Navy sailors told they can loosen their belts and PUT ON weight as fitness levels are lowered to stop so many overweight mariners being forced out
U.S. Navy has loosened its restrictions on sailors' adhering to body fat limit
Those who have failed fitness test are being given another chance to pass
They will be tested under the new more lenient Navy fitness guidelines
Comes after force said too many sailors were leaving due to fitness levels
By Jennifer Newton for MailOnline
Published: 05:26 EST, 7 March 2016 | Updated: 05:42 EST, 7 March 2016
The US Navy is relaxing its rules on body fat limits after too many sailors were being kicked out of the service for not passing strict physical fitness tests.
The force loosened its restrictions on body fat in January and is now allowing those who failed their physical exams three or more times, to get one more opportunity to be tested this spring under more lenient guidelines.
The Navy has previously said they had been losing too many talented sailors due to the fitness rules and some were even resorting to liposuction and diet pills to save their careers.
Petty Officers Theresa Derby, left, and Lentoyi White run through the morning fog as part of their exercise routine. The pair are trying to improve their fitness in order to pass the Navy's fitness test and remain in the Navy
The changes are the latest by the military looking to improve its ability to recruit and retain talented people as it builds up its cyber-warfare strategy and faces competition from a rebounding economy.
A 2014 Pentagon study found that roughly two-thirds of Americans would not qualify to enlist in the armed services as a result of health problems, obesity and the failure to complete a high school education.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the service is not lowering standards but rather adjusting to reality.
He said: 'People today, in general, are bigger but not necessarily fat. The Navy is also considering larger uniforms sizes for the first time in two decades.
The number of sailors booted from the Navy annually because they did not meet physical standards has more than doubled from 694 in 2011 to 1,536 in 2014
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The number of sailors booted from the Navy annually because they did not meet physical standards has more than doubled from 694 in 2011 to 1,536 in 2014
'It's far more realistic. We were kicking more people out of the Navy for failing that, than for drugs.'
The number of sailors booted from the Navy annually because they did not meet physical standards has more than doubled from 694 in 2011 to 1,536 in 2014.
The Navy's old policy allowed for 22 per cent body fat for males ages 17 to 39, and 33 per cent body fat for females ages 17 to 39.
Sailors age 40 and older were allotted one additional percentage point or 23 per cent for males and 34 per cent for women over 40.
The new limits fall in line with the Department of Defense standards and allow sailors to pass with a maximum 26 percent of body fat for men and 36 percent for women.
Service members have long complained that the Defense Department's method of estimating body fat punishes bulkier, muscular builds.
Plastic surgeons in communities near bases have said up to a third of their business comes from service members seeking liposuction to pass the exam.
The traditional, so-called 'tape test' relies on measurements of the neck and waist to calculate one's body fat percentage.
The Air Force in 2013 started allowing airmen who fail the tape test but pass physical fitness exams to be measured using the Body Mass Index, which is a chart based on an individual's weight and height.
The Navy adopted similar rules, expanded gym hours and provides fitness help to post-partum sailors.
Petty Officer Lentoyi White, 26, feared for her career, after failing twice.
'I am very grateful for a second chance with this new policy,' said the single mother of a five-year-old girl.
White, based in Coronado, California, uses a calorie-tracking app and does 30 minutes of cardio a day.
Petty Officer Lentoyi White, 26, feared for her career, after failing twice. She now uses a calorie-tracking app and does 30 minutes of cardio a day
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Petty Officer Lentoyi White, 26, feared for her career, after failing twice. She now uses a calorie-tracking app and does 30 minutes of cardio a day
She has gone from 212 pounds to 188 and is confident she'll pass this spring.
The changes come amid debate over whether the physical requirements demanded of service members across the board are still relevant or should be adjusted according to the job so the armed forces can maintain the pool of talent it needs for today's high-tech warfare.
All branches are reviewing their job standards to modernize their forces and prepare for the opening of combat posts to women.
From drone operators to cyber-warfare officers, 'there are a number of officers in jobs where it is really obvious why it would not make whole lot of difference what their weight is, other than to the extent that the culture in the military disrespects it and therefore, they can't lead,' said former Army officer James Joyner, who teaches at the Marine Corps University.
He added: 'It's absurd the percentage of high school teenagers who are considered to be too fat to join the military.
'Maybe there are two problems: One, obesity, and the other that the standards are out of date and not relevant.'
Some 34,000 sailors, or roughly 10 per cent of the force, have failed the physical requirements at least once since 2011, mostly because of body fat.
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