Almost 70% of American Military personnel are overweight or obese, according to the New York Post. Is there something about the American diet that is causing this?

33 comments

  1. Same things involved in Americans in general being overweight. Diet and sedentary lifestyles.

  2. I really doubt this. You expect me to believe that the people with strict exercise regimens are more obese or overweight than the average person? I call bullshit. I’d bet it’s a BMI thing, since the BMI is notoriously inaccurate and does poorly with low fat percentages.

  4. Based on weight? Sure.

    The standards are pretty tight and they don’t factor in muscle of any kind. Just the number on the scale.

    They have a tape test that measures the neck and the abdomen. It’s supposed to separate fat from muscular. Still doesn’t really get the job done.

    At 5’6, I was required to be between 130 and like 150. Looks good on paper, but having the mass at a fit 160 meant I could do my job way better than I could at a thin 130.

  5. The New York Post is a sensationalist tabloid. I’d double and triple check any sort of information that originates with them. They’re much more concerned with having eye catching headlines that get people to visit their site and buy their papers than they are with writing factually true articles.

  6. [Nearly 70% of American soldiers are obese or overweight — compromising national security: study](https://nypost.com/2023/10/20/nearly-70-of-american-soldiers-are-obese-or-overweight-study/)

    > The American Security Project, a Washington-based nonprofit, found that 68% of US troops qualified as either “overweight” or “obese” under the Body Mass Index, which takes into account a person’s age, height and weight.

    BMI doesn’t take into account whether it is fat or muscle. So 6’0”, 234-pound New York Giants running back [Saquon Barkley](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DkYfBNzmfbOWLsHKeWZzJWdJEW4=/0x0:8192×5464/1200×800/filters:focal(3441×2077:4751×3387)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72774417/1739755249.0.jpg) has a 31.7 BMI, making him “obese”.

  7. Likely they’re using BMI which does not differentiate between muscle and fat. My dad was considered obese when he was in the military despite being extremely fit. (He’s still obese now that he’s out of the military but that’s not muscle lol)

  8. BMI has inappropriate results for people with more muscle mass, I would expect a fair amount of military to fall into that bucket.

    If a similar study exists that looks at body fat percentage instead of BMI, that might be useful.

  9. “Overweight” or even “obese” can include people that have too much muscle. I’m not saying all military personnel are ripped body builders but your uncited statistic doesn’t really tell me anything.

  11. I think it’s time we take a good look at our definitions of obesity, and particularly how much we associate that with physical health.

  13. I was overweight in the Army at 6ft 225lbs and also the best shape of my life. I was a gym rat. Others who constantly hit the gym were also overweight. I wouldn’t look too much into it. I am now down to 205lbs.

  14. Lol everyone saying BMI, BMI as if the rest of the world don’t have eyes.

    I mean just look at any video diary, or documentary, or youtube that shows actual service people. An aircraft carrier was anchored in Split last year so as a Croat I saw a few of the service people in shore. Even though they were mostly in their 20s you could tell that they were all huge, and starting to get fat.

    Maybe it’s growth hormones in the meat? I dunno. But it’s clearly observabe so stop this BMI BS.

  18. The New York Post is a tabloid and should not be considered factual or even informative information.

  20. My doctor told me that BMI is so irrelevant nowadays. I don’t know why it’s still used. My doctor said that when it was developed people were very frail and bones were thin. Now with modern nutrition we have better bone density and better muscle mass and that alone will put you in the overweight categories.

  24. High fructose corn syrup is in damn near everything. Blame “Rusty” Butts who convinced Nixon to subsidize corn.

  25. There’s probably something about your understanding of the world, and you reading the New York Post that’s causing you to believe this.

    I don’t believe it because it’s obvious bullshit. And because it’s just more Murdoch BS.

    Source: The US Army I served in won’t tolerate this sort of unreadiness. Ever.

  27. That’s BMI.

    I can’t tell you how many legitimately healthy guys couldn’t pass the tape because BMI doesn’t differentiate between fat and muscle.

    Whereas I, a fat guy with above average muscle mass, would pass because I have an 18 inch neck.

  28. The Army, for example ample uses their height/weight tables to screen. If you come in overweight on that you bet a body fat test. If you fail that you get put onto a weight control program. So 70% overweight is accurate as written but not with implementation.

    Also, it’s getting harder to be outraged by media’s general accuracy. It’s all bullshit.

  29. Veteran here, the short answer is yes.

    Americans as a whole are massive compared to other countries, and I completely blame our diets/portions.

    At least from my limited anecdotal experience. I remember traveling to other countries and being blown away at how portion sizes differ compared to the US, and how thin people were.

    I also remember getting pissed off when getting back to the US and trying to order a small combo from McDonald’s.

  30. The Army considered me overweight because my BMI was high but my BMI was I think around 25% ish when I was still in. I worked out religiously when I was in and more so when I was deployed. I regularly did strength training workouts once a day and 3 days out of the week were doubles. Morning session was cardio, and afternoon was strength training. Hands down best physical fitness in my life but still considered “overweight” by the army and needed taped

  32. HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SERIOUSLY WE NEED TO OUTLAW IT. Then help finance farmers to switch crops that are better for the youth. Create a federal program to partner privately owned farms with counties and schools to create a healthier and more filling lunch for students while also putting money in farmers’ pockets. Don’t let the food just go to waste on so many grocery stores’ shelves.

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