Tri-Service
Obese Personnel Discharged In Armed Forces Fat Fight
An obese serviceman is among those to have been discharged from the military for being too overweight, at 28 stone.
Other members of personnel left the forces last year weighing 24 stone and 19 stone.
In all, 72 people between January 2007 and March 2016 have reportedly been required to leave the military.
According to The Sun, 5,540 soldiers are currently unable to complete basic fitness assessments like a 1.5 mile run and the required number of press-ups and sit-ups.
The newspaper quotes one officer as saying:
"If you walk around any barracks you’ll see plenty of overweight soldiers."
It's been argued, however, that some personnel are classified as obese due to their body mass index (BMI), which doesn't differentiate between muscle mass and fat mass
Commenting on the issue, the MoD has said:
"Over 95% of our personnel routinely pass challenging fitness tests. All are educated in nutrition, diet and exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight, and in some circumstances additional measures are considered in order to achieve this".
The NHS says that BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a good indicator of someone's health, with an index of 18.5 to 24.9 thought to be healthy, 25 to 29.9 being overweight, and 30 and above defined as obese.
It suggests that cutting down on alcohol could be one of many good places to start in the fight to lose excess weight.
""Drinking five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200kcal over a year, equivalent to eating 221 doughnuts".
You can calculate your BMI on the NHS's healthy weight calculator.
They caution, however, that this metric should not be used in isolation, as someone who is very muscular might have a disproportionately high BMI.
Waist circumference can also be used, with men having a measurement of 37 inches or more, and women having 31.5 inches or more, said to be more likely to develop obesity-related health issues.
Body composition for athletic people, meanwhile, is often better calculated using measures of body fat.
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