<p>Okay, this isn’t easy for me to say because it has been my life long shame but i’ll say it anyway. I’m medically disquaified from the Academy, from the military, and I have not taken a medical exam. I know this because I have been medically disqualified for basically my entire life. My body fat percentage is over 20 poercent. Last time I check which was a couple months ago, maybe Febuary or April, it was in the lower 30 percent. I feel asthough I have tried everything. My family is very poor and we buy whatever food we can get that isn’t very good at all. The food they serve in school is just as bad as the ones they serve on the street. And in Bronx and NYC in general there’s always someone selling crappy food, trying to earn an honest buck. In the morning I eat cereal and then when I get home I usually eat eat rice, beans and tortilla. I’ve tried to split up my meals into frequent smaller meals to speed up my motabolism, and I began to work out more. But it seems hopeless. I’m 5’9 and weight 218 pounds approximately. I have of lot of things holding me back in my pursuit of getting into the Academy, but I can not, will not give up. Has anyone ever been in this situation? Does anyone have any suggestions.</p>
<p>Son weight is something millions of people fight daily. The only way I know to loose weight is to move more and eat less. I know this is not going to help and I believe you have said in the past that your parents are not very supportive of your choice, but if your dream is to attend the academy you are the only one who can loose the weight. As with many things in life there usually are no real short cuts. Discipline and hard work are the only things that will really make you shed the weight. I am not a professional and it sounds very much like you need professional advice for this. I am certain in NYC there are countless professionals that would be willing to help though.</p>
<p>AFPJ-Your situation is not hopeless and you are the only one that can do this. I believe in you. ds52262 has it right...eat less and move more. But you need some ammunition in your corner. Knowledge is that ammunition. Meet with your school nurse or a neighborhood clinic for nutritional counseling. Go to the public library and spend a day reading all you can about nutrition (not Diets!). You need to incorporate fruits (not juice) and vegetables into your diet and lean proteins. Look at your school cafeteria with a critical eye and find anything that will fit into that category. Fortunately or all of us, the natural foods fro the earth are usually the least expensive. Make your first change this week. One nutritional change and one fitness change. Keep track of these changes and add just one new change every week. You will be surprised at the way you feel after just a few weeks.</p>
<p>Well maybe you need to get your ass off the chair and into physical activities. If you really want to lose weight, you need to tell yourself that you want to. Go out, force yourself to participate in activities that actually require dedication...then will you only be able to reach such a goal.</p>
<p>AFPJ,</p>
<p>You don't know how lucky you are. Lucky in the sense that your medical disqualifier is something you have control over. I think about the people that would love to attend a Service Academy but they have disqualifications that are out of their control. Unless you have some underlying medical condition, you most likely can change your "condition."</p>
<p>You have received great advice from the others (well, Beardy was a little brutal--but it's true) ...and something tells me you already knew this. Do NOT look for an easy fix. It's not easy to lose weight, but it is possible. How awesome would it look on your application if you could explain how hard you worked to lose those excess pounds. That would speak volumes for your determination.</p>
<p>Books at the library are free. Plant a garden and grow your own veggies. You can plant tomatoes and peppers in a bucket if necessary! Get a job? Can you work to help with the grocery bill? Go to the store with your mom/dad. I'm certain that you can substitute healthy foods for about the same price as what you currently buy. Print a list of low glycemic foods (you can find it on the internet) and foods rich in fiber, and get active. Walk the dog....walk the neighbor's dog---WALK!!...then run!</p>
<p>You say you haven't had the medical exam, there could be other issues you're not even aware of--all because of weight. How's your blood pressure, your glucose levels? I would suggest you first look into how you could obtain a physical before you start any exercise program. Then, go follow that dream. </p>
<p>Dream Big, AFPJ!!</p>
<p>Everyone is right, you have control over and millions of people fight this battle. Here is my suggestion lets pretend that your are not medically disqualified because of weight, just barely within limits, now you have a larger hurdle to pass because you are heavier the CFA will be more difficult( I am assuming your weight is not muscular, but fat). I suggest that everyday you eat smaller portions, but as soon as you get home you practice the entire CFA. With the ultimate goal of maxing. This will help in two ways, one the exercise will assist in weight loss and 2 you will prepare yourself for the CFA.</p>
<p>In case you don't know maxes, here is what I recall them to be
BB throw 100
Pull-ups 18
Pushups 85
Sit ups 95
shuttle @8 sec
Mile @ 5:30</p>
<p>Remember even if you can get your weight under control as an officer you will still have to perform a PFT and at the academey you will be challenged to be phsyical.</p>
<p>Also join a sport at school, you will want to have it on your resume! You might also want to incorporate swimming in the summer.</p>
<p>Do what they said about eating, and swim. Swim hard. It works every muscle in your body.</p>
<p>Also, don't start too fast. Just walk for 20-30 minutes. Then slowly make your way up. Jog for a minute, walk for 1. Then you'll start to be able to jog all the time. As that gets easy, start running.</p>
<p>Once again, this is going to take a while, but stick with it. Just imagine that appointment letter. Keep your goals in mind and just get out there and do it! It sounds like you have the determination to get it done. I hope to see you at the Academy some day (that is if I get in too!)</p>
<p>P.S. No soda or sweets!</p>
<p>I tried getting a job. I am certifiied lifeguard and in NYC with all those condominiums in Manhattan, I can find a job easily. But I don't work because both of my parents work so I come home after school to cook and clean for my sibling, tkare care of him, make sure he does his homework and help him with it. It would be nice to grow a garden but the only place I can imagine that I can grow some veggies are in the fire escape but my apartment windows faces a brick wall so not much sun light comes through anyway except midday. I guess since my time is running out, I'm looking for an easy answer. I'm scared this Saturday I get on a bus for the Naval Academy Summer Seminar (didn't get into the AFASS), and there I will have to face kids that are far more fit than I am. I feel asthough I have tried everything, I pushed myself to the edge of my limits and beyond, but some people are born with a natural talent far beyond my own, no amount of training could close that gap. Yes I do swim, It was the only team that would accept me. I tried out for every team, baseball, track, basketball, but the swim team was the only team that needed as much people as they could, so I learned how to swim. And when my mother lost her job last year I swam hard so I become fast enough to become a lifeguard.</p>
<p>Run and eat healthy. Running is good for weight loss. </p>
<p>Now, passing the CFA/PFT will require more than aerobic fitness. So, don't neglect push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, etc! Also, muscle naturally burns calories. If you follow a full-body fitness plan, your metabolism will naturally increase. Combine that with healthier eating and you will see results.</p>
<p>You're not going to like my answer to this post, but I will try to word it the best I can.</p>
<p>Quit making excuses. Yes, harsh, but hear me out. You've explained your hardships to us. They are tougher than most of us will ever have to worry about. But, I have friends and classmates here that have pushed through the same and worse at times. If USAFA is your dream, only you have the power to go for it. Time is limited, and honestly, this time around may not work out very well. But there are options open if you are serious. Your weight, fitness level, and SAT scores alone are not competitive at all. Sorry, plain truth. They are routes through active duty military and junior colleges. You can take a student loan and attend college, that's an option. You need to explore these and ask yourself what you want to do. </p>
<p>That's my opinion from what I've seen on here.</p>
<p>Lol, you know hornetguy, I'm kind of intimidated by you. Do you think I should still pursue an appoitment now? And apply when I am competitive enough? Oh and on top of that my academics aren't where they should be. I have an 84 average and failed two classes in the past. So yes, I am considering a plan B. I though my best plan right now is graduate and go ANG while college and try to get into the USAFA Prep School. I would much rather go to a prep school then go to USAFA head on. What do you think?</p>
<p>Just for reference pal, the maximum allowable weight for someone who is 69 inches tall is 186 lbs, straight from the Appointee booklet...</p>
<p>I feel that drop in weight is more than doable, you will find that once you cut the pounds, it is quite easy to keep it off for good, A friend of mine decided he was gonna start playin sports, and he was in the same boat as you were... He played soccer and wrestled with me and you could see the difference in a month or so... He dropped 30 lbs no problem and has yet to gain any of it back...</p>
<p>I agree with the above posts and reading that you already face numerous hardships tht should inhibit you from achieving your goal, but you havent given up have you? ;) We all believe in you, and ya just have to ask yourself Mr. New York City...</p>
<p>How bad do ya want it? ;)</p>
<p>There's been a lot of stuff that has held me back in my pursuit of the Academy appointment. My parents don't want me in the military but this is something that I have to do for myself. Maybe I won't get in on my first try, but I still keep applying until I'm too old. I have another question. Is there a certain amount of credits that you are allowed to have before you are not allowed to go to the Academy, in other words many people have told me that after certain semesters in college you can't go to the Academy anymore. Some people have told me that no that's not true. Can anyone clarify this for me please?</p>
<p>Wow this discussion opened up a lot. AFPJ you are the only one who really knows what your situation requires. Based on what you have said if USAFA is really what you want, your work is cut out for you. You may wish to explore additional options like enlisting in the Active, Guard, or Reserve. You will still have to loose weight, but you will have more resources. of course you will have to loose it before you get in. Additionally you can get educational assistance. You may want to consider taking CC chem, physics, and calc not to validate at USAFA, but to be prepared for USAFA.</p>
<p>no there was a cadet who completed things at Notre Dame and then went to USAFA</p>
<p>CC chem, physics, CC = college courses ?</p>
<p>Chem, Physics, and math courses higher than Calc level are all GPA killers here...there's obviously exceptions, but most people have trouble with those courses.</p>
<p>Where can I find the core curriculum for 4 digs at the Academy? I can't find it on the Academyadmissions.com website.</p>
<p>there are tons of options if the AFA doesnt work out. college, rotc, guard, reserves, enlisting. it's not all about the academy. there are millions of ways you can serve; if your mind is on service, you'll never be let down. explore all options, and if something doesn't work out, move on to another. you've got alot of work to do, now get out and do it</p>
<p>It's in the catalog that you can get if you're a prospective.
Heres the classes (I can get more specific if you need):
Chem I and II
Intro Computing
Calc I and II
Physics I
Military Theory
Comp & Research
World History
Intro Engineering
Phys Ed</p>
<p>You can continue to apply to the Academy until you are 23. After that time, you're too old for admission.</p>
<p>AFPJ, I have the same viewpoint as hornetguy, so I hope I don't sound mean, but basically this is what it comes down to. You say you want to come to the Academy, but then for every single idea and suggestion that is put out on the boards, you come up with a reason why it won’t work for you. You’re right, you probably do wish you could find an easy fix, but that’s not going to happen. You don’t get into the Academy by looking for the easy route. Plain and simple, you need to start working out harder, eating healthier, pulling up those grades, and start making yourself into an outstanding candidate. There are many things in life that you don’t have control over, but making yourself into the kind of person that the Academy wants and needs is completely in your ball park. That should be enough to motivate you to achieve your goals. Part of the military is not making excuses. So start now and stop making excuses for yourself. If you continue to do that, you may get sympathy from people on the boards (myself included… believe me, I’m not trying to negate the impact your family hardships have had on you), but it will go nowhere towards getting you an appointment. </p>
<p>My honest opinion is that you won’t be getting an appointment to 2013… you have a long ways to go before you will be competitive for admission. However, I don’t say that to discourage you. Sometimes when you put a time limit on yourself, it puts a lot of pressure on you and makes you feel like you can’t accomplish your goal. So instead of setting an unrealistic goal (like you have to achieve all this in the next month or two), set a realistic goal for yourself. That may mean you have to wait a year after graduating from high school to apply to the Academy or get an appointment to the prep school. But if you give yourself time, you’re much more likely to achieve your goal in the long run. Be confident in yourself. I still stick to what I’ve always said. If you really really want to come to USAFA badly enough, you will make it happen. You don’t have any medical conditions outside your control that are keeping you from the Academy. So get motivated. Take responsibility for yourself and you can make this dream happen.</p>