Seventy-two overweight military personnel go under the knife to combat weight loss

SEVENTY-TWO military personnel have gone under the knife for weight loss ops, figures show.

Members of the Army, Navy and RAF have undergone treatment — which can include having a gastric band fitted or excess skin removed.

The figures were released by the Ministry of Defence following a Freedom of Information request covering the past five years.

It shows that 33 people — 16 Army personnel, nine in the RAF and eight in the Navy —  had gastric bands or skin removal.

In addition 39 Armed ­Forces personnel — 23 women and 16 men — have had liposuction between January 2012 and October this year.

The figure was made up of 22 members of the Army, nine from the Navy and eight from the RAF.

It comes as The Sun on Sunday revealed last month that one serviceman was booted out the military after tipping the scales at 28 stone with another at 19 stone.

The figures do include personnel who are no longer serving, the Ministry of Defence have said.

There are currently more than 5,000 soldiers who couldn’t complete a 1.5 mile run followed by a series of press-ups and sit-ups within a set time.

The army even turned away 335 people over concerns about their weight.

An MOD spokesperson last night said: “Our personnel must be fit and healthy and over 95% pass challenging fitness tests.

“All are educated in nutrition, diet and exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight, and in some circumstances additional measures are considered in order to achieve this.”