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Shea Quinn | Bariatrics & Books

@growwithshea

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💛 Real life after bariatric surgery | Books 📚 | PMOS (PCOS) | Weight loss | ADHD

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It’s time to unwrap my husband’s Blind Date with a Book! 🎁📚

While we were at @itsromancebookshop in Coos Bay, Oregon, we found their Blind Date with a Book section and OBVIOUSLY we had to participate.

If you’ve never done one before, the book is completely wrapped, so you don’t know the:

❌ Title
❌ Author
❌ Cover

You’re choosing entirely based on the little clues, tropes, and vibes written on the outside.

Basically, dating apps for books. 😂

We picked ours from the queer section, and in Part 2 we’re finally finding out who my husband matched with. 👀

Was it a successful literary blind date? Would YOU have picked this one based on the clues?!

And before you ask…

No, you don’t get to see what MY Blind Date with a Book is yet. 😈📚

Come back for Part 3 where we unwrap mine AND find out which book from this entire haul my husband is going to read first!

Also, if you’re ever in Coos Bay, make sure you stop by and support this adorable indie bookstore. 🤍

👇 Have you read the book he got? NO SPOILERS, but tell us if he’s in for a good time!

#BlindDateWithABook #QueerBooks #BookHaul #IndieBookstore #BookishLife by @growwithshea

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a month ago

Hi, I’m Shea ✨

If you’re new here, welcome. I’m so happy you found my little corner of the internet. 🤍

I share real life after bariatric surgery including the highs, the hard days, weight regain, GLP-1 support, strength training, meal prep ideas, cozy reading moments, camping adventures, and building sustainable habits that actually fit into everyday life.

Around here, you’ll find:
• high-protein meals without food guilt
• realistic wellness routines
• gym motivation for beginners and beyond
• cozy bookish content
• honest conversations about bariatric life & GLP-1s
• reminders that progress doesn’t have to be perfect to still matter

I’m not here to sell perfection. I’m here to share the messy middle, celebrate small wins, and hopefully help someone else feel a little less alone while figuring it all out too. ☕📚🏕️💪

Tell me something about you in the comments so I can get to know you! ✨

#BariatricLife #GLP1Journey #RealisticWellness #ProteinFocused #ProgressOverPerfection by @growwithshea

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1

5 months ago

This summer has been full—and so is my heart. 💛 I’ve had time to really reflect on my experience with the 2025 @radicalbodytransformation show, and honestly, I’m just so proud of myself. Not just for showing up, but for showing up in my body exactly as it is. 🙌

Yes, I trained. Yes, I focused on nutrition. But I did it in a way that felt manageable and sustainable. Even after the show, I’ve been able to maintain the habits that support me—not punish me (and a huge shout out to @sarahf_fitwithme for encouraging me in this the entire time).

There was a time I hated my stomach and would do anything to hide it. But not anymore. My body has carried me through so much, and it deserves to be celebrated in every season—not just when it fits a certain mold.

This was something I never thought I could do... but I did. And I’m so glad I did. 💫

Now it’s your turn—what’s one big, bold goal you’re dreaming of? Drop it in the comments so I can cheer you on. You deserve to feel proud too. 💪💖

✨ My Favorite Discounts & Resources!
💊 @procarenow – All bariatric supplements | Code TWT for 15% off
💪 @sarahf_fitwithme – Nutrition + fitness coaching | Code SHEA for $100 off all programs
📚 @oursleevedlifepodcast – Book club + meal plans | Join at Patreon.com/OSLP
🌿 @olivedaofficial – Natural skincare | Take the free skin quiz in my bio!
🕯️ @llamacorndesigns – The best candles | Code GWS15 for 15% off
🧠 @cstapletonphd – Bariatric Aftercare support | 1 month FREE – link in bio

#bodyconfidence #radicalbodytransformation #wlscommunity #bariatricsupport #weightlossjourney #bodypositivity #selflovejourney #celebratemysize #beyondthescale #non-scalevictories #highproteinliving #selfgrowth #nutritionjourney #fitnesswithoutpressure #mentalhealthmatters #progressnotperfection #bariatricstrong #loveyourselfmore #bodiesinmotion #radicalselflove #confidentnotperfect #transformationjourney #normalizeeverybody #realbodiesmatter #bodykindness #bariatriclife #sustainablehealth #bariatricwellness #thisisme #transformationtuesday by @growwithshea

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a year ago

Someone please explain why I decided to finish the Heartstring Duology by @authorlivzander right before going to sleep while my husband was already peacefully passed out next to me.

Because there I was…

silently sobbing into the darkness trying not to wake him up. 😂😭

Going into this duology, I thought I was getting a fun, dark, spicy romance.

And I DID.

But then the ending came in swinging with feelings I was absolutely not prepared for.

I was in my FEELS.

The yearning.
The chaos.
The emotional payoff.
The “why am I crying this hard at midnight” of it all.

It completely caught me off guard in the best way.

So if you like dark romance with spice and a story that actually punches you directly in the emotions, I cannot recommend this duology enough.

Go read it.

Just maybe don’t finish it right before bed unless you’re prepared to cry very quietly next to a sleeping spouse. 😂

Have you read the Heartstring Duology? Tell me if it wrecked you too. 👇📚

#DarkRomance #BookRecommendations #RomanceReader #BookTokReads #ReadersOfInstagram by @growwithshea

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0

an hour ago

My new YouTube video is LIVE and this one is basically my ideal day wrapped into one video. 😂🤍

I invited the girls over for an in-person book club to talk all things Insatiable by Leigh Rivers, and naturally I decided that regular snacks were not enough…

So I made Insatiable-inspired cake pops. 🍰👀

In the video we:

📚 talk about what we loved about Insatiable
👀 discuss Kade and Stacey in great detail
😂 share our very normal and not-at-all unhinged reactions
🍰 make themed cake pops
🤍 talk about why we love reading and book club so much
🎬 and you basically get to sit in on the whole girls’ night with us

And don’t worry, I warn you before we get into spoilers so you can still hang out even if you haven’t read the book yet.

One of my favorite things about starting book club has been seeing how reading has become this whole social experience for us. It’s not just finishing a book anymore. It’s the conversations, inside jokes, themed nights, movie outings, and memories that come with it.

If that sounds like your kind of chaos, come join us in Plot Holes & Protein Goals at Patreon.com/OSLP too. 📚🤍

Go watch the new video on Grow with Shea on YouTube and tell me when you’re done:

Are you Team “Kade is terrifying” or Team “unfortunately… I get it”? 😂👇

#Insatiable #LeighRivers #BookClub #BookTube #DarkRomance by @growwithshea

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5

15 hours ago

My cousin and I have been going to see horror movies together several times a month, and unfortunately this has led to a completely unsupported level of confidence. 😂

At some point we stopped being normal audience members and became self-appointed horror directors.

No film school.
No directing experience.
No budget.
No clue how half of this works.

But do we have opinions?

Aggressively. 💀

We’re now watching movies like:

🎬 “The pacing is off.”
👀 “They showed the monster too soon.”
🔪 “That kill needed more impact.”
🕯️ “The lighting should be moodier.”
💀 “I would’ve made that scene way scarier.”

Meanwhile our actual directing experience is still:

“Wait, do that again. I wasn’t recording.” 😂

Apparently if you see enough horror movies with the same person, eventually you start acting like you’ve been personally consulted by Blumhouse.

So yes, this is where we are now.

A24. Neon. Blumhouse.

We are available, delusional, and ready to make something deeply unsettling. 💀🎥

What should our first horror movie be called? 😂👇

#HorrorHumor #SpookySeason #HorrorMovies #HalloweenReels #CousinContent by @growwithshea

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2 days ago

Four years post bariatric surgery, one thing that matters a LOT to me is making sure I’m still nourishing my body while eating food I genuinely enjoy. 🤍

And during my period especially, I tend to gravitate toward meals that feel warm, comforting, satisfying, and still help me hit the basics my body needs.

Here’s what that looked like this week:

🌶️ Three-bean chili with lots of lean ground beef and cheddar cheese
🍚 Homemade fried rice with veggies and eggs, plus grilled teriyaki chicken
🍌 Banana bread muffins with chocolate chips
🍝 Warm, savory spaghetti casserole inspired by Pioneer Woman’s chicken spaghetti casserole
🍫 Pudding cups topped with whipped cream

A few things that weren’t pictured:

💧 I focused a lot on hydration and added electrolytes to my water
🥤 I used protein drinks when I needed an easy boost
🍫 Protein bars came in clutch when a full meal wasn’t happening

For me, life after bariatric surgery is not about eating tiny portions of boring food forever.

It’s about finding ways to make meals satisfying, nutrient-dense, protein-forward, and still really enjoyable.

And sometimes that means chili.

Sometimes that means chicken and fried rice.

Sometimes that means chocolate chips in the banana muffins because I wanted chocolate chips in the banana muffins. 😂

Period week is not the time I’m interested in fighting with my body.

I’d much rather ask: What would feel good, what sounds satisfying, and how can I build enough nourishment into it?

What’s one meal or snack you ALWAYS want when you’re on your period? 👇

#BariatricJourney #LifeAfterWLS #PeriodFood #HighProteinMeals #FoodFreedom by @growwithshea

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2

3 days ago

What I Read in a Weekend | Part 2

The final results are IN. 📚👀

After reading 162 pages on Saturday, Sunday added another 109 pages to the pile.

Sunday’s reading looked like:

👑 Crown Me Dead: 99 pages + FINISHED
📖 Crown Me Yours: 10 pages started
✨ Sunday total: 109 pages

Which means my grand total for the weekend was…

🥁 271 PAGES!

And honestly? My favorite part of tracking my reading this way was seeing how NOT aesthetic or perfect it actually was. 😂 I had hours where I didn’t read anything. I picked my book up, put it down, came back later, read a little more, and somehow all those little pockets of reading added up to 271 pages.

Also, thank you to the corgis for providing periodic jump cuts to make sure everyone remained conscious. 🐶

Should I do another weekend reading tracker?!

#Bookstagram #BookTok #WeekendReading #ReadingVlog WhatIRead by @growwithshea

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0

4 days ago

HOW MUCH CAN I READ IN ONE WEEKEND? Part 1

Apparently the answer is… more than I expected. 😂

Saturday’s damage:

🥩 Tender Is the Flesh: 149 pages + FINISHED
👑 Crown Me Dead: 13 pages
📖 TOTAL: 162 pages

I started tracking my pages and times throughout the weekend because I was genuinely curious how much reading I actually do when I have a weekend where I can really sink into my books.

Also, please be advised: this series contains corgi jump cuts. Think jump scares, except instead of a demon appearing, it’s a loaf with legs. 🐶

And we aren’t done yet because Sunday turned into another BIG reading day. 👀

Part 2 coming next!

What is the most you’ve ever read in one day?

#Bookstagram #BookTok #ReadingVlog #WeekendReading #WhatIRead by @growwithshea

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5 days ago

Please keep us in your thoughts during this difficult time… 📚😂

Nothing is wrong. We just really, really want to be the first people you think of when someone says:

✨ “I need a book club.”
✨ “I need more reader friends.”
✨ “I need someone to scream about this ending with.”
✨ “I need people who understand my completely reasonable emotional attachment to fictional characters.”

That’s where we come in. 😌📖

Plot Holes & Protein Goals is our online book club where we read together, hang out twice a month on Zoom, wildly overanalyze fictional people, and basically use books as an excuse to make new friends.

So yes… please keep us in your thoughts.

Specifically when you’re looking for your new bookish besties. 😂💕

Comment BOOK CLUB if you want the details! 📚✨

#BookClub #OnlineBookClub #BookTok #Bookstagram #BookishFriends by @growwithshea

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11

6 days ago

The weather is cooling down, so naturally I needed tomato soup. 😂🍂

I wanted a little more protein, so I added bone broth + blended cottage cheese and it turned out SO creamy.

🍅 High-Protein Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients

* 3 lb tomatoes, halved
* 1 red bell pepper
* 1 yellow onion
* 2 heads garlic
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* Garlic salt + pepper
* 3 cups chicken or beef bone broth
* 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
* ½ cup milk
* Fresh basil, optional

Directions

1️⃣ Roast tomatoes, pepper, onion, and garlic at 425°F for 35–45 minutes until soft and slightly blackened. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic heads in foil with a little olive oil first.

2️⃣ Add all roasted veggies and juices to your crockpot. Squeeze in the garlic and add bone broth.

3️⃣ Blend cottage cheese, milk, garlic salt, and pepper until smooth, then add to the crockpot.

4️⃣ Blend everything together with an immersion blender and cook on LOW for 30 more minutes.

Top with basil or enjoy as is.

And let’s be real…

This is mostly an elaborate way to get grilled cheese into my mouth. 😂🥪🍅

Save this for soup season and tell me: would you try cottage cheese in tomato soup? 👇

#HighProteinRecipes #TomatoSoup #SoupSeason #HighProteinMeals #FallRecipes by @growwithshea

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6 days ago

🌙 OCTOBER SPOOKY READ | Part 5: The Between by Tananarive Due

Saving an eerie one for the final recommendation. 👻

If you love psychological horror where reality starts slipping through your fingers and you’re never quite sure what you can trust, The Between deserves a spot on your October TBR.

It has nightmares, dread, family, identity, and that slow-building sense that something is very, very wrong.

This isn’t cheap jump-scare horror. It gets under your skin and lives there for a while. 🫠

Would you pick this up for spooky season?

#TheBetween #TananariveDue #SpookyReads #HorrorBooks PsychologicalHorror by @growwithshea

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7 days ago