Essence46

What I recall about the "old vets forum" was that all members could see threads and posts in that forum, but only those who qualified as vets (per the then-rules -- although I don't recall exactly what those rules were) could post there.
When I was pre-op and newly post-op I lurked my ass off there. It was so helpful. And trust me, even as a newbie I tired early on of the "How soon can I drink alcohol?" threads.
Some topics I would love to get into with other veterans (but not with newbies who simply haven't "been there" yet, although they'll get there) are:
* Advanced nutrition
* Regain and re-loss
* Recovering from exercise injuries
* Dealing in healthy ways with life's ongoing stresses and changes
* Late-stage complications
* Dealing with WLS fatigue
* Finding new life goals after conquering obesity
* Dealing with transfer addictions
* supplements three, four, five years down the road
* Transitioning from food tracking to mindful eating
* New career options for healthy, slim people
* Long-term relationship changes after conquering obesity
* Long-term challenges for WLS patients
* Joint replacement surgery for long-time WLS patients
* Discovering and living your Big Dreams when weight is no longer an issue
* Dealing with death
And that's after just a few minutes of thought.

Some first-impression thoughts:
What about a couple of qualification criteria?
1. To me the most important qualification criterion for veteran status and forum participation should be the length of time since their surgery date. For me, 18 months seems about right. FTR, I can't imagine that anyone other than a complete loon would lie about their surgery date just to troll a veterans forum.
2. I don't think it's critical or even relevant that the person has been a member of this board for a long period of time -- measured either by time on the board or number of posts made on the board. Yes, they should have been around long enough to understand the community and to give members a sense of the veteran's ability to contribute. But those "longevity" bars should be set fairly low. I'm purely spit-wadding here, but am thinking at least 1 month and at least 50 posts.
Finally, the value of such a forum would be that veterans who know their way around WLS could seek and receive input from other veterans who also know their way around WLS.
I don't mean for this to sound "elitist," but some of the least helpful threads here are those in which a veteran who's struggling with regain or physical changes (maybe even late-stage complications) or life stresses have asked for input -- and people who aren't even 6 months post-op or, worse, haven't yet had WLS, chime in with irrelevant comments, advice, or distracting newbie questions.
Finally, for anyone reading this thread who wonders why there's a need for such a veterans-only forum, here's why: Veterans don't hang around any message board to answer the same newbie questions over and over. Newer members 6-12 months out can handle those kinds of questions.
But just like newbies, veterans need support for THEIR issues. If they don't get that support here, they leave. If that happens, no one will be available to address the questions of those who are approaching maintenance -- which, IMHO, is even more challenging than the weight loss phases.
My two cents' worth.

@@Essence46, Welcome back! Sorry to hear about your injury. Hoping you're cleared soon.
I can definately relate to how it feels when you gain weight. At least you are prepared to do what it takes to get back on track.

Sorry to hear about your knee and your setbacks with exercise! Definitely take this time to heal up. If you want to be running that half marathon next year, you have to make sure you are doing everything you can to get better now.
I know the weight loss has been a struggle for you and I imagine that not being able to work out is making it that much harder. Just focus on your healing and taking care of your body.

*waving* Hi everyone. It has been a while since I have been on here. How is everyone? How is life been treating you? I hope things are going well for you all. I have been doing ok. I injured my good knee about 4 months ago running which has really affected my running and workout. I had surgery on that knee about a month ago to repair my torn meniscus. Recovery has not been going to well but it's my own fault. I started working out and doing too much to fast. *sigh* Needless to say, the half marathon I was supposed to run next month will not be happening at least until next year some time. I am really bummed by this. Really bummed. I have gained about 8 pounds over the last several months. I swear I almost had a panic attack about this a few times. I go back to the doctor in three weeks. Hopefully, I will be cleared to start working out like I used to. I am determined to get back on track with this.

God is good! That is great news! The more you lose, the healthier you will become.. the better you will feel.

God is good! That is great news! The more you lose, the healthier you will become.. the better you will feel.

And what you just said is the whole point isn't it? I want to feel better because then I CAN appreciate God's gifts. Blessings your way for you and yours!

God is good! That is great news! The more you lose, the healthier you will become.. the better you will feel.

@@JamieLogical I am sorry to hear that Jamie. I hope things get better for you soon. Good thing you are still able to train for your marathon. I am supposed to be running a half marathon in Philly in Sept. but I am not sure I will be able to . I tore my meniscus a few months ago and I am having surgery to repair it on Tuesday. Recovery is 6 to 8 weeks. I don't think I will have enough time to prepare after my recovery. I am so bummed by this. I really am. I had just gotten to a point where I was comfortable running and doing well. Good luck to you though.

Are you getting enough rest? Are you working out too much? That is what happened to me. I was just going to hard for so long and then my body just got tired. Maybe you need to take a few days off and rest your body.

Are you getting enough rest? Are you working out too much? That is what happened to me. I was just going to hard for so long and then my body just got tired. Maybe you need to take a few days off and rest your body.

Yay!! That is awesome!!!

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I saw this article posted online yesterday and found it to be an interesting read:
http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/drinking-soda-after-wls-debunking-the-myth?utm_campaign=articles&utm_medium=newsfeed&utm_source=oh-social

Enjoy this simple pleasure on occasion. Congratulations, you worked very hard to lose almost 60lbs!
If you really want to stir up some people, say you drank it through a straw.

there are times in my life when all I drank was coca cola. I love love love love love.
I doubt I would ever even open the door like that because I don't want to go down that road. I am sure it would be heaven but not worth it for me.

I just had 1/4 of a Pepsi on some ice. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. I poured the 4th in the cup and threw the rest away immediately. It satisfied my urge. In the last 22 months, I may have had three sodas in all. Before surgery, I thought giving up Pepsi would take me over the edge and kill me. A small treat to myself that I completely enjoyed.

I am a little disappointed with my numbers but I feel great.

I am a little disappointed with my numbers but I feel great.