Nutrition on GLP-1 Medication Is Harder Than It Looks

Small GLP-1 dinner with chicken bites, broccoli, tomato soup, and water on a warm kitchen table. — *_{On GLP-1 meds, even simple meals can feel difficult to finish.}*

Before GLP-1 meds, nutrition wasn’t exactly high on my priority list. I knew I should probably eat more fruits and vegetables and cut back on bread and sugar… but realistically? It wasn’t something that really concerned me. That’s definitely changed.

What I’ve learned is that nutrition is a lot more complicated on a GLP-1.

Why?

Appetite

Mine disappeared. And since I didn’t get hungry, time would slip away without me noticing I hadn’t eaten. It simply wouldn’t cross my mind. Suggestions to set an alarm seemed ridiculous. I’m an adult. I should know how to feed myself.

The other problem was that when I ate, I often had difficulty finishing the meal. So, I reduced my portions further. Which helped because I no longer got sick from overeating, but then I was missing out on foods I needed to meet nutritional goals.

Why was that happening?

The GLP-1 medication slowed my digestive tract, and that sent a message to my brain that I was full and no longer needed to eat.
The medication also improved blood glucose control, which lowered my appetite and reduced cravings.
Combined, they lessened my appetite and increased my sense of satiety.
Which discouraged me from eating.

TL;DR: GLP-1 meds slow digestion and reduce appetite, so even when you know you should eat, you often don’t want to.

Not wanting to eat sounds ideal if you’re trying to lose weight. The catch is if you don’t eat, nutritional deficiencies can become a genuine concern. It’s just a fact of life that if you don’t eat enough because of a low appetite, you’re likely to miss out on important nutrients. It’s a predictable side effect of GLP-1 medication.

So nutrition actually becomes more important when you are taking a GLP-1 because if you’re eating less, it means everything you do eat is more important. Which is really a Catch-22. Eat less, but make it count more. Add in that you’re supposed to eat more protein? Sometimes it feels like a no-win situation.

But wait, there’s more!

Other consequences of low appetite.

Fiber: Not eating enough can lead to not getting enough fiber, which is essential for a healthy digestive system. It is also useful in managing common GLP-1 side effects.
Dehydration: A poor appetite often goes hand in hand with dehydration. If you’re unable to consume enough food to meet your dietary requirements, you may not drink enough water. Which can cause GLP-1 side effects. Water is also one of the best ways to deal with side effects, and dehydration will aggravate them further.

Protein

Protein makes meeting your dietary nutritional goals even harder. We’re told to increase our protein intake while using a GLP-1 med to avoid muscle loss. But I’ve found that to do that, other essential foods fall by the wayside.

There are times I can barely finish a serving of chicken (3 oz.), much less eat the broccoli and brown rice that rounded out the meal. Which is the medication working—discouraging me from eating. But the actual effect is I miss out on important nutrients, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

And then there’s the calorie problem.

Dieting

A poor appetite and protein consumption aren’t alone in limiting what I ate. Dieting played a part, too. The goal, after all, is to lose weight. One way I’ve kept my calorie count down but met my protein requirements is by eating high-protein, low-calorie foods.

Sounds good in theory, right? Difficult in practice because high-protein food can be dense, so difficult to eat when your appetite is shot. Protein can also be high in calories, which is what you’re trying to reduce.

One way I’ve tackled both problems is by drinking a clear whey protein drink that provides 20 grams of protein for only 100 calories. It’s light and easy on the stomach and has a great calorie to protein ratio. But as low-calorie as it is, it still displaces other nutritious food I’m supposed to eat because I’m trying to increase my protein count while also maintaining a low-calorie diet.

Possible Solutions

Berry protein fruit shake beside strawberries, blueberries, bananas, spinach, protein powder, vitamins, electrolyte packets, and water on a kitchen counter.

So, is it possible to have good nutrition if you’re using a GLP-1? Yes, but it takes effort. I work at it daily.

One way to get around my appetite and add fruits and vegetables to my diet is to drink protein fruit shakes. I add as many fruits and vegetables as I think I can eat and then spend an hour drinking my lunch. I can usually fit in 1.5 servings of fruit and 1 vegetable per meal, which addresses some of my nutrient and fiber needs. In addition, the protein powder I added to the shake helps me meet my increased protein requirements. It’s a win all the way around.

Another thing I do is plan out my meals every morning. I then track my food throughout the day. It’s not a simple or easy solution, but it keeps me focused on reaching my daily protein and calorie goals, while also factoring in a few fruits and vegetables too.

Lastly, per my nutritionist, I’ve added a multivitamin and an electrolyte drink daily to add nutrients I might miss out on.

Together, the solutions I’ve worked into my daily routine should help me meet my daily nutritional goals and help me avoid serious deficiencies.

Nutrition is not a simple thing to get your arms around. There are plenty of reasons you might develop nutritional deficiencies while taking a GLP-1. There are a lot of variables to consider—what to eat and how to balance out how you feel with what you need to do. But long term, to maintain your health, you have to make nutrition a priority.

If you’re new to using GLP-1 medication, I discuss the best ways to adjust to a new normal in my Beginner’s Guide to GLP-1 Weight Loss.