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Friday, August 26, 2005
New weight-loss craze: The Baghdad diet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camp Striker, Iraq — If you’re having a hard time losing weight, Pfc. Rudy Altman recommends a trip to Iraq.
Bita Honarvar/AJC
Pfc. Rudy Altman of Augusta, with the 48th Brigade Combat Team’s 148th Support Battalion, Alpha Company, has lost 62 pounds since his unit was mobilized earlier this year.
The Augusta State University student began shedding pounds at Fort Stewart but has really thinned out since arriving in Baghdad with the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team.
To date, Altman has lost 63 pounds. And he’s still counting.
When he reported for duty with the 148th Support Battalion’s Alpha Company, Altman’s 5-foot-9 frame was carrying 255 pounds. He endured the usual name-calling and frustrations of being fat.
“It really does a number on your self-esteem,� said Altman, 27. “The perfect soldier is supposed to be slimmed down and muscular. When you are kind of large, you can see your belly poking out of the uniform. It’s depressing.�
During training at Fort Stewart, Altman started watching his diet but it wasn’t until he arrived in Kuwait that he got serious about things.
In Iraq, where the heat has a tendency to kill appetites anyway, Altman stopped eating fried foods and concentrated on salads, veggies and fish at the chow hall. He also goes to the Camp Striker gym every day for a 90-minute workout.
In addition, Altman spends all day moving brigade supplies and that has gotten him down to a svelte 192 pounds. His goal: 175 pounds.
It can be tough sometimes for Altman who hangs around soldiers who don’t have the best eating habits. He watches friends pile burgers and fries on their plates.
“Basically, I don’t enjoy life anymore,� he joked.
Altman occasionally craves his favorite spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy’s. Good thing Camp Striker only has a Burger King.
His fellow soldiers say Altman’s weight loss has been “amazing.� They no longer call him “tubby.�
There is one drawback, though.
Altman’s extra-large uniform is now falling off his body. He has to roll over the waistband on his pants and cinch it tight with a belt that is also too big.
“I guess I need to order me a whole new set of uniforms,� he said. “Or go to an alteration shop.�
His fiance, Virginia Hardin, knows about Altman’s transformation but has not seen any pictures yet. “She has no clue,� he said, excited about his two-week leave in October.
“I’m hoping no one will recognize me,� he said.
