annabelle727

Heavy Weightlifting completely changes your body!!! I’m 8 years post-op and I incorporate 5-6 days of weightlifting into my routine. I ONLY do about 10 minutes of cardio (10 minute run) each workout day, which in actuality is my warmup before I stretch and lift. I also incorporate hypertrophy (higher rep, lower weight) training into my workouts to help with muscle growth, but the most empowering part is getting strong and hitting new PR’s (personal records).

When I first started lifting, I could not lift too much weight. The lower weight WAS my heavy weight. I would find a weight that I could rep 8-10 times before failure. My squats literally started with the bar (a standard Olympic bar weighs 45 lbs). Now, after 6.5 years of consistent training, I can squat 245 lbs, deadlift 320 lbs, bench 185 lbs, curl the 40 lbs dumbbells. I really wanted to fill up my arms & legs with muscle to lessen that loose skin (which I still have, but not so noticeable), so I worked hard. I researched, read, incorporated. I was—and still am—constantly learning, correcting, and incorporating. I learned how to diet for optimal muscle growth, which optimally includes 1 gram of protein per body weight and complex carbs, and good healthy fats. At first I didn’t know what complex carbs were, so I looked it up?, picked out foods I liked, and incorporated them into my diet. I’m not going to lie, complex carbs are the hardest to consume because of their density (and my sleeve still works when I’m eating the right foods—freak’n sliders!), but I make it work by eating small frequent meals throughout the day (I eat about 6-8 different times, including shakes). I also discovered a supplement drink in powder form called Karbolyn (by EFX Sports) that would help me hit my complex carb macro goal.

Anyway, long story short, when I first lost all my weight, I got down to 140 lbs, and a size 4-6. Now, I weigh between 155-160, and still wear a 6 (the 4’s are too small for my arms because they’ve grown with muscle mass ?????). I’ve literally shred the fat and have added muscle mass. And since 1 lbs of fat takes up way more space than 1 lbs of muscle, I’ve been able to pack on more muscle in the same amount of space. Weightlifting is where it’s at. Man or woman. I’m just trying to inspire women because women tend to fear lifting heavy and fear that they will look manly. I assure you, I do not look like a man. ??

Is anyone finding that post op they are having trouble differentiating between hunger and being full?

If you like shrimp....even a little....you need to try this, cause these are SO FREAKING GOOD!
You get some raw shrimp, clean it, just the meat. BLOT IT WELL....squeeze, even, to REMOVE MOISTURE.
Half of it, you cut up into chunks.
Half of it, you either mince with a knife or put through a food processor.
You mix both halves together with an egg white and a little corn starch.
Refrigerate for a half an hour, and then form the mixture into patties on waxed paper.
Then, you have two options...
You can either bread it with eggwash and panko, or you can leave it plain. Or, you can split the difference and just sprinkle a little panko on it and not fully bread it.
Season it well....I love Old Bay for this.
Then you fry it. A couple of minutes on each side. You can air fry it, too! Spritz with oil and off you go.
You eat this thing with some lettuce, wassabi, and some tartar sauce.
You can put it in a wrap, or a whole grain bun, or just plain....but make sure you have lettuce, wassabi and tartar sauce.
TONS of protien, low calories, and incredibly tasty.
My husband...who isn't a huge shrimp fan...will eat these like hamburgers and loves them.
Also, you can put the raw patties in the freezer and get them out as needed:)