CAP Talk

There's a lot of discussion about height and weight on this board and I was wondering if we could get a non-scientific sample of the force - what percentage of the force is out of the "weight envelope". 

Personally, I'm over the weight limit.  Yeah, I'm a 50% disabled vet and can't get out and run or even walk to work off the weight.  No problem, I wear the CSU stuff, BBDUs, and those dashing blue flight suits.

How about you?  I'm just wondering what percentage of this august body is either over weight or under tall?  No need to leave a comment if you don't want to, I'm just looking for the numbers.

6' 190

5'9" FOUO

Please.... for the love of Pete, lets not turn this poll into another heated debate. Its been done so many times that it is.... boring. The poll will be interesting, granted, but neither side of this issue can offer anything new so lets please keep it to the poll.

I was under when I first became a SM.  Then I was over, which was why I got out of the Army.  Then 3 years ago I got back down under, although I still wear the other uniforms when I feel "fat".

Whatever uniform you wear, wear it well.  Look the part and act the part, and people won't really care how much you weigh.

Sheesh ... for my first 16 years, I was WAY over the limit.  I mean 20 - 40 pounds plus over the limit, and I'm 5' 8".

Now ... I'm under the AF limit by ten pounds ... and under the CAP limit by 32.  I'm happy.

And I wear my blues with PRIDE.

Jack

5'10", 180 lb

20 years ago, I was 5'10", 157 lb

6'3", Cadet, 180 pounds.... Gotta love the life!

Quote from: addo1 on September 15, 2009, 09:20:53 PM
6'3", Cadet, 180 pounds.... Gotta love the life!

I should have stipulated NO CADETS.  You're not under the Ht/Wt standards until after 18.  This is for Senior Members Only!

Sorry.

5'11" - 215 pounds
5 pounds under the limit...

Weighed in this weekend at my Air Guard drill weekend.

6' 2", 214 lbs.

I could lose 14 lbs, but I enjoy eating too much.  That's why I have to PT 5 days a week.  Ran 6.5 miles this week.  Its work but it's necessary.

I'm glad my Son wanted to become a Senior Member when he turned 18. When he was 14 he was 274 pounds. He was so big but he was still allowed to wear the AF uniform as a Cadet. He wears a polo shirt now. I can't imagine what it's like for an 18 year old who wants to remain a Cadet but is told he's now too fat to have the privilege to wear the AF uniform he or she has become so used to. Was it the USAF that drove the decision to enforce the uniform weight standard on 18 year old Cadets? If the decision was made by CAP do they at least make the TPU aviator shirt uniform an option to heavy set 18 year olds? Are they required to switch to blue BDUs? This is bizarre when you see National Guard folks who are way over the limit when they deploy. I used to see really obese soldiers in the U.S. Army although they were few. The big NG guys can do their job and use their weapons. The ones I know are dependable. The whole preoccupation with weight should remove emphasis on uniform wear and reverse the stupid decision that was made when it affected Cadets.

I live near a NG C-5 Galaxy unit.  They have some BIG officers.  Thankfully, the C-5 has an ample cockpit.  I think it's disingenuous for the AF to expect something of us that they don't enforce on their own.  But then, it's their football.  I'm a fat guy - I don't make any bones about it.  If I'm ever physically able to do PT again, I'll certainly trim down.  It's just not going to happen otherwise.

I don't come down on other folks shaped like bowling pins, nor did I ever.  My first Special Forces detachment commander put it this way:  I don't care if our cooks and clerks are shaped by basketballs . . . I care if they can do their jobs. Heck, I had a medic who we nicknamed "Pillsbury".  But he was a great medic and a phenomenal warrior - three wars during peacetime and used to leave me behind in the dust on runs and rucksack marches.

By the looks of our survey above, there's a substantial number of us who are overweight (or undertall, depending on how you look at it).  That's just the way it is.

According to the survey it looks  there's a substantial number of senior members that are overweight but they still manage to help out and make CAP what it is today. Thank god for all their help and I for one could care less what they weigh!

I think I messed up my vote.

To me, "above the standard" means exceeding it, i.e. going above and beyond.

"Below the standard" means not meeting it.

I voted "above the standard", but I am below the weight limit.  ???

Quote from: Gunner C on September 15, 2009, 11:03:15 PM

Quote from: addo1 on September 15, 2009, 09:20:53 PM
6'3", Cadet, 180 pounds.... Gotta love the life!

I should have stipulated NO CADETS.  You're not under the Ht/Wt standards until after 18.  This is for Senior Members Only!

Sorry.

Haha, believe me, I know. Just had to put in my 0.02. ;)  As for ht/wt standards not being applicable for cadets, dont even get me started...

Quote from: Stonewall on September 16, 2009, 12:19:34 PM
I think I messed up my vote.

To me, "above the standard" means exceeding it, i.e. going above and beyond.

"Below the standard" means not meeting it.

I voted "above the standard", but I am below the weight limit.  ???

Hmmm.  Let me see if I can change the question.  I don't think I can change the vote.  Hopefully, we'll get a large enough sample and it will even out.

Quote from: Stonewall on September 16, 2009, 12:19:34 PM
I think I messed up my vote.

To me, "above the standard" means exceeding it, i.e. going above and beyond.

"Below the standard" means not meeting it.

I voted "above the standard", but I am below the weight limit.  ???

Oh for crying out loud...its like you were in the Old Guard or something! ;D

I meet the CAP regs for the USAF-Style uniform with "room to spare."  :D  The Air Force regs, well, I meet them too but its a bit tight.  But it's ok, I just use it as motivation to lose weight.  Win-win as far as I'm concerned.  8)

I am 6'2" 240. That SOUNDS fat, but...

I am an athelete...I ride a bike 100 miles a week in the summer and I play Ice Hockey twice a week all year long. To look at me, you would not guess 240...muscle is heavier than fat, but I look in shape...

^ Sounds like CAP/ USAF discrimination against muscle types. 

Quote from: Spike on September 18, 2009, 04:20:40 PM
^ Sounds like CAP/ USAF discrimination against muscle types.

Oh, THATS why we don't have a bunch of buff senior members. 

^ Of course.  Donuts and coffee build muscle.  That is common knowledge. 

It looks like we're closing in on 100 replies.   I know there's more folks on this board than that.  No need to reply, just take the pole.

Here you go, Gunner


SCRAP all  CAP uniforms entirely and start over

That'll scrap BMI, CSU's  weight / height standards and might even please the AF that CAP took it upon themselves to "clean up."

Now back to more CAP BS about weight standards and alll the scientific results u can get here on CAPTalk

Is that closing in on 100 for ya, buddy......

Oh annd Gunner, my spelling is poor...poll or pole?

Quote from: heliodoc on September 21, 2009, 02:11:28 PM

Oh annd Gunner, my spelling is poor...poll or pole?

Nuts!  I can't believe I did that.  :D  It was closing in on 0200 and my brain works even less well than it usually does when it gets late.  (I hate midshift).

I just make the standards. . .  the minimum standards.  Sorry, my bad. I was thinking Army standards.  I have plenty of room to spare.

Don't me a h8r.  ;)

Quote from: RogueLeader on October 02, 2009, 02:31:43 PM
I just make the standards. . .  the minimum standards.  Sorry, my bad. I was thinking Army standards.  I have plenty of room to spare.

Don't me a h8r.  ;)

I've seen your picture - if the army didn't have heavy boots, you'd be in trouble in a light wind.  ;D  Go eat a burrito or something.  :D

5'9", 200-something. I know I'm a little over the CAP standard, but I feel way over. When I fist joined I was well under and wore the USAF uniform, but now I alternately wear white/gray or CSU. I have to admit wearing BDUs, but I don't look overweight in them. Unfortunately I've seen many SMs who are way over the standard wearing BDUs and it looks like.......well it looks very poor.

6'0 184lbs

and i feel heavy.. especially after my 2 knee surgeries.. When i was a cadet i was 6'0 167lbs with almost no fat... and 6 pack :\

I am 5' 8" and 271Lbs I am well above the CAP ht/wt standard. 

I wear the Blue BDUs, Blue Utility and White/Greys for a reason.

However I was 284Lbs when summer started so I am working on dropping the extra 100lbs to fit in my Blues for the first time since WIWAC

I'm well over the weight limit, but I don't wear the USAF uniform.

I do have an issue with the corporate uniforms. If they won't allow us to wear the USAF uniform and have an alternate uniform instead, how about Vanguard actually STOCKING larger sizes so we can actually wear them???

We've actually  had posters on here that didn't want anyone over USAF weight height in the program per earlier threads, so I'm waiting to see them pop up.

I would  recommend you go to the AF PX  and try them on. Make sure you can sit down in them. If you buy a size too large a good taylor can fit them to you. They wont stretch like commercial slacks will. You cant get slacks with the AF the color code anywhere else.

Quote from: Johnny Yuma on October 04, 2009, 05:53:26 PM
We've actually  had posters on here that didn't want anyone over USAF weight height in the program per earlier threads, so I'm waiting to see them pop up.

I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up that idea again.  By the looks of the poll, it would get rid of about 43% of the force.

Quote from: Gunner C on October 25, 2009, 09:34:29 PM

Quote from: Johnny Yuma on October 04, 2009, 05:53:26 PM
We've actually  had posters on here that didn't want anyone over USAF weight height in the program per earlier threads, so I'm waiting to see them pop up.

I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up that idea again.  By the looks of the poll, it would get rid of about 43% of the force.

This assumes that all of those who don't meet the AF standard would quit rather than lose some weight and also assumes that no one might actually be attracted to join CAP due to such a dedication to standards. 

Quote from: RiverAux on October 25, 2009, 10:23:39 PM

Quote from: Gunner C on October 25, 2009, 09:34:29 PM

Quote from: Johnny Yuma on October 04, 2009, 05:53:26 PM
We've actually  had posters on here that didn't want anyone over USAF weight height in the program per earlier threads, so I'm waiting to see them pop up.

I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up that idea again.  By the looks of the poll, it would get rid of about 43% of the force.

This assumes that all of those who don't meet the AF standard would quit rather than lose some weight and also assumes that no one might actually be attracted to join CAP due to such a dedication to standards.

But we're not the military, and we don't need the standards to do our jobs. That's the reason for our alternative uniforms.

Now, I'm a cadet right now, but for the last year of my active cadet days I was over. I was hovering around 215-220 at 5'10". That's 5-10 over CAP limits. I shot for a contract with the Army, and they took me at 220 based on the BMI and the special "fat kids" test they have for PT.

It got substantially worse between contract and end of high school, I left to visit family in Europe at a fracking 236. I've been struggling with my weight since about age 8, and been told it was due to some illness as a kid. At 7 I was stick thin, and have pictures to prove it. Then my mother left for the US, and from August to December of that year I ballooned.

When I came to the US at 11 years old, some 3 years after my mother came here I was chubby but not by much. The diet here is definitely different from what I had in Europe and I started packing on pounds. 7th grade I was 157 at a weight in. 8th grade I hit 180. 9th grade I was 200. 10th grade I hit 220. I then bounced between 210 and 220 from that point.

Back to the trip to Europe, I went at 237 and came back after less than a month at 210. Why? We walked everywhere, no one had a car out of my friends. We stayed out late, and we also did our share of drinking with little eating. I remember few nights where I slept at home from before midnight till morning as opposed to 6-8am. I'm sure the last half didn't help much, but something about the food did.

Once here, I decided to go to college and broke with the Army. I gained back to 220-225. I tried a diet and went back to 210. Moved for college at 225. Through out freshman year I topped out at 242, and averaging around 238.

I'm on a diet right now, and I'm down to 219. I'm planning on shooting for my Spaatz if I can, but I'm not putting on a uniform until I loose another 9, and even then I'll be working to 200 under.

Some people just struggle with weight, and it is understandable. I didn't put much stock in what I was told about being predisposed to weight gain due to some early child illness, but it could make sense. Mainly I believe that there is no reason I should be at my current weight at my age and my general physical condition. I'm down 23 lbs in less then a month, and I plan on going until I break 200 and lower. 

Started out over, lost some weight and was under, gained it back and once more over.  Hope to get back under.