation that they will meet the "actual" standard within 90 or 180 days (I forget) of assignment to their first unit. The Army was trying so hard for a while to get anyone in the door that they lowered standards dramatically, in many areas.
Just my two cents.


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[fuse]

Oh, I hear you Byron. I just can't believe that 'lipo' is part and parcel of the military 'fitness' regime, b/c 1) we have such an obese society and 2) such a lazy society that they'd rather spend money on 'lipo', than hit the gym or push themselves away from the table. The only thing more ironic in this story is if the lipo is "covered" by their gov't insurance

Had a guy in my unit get lipo. Dude put it all back within a couple years.

I am quite sure he paid out of pocket, tricare does not cover cosmetic procedures.

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