The armed forces just raised the maximum enlistment age to 42. I just turned 42 this August. I would join up today, except that I’m totally out of shape, with a weight of 325 lbs. The biggest regret of my life is not joining the army when I was young.
Can I get into decent shape before my 43rd birthday? The prospect of being able to join the army is the greatest motivating factor ever. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Alas, the new enlistment age is that you have to start basic training before you turn 42, not 43, from news accounts that I read recently. So it looks like you’re a year too late.
I hope your plans to enlist work out. In any case, you can get in shape in a year, I think. You didn’t say how tall you are, so it’s hard to judge how much extra weight you have been carrying, but from personal experience I can say that you can make a big change in twelve months. In my case it was a surprise angioplasty that led me to make some big changes in my lifestyle. In my case, my doctor advised a regimen that led to a loss of about 2 pounds a week for several months. I was 6’5" and 330, so I had plenty to lose.
When I joined the Navy many years ago I wasn’t in particularly good shape, but the PT really had a quick effect. Certainly boot camp would be much easier if you went in in good shape, but quite a few of your fellow recruits will arrive there in less-than-top condition.
Good luck!
Even if this is true - and I’m not saying it is or it isn’t, I don’t know - if he wants in badly enough, he can get in. Especially right now when they need people the way they do.
Well real world, if you keep your calories to about 1500 a day you can safely lose approx 3 lbs per week until about 260ish, and then after that approx 2 lbs per week until 220 lbs which should get you in. If you get much below 1500 daily your tends to burn muscle as well as fat.
So 65/3 = Approx 22 weeks
45/2 = Approx 23 weeks
So 45 weeks - So yeah you can do it but here’s not much wiggle room for cheating, and you will have to exercise regularly and intensely (tons of walking) to meet the physical performance requirements, and you had best get knowledge of them ahead of time so you will know what you’ll be tested on.
If you think you can talk them into letting you in, by all means go for it; but a quick googling found me this article which I’d read when it first came out and from which this is the critical sentence:
So it appears that the deadline is enlisting before your 42nd birthday. However, since my husband works with a doctor who’s currently on his 47th year of active duty (he was actually returned to active service by act of Congress after he’d retired), clearly anything is possible!
Well, I’m still going to try. Perhaps they’ll raise the enlistment age again… at least for the reserves.
They probably will raise the enlistment age again.
I admire your determination and your desire to serve. The Army was great for me. Good luck!