Weight Loss Injections - What's the Hype about?
There has been a surge in sales weight loss injections over the last few years with one example of the popular options "Wegovy" reporting doubled profits during 2024 .
Weight loss injections were initially designed for Type 2 diabetes but their role as an appetite suppressor means that they can help with rapid weight loss and many people experience around 20% reduction in their body mass....An appealing proposition for many!
More and more people are turning to these to lose weight instead of going to weight management clubs or seeing nutritional therapists. It is not a quick fix and at £150+ a month is not a cheap option either. But, there is definitely an appeal when you don’t have to battle with hunger and cravings with just willpower….as you just aren’t hungry any more.
A potential downside is the side effects. According to the BNF common side effects include burping; cholelithiasis (gallstones); constipation; diarrhoea; fatigue; gastrointestinal discomfort; gastrointestinal disorders; nausea; vomiting. It does also increase risk of pancreatitis and altered taste.
Despite this, current estimates are that half a million people in the UK are currently taking them and figures look set to continue as more is done to promote a decline in obese rates in the UK.
Could Seeing a Nutritional Therapist Help Too?
Whilst these injections help with appetite, blood glucose and weight loss they do not address all aspects of a person's overall health or long-term weight management. Simply eating less of the foods that you were eating does not address the root cause of the obesity. With no change in food choices the risk of regaining all the weight after the injections have ended is high.
This is where a nutritional therapist such as myself might be able to help. I believe that seeing a nutritionist alongside taking the weight loss injections has the potential to:
1. Support Both Metabolism and Nutrient Absorption
Your metabolism is important to ensure that the energy from foods is used efficiently. This involves eating an optimal balance of macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbs) and this may enhance the effectiveness of the injections. In addition, ensuring you eat certain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) may help with absorbing foods and enabling the body to work more efficiently.
2. Preventing Nutrient Deficiencies
Given that appetite is suppressed there is a risk that there is a reduced intake or essential nutrients. Deficiencies in nutrients is linked to poor health, low energy, a poorer functioning immune system and possible bone health issues. A nutritional therapist can help to ensure that the foods eaten provide all these essentials in a way that combines nutrient dense foods but without you feeling uncomfortably full
3. Promoting Satiety and Controlling Hunger
The jab is already doing a lot of this but a nutritional therapist can help to include foods that really ensure you are feeling fuller for long and aren’t experiencing lots of sweet cravings.
4. Balancing Blood Sugar and Insulin Sensitivity
Again, the role of the weight loss jab is to support blood glucose balance but a nutritional therapist can optimise this. By educating you, empowering you and keeping you accountable whilst on the injections it has future ramifications. Understanding what to eat and practicing how to eat for blood glucose control means that you are much more likely to have longer-term blood glucose control long after you have stopped taking the weight loss injections.
5. Supporting Gut Health
Bacteria living in the digestive system plays an essential role in regulating hunger, cravings, and weight. Working with a Nutritional Therapist may help you with tips and advice to improve gut health. Once off the weight loss jab, your healthy gut microbiome could help control cravings and support overall digestive health.
It may also help to alleviate some of those gastrointestinal side effects like nausea or constipation.
6. Building Sustainable Eating Habits & Behavioural habits
This is perhaps one of the most important ways that Nutritional therapy may help. Helping you to be more aware of hunger cues, portion sizes and optimising eating style may prevent overeating whilst on the injections but more importantly once they are stopped and appetite starts to return
Working on your relationship with food is key too. We can all be prone to emotional or stress eating or have other factors around foods that impact weight loss efforts. By addressing these whilst the appetite is suppressed may mean that longer term weight management is better achieved through better habit formation. Keeping you accountable, working on consistency, looking at some key lifestyle factors and addressing any emotional barriers as they crop up may be vital in changing long-term eating patterns
and lastly.........
7. Addressing Underlying Health Conditions
Many individual who are looking to lose weight have underlying chronic health conditions such as inflammatory diseases, PCOS, high cholesterol or Thyroid issues. A nutritional therapist may be able to help you supports these conditions while promoting weight loss.
To Summarise
I believe that the combination of nutritional therapy with weight loss injections has the potential to achieve more sustainable and effective weight loss in the long-term. This more holistic approach helps to reduce weight, support overall well-being and improve the ongoing relationship with foods to maximise long lasting results for you.
