I Think I'm Gonna Join the NAVY

[Muscle Master]

......I fully understand the weight of my decision and I have been thinking about for the past 3 months, and I graduate HS June of '09 so I still have plenty of time to think about it, but I really wanted to be a sailor on a Nimitz ever since I was 10 so its like a goal

f you cant do a single pushup, then (and im using your words here) you need to get your "fat ass" into some kind of shape or that 8 weeks will turn into 12 or 20. the military would rather "recycle" you to a beginning week of training and keep you in training till you are fit enough to graduate than kick you out. trust me, ive seen it done.

I'm aware of the PT requirement and working on right now, so far i'm 287 lb and falling, diet, walking, and running, and I start football the 6th of august hopefully I'f I stay on this path I would make it

I understand that I would be swabbing decks for probably 2 years but I'm am prepared to invest my time and effort, if I'm lucky I might make an officer rank in a short while

I think I'll do good in the military, hands on training with military hardware and some day get a degree in Computer science/computer engineering

[TFord]

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

......I fully understand the weight of my decision and I have been thinking about for the past 3 months, and I graduate HS June of '09 so I still have plenty of time to think about it, but I really wanted to be a sailor on a Nimitz ever since I was 10



I'm aware of the PT requirement and working on right now, so far i'm 287 lb and falling, diet, walking, and running, and I start football the 6th of august hopefully I'f I stay on this path I would make it

I understand that I would be swabbing decks for probably 2 years but I'm am prepared to invest my time and effort, if I'm lucky I might make an officer rank in a short while

I understand your pain Ive been 200+ since I was 13 its genetics Ive always had a heavy muscular build. guys our size (if your solid navy requires 22% or less body fat) always have trouble with the run. Getting through boot will be the challenge, once in the fleet you can swim vice run, and now they have the stationary bike, I think you have to maintain a heart rate for a certain amount of time. its relatively new, but you have options besides running once you get to the fleet.

Seaman to admiral program is a good thing. Officers do less work and make more money, with better retirement options. But they do a hell of a lot more training. If you want to know anything just ask.

[TheMadHatter99]

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I understand that I would be swabbing decks for probably 2 years but I'm am prepared to invest my time and effort, if I'm lucky I might make an officer rank in a short while

Can't help you with much of the rest but I can help you here.

You're going to need a full bachelor's degree at least to even be considered for any officer program (unless Seaman-to-Admiral somehow waves that requirement) which will mean probably at least 4 years of schooling followed by some sort of officer training, either OCS or maybe ROTC while at school or the Academy. Regardless, what I'm trying to convey is it won't be a quick transition.

[lafountain]

Originally Posted by TFord

and now they have the stationary bike, I think you have to maintain a heart rate for a certain amount of time. its relatively new, but you have options besides running once you get to the fleet.

Sounds like the program that the Air Force went away from, some people are still allowed to ride the bike for their fit test, but only if they are on a waiver for running. Hope the Navy runs it better than the Air Force did.

[Zieke]

STA-21. "seaman to admiral". is basically all the old Officer programs rolled into one. you can apply for it as soon as you join, and it's recommended that you do so, and keep applying. it shows that you have the drive and the persistance to be an officer.

I've been doing a lot of research on becoming an officer. Im enlisting into the Navy.
I am going to MEPS on the 29th of this month, (Medical screening and other stuff). I just took my ASVAB today, and am hoping to ship out in early September.
Thats one thing to think about when choosing a date to ship out for boot camp, do you like cold weather or hot weather or nice weather. Cuz you will be in Great Lakes, Illinois for RTC(boot camp) training. its going to be cold in the later months and early months, and hot and humid in the summer months.

Train yourself to where you can run atleast 2 miles without stopping.
Im running 5 miles a time right now, and im still kicking my ass with traing.
The best thing for you to do is to go down to your local recruiting office and have a face to face talk with them.

[TFord]

Originally Posted by Zieke

STA-21. "seaman to admiral". is basically all the old Officer programs rolled into one. you can apply for it as soon as you join, and it's recommended that you do so, and keep applying. it shows that you have the drive and the persistance to be an officer.

I've been doing a lot of research on becoming an officer. Im enlisting into the Navy.
I am going to MEPS on the 29th of this month, (Medical screening and other stuff). I just took my ASVAB today, and am hoping to ship out in early September.
Thats one thing to think about when choosing a date to ship out for boot camp, do you like cold weather or hot weather or nice weather. Cuz you will be in Great Lakes, Illinois for RTC(boot camp) training. its going to be cold in the later months and early months, and hot and humid in the summer months.

Train yourself to where you can run atleast 2 miles without stopping.
Im running 5 miles a time right now, and im still kicking my ass with traing.
The best thing for you to do is to go down to your local recruiting office and have a face to face talk with them.

try to maximize your sign on bonus. going to boot right after high school you wont get that good of a bonus, because all of the high schoolers are joining at that time. you can typically double your bonus by enlisting 6 months later. I tkinda p'd me off hitting the fleet at the same time as people who joined much later than I did, and they got twice as much money as me too.

[aldaron327]

Originally Posted by TheMadHatter99

Can't help you with much of the rest but I can help you here.

You're going to need a full bachelor's degree at least to even be considered for any officer program (unless Seaman-to-Admiral somehow waves that requirement) which will mean probably at least 4 years of schooling followed by some sort of officer training, either OCS or maybe ROTC while at school or the Academy. Regardless, what I'm trying to convey is it won't be a quick transition.

Then again, you could go Army and become a Warrant Officer like me!
I have a 4 year degree, but it's not a requirement. I fly Apache attack helicopters and I'm in Iraq right now. It's never easy being away from home, but the job itself is rewarding. I still have to do PT and take PT tests like every other service member, but I fly a very complex and technically advanced aircraft. Flight school can take up to 2 years, but it's a blast.

The reality is just what all the others have stressed to you on this board. Being in the service is just that... you are SERVING the American people. Your life ceases being your own to an extent. You become the instrument of our nation's foreign policy. You have to do things that you don't always like doing and may not agree with, but if it's a lawful order, you will follow it.

In the end, the benefits of a military career are pretty good. You'll also develop a better sense of personal pride. You'll get to see some pretty cool places (probably pretty warm places in the near future) and meet tons of interesting people. You'll have to endure hardships that most civilians would balk at, but you'll become stronger as a person than you have ever been and you'll get a feel for your own worth as a human being and as a servicemember. Just my .02

[theholycow]

To all the people who are serving or have served: Thank you.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by theholycow

To all the people who are serving or have served: Thank you.

If you want to serve, that is phenomenal, but remember that there is a reason that we are so grateful for our veterans. If they aren't in a hot combat scenario, they still have a lot happening that isn't fun. Serving our country is an honor, but it isn't one to take lightly. You'll be floating in the ocean, cleaning ships and painting decks for our country. It's not glamorous, but you'll still be a hero for it. You won't be as bored working at Burger King, but you won't be a serviceman either.

Just consider whether you really want to serve our country or whether you just want to get away from your current situation. It may seem like a great opportunity to do great things in life and have the government pay for you, but it isn't fun and you can't just quit and go home. You are giving your life to our country if you do this. Is that what you truly want to do?

[chadrcr]

287, hope that is a tall #, I know not being tall seems to make the chart work against me....
and my allowed weight has kept going down.............. inversely proportional to my actual weight I am close to my limit, but never failed the weight.... and always get an excellent score on the PRT.

It can be done.... (dropping ##s) I have known a couple guys that dropped 50+ lbs in a few ( 4-6???) months... the key is small meals, 5 + times a day, do not eat late.... exercise your @$$ off ! Jogging really burns calories, but use a bike and treadmill etc. also, to save the knees.

One of the guys I worked with in Norfolk (250lb) got down to 187 quick... AND later got accepted for ECP.... (paid to go to college full time to finish degree) all before his first 4 years were up.

[LegacyZ28]

Muscle Master, please read this entire post.
It took about 15 minutes and I'm trying to help.

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I'm aware of the PT requirement and working on right now, so far i'm 287 lb and falling, diet, walking, and running, and I start football the 6th of august hopefully I'f I stay on this path I would make it

I used to be in a similar situation. I am your age, and I graduate when you do. I'm 6'1 and about 245 pounds. I bench my wieght, squat about 345, and clean a good 205, so it's not all fat. I played football for 2 years, and I will tell you right now, it will not shave pounds by itself. With the amount that you need to lose in a year, I'd reccomend a water-only diet, maybe cut out a meat or two. I'd reccomend cutting out all beef. You can get the protien elsewhere. At first it will be hard, but once you get on a roll it becomes a lifestyle.
Why do I know this?
I was 272 pounds in May.
How have I lost almost 30 pounds in 2 months?
I did a detox in order to cleanse my system of shit that shouldn't be there, and that included eating only nature-made stuff. So nothing but water, tea, fruit (Make a lot of smoothies) brown rice, and nuts for a week. Nothing processed, basically I wanted all my food to come straight from earth to me.
I picked up a lot of good habits from this, and now I drink about 3 bottles of aquafina a day, don't drink soda, and the only meat I eat is chicken (not fried!)
I also ride my bike to school, I take a summer class at UCR, the local college. I go to the gym about 2-3 times a week, hit the stationary bike for 15 minutes. 3 miles, 15 minutes, at about 95-105 RPM.
I prefer this to treadmill because when I payed football I injured my knee and it's smoother excersize.
I also do some crunches (100), and some chest work. Also some deltoid, back stuff.
This is not hard for me, it is my lifestyle now.
The hard part is the first 2-3 weeks, then it gets considerably easier once you adapt.
You will have to come up with your own regiment, mine won't work. But I do reccomend finding Bear Naked all natural granola bags. Blueberry walnut is my favorite. It has a good amount of protien, it tastes decent, and it's something to snack on rather than ritz crackers or something like that.
Also when you are up in the middle of the night and you want to eat something, make yourself some tea. It will fill you up, with little calories or anything. just don't oversugar it, I use a teaspoon of honey, or 1 sweet and low.
Find a hobby. I found cycling, and now every other weekend I go on cycling rides of 3-7 miles with a group on saturday nights. (the wind feels amazing at 9pm)
Also, having a car does not mean go get fast food everytime you are hungry. It means tell mom to give you money so you can buy healthy groceries. Fast food for me is sushi. It is healthy, and is portioned low, you should also find something that you love, that won't hurt too much as a once a week or so treat.
Well, that's all I can think of for now, so good luck, and remember not to give up, it's intially hard, but it gets easier. And being healthy just feels better. I no longer have to take breaks while playing basketball with friends. You are more active, and let's just be honest, people like you more. It's sad, but true. The girls have been all over me lately