Weight loss injections are prescription medicines that can help you lose weight more effectively. But they can’t work miracles – to get the most out of your weight loss injections, it’s really important to adopt sustainable healthy lifestyle choices. Understanding nutrition and how your body uses the food you give it can be a really helpful step in furthering your weight loss journey.

  • Macronutrients are the nutrients your body needs in large quantities – namely fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. We need a balance of all three to provide us with energy and stay healthy.
  • Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals we need in very small amounts, but they’re just as important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle – and being deficient in any can cause health issues.
  • Eating a diet containing a variety of whole foods and nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables typically provides all the macro and micronutrients you need.
  • Weight loss injections can come with a risk of nutrient deficiencies, so speaking to a clinician or registered dietitian to come up with a personalised nutrition plan can be really important for staying healthy while you lose weight.

Macronutrients

You’ve probably heard of macronutrients somewhere before, but what are they? Macronutrients are the nutrients our bodies need a lot of – that’s where the ‘macro’ comes from. They’re broken down by our body to provide us with energy, among other things. Fats, proteins and carbohydrates are the essential macronutrients for sustaining us day-to-day – and a healthy diet includes a combination of all three.1 This means it’s important to eat a varied diet – to make sure you’re giving your body enough of each type.

Your body breaks down these macronutrients to make energy, create new muscle tissue, and give cells structure. For example:

  • Carbohydrates are mostly broken down into sugars that provide energy. This energy can be used right away, or stored for your body to use later. Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that isn’t digested by your body, and helps keep your bowel movements healthy and regular.2
  • Proteins are made up of amino acids that your body can’t produce by itself. These are used for lots of things, like repairing and building new muscle tissue, giving structure to cells, and producing hormones and neurotransmitters.3
  • Fats (or lipids) get broken down into fatty acids and glycerol. Your body uses these to help transport vitamins that dissolve in fat, protect cells, and to store energy for future use.4

Different sources of these three macronutrients should make up the bulk of your calorie intake. Calories are the unit we use to refer to the amount of energy you get from something you eat or drink. Your daily calorie needs can vary based on factors like age, height, weight, activity levels, and metabolic health.

Instead of following one-size-fits-all calorie targets, it’s best to calculate an estimate of your personal daily calorie needs and then create a calorie deficit by consuming slightly fewer calories than your body burns each day. This calorie deficit is what allows for gradual, sustainable weight loss over time. Weight loss injections can help here, as they reduce your appetite – which means you should find yourself eating fewer calories throughout the day. But it’s not just about how many calories you eat and how many you burn – where your calories come from also matters.

Counting macronutrients (or macro tracking) is when you keep a record of what you’ve eaten to track your nutritional intake. It’s a little different from counting calories, which just tells you how much energy you’ve taken in. Macro tracking helps you account for where your energy is coming from, and lets you manage the ratio of macronutrients you eat. This can be a really useful tool for those looking to achieve specific health and fitness goals.

But while we know we need all three types of macronutrients for a healthy diet, the amount we need of each isn’t an exact science. When looking at types of macronutrient as a percentage of overall calorie intake, different cultures have historically had diets made up of very different proportions of macronutrients, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.1

The World Health Organisation recommends that around 10-15% of your calorie intake should be made up of proteins, 15-30% should be fat, and carbohydrates should make up the last 55-75% – so this can be a good starting point if you’re looking to get into macro tracking.5

But remember, the types of macronutrients you eat are equally important as simply the ratio of macronutrients.

Micronutrients

As opposed to macronutrients, which your body needs in large amounts, micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals your body only needs a little of. But size isn’t everything – these micronutrients can have a big impact on your overall health, and so it’s really important you make sure you’re getting enough of them.

There are lots of different types of micronutrients, and they tend to be divided into four categories:

  • Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water, which transports them around the body. But because they’re stored in water, your body can’t hold onto them easily, and you’ll eventually urinate any excess out. These vitamins include vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, and vitamin C. They’re usually involved in reactions that produce energy for your body.6
  • Fat-soluble vitamins don’t dissolve in water, but are instead stored and transported in fat. This means it’s best to eat a source of fat alongside them for better absorption. Your body stores excess fat-soluble vitamins in your liver and fat tissue. Vitamin A, D, E and K are examples of fat-soluble vitamins, and they’re needed by your body for all sorts of things – like helping keep your vision, organs, bones, immune system and blood healthy.7
  • Trace minerals are minerals that your body needs in very small amounts to perform essential functions, like getting oxygen to your muscles, assisting reactions in enzyme systems, and helping produce energy.8 Trace minerals include iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and iodine.
  • Macrominerals are needed in higher quantities than trace minerals, and are necessary for proper bone structure, regulating blood pressure, producing digestive fluid, and more.9 Examples of macrominerals are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride, potassium, and sulphur.

You can usually get enough micronutrients from eating a healthy diet containing lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts – as well as poultry, lean meat, seafood and dairy products.10 Getting micronutrients from your diet is also the safest way to meet your vitamin and mineral requirements – but if you’re struggling with nutrient deficiencies, supplements can help provide what you’re missing.

However, taking too much of certain nutrients can be dangerous, and cause micronutrient toxicities. It’s best to use these supplements under the supervision of a clinician – and to avoid any that claim to have very large doses of nutrients.

So while it’s important to burn more calories than you’re eating if you’re trying to lose weight, making sure you maintain a balanced intake of macro and micronutrients is essential to stay healthy. This is especially true if you’re using weight loss injections; because they reduce your appetite and help you eat fewer calories, you need to make sure you’re still getting those essential vitamins and minerals from the food you do eat.

Work with your clinician to set nutrient goals to make sure you meet your body’s needs. The better your body’s nutritional needs are met, the more energy you’ll have – and this can help you to do more physical activity, optimise your metabolism, and achieve your weight loss goals.

Making healthy food choices

The best way to get enough macro and micronutrients is eating a variety of nutrient-dense whole foods.

Dark green, red, orange, and starchy vegetables; legumes (like beans, lentils and peas); other veg like aubergines (eggplants), cucumbers and avocados; and wholegrains like oats, rice and quinoa are packed full of essential nutrients. They’re also high in fibre, which helps with digestion and regular bowel movements.

Eating plenty of whole fruit (whether it’s canned, dried, fresh, or frozen) also helps boost your micro and macronutrient and fibre intake. Drinking a small amount of no-added sugar 100% fruit juice can make it a little easier to get the nutrients you need from fruit, but its high sugar content and lack of fibre means you should only have it in moderation.

Lean meats, poultry, seafood and dairy are great ways to get in your daily protein needs – and tofu, seitan, tempeh, beans and legumes and nuts and seeds are some protein-packed vegan alternatives.

It’s best to try and reduce the amount of sugary drinks, unhealthy fats, and processed snacks that you eat, too. Sugary drinks provide almost no nutritional value, and can contribute to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart, kidney and liver disease.11 Unhealthy fats (like saturated and trans fats) are also associated with a higher risk of heart disease and other serious health complications – so it’s best to avoid them where possible.12, 13 But don’t cut out fats completely – they’re an essential macronutrient our bodies need to stay healthy. Instead, try to get the fat to meet your macronutrient needs from more ‘healthy’ unsaturated fats, like those found in minimally processed vegetable oils (like extra virgin olive oil), nuts, seeds, and oily fish (like salmon, anchovies and mackerel).

Why restrictive food lists can be unhelpful

While you should try to limit sugary drinks and unhealthy fats while using weight loss injections, restricting the foods you eat too drastically can ultimately lead to unhealthy eating habits, a poor relationship with food, and weight regain. Research suggests that restrictive diets can cause psychological distress, which can in turn promote disordered eating behaviours like binge eating or purging.14

To help you lose weight healthily (especially with weight loss injections), a balanced and sustainable diet is really important – because it helps make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need. For example, cutting out fats or carbohydrates not only hinders your nutrient sources, but can also lead to fatigue as most of your energy comes from carbohydrates. So it’s best to vary the foods you eat to meet your nutrient intake, and prevent unhealthy eating behaviours in response to restrictions.

How mindful eating can be used

Mindful eating is exactly what it sounds like: being mindful of what you’re eating as you’re eating it. It involves paying purposeful attention to the food you’re eating, where it came from, why you’re eating it, and how much you’re eating – as well as avoiding distractions while you eat. You can think about:

  • How food looks, tastes and smells
  • How the food was made, and by who
  • Where the food came from
  • How the food feels in our bodies, and how our bodies feel after eating
  • How much food you’re eating
  • Eating more slowly, and chewing properly
  • Engaging with breathing exercises before eating, to help reduce stress and anxiety

While mindful eating isn’t linked to macro or micronutrients, and the main reason for engaging with it isn’t usually weight loss – research suggests that it’s likely that people who adopt mindful eating practices will lose weight. Instead of being focused on the outcome of weight loss by restricting food intake, mindful eating puts the experience of eating first. You still choose what you eat and how much, but spending more time appreciating what you’re eating, where it came from, and how it feels can lead to eating less, enjoying food more, and choosing healthier options.15

Food pairing and timing

The idea behind food pairing is simple: if you eat foods containing nutrients that compliment each other together, the benefit you get from both of them increases. For instance:

  • If you eat a lot of veggies and plant-based foods, vitamin C can help increase non-heme iron absorption (iron from non-animal sources).Some citrus fruits (like lemon juice) alongside plant iron-rich foods (like dark leafy greens, beans and legumes) can boost the amount of iron your body absorbs.16
  • Pairing high protein, high fat foods (like eggs and avocado) with carbohydrates that are high in fibre (like whole grain toast or bagels) can help stabilise your blood sugar levels after eating and make you feel fuller for longer.17
  • If you’re after a healthy and filling snack, hummus and veg is a really nutritious combo. Hummus is a great source of fibre to support digestive health, and is packed full of other essential vitamins and minerals, too. Combining it with nutrient-rich veg means you’ll be getting a wide range of micronutrients alongside supporting your digestive health.
  • Apples and peanut butter are another heavyweight healthy food pairing. Apples are high in fibre, whereas peanut butter is a good source of protein – so eating both together can help keep you satisfied for longer, as well as supporting your digestive health.

While there isn’t a lot of evidence on the impact of specific food combinations for weight loss when using weight loss injections – the principles of food pairing can be really useful to ensure you get all the nutrients your body needs while losing weight. Being aware of the types of foods you’re eating together can help you be more mindful of the food you’re eating, and help you stick to a more varied, balanced diet.

But don’t force yourself to pair specific foods together to optimise your nutritional intake, as this can come with the same drawbacks as a restrictive diet.

Instead, it’s best to focus on sustainable ways to eat a balanced diet – so you can keep up with your weight loss goals while providing your body with the nutrients it needs.

Getting the most out of your weight loss injections

No matter what your macro and micronutrient intake is, it still usually takes some time to adjust to using weight loss injections. Gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and stomach discomfort are all very common side effects of weight loss medications – but the good news is they tend to fade over time.

Weight loss injections do come with some risk of nutrient deficiencies and dehydration. This is because they reduce your appetite, meaning you’ll feel less inclined to eat. This can result in you not eating enough of the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Weight loss injections also slow down how quickly your stomach empties, and can affect how you absorb nutrients from your food – meaning even if you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, you could still experience some nutrient deficiencies. That’s why it’s really important to consult with a doctor or registered dietitian for personalised nutrition advice – so they can make sure your body is getting everything it needs to stay healthy while you’re losing weight. They’ll also be able to suggest weight management strategies and recommend physical activity to help you on your weight loss journey.