We are told that resistance movement is critically important after weight loss surgery, but why? We had so many questions about this topic. We sat down with Dr. Shannon McMann, a board-certified Internal and Obesity Medicine specialist who is also a bariatric patient, to understand why muscle matters before and after surgery. 

In this conversation, we asked her why maintaining and building muscle is so important for short and long-term recovery and why the quality of our muscles matters. We wanted to know if there were specific kinds of movement that would help us build more high-quality muscle and where the best place to start is. And she helped us understand how tied our nutrition is to our ability to keep and grow our muscles. 

We are so thankful to have such a fantastic expert in BariNation who can help us understand the why’s behind the things we are asked to focus on as patients. Get to know Shannon more in the BariNation Membership Community by attending our weekly support groups, classes, and meetups!

If you are a member of BariNation or a Patreon Supporter, check out this podcast's bonus episode, where April, Jason, and Natalie  learn about tweaks they can and should be making in their movement efforts to maximize muscle retention and growth!

About our Guest: Dr. McMann is a board-certified doctor in both Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. She practices at a teaching clinic where we train medical students and internal medicine residents in Clinton Township, Michigan.

Her undergraduate and medical school was at Michigan State University, and she completed her residency training in 2002 at McLaren Macomb Regional Medical Center. Dr. McMann is also a bariatric patient, undergoing RNY gastric bypass in 2020 with Dr. Carl Pesta. After gaining the upper hand in her lifelong battle against the

disease of obesity, she decided to pursue additional training to help other patients and give back to the bariatric community.

About Your Hosts: April, Jason, and Natalie are all bariatric patients who were inspired to create the community and support they needed. BariNation empowers people to treat their disease of obesity in kind, compassionate, and caring ways through the community they founded. As they learn to live the pillars of bariatric success (movement, mindset, metabolic wellness), they share their experiences and “aha” moments with their friends and followers. 

About BariNation: BariNation is a bariatric educational organization on a mission to empower patients to access and utilize the tools, resources, and education needed to find and maintain personal wellness. We connect patients with the support they need, when and where they need it. BariNation produces an award-winning weekly podcast distributed on all major podcast and video platforms and hosts a support membership community that teams up with credentialed and licensed bariatric experts and clinicians. 

Follow BariNation on Instagram and TikTok, and visit us online at www.barination.com. You can also connect with each of the hosts personally on Instagram; follow April @actively_april, follow Jason @tha_smithsonian, and follow Natalie @breakingbari_ers. 

You’ve got this and we’ve got you!