5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Weight Loss Medication

If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above — or a BMI of 27 or above, along with weight-related comorbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), or high cholesterol — weight loss medications can help you reach your weight and wellness goals faster compared to healthy lifestyle strategies alone.

No medication is a “magic pill” for weight loss. But pharmaceutical support can curb your appetite and give your weight loss efforts (and your willpower) a major boost.

At Nova Physician Wellness Center, we know that when it’s easier to control your portions and ignore the “food noise,” it’s easier to lose weight through diet and exercise. In this month’s blog, our team offers five ways to make the most of your weight loss medication as it works to advance your efforts.

How weight loss medications work

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved six anti-obesity medications (AOMs) for long-term use. Most prescription weight loss drugs work by making you feel fuller faster, less hungry overall, or both; one medication reduces the amount of fat your body absorbs from your diet.

GLP-1 medications (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide) aid weight loss by:

• Suppressing appetite and food noise, or the constant thoughts of food
• Prompting your stomach to empty itself more slowly after mealtime
• Making you feel satiated (full) more quickly and for longer with less food

By shining a spotlight on the value of treating chronic weight problems and obesity as a long-term, complex metabolic disease, weight loss medications are helping to bust the myth that successful weight control is always just a matter of “willpower.”

Maximizing weight loss medication

Rather than offering a miracle solution or an easy way out of making healthy changes, weight loss medications support your efforts to make the necessary dietary and activity changes that can lead to sustainable long-term weight loss. 

To maximize the effectiveness of your weight loss medication, then, it’s essential to treat it as a tool within a broader healthy lifestyle plan. You should:

1. Keep yourself hydrated 

Weight loss medications that slow digestion to keep you feeling fuller longer can suppress your thirst signals, increasing the risk of dehydration and constipation. Make it a habit to drink water and other healthy fluids consistently throughout the day, regardless of thirst.

Common side effects of weight loss meds, including nausea and constipation, are also eased by hydration. Sipping water consistently is best; drinking large amounts of water all at once can worsen nausea and other gastrointestinal (GI) medication side effects. 

2. Practice mindful eating

When you’re taking weight loss medication, adjusting how you eat can improve nutrient absorption and significantly reduce GI discomfort. Eating slowly, eating smaller meals, and avoiding problematic foods are key medication-friendly habits to prevent feeling overfull. 

Instead of eating three large meals a day, spread your daily calories and nutrients across four of five smaller meals. Chew thoroughly, and stop eating at the first sign of fullness. Limit “trigger” foods (e.g., fatty, greasy, spicy, or sugary foods) that can give rise to nausea or reflux when combined with your medication.

3. Choose nutritious foods

Besides triggering side effects when you’re taking weight loss medications, foods that are greasy, fatty, or rich in sugar also tend to be high in calories and low in essential nutrients.

When you’re eating fewer calories because your weight loss medication helps you feel fuller faster, you want to make those calories count.

Choosing nutrient-dense whole foods — like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, lean protein sources, and heart-healthy fat sources —  helps ensure every bite is packed with the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (micronutrients) your body needs to thrive; it also helps you get enough dietary fiber to aid digestion and prevent constipation.

4. Make protein a priority

Weight loss medications can promote relatively rapid weight loss. To ensure you’re not losing muscle along with fat, it’s important to consume more of the nutrient that works to maintain your body’s lean mass: protein.

Muscle supports a healthy metabolism as well as long-term weight control. To sustain your muscle mass while losing weight, aim to get 0.55 grams of protein per pound of body weight (about 80-100+ grams) every day.

Consistent daily protein consumption is easy with high-protein food choices like eggs, tofu, Greek yogurt, and lean meats. If your appetite is low, consider high-quality protein shakes. 

5. Focus on strength training

Regular exercise is essential for successful long-term weight control as well as overall physical fitness. While aerobic exercise burns calories, resistance training is specifically recommended to counter muscle atrophy while taking weight loss meds.

To preserve and improve your muscle mass — and keep your fat-burning metabolism fired up — incorporate two or three strength training sessions into your weekly workout schedule. You can use your own body weight (e.g., squats, pushups, planks), resistance bands, or free weights to work all major muscle groups.

Expert medical weight loss support

To learn more about the medical weight loss program at Nova Physician Wellness Center, schedule a visit with our team today. We have offices in Fairfax, Lansdowne, Charlottesville, Vienna, Arlington, Sterling, and Woodbridge, Virginia, as well as Rockville, Maryland.