Nutrition Support for Weight Loss Injections (GLP-1s)
if you're reading this late at night
Maybe you've just started injections and you're feeling sick, constipated or exhausted, and you're not sure what you're supposed to eat. Maybe you're barely hungry, worried you're not eating enough, or noticing your hair thinning. Maybe you're thinking about starting and don't know where to begin. Or maybe the weight is coming off, but you're frightened of what happens when the medication stops.
You're not doing it wrong, and you don't have to work it out alone. The medication changes your appetite, but it doesn't tell you what your body needs.
What's going on underneath
GLP-1 medicines work partly by reducing appetite and slowing digestion. For many people that makes eating less feel easy, and it can also bring constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, reflux, sulphur burps and tiredness.
When you're eating much less, it's easy to fall short on protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. That's when people tend to notice fatigue, hair thinning and loss of muscle and strength. Nobody is born knowing how to eat well to achieve a healthy weight and optimal nutritional status. It's a skill, and it can be learnt.
Food also isn't only fuel. If you eat when you're stressed, feeling low or bored, or out of habit, the injection may take the edge off hunger without answering the reason you reached for food. Understanding the difference between real hunger and cravings helps you build habits that don't depend on the medication alone.
How I work
I'm a registered dietitian with an MSc in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition (Eating Disorders) from UCL, working from North London. I don't prescribe GLP-1 medicines, and decisions about starting, stopping or changing your medication or dose stay with your prescriber. My role is the nutrition around them: helping you work towards a healthy weight and good nutritional status, and helping you manage side effects and reduce the risk of nutritional shortfalls. We start with your medication, your health, your routine and what you're finding hard, then build a plan around your life. Depending on what you need, that might include:
- Aiming for steady, sustainable weight loss
- Helping to prevent and manage side effects such as constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, sulphur burps and fatigue
- Personalised meal and snack ideas that are satisfying and nutritionally adequate, prioritising protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, with room for small treats
- Guidance on food choices to help protect your muscle and reduce the risk of tiredness, hair thinning and nutrient deficiencies
- Advice on portions and meal timing, so that weight loss is supported and, if you and your prescriber decide to reduce or stop the medication, you're prepared
- Helping you identify the difference between real hunger and cravings, and find better ways of coping with stress, anxiety and low mood so that you don't need to reach for food
- Respecting your food preferences, including vegan, Halal and Kosher diets, allergies and intolerances
Between appointments, you'll have daily coaching from me through a personalised app that helps us spot your patterns and triggers around eating, with practical help, motivation and accountability.
I think about food differently now. Just small changes can make a big difference and having someone to share the 'journey' to good health with makes it much more fun.
Who this is and isn't right for
May be right for you
This may be right for you if you're currently taking, or considering, a GLP-1 medicine, you want to do it safely and well, and you'd like practical one-to-one support.
May not be the right first step
It may not be the right fit if you're looking for very rapid weight loss. I follow best practice, and losing weight too quickly isn't good for your health, your muscle or your chances of keeping the weight off.
It isn't the right place to start if you're restricting, bingeing or purging, or have a history of eating disorders that is active now. A medication that suppresses appetite can make those patterns worse. Please look at my eating disorder pages, where I can offer the right support.
If you'd rather lose weight without medication, I have a separate page for that.
What the programme looks like
My programme is a minimum of three months of one-to-one support with me. It includes regular appointments, daily coaching through the app and personalised meal and snack guidance, all tailored to what you're facing.
Changing how you eat takes time, and new habits need practice before they stick. So three months is a starting point, and it's likely that support will run longer.
She is someone who can provide nutritional advice and knows what she is talking about without doing any short term, ridiculous or unhealthy diets.
take the first step
Your first step is an initial consultation, a 60 to 75 minute appointment (the length depends on age and diagnosis). You can tell me where you are and what your expectations are if you were to start the medication, or how you're feeling on the medication, and I'll listen, assess and talk through what might help. Afterwards you'll receive a written report of my assessment, including my treatment plan.
You can see me online, or in person at my rooms in Finchley, North London: Health Space, 307 Regents Park Road, London N3 1DP.
Book your initial consultationA few questions you might have
Your first step
Initial Consultation
A 60 to 75 minute appointment where I listen, assess and give you a written report and treatment plan.
Book your initial consultationLong Term Support
The 12-Week Programme
Weekly one-to-one appointments, plus daily coaching between them, so you're never waiting a week to get unstuck.
Explore the programme