r/USMC • u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) • 1d ago
After falling out of shape since getting out, I've gotten back in the Gym, hit a big milestone today.
Not sure why I'm sharing this here. I'm sure some people are going to give me shit for getting fat, but oh well it happens.
I got out in 2017, kept eating like I was still in, and was doing the college thing so I wasn't moving a lot.
I got out of the service at 205lbs, had a 274 PFT (I sucked at the run) and a 284 CFT. Within 7 months I got up to 285lbs. By the time I graduated college I was 305lbs.
This year I started taking care of myself, and I dropped down to 285lbs, eating healthier, not working out yet.
Now I've been going back to the gym without missing a session for 2 months now. A lot of my strength is back.
I'm down to 265lbs, and I hit a major milestone for myself at 35 years old. I did my first full pullup in almost 10 years. Back when I was in I could easily hammer out 23 at 205lbs (5'10" btw).
I also hit a leg press PR of 870lbs, so that's neat.
I haven't started running again yet, waiting to lose a little more weight.
Tldr: When you get out, stop eating like you're burning 4000 calories a day. It's easier to maintain than it is to get back.
Sorry for the post spam mods, messed up the title on the last post.
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u/ChaosReality69 2141 YAT YAS 1d ago
Keep at it! The same shit that pushed us through back, the mindset of "I'm gonna get this done no matter what," is still in you. Use it.
I never got fat but I got lazy. My fastest PFT run was boot camp, managed 21:30. I started taking care of myself again shortly before I turned 41. I was eating better and running. At 43 I ran a 21:25 5k time. I was blown away.
The last 4 years have been weight lifting. I'm 49 now and never been stronger.
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 1d ago
In the whole 5 years I was in, I never ran faster than my 20:30 bootcamp time, Idk if it was just the constant adrenaline or what.
My endurance exploded on deployment. I was on the treadmill for an hour every night and just kept creeping up the speed and eventually started hitting 7+ miles in that hour.
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u/ChaosReality69 2141 YAT YAS 1d ago
We were in peak condition back in boot camp. That's what got us those fast times.
I hated running while I was in. Smoking a pack a day and drinking all the time didn't help. When I started running my own pace, listening to music, and going as long or short as I wanted, that's when i began to enjoy it.
For a guy that hated running I did a few 5ks and a pair of 10ks. It became fun.
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u/Legit_Fun 1d ago
Congrats brother. For me it was not drinking alcohol that helped. Dropped 30 pounds in 3 months and was in striking range of my target. Sniffed one beer and I got it all back. Well, maybe more than one. So I’m back on the wagon again.
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 1d ago
Hoping the best for you. I went cold turkey last year after spending memorial day in the hospital for the 5th time due to alcohol triggering pancreatitis, that shit fucking sucked bad enough for me to say enough was enough.
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u/Beautiful_Case9500 0311 turned IT nerd 1d ago
Great work dude! Keep it up, diet is very important. Stay in a deficit. When I got out I stayed plenty active and still ate like shit for 4 years and didn’t gain a pound. Then Covid hit, I stopped going to the gym, and I got a desk job all at the same time. 60lbs followed. Didn’t bother working them off for a few years but when I did they melted off within 6 months. Diet and exercise man, we aren’t getting any younger either lol.
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u/HiFiMarine 1d ago
Great work! There’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel! After blowing up to about 250+ honestly in really didn’t want to know how far… I got my life back on track. I’m now 52 and 175…10 pounds heavier than boot. I’m back in my blues and in the best shape of my life.
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u/FinalElement42 Kaboom? Yes, Rico. Kaboom. 1d ago
I guess I got the ‘severe depression’ with a ‘lack of appetite’ severance package. I lost around 30 pounds after getting out. I’m back to a healthier 170 and slowly gaining traction though
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 1d ago
Crazy how it hits us all differently.
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u/FinalElement42 Kaboom? Yes, Rico. Kaboom. 1d ago
Well, we all have different lives with different pressures…we all just come together for a short period of time to make memories and then move on, you know?
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u/FSCK_Fascists USMC 6492 89-98 17h ago
Don't run again. The damage to your knees, hips and back are not worth it. Do something else that works the same muscles and cardio. Bicycle, stationary bike, elliptical- there are tons of options.
Its somewhat OK when you are young- the damage at least heals mostly. but the older you get, the more permanent damage you do.
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 17h ago
Once my weight is down, I do enjoy it. But my gym also has a pool for cardio. Gotta keep the ticker ticking.
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u/FSCK_Fascists USMC 6492 89-98 17h ago
I used to enjoy it as well. now my artificial knee and I do cardio. Running cased so much damage I had to replace a knee when I was 48 years old.
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u/StressedMarine97 2141, Veteran 6h ago
Incline walking 10-15% 3.5mph will have the same benefit as jogging
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u/OldSchoolBubba 5h ago
You're doing great Big Dawg. You nailed it with "it's easier to keep it up than lose it." Grows worse every year. Keep up the great job taking care of yourself. You got this.
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u/Existing-Deer8894 Veteran 1d ago
Great job! Lol, Reading this I felt like I was reading my own bio. Had ballpark same stats when I got out(perfect run/crunches though, pull-ups I couldn’t break 16 no matter what I tried). That said, remember, this is for your health, not the corps’ idea of it. Keep up the good work and find the place you’re happy with.
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 1d ago
Oh yea no, It's 100% for my health. My wife and I aren't having kids, but I want to spend as much time on this planet as I can with her, and I want to enjoy it and not be a burden on her later on.
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u/Existing-Deer8894 Veteran 1d ago
Dude, that’s a great take, and honestly one of the reasons I got myself together. Gotta be healthy and ready to enjoy life to its fullest. Weights and the elliptical are the way I went( gotta save what I got left for knees and discs). I just remember “building my body the marine corps way”, and how much damage it did to my knees and back.
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u/h0bb1tm1ndtr1x 17h ago
Sucks what a 5k calorie diet does to you once you're out. Gotta adjust and all that lame shit. Congrats on your milestone, and on to the next one!
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay GWOT Veteran 1d ago
Amazing work getting back! I'm so busted up and bolted together that this story makes me glad some of us can find the will to push back against apathy and sloth 🥲😁
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 1d ago
I think having a training partner is making a world of difference. It's getting me off my ass even on days that I would normally not go in for.
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u/Longjumping_Rock_619 1d ago
That’s awesome…and keep it up. I put on like 65 pounds within two years of getting out just eating and drinking like I was active duty. SUPER easy to put on and took many years to get it off. Fit and n my Blues again? Probably never… but I might live a few extra years.
Again, awesome debil
SFMF
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u/SgtElectroSketch Veteran (2651, E5 2012-2017) 1d ago
I never got new blues while I was in so I was pushing them even at year 4 or 5. I graduated bootcamp at like 189lbs but floated most of my time in at about 205lbs. Maybe that can be my secondary goal.
Gunny stopped calling me a fat body when he saw me pressing 105lb dumbbell bench one day though lol.
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u/afterfact0 1d ago
Happens to a lot once they leave the routine of early morning PTs and still eat like they are training every day. Good on you
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u/TomCruiseImOnFire 2/2 Fox 20h ago
I hated running in the Marines, after I got out I was running for fun and if I got tired, I could stop or take a walk lol. It’s like camping again
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u/lulamirite 6412/6414 E-5 2007-2012 1d ago
Congrats dude! Keep it up. After being out for 14 years I’ve fallen out of shape and recently committed to eating better and being more active. I’m 6’1 260 right now trying to get down to 220 or less and finding the shit is waaaaaay easier to put on than it is to shed off. Also fuck running 🤣