Stupid question, how long until you are considered to be a vet ? I'm guessing 1 year at least .

Good question...I have no idea. I was hesitant whether I was a vet or not too. I think you're a vet if you think you are?

First off, Swizzly at two years out if you're not a vet I don't know who is.

If there are rules around who can post in the forum or what topics are OK, it should be a pinned post so we all know. I've seen so many ideas tossed around including:

Six months out and 100 posts makes us a veteran

Nine months out and 500 posts

More than a year out.

I think, bottom line, this forum is to discuss long term issues. For me, that includes getting to goal, regain, and maintaining. Long term strategies about what to eat in maintenance or for getting to/back to goal, exercise, and dealing with any health issues that occur long term (Vitamin deficiencies, bone loss, ulcers).

Lynda

And yes, at more than two years out and 15 months at goal, I do consider myself a Vet!

Just found this sentence at the top of the forum when viewed from the website:

This forum is dedicated to veteran Sleevers who are six or more months post-op, to discuss issues specific to those who are further along in their journey. You must have 100 posts in order to post here.

Stupid question, how long until you are considered to be a vet ? I'm guessing 1 year at least .

It says it somewhere on VST, 6 months I think.

Wow!!! I made it to vet status then.... I'm 8 months post op. so far have lost 89 lbs , still not at goal though I'm still chugging along!!! It was this time last year when I stumbled upon this forum.... It's been a crazy ride, ups and downs, but I wouldn't change a thing. Love you guys

Sent from my iPhone using VST

Being a vet and getting feedback from other vets is important to me. I am 20 months post op and do consider myself to be a vet. Yayyyy! The process of getting where we all are now. This part of the journey is harder than the beginning phase.

I'm so excited to qualify as a vet!! 8 mos and 165 posts! Woo hooo! It's amazing how fast the time is passing since surgery.

I made it as well, but I am only 4 mos out. I have the 100 posts- that qualified me I guess.

Ann

To be considered a vet on the board here, you have to have both 100 posts and be 6 months out of surgery.

And I may bring on the hate mail by saying this because the rules of the board are different, but I really feel a year post op is more conducive of being a vet. There is so much to be learned in the first year. And even up to 18 months. I didn't considered myself an experienced WLS vet until I was almost 2 years post op. Then I started to realize that I might have advice and experiences that may be useful to others.

And trust me when I say this, life after a year post op is when life with WLS really begins!

To be considered a vet on the board here, you have to have both 100 posts and be 6 months out of surgery.

And I may bring on the hate mail by saying this because the rules of the board are different, but I really feel a year post op is more conducive of being a vet. There is so much to be learned in the first year. And even up to 18 months. I didn't considered myself an experienced WLS vet until I was almost 2 years post op. Then I started to realize that I might have advice and experiences that may be useful to others.

And trust me when I say this, life after a year post op is when life with WLS really begins!

I would have to agree... When the honeymoon period is over for a few months or so, it gives you some insights that you just cant have when you are earlier out from surgery. Being over a year out, in maintaniance for a few months will be the starting point of being a vet. There are some questions and experiences that just don't come up till even a couple of years out. The people on here that are in that phase have a different conversation going on... earlier we had conversations and questions that any newbie would have, what to eat, best Protein powders, how many calories, what about stalls.... after the honeymoon its more how to lose the last few pounds that just wont come off after 8 months of eating 1200 a day.... or, I have gained 25 pounds, and the old methods wont budge the weight, my hunger is back, I can eat more, and need a new plan, guilt or shame for "failing"...... these kind of things. Vets dont mind helping newbies, Vets helped me so much when I was new out of surgery, but answering the same questions over and over, that don't really have anything to do with what we are going through, is a bit of a drag after a while. So we started the Vets forum, to discuss those other issues that rear their ugly head after a year or so. I think this will be a rich resource for the people who are newbies now, but will see what we are talking about soon enough! The things that many of the Vets agree on is "At some point maintenance can become harder than losing the weight in the first place" and "This is going to be work the rest of my life, I can't just lose the weight, and forget it or I will gain weight" Thats what we are working on.