If you’ve recently undergone bariatric surgery or are preparing for it, you know how critical it is to maintain healthy habits and reduce stress. One of the biggest challenges to staying consistent with your health goals is feeling like you need to handle everything yourself. But when it comes to achieving bariatric surgery success, learning how to delegate is crucial.

The Power of Delegation for Health Goals

Ask yourself this: Is being a control freak holding you back from achieving bariatric surgery success? You’ve already taken a major step toward improving your health by opting for bariatric surgery. However, surgery is just the starting point. Long-term success relies on building sustainable, healthy habits—and knowing when to ask for help is part of that.

While it may seem efficient to manage everything on your own, doing so can actually increase stress and burnout, which may jeopardize your progress. Delegation allows you to prioritize your health and ensures you stay consistent with your healthy habits post-surgery.

Why Delegating Can Boost Your Post-Bariatric Surgery Success

As someone adapting to new eating habits, exercise routines, and mental health challenges after surgery, trying to manage everything yourself can become overwhelming. Delegating tasks that don’t directly impact your health allows you to focus on what truly matters to you.

Here are key reasons why delegation is beneficial:

1. Reduces Stress
   Stress can derail your weight loss journey by triggering unhealthy eating habits or emotional eating. By delegating tasks such as household chores or managing schedules, you free up mental space to focus on your health goals.
2. Increases Time for Physical Activity
   Incorporating exercise is essential to long-term weight maintenance. By delegating time-consuming tasks, you can focus on activities like walking, strength training, or yoga that will support your health over the long haul.
3. More Time for Meal Prep and Healthy Eating
   Nutrition is critical to long-term success after surgery. Delegating tasks such as grocery shopping or cooking allows you more time to prepare healthy, portion-controlled meals, helping you stay on track with your goals.
4. Maintains Consistency in Healthy Habits
   Consistency is key when building new post-surgery habits. By offloading tasks that don’t directly contribute to your health goals, you ensure you can focus on maintaining the healthy behaviors that will drive your progress.

How to Start Delegating for Bariatric Surgery Success

If you’ve always been someone who feels, “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done right,” it’s time to rethink your approach. Learning to delegate effectively will help protect your health goals and ensure long-term success.

1. List Your Daily Responsibilities
   Write down everything you do in a day—errands, work tasks, household chores, meal prep, etc. Be thorough.
2. Identify What You Can Delegate
   Review your list and circle tasks that don’t directly contribute to your health goals. For example, could someone else clean the house, run errands, or manage the household?
3. Choose the Right Person
   Whether it’s your partner, family member, or someone you hire, select someone who can take over the task. Remember, delegating tasks frees up time for what really matters—your health.
4. Set Clear Expectations
   Communicate your needs and why delegating this task is important to you. Be patient as the person learns the task, and provide feedback to ensure it meets your needs.

Overcoming the Fear of Letting Go

If letting someone else handle tasks makes you uncomfortable, remind yourself that your health comes first. Delegation isn’t about giving up control; it’s about reclaiming the time and energy you need to focus on your health journey. You might even discover that others can do certain tasks better than you expected, giving you more space to focus on your own journey and the progress you want to continually make.

Actionable Steps for Delegation Success

• Write down everything you do in a typical day.
• Identify one task you can delegate to someone else.
• Communicate your expectations clearly to the person taking over.
• Use your freed-up time to focus on your health, whether it’s meal prep, exercise, or self-care.

In Summary

Delegation isn’t just about saving time; it’s about creating the mental and physical space needed for success after bariatric surgery. By delegating non-essential tasks to others, you’ll have more energy and time to focus on what truly matters: your well-being and consistency with healthy habits. Letting go of the need for control is not just liberating—it’s essential for achieving your long-term health goals. Take the step today to delegate and thrive on your journey to bariatric surgery success.

Is A Lack of Delegation Getting In The Way of Your Health Goals?

Weight regain after surgery is common and occurs in ~30% of patients…but it doesn’t have to be the “end all” of your weight loss surgery journey!

Our FREE Weight Regain Resource will help you:

• Learn the reasons why you may experience weight regain after surgery
• Identify unhealthy habits that can lead to weight regain
• Find additional support and accountability with getting back-on-track with your weight loss