What dietary advice did your provider give with weight loss injections?

[PuzzledObserver]

I notice that when talking about what they eat while taking WLI, most posters talk about their calories. I’m just wondering whether this is because providers have given this advice, or whether people are assuming that counting calories is essential.

What advice, if any, did you get from your provider about what to eat? I’ve just checked on the website of my provider, Curely, and it says nothing whatsoever. That’s cool as far as I’m concerned, cos I already had a clear idea of the way I want to eat, just needed a bit of extra help on quantities.

The patient leaflet that comes with the medication refers to following a reduced calorie diet whilst on the medication, which is pretty much what most people would be expecting to do whilst trying to lose weight, I'd have thought. Then, if you are aiming to reduce your calories, most people would think to count them. You can reduce calories in other ways, like fasting or portion reduction, but that is potentially going to mean you don't know what sort of calorie deficit you are in.

Curely have lots of blog posts and some of them cover diet e.g. -

https://www.curely.co.uk/support-advice/does-mounjaro-burn-fat#how-to-support-fat-loss-while-taking-mounjaro

Not the easiest info to find though as their blog articles don't seem to be searchable. Perhaps they also send out emails to patients?

Nearly all the pharmacies that I've used send out emails with lots of information and links to further online content. I find it all a bit tedious as I know what I'm supposed to eat, the issue was with sticking to that long term. I know it's necessary for people who might feel less confident or knowledgeable about diet.

I think most obese people have tried umpteen diets before trying WLI, so are well versed on what a calorie controlled diet looks like and what their daily limit needs to be in order to lose weight.

The problem was sticking to that limit until the WLI made that part much easier.

What the prescribers don’t tell you is to stay away from fatty or carb heavy meals as lots of people try to eat their normal dinners without realising that some of their favourite foods will now make them nauseous. I used to love the odd bacon sarnie or roast dinner but they’re both off the menu.

I think every prescriber that sent me info on diet talked about a balanced plate, or avoiding fatty food or processed carbs/sugar. Back in 2024 Asda, who were my first supplier, sent out a support document with detailed content about diet and lifestyle that describes pretty much that.

Oops, that demonstrates I didn’t pay full attention to the patient leaflet! I have looked at Curely’s blogs, though, but as you say, not searchable. None of the first few pages mentioned diet at all.

That’s interesting about the fatty or carb heavy meals….. I don’t generally do carb heavy because I was already eating low carb. But I do do fat heavy, and haven’t had an issue. The only time I felt really off after eating was when it was carb-heavy.

My first supplier was Voy, and they were great. They did a telephone interview with a dietitian. They had an online app that measured the “balanced plate” and amount of protein. They have fabulous AI assistant that can help with alsorts of things, from menu suggestions to shopping lists. But obviously they’re a bit more expensive. I stayed with them for a few months then jumped about. I can’t really remember much advice from other suppliers.

Mine would be more about balanced meals, sensible portions and making sure you’re getting enough protein and fluids rather than simply counting every calorie. I think the advice can vary quite a bit between providers, so it’s interesting to hear what others were actually told

I was under the impression that a high-protein diet was recommended to minimise muscle loss.

If you want to avoid muscle loss you’ll need to a) eat a lot of protein and b) do resistance exercises.

Person choice but losing muscle will make weight regain after you stop much more likely and possible long term health implications.