Military's Fat Limits Push Some Troops to Extremes

The military is supposed to be physically rigorous, but some service members are resorting to measures such as starvation diets, dehydration, and even liposuction to meet requirements, reports the Washington Post. What's worse, the service members complain that they're perfectly fit—it's just that requirements such as the "tape test" are based on height, age, and sex standards that don't account for individual body types.

"I don't think we have a clear understanding how widespread this problem is," said the chief dietitian of the Army Medical Command. "Soldiers are hiding the fact they are doing this because they don't want the problem exposed." A separate story here chronicles one serviceman's pending discharge—despite his lipo surgery. (More liposuction stories.)