Food and nutrition
Dietary advice for people taking weight loss medicines
What you eat is just as important as how much you eat.
It's important you get enough nutrition while you're taking weight loss medicines.
Protein
Building muscle
Protein helps you to build and maintain muscle mass.
Your muscles burn energy even when you’re resting. Having more muscle makes your body burn more energy, which helps you to lose weight and keep it off.
When you lose weight, you lose muscle and fat. Losing muscle can make you feel tired and weak. It can slow down weight loss and make it harder to maintain the weight loss.
That’s why it’s important to maintain your muscle mass while losing weight. To protect your muscle during weight loss, you should:
- eat 60g to 80g of protein a day
- do strength-based exercise 2 times a week
Do
- eat the protein part of your meal first
- try some alternatives such as eggs, beans, lentils, fish, tofu or Quorn®
- add plain protein powder to soups, sauces or milky drinks
- eat 1 to 2 high-protein snacks a day if you're hungry between meals
- try drinking a protein shake if you struggle to reach your protein target with food
Helping you feel full
Protein also helps you feel full. Having high-protein meals or snacks can keep you feeling satisfied for longer.
High-protein foods
Although you can drink protein shakes, it’s best to get protein from foods. High-protein foods contain other important nutrients. They also keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Aim for 60g to 80g of protein a day.
Use this table to calculate your protein intake.
Fish
| Food | Portion size | Protein content |
|---|---|---|
| Fish fingers | 40g (2 fingers) | 8g |
| Prawns | 100g | 15g |
| Salmon | 130g (1 steak) | 35g |
| Tuna chunks in brine | 140g (1 medium tin) | 35g |
| White fish | 125g (1 fillet) | 30g |
Meat
| Food | Portion size | Protein content |
|---|---|---|
| Beef burger | 50g (half a burger) | 13g |
| Beef mince | 80g | 17g |
| Chicken breast | 100g (1 small breast) | 30g |
| Pork sausage | 60g (1 sausage) | 10g |
| Sliced cold meats (chicken, turkey or ham) | 50g (5 wafer thin slices) | 9g |
Vegetarian
| Food | Portion size | Protein content |
|---|---|---|
| Baked beans | 170g | 8g |
| Edamame beans | 100g | 12g |
| Eggs | 100g (2 eggs) | 12g |
| Falafel | 80g (4 balls) | 7g |
| Hummus (low fat) | 30g | 2g |
| Kidney beans | 150g | 10g |
| Lentils | 80g | 13g |
| Mixed nuts | 20g | 4g |
| Peanuts | 20g | 5g |
| Quorn mince | 75g | 10g |
| Quorn sausages | 80g (2 sausages) | 10g |
| Roasted chickpeas | 35g | 7g |
Dairy and alternatives
| Food | Portion size | Protein content |
|---|---|---|
| Cheddar cheese (low fat) | 40g | 10g |
| Cottage cheese | 45g | 5g |
| Cottage cheese (low fat) | 45g | 6g |
| Cow's milk (semi-skimmed) | 200ml (1 small glass) | 7g |
| Fruit yoghurt (low fat) | 125g (1 small pot) | 6g |
| Greek yoghurt (0% fat) | 150g (1 small pot) | 15g |
| Greek yoghurt (full fat) | 150g (1 small pot) | 14g |
| Skyr yoghurt (0% fat) | 150g (1 small pot) | 15g |
| Soya milk (unsweetened) | 200ml (1 small glass) | 5g |
| Soya yoghurt | 125g (1 small pot) | 5g |
Protein products
| Food | Portion size | Protein content |
|---|---|---|
| Protein ball | 35g (1 ball) | 8g |
| Protein bar | 60g (half a bar) | 21g |
| Protein shake | 330ml | 25g |
| Whey protein powder | 40g | 30g |
Drinks
Aim to drink at least 2 litres of low-calorie, unsweetened fluid each day.
Do drink
- water – try adding chopped fresh fruit, cucumber or mint for more flavour
- tea and coffee
- herbal teas
- sugar-free squash or cordial
Do not drink
- do not drink sugary drinks such as fizzy drinks and hot drinks with added sugar or syrups
- do not drink more than 1 small glass (150ml) of fruit juices or smoothies a day, as they’re high in sugar
- do not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week
Alcohol
Alcoholic drinks are high in calories and low in nutrients.
Alcohol can also increase your appetite and make you lose self-control. This can lead to overeating or making less-healthy choices.
Limit your alcohol intake to less than 14 units a week.
Vitamins and supplements
Even if you eat a healthy and varied diet, you might not get enough essential nutrients from your food. This is because you’re eating less.
You should take an A-to-Z multivitamin and mineral supplement every day.
You might also benefit from taking a vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter months.
You can take 10mcg or 400 IU of vitamin D a day.
Consider taking vitamin D supplements throughout the whole year if any of these apply to you:
- you're over 65 years old
- you have dark skin
- you have limited exposure to sunlight
Recipes
For healthy recipes, go to the NHS Better Health website.
More healthy eating advice
The NHS website has more information on healthy eating.
Resource number: 5545/VER1
Last reviewed: August 2025
Next review due: August 2028
