What makes an OH member a "vet"?

I agree that the standard definition is someone who's met goal and maintained, and is at least five years out from surgery.

There are plenty of folks here in the two-to-four-year range that know a lot and have been successful. Absolutely worth listening to, but hitting that long-term mark is what clinches it for me.

I remember someone, I think it was either Kate or Grim, described the 2-4 yrs out post-ops journeyman. I love that term used for us "inbetweeners". 

I think of a vet as having 5 plus years from surgery & has hopefully reached their goal & has been in maintenance for awhile. I also think of a vet as someone who gives back to the community & not do a fly by posting. A vet usually has seen or experienced a lot by then & often gives back to the community that has helped them coming up. 

They also have a lot of staying power, in that I mean they generally have a "thicker skin". They don't run away & deactivate just because someone has a an opinion different from their own. They also have their own posting style. Usually something developed after years of posting, & if some people are patient enough, they can see how people evolve from newbie to journeyman to vet.

Most people here crash & burn., they never make it to Vet. Vet status is something that should be valued & respected here.

I'm honored to know some of them here. Much props to the vets. 

I always wondered that, too.  I kind of felt like a failed vet/newby for a long time.  I was a vet, a veteran WLSer and a newby to a different surgery/mindset about surgery.

Personally I think we are all vets in the war against obesity, our own obesity.  As anyone who has lived the life of a fat person knows, that is the worse kind of battle there is and we all made it to a better place.

I think there are different kinds of vets for different questions as you progress through the years.  

Pre-op experiencing optifast can answer "how does it taste"  questions with authority.   A few months post op can answer food questions,  and those in maintenance can answer "long term lifestyle " questions.   You get my drift.

Knowledge without personal experience is still valuable Imo.  I've seen great advice given by pre-ops who have read and understood.   I've seen terrible advice given by long term "vets".

I still read and learn everyday on OH.  Keeps me grounded reading pre-ops hopes and wishes, and keeps me on the straight  and narrow reading stories of struggles,  regain misery and long term success. 

Post 5 years can certainly give you insight into long term issues, lifestyle and ways to keep your head in the game.  Maintenence at 3 years out is different then at 5 plus years for various reasons.  

To me, at the end of the day all words written have value.  Some reaffirm my wls values, and some words remind me what not to do.

This "Knowledge without personal experience is still valuable Imo.  I've seen great advice given by pre-ops who have read and understood.   I've seen terrible advice given by long term "vets""

This is so powerfull.   I also think that most of us 5+ years post op are being humbled by thevpostbop life... Year 2-3 -4 - some of us get the the arrogant:   "I've got that" .

Then some crap happens, or we are put in extreme stress situation, or given new meds... And suddenly we need to change and adapt.  And when you, I.e on heavy dosage of steroids - or in a survival mode or a hormonal storm- and diet and weight is no longer that important..Or easy to maintain... And suddenly...you are up 10-15 lbs...And realized - "I've got a lot to learn" yet again...  

I cringe when I see a long term vet promoting their lifestyle - while they themself are not doing well weight wise, or health wise -both physical or mental.  

Great replies everyone!!!  To me, a vet is someone 5+ years out who has spent and is continuing to spend time investing in their health and wellness.  A vet should be able to offer up knowledgeable advice to others and also still be on their learning journey as well.  I wouldn't consider a person who is several years out, not actively seeking knowledge, not making an effort to get the protein in and take care of themselves, a vet.  Being a teacher, I could say...think about whose class you would want to be in on OH when it comes to getting advice and the one or ones that pop up in your mind, consider those folks a vet!  Have a great day everyone!

It's generally accepted as 5 years. It takes that long to have a full range of experiences that really make for a complete WLS education.

In the first 1 to 2 years, a great many people have nothing but success. Great, rapid weight loss, no or minimal complications, and pretty effortless maintenance. They aren't vets -- it was too one-sided. Too easy.

At some point it gets hard for 99.9% of us. We drift off our eating plan, start to regain. Often a lot. We have a personal tragedy -- illness, death in the family, financial setback, divorce, breakups, teenage daughters.

For WLSers, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is what tests our new habits and our resolve. This is where we have to start making adjustments that will make or break truly long term success. Getting over those obstacles is what separates vets from everyone else. And only time can do that.

Ah my dear friend Grim I'm so glad you are back posting. 

I wish I could like this post 100x. 

I couldn't have said it any better.