Healthy eating habits

Weight loss medicines change how hungry you feel, which can change how and when you usually eat.

This is a good time to focus on healthy eating habits.

Here are some tips for how to plan meals, snack and eat.

Regular meals

As you feel hungry less often, you might be tempted to skip meals or go for long periods without eating. Some people think this will help them to lose more weight, but this is not true.

Do not skip meals

Skipping meals can have a negative impact on long-term weight maintenance and can also be harmful. This is because not eating enough food, or not eating the right types of foods, makes it difficult for your body to get enough nutrition.

You should eat a balanced and nutritious meal 2 or 3 times a day. This will help you:

• improve your energy levels
• stop you feeling sick
• lose less muscle mass

Make cooking easier

If you lose interest in food, it can be difficult to find the motivation to plan, shop, cook or eat a healthy and varied diet.

Making a balanced plate

To make a balanced plate of food, you should use:

• a quarter of the plate for lean protein like turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu or chickpeas
• a quarter of the plate for starchy carbohydrates like rice, quinoa, potatoes or pasta
• half the plate for vegetables, salad or fruit

Snacking

Only have a snack between meals if you’re physically hungry.

Sometimes, you might have ‘head hunger’. Head hunger is when you think about food and want to eat it even when you’re not physically hungry. This can happen if you’re bored or if an emotion triggers it.

If you have head hunger a lot and it’s difficult to manage, you may want to explore coping mechanisms with a healthcare professional.

Mindful eating

Mindful eating is about paying full attention to your food while you eat.

If you eat while distracted by something else, it can be hard for your brain to know that you’ve eaten.

You might feel less satisfied and get hungry again more quickly.