Update and More Advice

[whitt009]

Hi,

You may or may not remember when I posted before about being horribly overweight. I'd lost down to 349 from 369 in about a week. Well now I'm down to 338 since then and going.

With every day that passes I get more and more pumped about what I'm working for and getting closer to.

I wanted to ask anyone that knew if recruiters do anything with those that have DEP'd as far as PT and things like that. Is it possible to DEP until I make weight, or should I just wait? I'm just so freakin' anxious and I've 50 or 60 more lbs to drop.

[thewookie]

Let me tell you, you don't want to go to boot camp severely overweight. I know you're talking about the DEP, but. It's not fun. So I would keep working on it. Stick to your plan. I don't think they let you ship out these days if you're that overweight? As a Marine you need to have great upper body strength or be able to develop it, and all that extra weight can make it tough no matter how strong you are. I've always told people one of the toughest things to do is to go to boot camp and get labeled as a "fat body" because they'll eat you up. Literarily. Jenny Craig and Weight-Watchers have nothing on Marine Corps boot camp. Once they put that label on you you're not going to be eating anything the whole time, except for maybe some lettuce. I always felt bad for those guys, the heavy guys during boot camp have a tough time, lose the weight first. How tall are you?

[whitt009]

I'm 6'3. I can do 3 pullups so far, and all the crunches. I'm still working on my mileage time.

[thewookie]

You're a big guy. Stick to your plan. For your height and weight that's about what I'd figure you can do for pull ups. Get on the pull up bar and don't get off it until you can do 25 dead hangs, without swinging. That's going to be your biggest obstacle. And while I'm at it, pull up on the bar, and push away from the table. When you drop more of the weight the pull ups will come easier, and if your still stuck on say 10 after the weight is off. Get a pack, nothing special and fill it with sand or weights or dirty underwear and continue to work on your pull ups. You have a long way to go but, you're getting there and if you want to earn the title then you'll find the motivation and drive. Don't just talk to us about it, make it happen! Don't go to boot camp as a fat body who can only do 3 push ups, you'll fail, your platoon will pay for it and eventually you'll be recycled and then you'll triple the amount of time and energy it takes to graduate. Good Luck!

[Zulu 36]

I think Wookie is right on. If I were you, I'd get at least close to weight and able to pass the IST (if not a full PFT) before getting serious with a recruiter. Once they hear how much weight you lost and got into shape, all on your own, they will be happy to sign a dedicated, motivated guy up.

If you're close to max weight, during DEP, the recruiters will likely be very happy to help with a good PT program to get you well under weight and in better shape.

As Wookie said, never go to boot camp as a fat body. Life there is tough enough without adding that. See Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket for the kind of life led by a fat body in boot camp. You can ignore the choking and beating parts, I guess they can't do that any more. :(

It sounds like you're doing great and making excellent progress. Keep it up!!

[Worsham]

Keep in mind that even being near your max can still get you labeled as a fat body when you get down there. You don't want to be so close that a canteen of water will put you over....

That's what happened to me and I lost 30 lbs. down there as a result of all the special attention my loving Senior Drill Instructor Sgt Calliste gave me!

[jetdoc]

Tony, long time no hear, glad to see you are still working towards your goal. Its takes a long time to take it off, as it took a long time to put it on. Just keep on keeping on...life style change in diet and exercise.

Have fun in the gym, don't go in dreading your workouts. I look forward to training for the day and the byproduct of working out will be fat loss and muscle gain, for me.

[whitt009]

Well...I don't post a whole lot. I find you learn enough about the answers to your questions by listening and researching on your own.

[Haffner]

You will be a fat body if you LOOK fat. You'll learn to live by this phrase: "Perception is reality." When you get to boot camp, if you aren't running a NO **** 300 PFT, and you look overweight -- you're a fatbody. If you do well enough on your IST, you won't get put into PCP, but you'll still get put on half-rations (holy crap does that **** suck) and alot more extra attention than you need -- ALOT.

But ****, you can do it. It's no prob. Seriously. But I would highly suggest waiting to sign the contract until you not only are in much better shape and within standards, but also until you appear to be not too overweight (I say this because most people/Marines that I see at or near their max appear visibly overweight).

[thewookie]

I would agree with Haffner in the fact that the fat body tag gets pinned on guys who are just big. That's boot camp. But the bottom line like he said is you have to get into better shape before you go see the recruiters. For yourself and for your own health, and then the Corps. I imagine you come from a big family and you probably have it in your jeans? So take care of yourself and don't worry about the perception, unless it's correct and you hang on the pull-up bar like a dead fish. It's all up to you.

[whitt009]

To say I'm a large guy would be a big understatment. I get the feeling that even if I lost tons of weight I'd still get picked on a bit. I'm large not just that I'm fat, but that I have a huge frame. So, point taken, but it may be unavoidable. Ah well.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

I was called a fat body in boot camp quite often, even though i was far from fat at the time. It happens- but it isn't anything to worry about. If it wasn't that it would be something else. It could be because you have big feet or red hair or that your facial hair grows too fast- or too slow. Don't worry about any of that stuff, just concentrate on making the weight to DEP in and then ship to boot camp. Everything else is just secondary and won't have any impact on your ability to earn the title of Marine.

[thewookie]

The Corps needs big guys so don't let the fact that you're big get in your way. But big and healthy is different then big, fat, and lazy. I'm not saying you're big, fat, and lazy, your actions will make that call. A very good friend of mine who was quite the power lifter in HS left for Parris Island before I did. He was big, 6'4" 290-300lbs I don't know exactly but he was close to 3 bills. And I can remember when he came back how he looked like a turtle that had crawled out of his shell, it was unbelievable how much weight he lost. I had lunch with him Monday actually, he's a Cohasset Postman expecting his 1st kid soon! So my point is, if you can get down to something reasonable for your height and weight, and then the Marine Corps will help with the rest. Don't loose sight of your goal or why you want to achieve it. Anything that stands in between it is an obstacle that you have to get past. You have plenty of Marines here willing to help you but you have to help yourself first!