It’s no secret that weight loss injections can be an expensive investment. In order to get the most bang for your buck, it can be really useful to adopt some changes to your lifestyle alongside your treatment.

We’ve got some simple tips to help you reach your weight loss goals faster, and develop sustainable, healthy habits that help keep the weight off after you stop treatment.

Sustainable diet changes

So, how can you go about making healthy, sustainable changes to your diet?

  • Focus on nutrient-rich foods. Understanding nutrition is an important first step to sustainable weight loss; not all foods are made nutritionally equal. Focus on nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and sources of lean protein to get all the essential nutrients you need. As well as being packed with vitamins and minerals, these foods are typically high in fibre. This will help fill you up, reduce overeating, and support healthy digestion.[1] High-protein meals can also help you feel more satisfied,[2] so combining lean protein with high-fibre whole grains is a good way to eat less, keep on top of nutrition, and progress toward your weight loss goals.
  • Explore mindful eating. Mindful eating is all about purposefully considering your relationship with food, without judgement. It can help you to develop healthier eating habits to support your weight loss journey. Strategies for mindful eating include: learning to recognise physical hunger cues from cravings, avoiding distractions while you eat, and eating more slowly to savour your food. Mindful eating can go hand-in-hand with portion control techniques, too – like using smaller plates, and waiting 20 minutes after eating a portion before going back for seconds (to see if you feel full).
  • Start meal planning. Planning what you’re going to eat ahead of time is a great way to control the size of your potions, and avoid making unhealthy choices in the moment. A regular schedule can also help you get into the habit of prepping meals, and make shopping for groceries easier, too.
  • Don’t forget hydration. Staying hydrated is really important for your general health, but it can have a massive impact on weight loss, too. Your body needs water to break down and absorb nutrients from your food, and keeping well-hydrated can help alleviate certain side effects of weight loss treatment (like nausea and constipation).
  • Keep alcohol consumption in check. Most types of alcohol and mixers are high in calories and very low in nutrition, which means drinking a lot can hinder your weight loss efforts. It can also lead to you making unhealthy food decisions when you’re drinking (and the following day) – so cutting back on alcohol (or stopping drinking entirely) can be really beneficial for weight loss.

Introducing regular exercise

Physical activity is just as important as diet when it comes to sustainable weight loss. Studies suggest that while physical exercise on its own plays a relatively small role in actively losing weight (when compared with diet), it’s really significant when it comes to maintaining weight loss. In a two-and-a-half year study involving 202 overweight adults, the people that regularly expended over 2,500 calories per week through exercise regained less than half the weight than those who expended fewer than 2,500 calories per week.[3]

But to reap the long-term benefits of exercise for weight loss, it’s really important to stay consistent with your routine. To maintain a healthy exercise schedule for weight loss, try to:

  • Find activities you enjoy. It’s much easier to exercise regularly if you’re enjoying being active. So if you’re struggling to motivate yourself to work out, look for physical activities you find fun. You might try joining a sports team (like football or basketball), an exercise class (like yoga or dance), or taking up a new solo sport (like boxing or running). Being part of a like-minded group or immersing yourself in a new active hobby can motivate you to keep your work-outs on track, helping you keep the weight you’ve lost off in the long term.
  • Start gradually. Don’t throw yourself in at the deep end. Starting with frequent, high intensity exercise is likely to lead to soreness, injuries, and, ultimately, set-backs to your weight loss journey. Starting with a more moderate intensity routine and gradually increasing the duration and intensity is much more sustainable, and is more beneficial for long-term weight loss.

Prioritising quality sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is really important for your general physical, mental, and emotional health. But your sleep also has a huge impact on your weight loss journey.

Your sleep cycles have a big effect on your levels of two hormones called ghrelin and leptin, which help regulate your appetite and caloric intake. Evidence suggests that poor sleep could be linked with an increase in levels of the hormone ghrelin (which stimulates feelings of hunger), and a decrease in levels of the hormone leptin (which stimulates feelings of satiety).[4] This means it’s really important to get a good night’s sleep when you’re trying to lose weight – to better balance these appetite-regulating hormones.

So if poor sleep can undermine your weight loss efforts, how much should you be aiming for? A study compared the weight loss of two groups, one assigned 5.5 hours of sleep each night and the other 8.5 hours, over two weeks. The group who slept for 5.5 hours lost 55% less body fat and 60% less fat-free mass when compared with the group who slept for 8.5 hours a night. A similar study of 245 women enrolled in a 6-month weight loss program revealed that sleeping more than 7 hours per night (and better sleep quality) improved the likelihood of losing weight by 33%.[5]

So aiming for between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night is a good starting point when it comes to prioritising quality sleep for weight loss. But it’s important to remember that it’s not as simple as just sleeping more to lose more weight. There are lots of factors that can affect your weight loss journey, and sleep quality is just one of them.

Reducing stress

Stress is something that we all experience in one way or another in day-to-day life – but long-lasting (or chronic) stress can contribute to weight gain. Stress can affect your body in all sorts of ways, releasing several different hormones, neurotransmitters, and generally disrupting your body’s normal equilibrium. This can have an impact on your appetite, cause cravings, and affect how your body stores fat, which could lead to weight gain.[6]

But there are ways you can help alleviate stress, to keep your weight loss journey on track. Developing a yoga routine can help you practise breathing, meditation, and relaxation techniques to help relieve stress – and moving through the physical poses is a great way to keep active, as well.

But even just engaging with some simple meditation before bed can be a great way to reduce stress. There are lots of free guided meditations available for beginners online, and a body scan meditation is a great place to start. It involves deliberately paying attention to your body, breathing, and the sensations you’re experiencing in the moment – and guiding your attention gently back to these sensations when your mind begins to wander. Evidence suggests this can help improve sleep, anxiety, and self awareness – and help to relieve stress.

Tracking your progress

It sounds simple, but keeping a record of your progress is another great lifestyle change you can make to keep you motivated over the long term. Keeping track of your food and nutrient intake helps you meet your nutrition goals, which is especially important when you’re using weight loss injections. And if you maintain a record of your weight as well, you’ll be able to see exactly how your dietary choices are reflected in the weight you’ve lost.

Likewise, keeping a record of your exercise routines is a great way to monitor your progress over time. Seeing the intensity and duration of your workouts increase as you gradually get fitter can help you keep motivated and working towards your future weight loss goals.

Staying connected with your clinician

One of the most important lifestyle changes you’ll need to make when using weight loss treatment is having regular check-ins with your prescribing clinician. This lets them monitor your weight loss progress, check for any possible nutrient deficiencies or other concerns, and make sure you stay healthy as you continue on your weight loss journey.

It’s really important to discuss any supplements and medications you’re currently using or starting soon with your clinician as well. Certain supplements and medications can cause interactions with treatments like Wegovy, and lead to side effects. To keep as safe as possible, speak to your prescribing clinician before taking any medication or supplement while using weight loss treatment.

Keeping on track

Combining these lifestyle changes in your day-to-day life can really improve the effectiveness of weight loss treatment – and make the weight you’ve lost more sustainable. They can also make other lifestyle changes more attainable. For example: eating more healthy, nutrient rich foods can improve your energy levels, which can help you exercise more, which in turn can help you sleep better at night. And all of these changes can help contribute to losing weight with Wegovy more quickly, and keeping it off after you stop treatment.

But remember: make sure you consult with a clinician before you take weight loss treatment like Wegovy, any nutritional supplements, or make any significant lifestyle changes. They’ll be able to advise you on the best option for your health.