Weight Control FAQ's
How do you calculate a female/male Soldier’s
body fat percentage if her/his measurements are not on the look up tables
(Figures B5 and B6) in AR 600-9?
The following formula is the DoD body fat
equation mentioned in Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1308.3, "DoD
Physical Fitness and Body Fat (BF) Programs Procedures"., dated 5 November 2002.
Just insert the Soldiers’ circumference and height (in inches).
WOMEN:
The equation for women is:
% body fat = [163.205 x log10 (waist
+ hip – neck)] – [97.684 x log10 (height)] – 78.387
CIRCUMFERENCE AND HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS
MUST BE IN INCHES
Solve the equation using actual measurements:
SAMPLE
Neck = 15.0"; waist = 42"; hip = 44"; height =
64"
% body fat = [163.205 x log10 (42
+44 – 15)] – 97.684 x log10 (64)] – 78.387
A. Solve [163.205 x (log10 (71))].
Take the Log10 (71) = 1.85 (when using a calculator be careful not to
use LN (natural log), rather us the LOG key so you would enter 71 and press LOG)
B. Solve [97.684 x (Log10 (64))].
Take the Log10 (64) = 1.81 (when using a calculator be careful not to
use LN (natural log), rather us the LOG key so you would enter 64 and press LOG)
C. Solve the equation:
% body fat = [163.205 x 1.85] – 97.684 x 1.81]
– 78.387
= [301.93] – [176.81] – 78.387
= 47% (actual number is 46.73% however, round to the nearest whole % body fat)
MEN:
The equation for men is:
% body fat = [86.010 x Log10
(abdomen – neck)] – [ 70.041 x Log10 (height)] + 36.76
CIRCUMFERENCE AND HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS
MUST BE IN INCHES
Solve the equation using actual measurements:
SAMPLE
Neck = 16"; Waist = 49"; Height = 69"
% body fat = [86.010 x Log10 (49 –
16)] – [ 70.041 x Log10 (69)] + 36.76
A. Solve [86.010 x (Log10
(33))]. Take the Log10 (33) = 1.52 (when using a calculator be
careful not to use LN (natural log), rather us the LOG key so you would enter 33
and press LOG)
B. Solve [70.041 x (Log10 (69))].
Take the Log10 (69) = 1.84 (when using a calculator be careful not to
use LN (natural log), rather us the LOG key so you would enter 69 and press LOG)
C. Solve the equation:
% body fat = [86.010 x Log10 (49 –
16)] – [ 70.041 x Log10 (69)] + 36.76
= [130.74] – [128.88] + 36.76
= 39% (actual number is 38.62% however, round to the nearest whole % body fat)
How long is the "All Ranks Personnel
Handbook/Issue 15 AR 600-9 Interim Change" in effect?
the March 1996 ALARACT message that went out to
the field extending Interim Change 101, 4 March 1994 is no longer in effect.
Policy updates are contained in the newly published AR 600-9, The Army Weight
Control Program (AWCP), dated 1 September 2006.
When is a pregnant Soldier exempt from the
AR 600-9 and for how long?
Female Soldiers who become pregnant will be
exempt from the standards for the duration of pregnancy plus 6 months following
pregnancy termination. This information was last published in DoD
Directive 1308.1 20 Jul 1995, DoD Physical Fitness and Body Fat Program.
When will a Soldier be flagged for being
overweight?
IAW AR 600-9 para 3-2b Active, Reserve, and
National Guard Soldiers exceeding the body fat standard will be provided weight
reduction counseling by health care personnel, entered in a Weight Control
Program by their unit commander, and flagged under the provisions of AR 600-8-2.
Enrollment in the AWCP starts on the day that the Soldier is informed by the
unit Commander that he/she has been entered in a weight control program.
Are medical evaluations required before a
Soldier is flagged?
No. However, IAW AR 600-9 para 3-2d, a
medical evaluation will be accomplished by health care personnel when the
Soldier has a medical limitation, or is pregnant, or when requested by the unit
commander. A medical evaluation is also required for Soldier being
considered for separation as a result of failing to make satisfactory progress
in a weight control program, or within six months of ETS. It is
recommended that all Soldiers that are enrolled in a weight control program
receive a medical evaluation. However, a medical evaluation does not
exclude the Soldier from meeting body fat standards per AR 600-9.
Can the commander or attending physician
approve exemptions to AR 600-9?
No. All exemptions to AR 600-9 must be
forwarded to Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, ATTN: DAPE-HRI, 300 Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20310. G-1, Human Resource, is the proponent for The Army
Weight Control Program. Commanders are to provide counseling to Soldiers
to establish a personal weight goal and implement the weight control program.
Physicians and other health care personnel assist commanders and supervisors by
providing weight reduction counseling, identification of pathological conditions
that require treatment, and evaluating Soldier with medical limitations.
Per The Office of The Surgeon General, DA Form 3349, Physical Profile form will
not be used to excuse Soldiers from the provisions of AR 600-9. AR 600-9
contains a standard memorandum for completion by a physician if there is an
underlying or associated disease process that is the cause of the overweight
condition.
If a Soldier is taking a prescribed
medication that may cause weight gain, is the Soldier exempt from the standards
of AR 600-9?
No. IAW The Office of The Surgeon General
(OTSG), Physical Profiles and AR 600-9, the use of certain medications to treat
an underlying medical disorder or the inability to perform aerobic events may
contribute to weight gain, but is not generally considered sufficient medical
rationale to exempt a Soldier from AR 600-9
What is the Army uniform for male Soldiers
that are taped in accordance with AR 600-9?
Clarification of this issue has been revised in
the update AR 600-9, dated September 2006. The current text guidance and
illustrations in Appendix B and Figures B-7 and B-8 provide clear guidance on
taping procedures and uniform. Appendix B, B-1c states that the tape will
be applied so that it makes contact with the skin and conforms to the body
surface being measured. It additionally states that in the hip
circumference more firm pressure is needed to compress gym shorts. Figure
B-7, Male measurements, shows the male abdomen circumference being measured with
the T-shirt on.
Are love handles measured when you obtain
abdominal circumferences?
No. The locations to measure the body
circumferences for males and females are based on standard body sites used by
scientist that study how to measure body fat. Army scientists that
developed how the Army measures body fat used specific sites that are described
in AR 600-9. That is, scientists want to make certain that each site is
measured the same way regardless of who is doing the measuring. Deviating
from the directions on how to measure each site may lead to incorrect body fat
measurements and lead to wrong assessments on whether progress in losing body
fat has been made. That said, moving the tape up or down when measuring
the abdominal site to ensure that the tape includes the "love handles" is not a
good practice as this clearly deviates from how the site was measured when the
research was done to develop the "tape test". AR 600-9 describes the
abdominal circumference site as being at the level of the "belly button".
Imagine that a Soldier has his abdominal circumference measured as described in
AR 600-9 to be placed on the Army Weight Control Program only to have it
rechecked a month later b a different training NCO, who measures it differently.
The issue then becomes that the Command or Soldier will not know whether he was
successful with losing body fat. It is neither fair nor appropriate to
change the location of the tape based on a person’s body shape. Being
consistent is an important aspect of doing the tape test correctly. Always
measure the circumference sites exactly as described in AR 600-9 (for males and
females) to ensure a consistent and fair body fat measurement each time he/she
is measured, regardless of whether it is the same or different person doing the
taping.
Is the Gulick tape authorized to use to
measure body fat?
No. The tape has a spring loaded end that
is used by some to ensure that they exert the same amount of pressure on the
tape )and hence the measurement site) when measuring body fat. To explain
a bit- the spring assembly has a ball at the end that is all encased in a clear
tube at the end of the tape; there is also a reference line on the tube.
The ball is half clear and half red. When the tape is stretched, the ball
retracts – it is when the red half meets up with the reference line that you are
considered to be exerting the correct amount of pressure (if to much pressure is
exerted then the bubble/ball falls below the reference line and it not enough
the bubble does not meet up with the reference line). The current AR
600-9, Appendix B-1d., of acceptable )tape must be made of a non-stretchable
material that is 1/4 – 3/8 inches wide). That said, the Army, to my
knowledge, will not make them readily available for the units to use nor will
there e a movement to get everyone to use them. If that were the case, ALL
documents would refer specifically to the Gulick tape. The reason for NOT
sing them is that:
- The spring can get stretched over time
thereby making measurements inaccurate with time. - The preferring method to ensure that you are
applying the tape correctly is to view the site that is being measured – the
tape should make contact with the skin, conform to the body surface being
measured, and not compress the underlying soft tissue (fat), rather than rely
on whether the bubble/ball is correctly at the reference line on the tube (it
is not always easy to get the bubble at exactly the right spot on the
reference line). - Measurers can become more dependant on the
bubble rather than use their best judgment and "feel" on whether or not the
skin is too compressed or compressed not enough.
The bottom line. It is best NOT to use
the Gulick tape measure to measure body fat
If a Soldier loses the baby at the 6-7 week
mark, what is the guidance in regards to her PT test and weigh-in? How
long of a recovery/convalescent time does she have before having to pass a PT
test and weigh-in?
Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 1308.1:
4.1.6. Pregnancy, Pregnant Service members shall not be held to the standards of
fitness and body fat testing until at least 6 months of pregnancy termination.
When initially informed of the pregnancy, the Service member shall continue her
physical fitness program, but under the supervision of medical authority.
It is recommended that the Services offer at each base of installation a
pregnancy physical fitness during their pregnancies. Pregnant Service
members shall be provided a physical fitness program physical fitness before the
pregnancy. IAW AR 40-501 para 7-10b, convalescent leave after a
termination of pregnancy (for example, miscarriage) will be determined on an
individual basis by the attending physician.
Why is the current tape test method the Army
standard for measuring body fat?
Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI)
1308.3, "DoD Physical Fitness and Body Fat (BF) Programs Procedures"., dated 5
November 2002, provides physical and boy fat procedures to make the Army’s
weight control program scientifically current and consistent with the other
services. Specifically, the DoDI established percent body fat standards
using the circumference-based method (body fat calculation equations,
measurement sites, and measurement techniques). Body fat equations rely
heavily on assessment of abdominal fat, the region of greatest interest to
objectives of military fitness and general health standards. These
equations were developed through analysis of population samples for
relationships between measure of various body sites and the percentage of body
fat, as validated against underwater equations. In addition, Department of
Defense requires all services to use similar validated circumferential equations
for the prediction of body fat composition. The purpose of the body fat
calculation is to ensure that personnel with extra weight due to muscle (not
fat) are not unfairly required to leave the military. Lean body mass is
critical to successfully perform military unique jobs that require combat
readiness.
What was the reason for revising the female
Soldier screening weight table?
Army researchers found that the female Soldiers
were held to a more stringent weight screen than needed to predict those who
exceed fat standards. Consequently, the female screening weight table has
been increased to reduce the number of women unnecessarily measured for body fat
and meets the body mass index (BMI) outlined in Department of Defense (DoDI)
1308.3, DoD Physical Fitness and Body Fat Programs Procedures, dated 5 November
2002. This increases efficiency and fairness.
Are deployed Soldiers exempt from meeting
weight standards per AR 600-9?
No. ALL deployed Soldiers must meet
requirements of AR 600-9. Soldiers exceeding the body fat standard will be
provided weight reduction counseling by health care personnel, entered in a
Weight Control Program by their unit commander and flagged under the provisions
of AR 600-8-22. Enrollment in the AWCP starts on the day that the Soldier
is informed by the unit Commander that he/she has been entered into the weight
control program.
Source:
http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/weight/weight%20Control%20Faqs.pdf
