Just thought I would share a little with all of you.  If you don't give a shit, might as well as check out now.  If you're curious, read on.

First of all, I am 36 years old, been happily married for almost 14 years, no kids, one dog.

I have lurked here for awhile, became a member about a year ago, I know not an official card carrying Team Member, maybe some day.  I do enjoy the threads here, the diverse opinions, and most excellent tips and advice!

Anyhow, in July, around the 15th, me and my wife decided to start taking better of ourselves.  I have become quite the pig in my old age.  307lbs and severely out of shape.

I have been dieting, and to date have lost 29.7 pounds.  Planning on starting to work out this week.  Which leads me to the first of many questions.

A little background, I have decided to do something I should have when I was 18.  I will be joining the Army.  I have a lot of weight to lose, and really need to get in shape, but I know I can.  I really am motivated about enlisting.  I would love to be a Marine, but I believe the age thing is a problem, maybe someone knows otherwise.

Back to my question, anyone got a simple but effective work out plan to get in ready for boot camp.  I really don't want to be the old man who always falls behind.

Thanks for reading, and reply as you see fit, I will update ever two weeks with my weight and physical fitness progress.

Take care,

Travis

Edited title


Update #1

Friday was my bi-monthly weigh in.  I lost 6 more pounds!  I was hoping for 10, but I know 6 is very good.
Down to 271 from 307!

I started working out again this week, very light though.  At home I am doing push-ups when I wake up, and before I go to bed.  Just 1 set of 10, I know I am outta shape, but I plan to increase by one set ever week till I get to ?  At the gym I am just fast walking, about 3.8-4.2 mph to maintain a heart rate of 120 for 45 minutes.  Next week I will increase time to 1 hour, maybe heart rate too?

Also I found a website that has simple/practice ASVAB tests.  It was supposed to give you an idea of how you might score on the real thing.   Then recommend MOS for you.  It scored me,( by the way I have never taken the ASVAB) but never showed MOS.
Anyhow I scored 81, is that ok?  What type of MOS might I look into, I also want the best sign on bonus, but the recruiter will have to help me there.


Update #2

Okay, another two weeks have past, and I have lost another 6 pounds!  Brings my total to 40 pounds in 10 weeks!  I am down to 267lbs.

Exercise has increased a little.  I have started the walk 5 minutes run 1 minute thing.  It is going better than I thought it would.  This week I start walk 4 minutes run 2.  As for the push ups go, I just stated doing my max each morning and night, up to 21 in the morning and 18 to 20 at night.

I will be meeting with a trainer this week to work on a program for me.

Now about the ASVAB and MOS's, I did talk to my recruiter and I found some stuff online.  He said my sample score was great, my only hold is going to be the GED.  I am thinking about Combat Engineer.


Update #3

It has been 3 weeks since I have updated, last week I was in Portland, Or due to a death in the family.  Anyhow I kinda went of the diet, due to too many temptations!

Well I still managed to lose 5 pounds, not bad considering what I ate.  Now I am home, so I can get back on track.

I will start exercising tomorrow, my knee is better so here I go again.  I have been doing push-ups and sit-ups in the morning and at night.  # sets of ten on the push-ups and almost two sets of 10 sit-ups.  I know I need to work on that.

I will start my ruck walks tomorrow also, anybody got an idea on how far I should start out at?  Thanks



Update #4

Well I kinda had a rough 2 weeks, first week started out great, ruck marching and everything, but, last week wasn't so good.

Kinda overate a few times, and wasn't able to work out as much, due to work.  Same with the ruck marching, I was getting home after dark.

I plan to clear up the path that I march on this week end so that I can march with a flashlight.

Anyhow, I started running on the treadmill, not real fast, just 5mph, but before I never would have been able to do that.  By the end of week two I ran 30 minutes but the next day, yesterday, I could only do 15 minutes.  I hope I do better tomorrow.

So the push-ups and sit-ups are better.  Maxed out at 39 each.  The plan I am doing seems to be working, almost doubled out put in two weeks!


Now for the sad part, weight loss was only 6 pounds, I know that's still good but I cant help but think if I hadn't had such a bad week I would have done better.  Oh well I will make up for it.

Anyhow I am down to 256, but I can tell physically I am in better shape.  My stamina is WAY better!


Quick question for those of you who have ruck marched, is 57 lbs at 20 minute mile good?  I first started and my pace was 25 minutes, but now I am doing 20. I know I can trim some more off of that.  I need boots because I am always stopping to pick out sand burrs from my ankles, OUCH!!  Also is 2.2 miles good for a daily march?  I plan to get up to 3.2 with 1 march at 6 miles.


Update #5

11/04/06

I feel I am back on track now.  My weight is down to 248 lbs!  Major milestone for me.  Under 250 lbs.  I am really proud of that.

Besides my cheap pack breaking, I had a great week.  Ruck marching 3.2 miles now with 60lbs.   New pack should be here in a week.

Exercise is going great!  My morning push-ups/sit-ups are going great.  I am up to 86/96.  A poster suggested a good training plan for this, and I will be trying it this coming week.

Finally got my workout program from my gym, start it Monday A.M.  It is a total body work out.  Should be great.

Diet is going good, although at this point it isn't a diet anymore, it is a way of life!

So, 59 lbs in 14 weeks, things are great.

Thanks to everyone giving me great advice and encouragement.



Update #6

11/19/06


Hello everyone.  Things are going good for me.  Weight loss is slowing down a little, but I think that is to be expected at this point.  I am down to 245lbs.  That is a total of 62lbs since July 15th.  Not too shabby.  I am going to try some tweaking here and there of the diet to see if I can increase the weight loss some, but I am still very pleased.  I am averaging 3.44 lbs a week.

Now for the physical stuff.  My new workout program is going excellent.  I can see a difference in muscle tone, I actually have some!  Running is still kicking my ass, but I have faith, it will come along.

I changed my morning push-up and sit-up routine.  I am just doing my max, trying to increase each day.  Not so sure that is working.  I am maxed at 25 each.  I my go back to doing sets, sets of 20 maybe, until I can knock a shit load out that way, increasing set size as I do more.

I haven't talked to my recruiter in awhile, not much to talk to him about.  I am planning on starting a study guide for the ASVAB soon.  Maybe in December.  Any suggestions?


Update # 7


Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I did.

Anyhow, things are going great, still loosing weight, I am done to 238lbs!  I love it!

Everything is going great, and this week I will be doing some classes at my club.  Trying to change up my workouts.
Running is still weak, but better.  I guess it is just going to take longer than I had anticipated, but it feels like as I loose weight it gets better.

That's all, short and sweet!

Thanks too everyone that is following along with me here, I appreciate the feedback and input,

Update #8
Well I am still plugging away.  Down to 232lbs!  That's 3.41 pounds a week average since July 15.

I have been struggling a bit with the diet, thanks to all Holiday treats!  

Exercise is going great.  Stamina is way better, weights are getting better too.

I ran on my property this morning for 1 mile, just to check my time.  10:03, same pace as the treadmill, so I am ok with that.  I will increasing my speed this week at the gym, wish me luck!


Update # 9

01/25/07

Just a quick little update for everyone.  I have moved and I don't have internet now, so it will be harder for me to post in here, probally just weekly.  Since Christmas things have been a struggle.  Between moving, wife having sugeries, and bad weather causing my gym to be closed, I wasn't able to make it in for my work outs much.  Now I am a little sick, so I have only worked out twice this week.  Shoould feel better tommorow, so I can go the I hope.

As of Sunday, my weight was at 229lbs, but this morning I am at 227lbs.  I hope to be at 225lbs by this Sunday.

I have started more of a free weight program, and I can feel a difference.  I am getting more tone to my muscles, Hell I finally have muscles!

As far as posting before and after pictures, like a idiot I never took any before pictures.  I have some, but need a scanner to get them on my computer, I will work on that.  Maybe soon I will have some progress pictures fopr everyone.

Update # 10

Ok everyone, here goes.....


Lots of good stuff going on. First of all, I did the triathlon, that was fun! My swimming has vastly improved. I guess it was all in my breathing.

I now swim 15-20 minutes every morning before I start my work out. Granted it may have not been non stop swimming, but it is enough to really get the blood flowing, and I can go a little longer each day without resting, so I should be able to do the whole 15 minutes soon.

Yesterday was may Race for the Cure event. I ran the whole 5k!!! Just over 29 minutes. It was awesome!! Can't wait to do it again!

I got my weight down a little, I am at 228 lbs this morning. I know I was at 225 recently, but I gained up to 232 and have been struggling to come down every since. I would like to think it has been do to muscle gain. I have not gained in my waist line, actually went down some, so I still feel very good.

Haven't really done much towards the Army stuff, I have talked to my recruiter, he says I am totally ready to go in. I am probably going to shoot for late fall, early winter. The timing right now is not good for me due to work, but that will slow down come winter.



Update #11 05/07/07

Hello everybody,

I know, I haven't posted for awhile, sorry!

Thing have been very crazy lately for me.  I have been working alot, so I haven't hadmuch time for anything else, but that is going to change very soon.  I have not worked out as much as usall due to that, but I think I will be back on track next week.

No real upate other than I am still loosing(sp?) wieght,  Slowly but surely.

Sunday I was down to 219lbs.  Only 25 lbs to go!  I can't belive it!  I didnt do it as soon as I thought, but I am doing it, and it feels GREAT!!!!





Update #12, 6/21/07

Hey everybody!

I though I would post a little update.  I have been very busy lately.  In March I started my own business.  It is construction, I build Patio covers, decks, and fences.

Here is some of my work.....













So, I have been busy busting these out.  If anyone in the San Antonio area is interested, please let me know!!


My weight is hanging around 220-215, but I haven't been working out or really dieting.  I am going to start next week, I still want to try and get another 20 lbs off.

I have really done much towards the Army stuff, my plan is to go reserves in the winter when my construction slows down.


I noticed I lost my pictures from my earlier post, I will try to get them re-uploaded.


Update #13 08/07/07

I will post a little more later on, but for those of you that have not given up on me, here goes.
Today I am going to take the ASVAB.  I have decide to go ahead full speed.  I will be going full time active duty.  Hope to be enlisted before the month is over, I will keep you all up to date.


That is all for now, thanks for following along,



Update #14, November 7, 2007

Well I am still waiting!

They cancled my physical again!  Over booked.

I  may have to wait till after the first of the year now.

Oh well, it will happen, I just wish sooner than later.

Also I found out that they can't even submit my waiver untill I pass the physical, so even after I do that I will haveanothe wait!


Thanks to everone.

Travis

Travis

So nobody has any advice for me?  Wow, usally ARFCOM is soo vocal, figured someone could offer something.

See ya!

Travis

My wife and I have started the same, having quit smoking a month ago.  I can think of no better advice or program than the best I have ever heard of: eat less and better plus excercise more.  It's just tha simple.  Walk the dog.  Take the stairs.  Ride your bike to the store, etc.  Take care!

Good for you.

I've lost 17lbs in 7 weeks on Relacore and alot of skipping treats.

From 207 to 190.  My goal is less than 185.  I fell much better already and my wife sees the difference in a few ways.  

GOALS ARE THE KEY TO SUCCESS.

Best wishes!

First, congratulations on making such a big decision...I truly hope you stick with it.

Like everyone says, the key to weight loss if to burn more calories than you take in.

It's gonna be tough at your age (no slam intended). I was 45 when I decided to get back in shape and it wasn't easy. While never overweight or severely out of shape (I weighed 12 pounds more than I did in boot camp 28 years earlier), it took a lot of ambition and willpower to make things happen.

Good luck, stick with it, and constantly look towards your goal.

seriously?

20 grams of carbs per day.

period.

and water your only beverage.

period.

add a bit of activity and you'll be getting woken up none too gently in bootcamp within a year.

i lost 50lbs in a few months staying in atkin's induction phase of 20 grams of carbs per day and only water.

lots of water.

throw in a few push ups, situps, strectches and walks and you'll be golden.

if you want it bad enough.

i did and it worked for me.

First of, thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

My diet is a low cal, low fat.  No added sugars, just natural, like in fruit and what not.

I will be meeting with a trainer at my gym this week, but I am thinking I will start out with mainly aroebics to start with.  Then some kind of weight training.  I need to be able to do pull ups and push ups, ect.

The recruter I meet with suggested "ruck" walks (sp?).  Starting with 25lbs in the pack, working up to 40.  He says this will burn more than walking or jogging, plus works the whole body, not just lower body.


Thanks again everyone, and any more suggestions would be great.


Travis

Like you mentioned aerobics are great for cardiovascular exercise, but weight training is where guys start dropping fat. Something about it really accelerates the process but you have to train at least 3 times a week and train thoroughly. Your weight loss will slow at first but then take off dramatically, at least on a low cal diet.

You should check with your doc though that kind of diet can cause issues with an older body.

Quoted: Like you mentioned aerobics are great for cardiovascular exercise, but weight training is where guys start dropping fat. Something about it really accelerates the process but you have to train at least 3 times a week and train thoroughly. Your weight loss will slow at first but then take off dramatically, at least on a low cal diet. You should check with your doc though that kind of diet can cause issues with an older body.

I don't have a Doctor, what kind of issues?

Travis

the body burns carbs before it burns fat.

limit your daily carb intake and your body will have no choice but to burn fat instead.

and none of us drink enough of water. period.

additionally, find something you -enjoy- doing for your physical training so you stick with it long enough for you to continue to reap the rewards in the future.

Quoted: the body burns carbs before it burns fat. limit your daily carb intake and your body will have no choice but to burn fat instead. and none of us drink enough of water. period. additionally, find something you -enjoy- doing for your physical training so you stick with it long enough for you to continue to reap the rewards in the future.

I know the low carb thing works, tried once before.  I am doing low cal, partly because my wife is dieting with me, but because the Atkins got too restrictive, couldn't stay on it.  Lasted about 6 weeks.

So far low cal is working for me, so I will stick to it.

Thanks,

Travis

Congrats! 30 lbs is a damn good start from July to now. I read a story where a guy did exactly what your doing. Was overweight(Ibelieve he was near 400) and when a recruiter came to talk to his son, the guy said he wanted to join too, he was 34. The guy is down to like 170 and all muscle. It took him 2 years including bootcamp i believe, but he did it.

Here are some tips:
Run, start slow and small. Work whatever your 1 mile time is down to 7 or 8 minutes, routinely.
Drink water when just sitting around, or powerade/gatorade when working out.
Run.
Push-ups, start out with 50 in the morning. Then, throw in a set of 25-50 a couple times when running or working out.
In between sets of push-ups, do a set of equal amounts of sit-ups.

DONT run too much, you'll get shin splints. Start small with a mile M+W+F. Then move it up to 2 miles, then 3 miles. On off days from running, bike ride twice what you can run. It'll help you build endurance, without the impact of running. Or swim.

Make a chart of sets/reps you can do, and each week add to it. Then post it where you can see it each day, so you wont forget. Keep track of your waist,chest, bicep and thigh sizes and weight so you can see how much progress you are making and stay motivated.

If you want to be a Marine, go for it. Whatever you want to do, hange some Marine/Army posters on your wall for motivation.

This is exactly what im doing, and hopefully this coming summer i'll be in USMC OCS.

Diet pills work wonders...

*nods*

gotta do what works for you and your partner...

atkins -can- seem to be a bit restrictive...

[no mashed potatoes? waaaaaa!]

remember the h2o "thing" though as "enough" water is a necessary part of -any- diet.

[your body lovelovelovessss water]

godspeed!

Quoted: Congrats! 30 lbs is a damn good start from July to now. I read a story where a guy did exactly what your doing. Was overweight(Ibelieve he was near 400) and when a recruiter came to talk to his son, the guy said he wanted to join too, he was 34. The guy is down to like 170 and all muscle. It took him 2 years including bootcamp i believe, but he did it. Here are some tips: Run, start slow and small. Work whatever your 1 mile time is down to 7 or 8 minutes, routinely. Drink water when just sitting around, or powerade/gatorade when working out. Run. Push-ups, start out with 50 in the morning. Then, throw in a set of 25-50 a couple times when running or working out. In between sets of push-ups, do a set of equal amounts of sit-ups. DONT run too much, you'll get shin splints. Start small with a mile M+W+F. Then move it up to 2 miles, then 3 miles. On off days from running, bike ride twice what you can run. It'll help you build endurance, without the impact of running. Or swim. Make a chart of sets/reps you can do, and each week add to it. Then post it where you can see it each day, so you wont forget. Keep track of your waist,chest, bicep and thigh sizes and weight so you can see how much progress you are making and stay motivated. If you want to be a Marine, go for it. Whatever you want to do, hange some Marine/Army posters on your wall for motivation. This is exactly what im doing, and hopefully this coming summer i'll be in USMC OCS.

Hey thanks for the work out plan, I will try that, not sure I ca do 50 push ups though!



Whats the age limit for Marines?

Maybe I should call them, I assumed the army was the only one taking a chance on us old dudes!


Thanks again,

Travis

Quoted: *nods* gotta do what works for you and your partner... atkins -can- seem to be a bit restrictive... [no mashed potatoes? waaaaaa!] remember the h2o "thing" though as "enough" water is a necessary part of -any- diet. [your body lovelovelovessss water] godspeed!

Yes I am drinking the water, lots of it too!

I know if I cant make my goal doing this diet, I can do Atkins for a couple of months and really knock off some pounds.

Thanks

Travis

Quoted: Quoted: Congrats! 30 lbs is a damn good start from July to now. I read a story where a guy did exactly what your doing. Was overweight(Ibelieve he was near 400) and when a recruiter came to talk to his son, the guy said he wanted to join too, he was 34. The guy is down to like 170 and all muscle. It took him 2 years including bootcamp i believe, but he did it. Here are some tips: Run, start slow and small. Work whatever your 1 mile time is down to 7 or 8 minutes, routinely. Drink water when just sitting around, or powerade/gatorade when working out. Run. Push-ups, start out with 50 in the morning. Then, throw in a set of 25-50 a couple times when running or working out. In between sets of push-ups, do a set of equal amounts of sit-ups. DONT run too much, you'll get shin splints. Start small with a mile M+W+F. Then move it up to 2 miles, then 3 miles. On off days from running, bike ride twice what you can run. It'll help you build endurance, without the impact of running. Or swim. Make a chart of sets/reps you can do, and each week add to it. Then post it where you can see it each day, so you wont forget. Keep track of your waist,chest, bicep and thigh sizes and weight so you can see how much progress you are making and stay motivated. If you want to be a Marine, go for it. Whatever you want to do, hange some Marine/Army posters on your wall for motivation. This is exactly what im doing, and hopefully this coming summer i'll be in USMC OCS. Hey thanks for the work out plan, I will try that, not sure I ca do 50 push ups though! Whats the age limit for Marines? Maybe I should call them, I assumed the army was the only one taking a chance on us old dudes! Thanks again, Travis

Thats OK, stretch before doing any exercise. And do as many as you fucking can! Write that down, and work to improve it.

Say you can only do 20 pushups:
Do the 20, rest and take a drink of water.
Do 15, rest and take a drink of water.
Do 10, etc.

Next week, do 25, then 20, then 15. Start small.

1BFM, good tip, I'll try that!

Thanks everyone I will keep you all posted with my progress,

Thanks

Travis

Rippetoe Work-out

Follow that religiously.  Don't futz with it.  Just do the work-out as outlined.

In addition work on:

Run

Push-ups

Pull-ups


Sheep
ex-11B

Quoted: Quoted: Like you mentioned aerobics are great for cardiovascular exercise, but weight training is where guys start dropping fat. Something about it really accelerates the process but you have to train at least 3 times a week and train thoroughly. Your weight loss will slow at first but then take off dramatically, at least on a low cal diet. You should check with your doc though that kind of diet can cause issues with an older body. I don't have a Doctor, what kind of issues? Travis

Nutrient depletion if you are already deficient for one. Also a stress test to see if you're at risk for a heart condition during exercise. Not trying to scare you but if you have a family history of problems associated with high weight (diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, IBD, high blood pressure, etc.) you might want to spend the money and get a medical opinion. I did before starting my program. Lost about 70 lbs. in 12 months, 55 lbs of which was lost during weight training. Thanks to a supportive family I had the time to go lift weights almost every day.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Like you mentioned aerobics are great for cardiovascular exercise, but weight training is where guys start dropping fat. Something about it really accelerates the process but you have to train at least 3 times a week and train thoroughly. Your weight loss will slow at first but then take off dramatically, at least on a low cal diet. You should check with your doc though that kind of diet can cause issues with an older body. I don't have a Doctor, what kind of issues? Travis Nutrient depletion if you are already deficient for one. Also a stress test to see if you're at risk for a heart condition during exercise. Not trying to scare you but if you have a family history of problems associated with high weight (diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, IBD, high blood pressure, etc.) you might want to spend the money and get a medical opinion. I did before starting my program. Lost about 70 lbs. in 12 months, 55 lbs of which was lost during weight training. Thanks to a supportive family I had the time to go lift weights almost every day.

Ok I might check into that.

Travis

There's a difference between losing weight and getting in shape.  Atkins helps you lose weight

I'll second the medical opinion too, and my best wishes that you attain your goal.  It won't be easy, but it is NOT impossible.

Quoted: There's a difference between losing weight and getting in shape.  Atkins helps you lose weight I'll second the medical opinion too, and my best wishes that you attain your goal.  It won't be easy, but it is NOT impossible.

There sure is!

Problem is I have to do both!

I know I will, I am very motivated to reach my goal.  It's about time I get off my ass and do something worth while!

Travis

Well, I'm sure you're going to get plenty of fitness advice from the other members, so let me concentrate on some other parts of your original post.

First, congratulations on your decision to serve. And thank you for believing in America and it's freedoms enough to sacrifice of yourself to preserve them.

Second, one of the biggest pitfalls for older guys who join is that they have to take orders from other guys who are senior in rank, and much junior in age. I have seen many times how a 30 year old Private has a very big problem with taking orders from a 22 year old Sergeant. Keep in mind that even after your initial entry training, you will have leaders who are much younger than you. If you get into the mindset that you can accept and learn from a younger person who is in a position of authority, you will do well.

And last, prepare your family to adjust to the rigors of military life. You will be gone from the household for several months during initial entry training. After that, it is very possible that you will go to a unit where you will deploy for a year or more. The separation from your loved ones will be difficult, but there is much more to consider. Your wife will be responsible for the entire household while you are gone - bills, repairs and maintenance, security, etc. You may have to miss weddings, funerals, births and other significant events due to your military duties. The threat of unfaithfulness will rear it's ugly head in both your mind and your wife's mind; there is no escaping that. Open and constant communication is the key there.

Good luck in your endeavors. You are working for some positive changes, and with the right preparations, you stand to reap huge rewards!

Quoted: Well, I'm sure you're going to get plenty of fitness advice from the other members, so let me concentrate on some other parts of your original post. First, congratulations on your decision to serve. And thank you for believing in America and it's freedoms enough to sacrifice of yourself to preserve them. Second, one of the biggest pitfalls for older guys who join is that they have to take orders from other guys who are senior in rank, and much junior in age. I have seen many times how a 30 year old Private has a very big problem with taking orders from a 22 year old Sergeant. Keep in mind that even after your initial entry training, you will have leaders who are much younger than you. If you get into the mindset that you can accept and learn from a younger person who is in a position of authority, you will do well. And last, prepare your family to adjust to the rigors of military life. You will be gone from the household for several months during initial entry training. After that, it is very possible that you will go to a unit where you will deploy for a year or more. The separation from your loved ones will be difficult, but there is much more to consider. Your wife will be responsible for the entire household while you are gone - bills, repairs and maintenance, security, etc. You may have to miss weddings, funerals, births and other significant events due to your military duties. The threat of unfaithfulness will rear it's ugly head in both your mind and your wife's mind; there is no escaping that. Open and constant communication is the key there. Good luck in your endeavors. You are working for some positive changes, and with the right preparations, you stand to reap huge rewards!

Great post!  Excellent advice.

I am Married but no children so that will help.

As far as taking orders from youngin's, I work in retail now, used to young aggressive "leaders"

As for the time from home, me and the wife have and are still discussing this.  She supports me, and thanks it would be great for both of us.  I was a commercial fisherman in Alaska for 3 years and a long haul truck driver for 8.  We deffinitely got the trust thing down!  14 years of marrige and still going strong.


Thanks again for the serious post, great advice.

Travis

Bump for update in first post.

Travis

Good for you man, glad to hear you're following up and SUCCEEDING!

Today I decided to increase my heartheart to 130 while on the treadmill, may bump that to 140.

Anyone know why they say a lower heartrate for burning fat, than if I was doing cardio training?

Seems like a higher heartrate would burn more calories, thus burn more fat?


Travis

So nobody has a clue about the ASVAB score?

I got an 81 on a sample test, have not done the real thing yet, but I am wondering what MOS's that might open for me?  Is there somewhere that might list this sort of thing?

Thanks


Travis

Bump to see if anyone has any ideas about ASVAB score and MOS's.

Thanks guys,

Travis

I just went to ARMY.com and found a link to MOS and minimum ASVAB scores, and apperantely I am retarded!  

I coouldn't find a MOS with a score less than 85?

What am I doing wrong, did I read something wrong?

Are sample test not a good indicator?


Thanks,

I guess I will be calling my recruiter


Travis

first, i will say congrats on your decision, and if it is truly your goal then keep up with it!

81 will pretty much open you up to about anything, pending you can get a security clearance.   what are you interested in?  check out military.com for a list of available MOS's in the army.  im a 19K (tanker).    81 is actually a pretty good score, as quite a lot of people i have talked to while in got in on scores from 30-60.  plus you usually score higher when you actually take the test, and can redo it up to three times to get a better score.  i came in on an 87, but only needed a 31 to do my job.  i can help you decipher what the individual codes are on the real test as well.

do you have a degree of any sort?  if you have 2 years of college you can go into OCS and get a commission and do your next two years while in, or with a certain number of credits you can go in as a specialist or PFC.

i enlisted into the army at age 27, and am enjoying it now as we speak.  yes, you have the potential to have to deal with shitbag 21 year old NCO's that get off on trying to use their rank to push around older guys, but its not very frequent and there are things you can do to deal with it.  

being older has pretty much just made me better at my job.  i have picked up more in a year than most of these guys have learned in three or four, plus i have my additional life experiences of being a grown adult outside of the military with a family and successful occupation.   if you are good at your job your leaders take notice, and waivers for early promotion can catch you up a bit, which is what is happening to me.  

i did see in basic a couple older guys in their mid and late thirties, and they had initial problems with PT, but most were good to go once they advanced to graduation.  just get yourself in good enough shape to get in and the army will take care of the rest.  

the main thing you should work to improve IMO, is running.  you will need to run at least an 8 minute mile to enlist, and the minimum pushup/situp requirements are small.  i couldnt run for shit when i joined, now i am completing five mile battalion runs without effort.  they have a good routine set up on basic to ease you into becoming a good runner. you just have to meet them halfway.

let me know if i can help you in any way, it took me 5 years to get in due to multiple waivers i required and i was disqualified several times before being allowed to enlist.  i fought tooth and nail for years to get in and am glad to assist somebody else that is having trouble.

Travis...if you have the discipline to drop the weight needed to join the Army...then you definitely have a good start.  Self discipline is a necessity.....

The Army could always use older recruits, too, so don't feel too odd about that.

Good luck to you.

I wanted to add to a portion of what daemon734 had to say; IMHO, if you have some schooling (BS/BA, other), you should consider warrant or commissioned officership.

I think you should consider this for several reasons (and I will try and be brief so it may come across as simplistic, but is not intended as hurtful), together with you needing to ask yourself some questions:

-what do you want to do in the Army? (You are not young anymore, and Infantry and such like, while possible, will never be easy)

-can you apply your previous education and training to the Army? (supporting a wife/your lifestyle on the pay of a private is NOT going to be easy)

-how will that choice of role affect you/your wife? (You may find you want and in fact can do "hardcore" type stuff; but is it best for you and yours in the long term? ie, adequate savings, stability, etc. Your SO needs to know as much or more than you do about what you are getting into)

It sounds cynical, but to think long term about any large beauracracy (and especially the Army) is: "No matter how much you love the Army, it does not love you back"

You CAN serve honorably and still look after yourself for the future. Do what your conscience tells you is right.

With the asvab there are multiple scores within the results. The two most important is your overall score, and your GT score which is I believe 4 sub-test scores put together to make one result. Usually to do anything but regular duty you have to have a 110 or higher. If you get an 81 overall you wont have problems with getting a wide variety of choices to choose from.


I work with a guy who is older than most of us and he sort of has an elitist attitude because of it even though he is a specialist. Thinks he knows everything and the like. The mil is completely different from the civilian world and time in is more important than how old you are. Think of it as being born again and how old you are is how many years you've been in.


Whenever I see threads about people wanting to join the mil you always get a few people who suggest becoming an officer. Yes it has its advantages, but not to me. Myself I like the reward of working hard and getting things accomplished. In my time In my experience with officers is they sit indoors all day doing paperwork and only come outside when they have to. One of the reasons I joined was to get out there and do things. If I wanted to be a paper pusher I wouldnt be here thats for sure. Im sure in combat arms its a bit different as their officers are expected to go out on patrols to lead the men but with my unit I rarely see an officer lift more than a stack of paper. And then they are the ones to get Bronze Stars for deploying... Being an officer is also very political where you constantly have to kiss ass to get recognition and play their game. To a certain extent there is some of that on the enlisted side, but for the most part you have to work to get promoted sgt and above. You earn it by your work not how well you sucked some lt col's dick (figuratively speaking). There is nothing else like the comraderie of being enlisted either. Some of the coolest people you will ever meet will be your buddies in the Army. You will also come away with hundreds of stories to tell that civilians will never come close to being able to do.

There are a lot of ups and downs with being in. One day you could be doing the worst thing you've ever done and the next you are off flying around in helicopters hanging out the door the whole time. One day you could be having to pmcs a truck in a sandstorm and the next you're at a machine gun range wasting thousands of rounds of ammo for free. Its crazy like that.

Good luck with the weight loss and let us know if you have other questions. Theres enough mil people on here one of us will know the answer.

I weighed 278 when I was a junior in high school...tried some Atkins and I weighed 242 2 months later.  Eventually I got down to 205 and enlisted, once you can meet the enlistment weight they'll burn the rest off in basic training (I did army)....I need to start dieting again because the weight is creeping back up but I can run a lot better than I used to...my PT scores constantly improve.  You only need to be able to do 13 pushups, 17 situps and 1 mile in 830 to enlist in the Army.  Most recruiters will fudge the numbers though..we had a lot of guys that couldn't do 1 pushup but they were doing plenty when basic was overwith.  Ruck marching is a lot tougher than it sounds, everyone I've talked to wished they had  practiced that before basic training...

KEEP AT IT.  Atkins works, my advice is just to try and gut it out for 4 months or so with NO CARBS and minimal excersize (better than none).  When I was on Atkins I did ZERO excersize and I was still burning fat and lost at least 3 pounds a week.  I wouldn't worry too much about weight lifting if I were you.  I didn't life a weight for about 9 months and my max bench press only went from 215 to 190 and after about 2 weeks it was at 210 again...just concentrate on losing weight.  It sucks when you're doing it but in less than half a year you will be SOOOOOOO HAPPY that you did it.  After you lose the weight just eat normally and it will stay off.  You will probably gain back about 10 pounds from Atkins almost immediately but you will keep the rest off as long as you don't go crazy with the candy or anything like that.

Whatever you decide to do good luck.  We have a lot of older guys in my unit that just enlisted because of the war and things like that.  The average age of our new infantry guys is probably around 26 or so because we get the 18 out of high school guys but with each of them there is at least 1 early 30s type.  When I was in basic training we had a guy that was 36 IIRC.  The drills will give you a harder time "Private XXX...36 year old baby..." and shit like that but its their job to get under your skin.

The more you excersize the better, just get sweaty with whatever you do basically.  If you're sweating you can't go wrong.  NO CARBS.  You'll survive and you won't regret it at all.

shit i lost 45 lbs in 4 months.
All you gotta do is eat subway for lunch, a piece of fruit for breakfastand have a light dinner. easy as pie,,, eh he pie!. do some light excersize a few times a week and never let your water glass get empty.

Thank you for making the decision to serve your country.

Justin

I swear to god, if you join anything other than Special Forces or Aviation-Crew Chief/Door Gunner, I will beat you.

If I remember, at least in 1984 the goal was to have at leat a 100 on the GT score. 100 or higher will open more choices.

In my basic cycle we had a dude that was 35 and was pretty heavy. The DIs kept on him to lose weight, watched his diet, gave him extra PT and stuff. They never ragged on him but they worked on him, kinda like a project. Well he passed everything at the end and I NEVER had seen a man so proud when he was chosen to carry the US flag at the graduation ceremony. I swear he had tears in his eyes when he was told to go get a new issue of BDUs because the ones he had no longer fit.

If he could do it, I KNOW you can do it.

Motivation is the key to Graduation!
good luck and keep us posted. You have more going for you than some of the people I know who don't have the nuts to even think about joining up becuase they think they have it so good.

I wish you all the best!

Quoted: Good for you. I've lost 17lbs in 7 weeks on Relacore and alot of skipping treats. From 207 to 190.  My goal is less than 185.  I fell much better already and my wife sees the difference in a few ways.   GOALS ARE THE KEY TO SUCCESS. Best wishes!

Mix the Relacore with some Stackers 3 and you can go the whole day without feeling hungry. I've been doing it for about a week now and have gone from a size 36 to a 34 0r 32 all I know is that I have to get a belt with a few more noches on the side you want to add the exter notches to.

If you going to do it start on a weekend or a day off to see how your body is going to react to

Thanks to everyone for the replies and encouragement!  Thats excactly what I need.

I swear I am become like a chick when comes to the weight loss!  The more I loose the more motivated I get.  I am allways checking myself in the mirror, my belly has really shrunk and I can't belive it!

I started the walking/running thing today, 5 minutes walking, run for 1 minute, repeat.  Went a lot better than I thought, I have never been a runner, but I was able to do this thru 6 cycles, not sure if I should do more, but I will be increasing the run time, decreasing walk time each week.

As for the comments about previous colledge education, being an officer, well that wont happen.  Even if I had a degree, not sure I want to be an officer, maybe, maybe someday a NCO, but I don't know.  I am a high school drop out, 1 quarter of my sophomore year, been on my own ever since.  The only college I have been to is the one where I got my GED, oh yeah, at the college of LIFE!!


Thanks to everyone, and I will SUCCEED,

Travis


P.S. I am trying to get ahold of my recruiter abiut the ASVAB, MOS thing

Quoted: I swear to god, if you join anything other than Special Forces or Aviation-Crew Chief/Door Gunner, I will beat you.

Tell me more.  Is this seriously something I could do?

Isn't there an age limit for Special Forces?  If not,I'd love to go for it!  That would be the ultimate accomplishment.

307lbs to Special Forces!  Hell Ya!!

Travis

Quoted: Quoted: I swear to god, if you join anything other than Special Forces or Aviation-Crew Chief/Door Gunner, I will beat you. Tell me more.  Is this seriously something I could do? Isn't there an age limit for Special Forces?  If not,I'd love to go for it!  That would be the ultimate accomplishment. 307lbs to Special Forces!  Hell Ya!! Travis

For SF, you would have to lose some more weight.  They have extremely rigorous training and standards.
And yeah, the SF website says "20-30"...
But I was just saying, those are really the only two reasons to join the .mil.

However, you could be a Crew Chief/Door Gunner for helos.

Bump for Update in first post.

Travis

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I swear to god, if you join anything other than Special Forces or Aviation-Crew Chief/Door Gunner, I will beat you. Tell me more.  Is this seriously something I could do? Isn't there an age limit for Special Forces?  If not,I'd love to go for it!  That would be the ultimate accomplishment. 307lbs to Special Forces!  Hell Ya!! Travis For SF, you would have to lose some more weight.  They have extremely rigorous training and standards. And yeah, the SF website says "20-30"... But I was just saying, those are really the only two reasons to join the .mil. However, you could be a Crew Chief/Door Gunner for helos.

Apparently the GED thing is going limit me on jobs, but I will keep checking.

Thanks,

Travis

I will probably be re-enlisting in the Army after being out for over 13 years.  I am 31 now and will rejoin either the NG or Active Duty Army and after that Naval Infantry thread....maybe try my hand at that.  All I know is that I want to get back into shape also and see some action and serve my country again.

Good luck!!!

I am 36 yrs old, and I need back surgery to correct some bulging/deteriorating disks and some moderate stenosis.

I work in a military-type field already, and would LOVE to join if I get back to 100% condition after surgery, but I don't see it happening.

I am not overweight at all but I'm not fit either.


B

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I swear to god, if you join anything other than Special Forces or Aviation-Crew Chief/Door Gunner, I will beat you. Tell me more.  Is this seriously something I could do? Isn't there an age limit for Special Forces?  If not,I'd love to go for it!  That would be the ultimate accomplishment. 307lbs to Special Forces!  Hell Ya!! Travis For SF, you would have to lose some more weight.  They have extremely rigorous training and standards. And yeah, the SF website says "20-30"... But I was just saying, those are really the only two reasons to join the .mil. However, you could be a Crew Chief/Door Gunner for helos. Apparently the GED thing is going limit me on jobs, but I will keep checking. Thanks, Travis

Score high on the Asvab.

Hey tyman,

Thats my plan, I will be doing some practicing and/or studing for it soon.

Thanks,

Travis

Quoted: Hey tyman, Thats my plan, I will be doing some practicing and/or studing for it soon. Thanks, Travis