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Wls Is A Team Sport



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Even if football puts you to sleep (right alongside me), your WLS journey has a far better chance of success if you understand that WLS is a team sport.



The other day I saw a tee shirt with a great teamwork slogan:

TEAMWORK:

EVERYBODY

ACHIEVES

MORE

I believe that slogan applies to WLS as well as sports. Weight loss success depends on the efforts of everybody on the bariatric team: you, your band, surgeon, nutritionist, psychologist, exercise physiologist or trainer.

I also believe that I am the most important member of my bariatric team. In fact, I’m the captain. As captain, I checked out and selected each team member with care, knowing that they possess knowledge, experience, and skills that I don’t. As captain, I’m responsible for the team’s success or failure, and I get paid big bucks for that, in the form of pounds lost. I surround my team with strong, perky, loving cheerleaders recruited from my circle of friends, family and coworkers. I show up for every practice and every game. When we win a game, I cheer, and when we lose a game, I study what happened on the field and tell the team exactly what we’ll do better to win the next time.

If you think that working as team captain is a tall order for you – well, honey, you got nothin’ on me! I hated team sports in school, never waved a pom-pom, never won any game except Scrabble, and I’m constitutionally a do-it-all-yourself gal. If I can captain a winning WLS team, so can you.

The first step is to take personal responsibility for your success (or failure). If you can’t or won’t do that, you’ll have to find yourself another coach, because I can’t help people who can’t or won’t help themselves. I don’t know you, but I don’t believe for one minute that you can’t help yourself. The facts prove this. You decided to have or at least consider WLS. You did some research, joined LapBandTalk, and now you’re reading this article. If you didn’t care about yourself and your health, my guess is that you’d be sitting in a chair, watching TV, with one hand in a bottomless bag of junk food and the other hand clutching a can of soda. If you’ve done that in the past, it’s OK. I did too, but it’s in the past now. It’s over, because the big game has begun.

And you know what? Weight loss surgery is more, much more, than a team sport. It’s worth every millisecond of effort you give it because it is a very big deal. This is your life, your health, your future that we’re talking about. Are you going to leave all that in someone else’s hands, or are you going to own it and work it until you get it right? You are? That’s great! Now everybody shout, loud and proud: “GO TEAM! GO ME!” and get your butt out on that playing field! Because the next slogan we’re going to learn is this:

WINNERS TRAIN, LOSERS COMPLAIN

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Love this I'm even more motivated excellent article

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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