The advice around what to eat when taking Wegovy, a weekly injection for weight loss, seems straightforward enough: opt for a nutritious and balanced diet, taking in fewer calories than you burn each day.
But there’s no specific foods that are recommended, nor any that are off-limits. So, we get that you might feel a little confused about what exactly you’re meant to eat.
Luckily, there’s plenty of established guidance around what a healthy diet for weight loss looks like, including what sorts of foods are best and how to build up a plate. Read on to learn more—we’ve laid it all out for you below.
How Wegovy works?
But before we get into it, here’s a quick refresher on how Wegovy works.
Wegovy helps with weight loss by making you feel full, so you eat less. It does this by behaving like the natural hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
It tells the pancreas to produce insulin when we eat, which signals to the brain that we’ve had enough; tells the brain directly to dial down our appetite; and slows the process of digestion so we feel fuller for longer.
It also reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver. This is important for weight loss because blood sugar can be stored as fat if there’s too much of it.
Foods to eat on Wegovy
There’s no specific diet that’s best for weight loss when taking Wegovy. But there are strategies that will set you up for success.
What you want to do is eat foods that help you feel full and give you all the essential nutrients you need to stay strong and healthy. Your diet should also be manageable—you need to be able to keep it up in the long run to maintain your progress.
The Mediterranean diet is one example. It includes whole grains, plenty of fruit and vegetables, plus lean protein sources like seafood, beans, and nuts, while eliminating processed foods. And it’s varied: rather than being a restrictive set of rules, it’s more of a general approach to eating well. Plus, research shows that it supports weight loss.
For help planning meals, there’s a method we like called the Eatwell model. It goes like this:
- Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
- Starchy foods should account for just over a third of our daily diet. Opt for higher-fibre or wholegrain options like wholewheat pasta and brown rice, or keep the skins on potatoes to boost their nutritional value.
- Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks).
- Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein. Aim for at least two portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily, such as salmon, sardines or mackerel.
- Healthy fats are important too. Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat in small amounts.
Using Mounjaro or Saxenda instead? Check out our deep dive into what to eat while taking Mounjaro or the foods to avoid on Saxenda.
Fruits and vegetables
There’s a reason why national health guidance recommends eating at least five portions of fruit and veg per day: they’re stacked full of essential vitamins and minerals that keep your body working at its best.
And they can help with weight loss, too. Fruit and veg are generally low in calories but high in fibre and water, which can help make you feel full. In scientific research, fruit has been shown to increase feelings of fullness while reducing overall calorie intake.
Heads up: some people mistakenly think that because fruit contains natural sugar, it can work against weight loss. This isn’t true! Fruit has much less sugar than sweetened foods (i.e. those with added sugar, like processed foods. More on those below) and is a great source of fibre and important nutrients.
Fibre
Did you know that your body can’t digest fibre? It’s true—and this means that fibre can slow down the rate of digestion, which makes you feel fuller for longer.
Plus, because fibre is a complex carbohydrate (we’ll explain more about this in a bit), it means that the body processes it slower, which also helps keep your appetite at bay.
Research suggests that eating at least 30g of fibre per day can help with weight loss—and this is what national guidelines recommend. To give you an idea of what that might look like: there’s around 6g of fibre in one cup of wholewheat spaghetti (but always double-check the label). Other sources of fibre are lentils, wholemeal grains (bread, rice), and vegetables like broccoli, green peas, and cauliflower.
High-protein foods
When we talk about foods that fill you up, we’re often talking about those that are high in protein. These foods can make you feel full while eating fewer calories, which is key in a weight loss diet.
According to health guidelines, adults should eat 0.8g of protein for each kilo of their body weight per day. But research notes that eating more could help with weight loss and help you maintain muscle mass whilst in a calorie deficit. In our weight loss programme, our experts will create a personalised diet plan—so you’ll know exactly what the right amount looks like for you. Fish, chicken, tofu, and eggs are all great sources of protein.
Complex carbohydrates
Carbs are your body’s main source of energy, but not all of them are broken down in the same way after you eat them. For one, there are simple carbs (which use refined grains—think white bread and pasta) that are broken down quickly. This gives you a burst of energy but won’t help you stay full.
And then there are complex carbs, which are broken down slower. That means they release energy more gradually, which can help you feel satisfied for longer after your meal. Generally, they also take longer to digest, too (which, remember, can help prolong the feeling of being full).
Complex carbs can be found in wholegrain foods (such as brown versions of rice, pasta and bread), legumes (chickpeas, lentils, black beans), and fruit and veg.
Staying hydrated
Can drinking more water help you lose weight? It might—though staying hydrated is important for your general health, so it’s a good idea in any case.
There are studies showing a link between drinking water and weight loss, though we don’t fully understand the connection.
Foods to avoid on Wegovy
Earlier, we said that no specific foods are off-limits when using Wegovy. But we would suggest avoiding those that could work against your health goals.
To be more specific: try to steer clear of foods that are high in calories, fat, and sugar. Processed foods are one example—like crisps, fast food, fizzy drinks, and snacks with added sugar. Usually, these options are calorie-dense but don’t have any real nutritional value. They’ll give you a rush of energy but won’t make you feel full—which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to lose weight. They can also increase the risk of gut side effects when you’re taking weight loss medications.
What about alcohol? There’s no rule against having a drink while using Wegovy. But alcoholic drinks tend to be high in calories—and once you’ve had a few of them, this can bring on cravings for high-calorie foods (like a late-night kebab, for instance). So, we’d suggest proceeding with caution here.
Plus, Wegovy can bring on gut-related side effects like nausea. Alcohol and foods that are high in fat, or that are spicy or acidic, can upset your stomach and make these symptoms worse.
How many calories do I eat on Wegovy?
Officially, the recommendation is to eat a reduced-calorie diet. Usually, that means that you would eat 500-750 calories less than what you’d use in a day.
What’s best for you personally might look different, so do check in with your provider or a dietician before changing your diet.
What does a healthy diet on Wegovy look like?
Okay, but what might all of this look like on a plate? Here’s how that might work out:
Breakfast
One wholewheat bagel with a portion of 0% fat Greek yoghurt, with around ¼ cup of berries.
Lunch
Grilled chicken salad: boil or grill around half a chicken breast (around 55g), plus a portion of brown rice, tomatoes (shoot for about 55g of each), half an avocado, a pinch of red onion, romaine lettuce, and a tablespoon of vinaigrette as dressing.
Dinner
Make a tuna sandwich on wholewheat bread. Mix a can of tuna with one tablespoon of light mayonnaise, half a stalk of diced celery, one teaspoon of lemon juice, plus salt and pepper. Pop it inside your sandwich and enjoy. Have an orange for dessert.
Snacks
For this particular day, we’ve assumed you’d have two snacks.
First, you could enjoy 150g of Greek yogurt with around 15 grapes and a tablespoon of your favourite nut butter. And then your second snack would be four wholewheat crackers with two tablespoons of hummus, plus an apple.
How much weight do you lose on average on Wegovy?
Because everyone’s different, there’s no telling how Wegovy will affect you personally. But we can look to clinical research to get an idea of how much most people lose when taking it.
A research programme called the STEP trials found that the average loss was 14.9-17.4% of starting weight after taking Wegovy for 68 weeks, alongside changes to diet and exercise. Heads up: these results are for people without type 2 diabetes.
And just to reiterate: these are average results from large groups of people, meaning that some lost more while others lost less. Don’t worry if your numbers look a bit different—what matters most is that you stay consistent in working towards your health goals.
Living a healthy lifestyle on Wegovy
But a healthy lifestyle is about more than just food! Moving your body regularly and taking care of yourself will help you function at your best—and ensure you’re getting the most out of Wegovy.
Exercising
Exercise can support weight loss by improving your metabolism. For example, it can help build muscle and increase the amount of energy your body uses at rest.
The minimum recommended amount of exercise you should aim for each week is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity movement (like hiking, playing tennis, or swimming) plus two strength sessions.
Sleeping well
Not getting enough sleep can mess with your progress, too—and might be one reason why you’re not losing as much weight as you’d hoped. If you’re sleep-deprived, it can affect hormones that control your appetite—and you might find that you’re craving high-calorie foods to help combat your exhaustion. So, try to prioritise getting a good night’s rest.
Staying on top of stress
Stress can also hinder your efforts. When you’re stressed, the hormone cortisol is released. If its levels are high, this can encourage weight to collect around your middle. Plus, this can trigger cravings for comfort food (i.e. processed foods high in sugar and fat).
Is Wegovy right for you?
We can’t emphasise enough how important a healthy lifestyle is for weight loss. But with that said—we also know how tough it can be to lose weight via those changes alone (if you can relate to that, we see you).
That’s why interest in weight loss medicines like Wegovy is taking off right now. Research shows that lifestyle change can drive weight loss of up to 10% (which is still an amazing result!). But, as we mentioned before, people on Wegovy might lose up to 17% of their starting weight.
Wegovy can be a great option for people who have tried to lose weight another way but haven’t seen the results they’d like. And you don’t have to go through the process alone:
in our weight loss programme, you’ll get access to weekly medication plus one-to-one support from our coaches, plus an app to keep tabs on your progress. We’re in this with you for the long haul, and we know you can reach your goals.
Though Wegovy isn’t the only weight loss medicine out there. If you’re already taking it but are thinking of switching to Mounjaro—we’ve got you. Read our advice on what to do here.
Check if you’re eligible for our programme by filling out this short form.
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