Navy Weight Loss Secrets

How I Lost 30lbs in 3 Months Without Trying

I remember the first time I thought I was fat. It was early in 1979 that I looked in the mirror and said to myself "Walt, your fat". I was 182lbs and confused being out of shape with being fat. I didn't let it bother me, I was well under the Navy standards at the time.

By March of 1980 I was up to 205. This was the maximum the Navy would allow for my height. I deployed on a cruise to the Mediterranean onboard the USS Saratoga, an aircraft carrier. I worked the midnight shift and didn't concern myself with my weight.

In June I decided that I would re-enlist early. This was three months after starting the deployment. It occurred to me as my date for a physical approached (a requirement to re-enlist) that I might be pushing the line for weight since I was right at the line of 205 when we started this cruise. Imagine my surprise when at my physical I weighed in at 175lbs.

In three months I had dropped 30lbs without even trying. Now if only I could bottle that. So what happened during these three months? What was my secret? How did I lose the weight?

Since I worked the night shift I was asleep during the hours that the Geedunk store (Geedunk is Navy for a store that sells junk snacks) was open. This kept me from snacking on junk like I did in port.

Midrats, the midnight meal, which served as my brunch or breakfast was usually not great. Many times it would be leftovers from the evening meal, PB&J or sliders (greasy hamburgers). During this period I ate a lot of olives. They would open a large can each night and I would eat around 20 whole large olives.

This did two things

1. It slowed my eating habit since you had to eat around the pit it took some time.
2. It kept me from other junk.

Bottom line is the midnight meal, while you could live on it, wasn't usually appealing.

Breakfast was the big meal of the day, eggs, bacon, french toast, cereal etc... Then when I got off shift since most of the crew was coming on shift and the weight rooms were empty. I would go and workout with the shipmate that also worked the same shift.

I did this for 3 months. You think I would have noticed, but there were no scales around and it didn't even occur to me since it wasn't on my mind until I decided to re-enlist.

Well that was the only time I was consistent with eating right or should I say eating less junk food and exercising. That was many moons, 3 kids and a wife ago.

So there you have it the Navy's weight loss secret is....

...(Sorry, no magic weight loss pill or herbs)

the secret is to eat right and exercise.