Weight/Height question and concern

[Vopogon]

Good morning Marines.

I am leaving for boot camp on the 22nd of May and have a concern about my weight.

I am 5'9 at 197 lbs. My recruiter informs me that I should be 186 max. I'm in good shape, but I'm a bigger guy. I did some body building in the past but I cut back on mass to make weight. I am running my ass off and eating right and I think I'll hit that 186 mark but I'm worried I might not make the cut and lose my MOS I signed for.

Im not asking if it's alright to slow down my preparation, but I am wondering if I can't hit that 186 lbs mark will I have to recycle? Many marines say as long as I'm in good shape I'll be ok, while my recruiters are extremely insistent I MUST hit that mark.

Like I said, I'm working hard to meet that expectation but I just want to be more informed.

The he search bar yeilded no relevant results, so my apologies if I may have missed a topic that would have answered my question.

Thank you. Poolee Jones.

[Rocky C]

If your recruiter said you should be at 186 max weight then do it or you will not ship and you will be discharged from the DEP !!! <br />
<br />
Good luck trying to enlist in the Marine Corps again after that...

[Phantom Blooper]

You need to get to that weight before boot camp...then once you graduate and hit the fleet the below paragraph MAY apply.

It has to do with your appearance in uniform and if you look like a bag of worms or a soup sandwich...or if you reflect military bearing...

Lose the weight......


Once in the fleet or wing.....The minimum and maximum weight standards are general guidelines for the average Marine. Bodybuilders or heavier-built men and women may be over the maximum weight limit. In these cases, a body fat measurement is taken. Men must have less than 18 percent body fat and women must have less than 26 percent. These rates must be maintained.

[LCPL1341]

I know guys who shipped over their max weight. As long as they did well on the IST they stayed with their platoon and lost the weight at bootcamp anyway. Is your recruiter telling you that you need to be 186 TO SHIP, or is he just informing you of the height/weight standards in general when you're in? What you SHOULD DO is continue to work to get down to that 186 mark. You're 11 pounds over and you can hit that 186 mark within 3 weeks to a month if you're diligent in your training and eating habits. Also, what's your IST score?

[MunkyVsRobot]

Its because you need to be within height and weight standards to ship. If he ships you overweight your time on MCRD is only going to be that much worse if not longer because they will send you to the porkchop platoon.

Portion control, drink water, and exercise is all you really need. Id recommend not hurting your self but you better be working your @$$ off in the interim. Surprised though that he hasnt taped you to see if you are under by body fat % unless you arent under that and you are only telling us a half truth.. But if he wants you under that weight better get crackin.

[fl1946]

Zach -- you have about 20 days to lose 11 lbs. This may be doable. There are a number of calorie calculators on Internet. Use them to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate and Resting Metabolic Rate. These tools will help you figure how much (calories) you need to cut and how many calories you need to burn to achieve your goal. If you hit the numbers, you can do it. Not following plan can only impair or deep six your efforts. Good luck.