How do you motivate others or improve the hobby?

[Lone Guard]

Re: Overweight?

I'm actually writing an article on this right now.

In my old mainstream unit there were some hefty dudes, and when it came to the rank and file it presented a safety issue because sometimes I'd be firing over the wrong shoulder or some such risk. I remember one time when the order to fire at the left oblique was given, a new recruit (not me) got pushed inward because of the portly fellow next to him so that the hammer was 3 inches from the ear of the guy infront front of him and to the right. Immediately the order "fire" was given and the man in the front rank screamed in agony.

I used to weigh 270 pounds, I'm now down to 210 pounds, and after taking the ROTC Physical Training class next semester I hope to get down to where I should be, at 180 pounds. Not all of it is fat, but still too much of it is.

My opinion on the subject is, if a person isn't pushing other 1st or 2nd rank men down the line so that it's putting barrels too close to a file mate's face, or pushing some poor fellow to shoot over the wrong shoulder, and so long as they can keep up with the march; I don't really have a problem with it.

I can understand guys who are atheletic and have a large upper body. In all my jobs I'm always using my upper body and shoulders so I'm actually quite wide in the shoulders. I'm a 36 inch waist, and a 46 inch chest. So I too need to make a bit larger fatigue sack coat.

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Overweight?

So whats next... Am I going to have to step on a scale before being allowed to attend an event?

Well if they check to see if I have correct underwear on, then why not check to make sure I am of accurate weight?

My apologies, this post was in no way meant to insult anyone. It was merely an observation.

In my eyes, as long as there are guys honoring our ancestors, that's what is most important.

[Bill]

Re: Overweight?

I'm probably in the top age group of people who do CPH events. I was 60 years old when I climbed Rich Mountain. I try to keep my weight down and dye the mustache during the season. I kid myself that I more or less fit in with a line of soldiers, but I'm very aware that darn few Civil War generals were as old as I am.

The simple truth is anybody over the age of 40 is too old to be portraying a Civil War soldier. The other truth is that if everybody over the age of 40 got out of the Hobby, it would leave a pretty big hole in the ranks.

I hope I've still got a few more years of reenacting left in me!

[Hoosier]

Re: Overweight?

The types of foods we eat today differ greatly from those available during the mid 19th century. Our modern diets consist of a disproportionately high amount of carbs. This lends to the theory of why we have so many diabetic cases today as compared to the past. Many people are not naturally able handle an inordinate amount of carbs to begin with.

Also, the foods they ate back then were what you could call natural or "pure" foods. What they ate did not have a great deal of additives or preservatives nor where they overly processed foods which in turn corrupts the healthiness of foods. Whatever they ate was usually freshly made and eaten right away. Junk food, nutra sweet, and trans fats were unheard of then.

Conversely, the diet of a Civil War solider, while not well rounded (lacking ample quantities of fruits and vegetables), consisted mostly of a high protein (salt pork, salt beef, beans, etc.). While carbs were consumed by soldiers, they consisted largely of simple carbohydrates: hard tack (water & flour), freshly baked bread, rice, etc.

If one were to look at the wounded soldiers' physiques that were photographed for the purposes of medical research (found in The Civil War: An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ric Burns, and Ken Burns), you can easily see the extent of the “leanness” that the represented soldiers embody.

Comparably, American Indians who inhabited the Great Plains sported similar physiques to that of Civil War soldiers, as they had a high protein diet as well. They were hunter/gathers who subsisted largely off buffalo and deer meat. If one were to survey 19th century pictures of scantily-clad Plains Indians you would notice that they have predominately lean and sinewy bodies, much like there Civil War soldier counter-parts did.

[H. L. Hanger]

Re: Overweight?

I believe this question is as old as reenacting/living history/etc. is itself...and will never be resolved!

Nevertheless, two things do pop into mind:

First, what was the average size (weight, height, etc.) of the typical CW soldier...and how does that compare with the "average" size of men today? Perhaps we should allow only those participants who "measure" up...or down!

Second, what was the general health of the typical CW soldier? For example, did he have all of his teeth? Should we allow "caps" on teeth or modern bridges/dentures? Probably not...just gum it! Was he allowed corrective vision via contacts? Of course not! Well, then, correct prescription glasses only with correct frames!

The most ridiculous item of the day....ask O'Reilly.

[cprljohnivey]

Re: Overweight?

"Well if they check to see if I have correct underwear on, then why not check to make sure I am of accurate weight?"

Define Accurate Weight please?

[PvtShot]

Re: Overweight?

What a debate!!!

I am 6'7" tall and weigh 260lbs, and can march all day long. I know a couple of rather slender fellas that would fall apart on a campaign march. Just look at the NFL, there are some rather large defensive linemen that will out-run just about anyone on this forum.

This issue is simple to resolve... if you are at an event like the LBL and have to fall out of the ranks because you simply can't manage the marching, it doesn't matter how much you weigh, just stick to LH events.

I have come to the conclusion that I will never be 100% immersed at an event. There will always be someone there who has sub-par gear, someone who wears top-notch gear like a farb, or yes, someone who is too short and overweight to even come close to an original. So, lets all try to have fun with your pards and honor the brave men who sacrificed everything. Hopefully we will never hear this phrase "If they'd had big macs they'd have used them!" God save us all!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,
Eliot Toscano
(The Buckras)

"Let me die with the rifle in one hand and the good book in the other!"

[dixiecowboy25550]

Re: Overweight?

I think this was more of a discussion into the authenticity of overweight people, not a singling out of people who arent of the "correct" weight. A better statement may have been to address people who are clearly out of shape. While we can't help modern food and medicene and todays growth of the human body, we can help people being out of shape. To the gentlemen who posted earlier about their age and weight, its great that the hobby still has guys like you around. I noticed in your posts (for instance at Rich Mountain) that you are active campaigners and work so that you can particpate in events. Kudos, without men like you the ranks would be thin.

I think the quote about "man," "methods," and "materials" said it best. The bottom line with this discussion (at least in my opinion) is not that we have portly fellows in the ranks, but that we have people who cannot handle the physical intensity of "authentic" type events. If you are 70 and weigh 500 lbs, but still have a good kit and can handle the rigor of these type of events, why not? Being out of shape is just one component of the kit and like attitude, knowledge, material, and equiptment involved; it can be helped.

[laudable_pus]

Re: Overweight?

Lest we get the impression that everyone in mid-19th century American had Twiggy's build, take a look at the photo below. Note the "big-boned" gents, second from the left and first from the right. Ironically, they are "heavy" artillerymen.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Overweight?

Well if they check to see if I have correct underwear on, then why not check to make sure I am of accurate weight?

For the record, the above type of comment is one of those "myths about hardcores" that folks who don't attend "campaigner" events like to spread around. I've never seen or heard of this being checked at an event, ever.

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Overweight?

I know they dont check it, I was exaggerating a tad ;) I apologize Sir.

[Rebel Yell1863]

Re: Overweight?

For me reenacting has been my motivation to loose weight. I've spent a lot of money on accurate reproductions and to be overweight is just not accurate. During the campaign season losing weight is not a problem, I call it the "Johnny Reb Diet Plan." All the marching and walking I do, then eating a handful of cornbread and salt horse, and drinking a lot of water, you'll loose weight!!:tounge_sm

[Bummer]

Re: Overweight?

I too am one of those big old guys--but even at 54 I was combat fit in the army infantry (instructor at the NCO acadamy at Ft. Bragg) when I retired. I started as a size 44 long--arrived in middle age with a size 48. Now I am almost 62 with the goal of becoming the oldest campaigner private to still be 'doing it' (yes, I enjoyed Rich Mt.). However I, like many, am an example of true 'middle age spread'--not the joke about the gut, but the real speading of the ribcage as I get older--it has nothing to do with fat...hence the increase in size.

Anyway, all that aside. As a collector I have a few original uniforms...and I have one (Union) that I can still wear--not that I would, but it's nice to know that there was at least one original boy who was a big as me! As long as I know that (and can keep up) I don't feel too bad.

[crneilsen]

Re: Overweight?

Coat sizes can be a little deceptive. I also have a big chest. I wear a 46 coat because I have a 46 inch chest. My waist is small and often people put me into the "small" category. I look slight at first. I only stand 5'8".:o

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[DougCooper]

Re: Overweight?

Good post and a good thread to start especially during the holidays.

I look at this topic from a couple of different perspectives. As a vendor, I'm privy to information that most of us wouldn't share with our wives. It's hard to lie to the tape measure and I've got every one's waist measurement on file. Don't worry, the file is encrypted and the code will die with me.

However, I can come up with a bell curve of sizes and can see weight trends. When I first started, most guys were 42-44 chest, then they expanded in the late 90s to a 44-46 chest, then went back down slightly during the Atkins craze, but we're now back up again. These aren't just guestimates. I can pull up reports on my computer to see how many of each size garment I sold. It's interesting, but doesn't really mean much as one coat (in either a 34 or 63) can throw off the whole bell curve.

I once had a friend tell me "The cheapest part of your impression is staying skinny". That was easy for him to say as his metabolism allowed him to stay as thin as a rail.

Losing weight and keeping weight off isn't easy. I'm a boot camp instructor at our YMCA and know how hard people work every day to lose a single pound. I really admire how much effort the boot campers put into this. I personally will never look at some one's weight as a factor in authenticity. There are too many luxuries in our 21st century life that work against us, coupled with genetics and illness I think it's a struggle that we all deal with in one form or another.

I once had an idea of having a "Reenactor Biggest Loser" contest and would offer uniforms as prizes to those who lost the most percentage of body weight, but in the end, I think the logistics would be too hard.

Anyway, I wish everyone the best of luck this holiday season in keeping off the pounds and make your new year's resolution early and stick with it throughout the winter!

This is simply a stream of conciousness on an age old hobby phenomena, unless we can come up with something new such as a reenactor weight control program or resolve that only skinny guys can go to authentic events or all the vendors can only be allowed to produce size 1-4, with a few 5-8 allowed for special cases.

Obivously I am kidding, except about the weight control part.

Chris' post mirrors me almost exactly. I am very happy to say that now my size 36 trousers have plenty of room and size 44 jackets are no longer snug. At 6'1", I started to panic when the scale touched 200 lbs and can thank Pilates and hiking for arresting that trend.

Soldiers looked like soldiers because they lived the life. They could not help it. Recall that a more substantial waistline was a sign of affluence in civilian society. Your avg soldier did not go home after the war and spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to maintain his soldierly physique, and unless he was a farmer or laborer before the war and went right back into the fields and factories, he probably gained weight once exposed to good food, good water and not having to march or drill all day.

My favorite quote about drill and marching was from a Union private who pronounced it "harder work than farming." Indeed. If we did what they did we would look like they did. Most of us in the march/climb/dig/drill end of the hobby, whose idea of a good time is a long preservation march, have less trouble maintaining our weight.

But we need to think about our weight in a much greater context than the hobby, obviously. I got in better shape because of my family...not so I would be acceptable on the field. Health is life. I used to look upon a very overweight reenactor as an authenticity issue...now I look at it as a health issue and mentally go over the steps of CPR and heat stroke.