Ongoing support when taking weight loss medicines

Weight cycling is the pattern of losing and regaining weight. This can happen after following different diets or different approaches to lose weight.

Instead of solely focusing on weight, it is best to think about your health and wellbeing as the priority and how you can develop long-lasting habits.

Several factors can impact your ability to lose weight including your age, starting weight, weight history, genetics, lifestyle, health conditions and how your body responds to the medicine.

• Age can slow down your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight.
• Hormonal changes like menopause can shift where you store body fat.
• Your starting weight and past weight changes can affect how your body responds to lifestyle changes.
• Genetics may mean your metabolism is slower, you feel hungry soon after eating or you are unable to feel full during a meal.
• Lifestyle choices, such as how active you are and what you eat and drink, make a big difference too.
• Health conditions such as thyroid problems or diabetes can affect weight, and some medicines may cause your body to gain or hold onto weight.

Weight loss can often slow or stabilise after several months as the body adapts, which means ongoing lifestyle changes are essential.

As you reach your weight loss goal, your nutrition needs will change so having the right support in place can help you maintain a healthy weight and prevent weight cycling in the long term.

If you're planning to stop the medicine or reduce the dose, talk to your healthcare provider around how you plan to maintain your weight loss and prevent significant weight regain.

Screening

Before you start taking a weight loss medicine it is important for your healthcare provider to check whether it is safe and suitable for you based on your health needs and weight history. Some people may not be suited to taking a weight loss medicine.

Regular checkups

Having regular checkups every few weeks to months with your healthcare team is important when you’re on any weight loss medicine. These visits help to monitor how well the medicine is working and to keep an eye out for any side effects or concerns.

• During these appointments, your healthcare provider will ask about any side effects and can adjust your medicines if needed to make it safer or more effective.
• Most weight loss medicines are started at a low dose and then gradually increased over several weeks. This helps your body adjust to the medicine slowly and reduces the chance of side effects like nausea (feeling sick), dizziness, or stomach upset.
• Some weight loss medicines may take a few weeks to start working. Usually, after about 12 weeks on a full dose, your healthcare provider will assess your weight loss. As a general guide, if you haven’t lost at least 5% of your body weight by then, it’s unlikely to be effective and other options may be considered instead.
• These checkups aren’t just about monitoring your medicines and weight loss. They are also to ensure your overall health and wellbeing is monitored and to discuss any changes you have been making to your eating, exercise and lifestyle.
• Your healthcare provider will also check other signs of improved health such as lower blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

A healthy and balanced approach to eating is important while taking weight loss medicines to maintain weight loss and prevent weight regain in the long-term.

Different medicines may change the way in which you eat food and may also change the foods you prefer and the way they taste.

If your appetite and food intake is affected it’s important to:

• manage side effects of the medicines that affect your ability to eat such as nausea, reflux, and getting the feeling of being full soon after eating (early satiety)
• maintain muscle with adequate protein
• get enough fluids
• achieve balance and variety in your diet
• eat regular meals (often smaller and more nutrient-dense)
• consider vitamin and mineral supplements with advice and monitoring from your health professional.

Creating new habits and making lifelong changes can be hard. It is best to see a registered dietitian or registered nutritionist to help you address challenges and barriers and eat in a way that meets your personal nutrition needs.

Regular physical activity is linked with long-term weight maintenance.

There are a variety of exercise types. It's important to work with your healthcare team to find ways of moving your body that work for you and that you can fit into your daily schedule.

Strength-based exercise

• Strength training such as weights, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises helps to build and preserve muscle mass. When you lose weight, especially quickly, you risk losing muscle along with fat. Strength training helps you keep muscle, which keeps your metabolism higher and makes it easier to maintain weight loss after stopping the medicine.
  
  

Other types of exercise are also important

• Cardiovascular (cardio) or aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, cycling, and swimming burns calories and improves heart health. These exercises help to boost weight loss while on the medicine and improves stamina.
• Flexibility and balance exercises such as yoga, pilates and stretching help to improve mobility, posture, and reduce injury risk. They help you to stay active and consistent with other types of exercise.

While any activity is better than none, it's best to include strength, cardio and flexibility exercises. Relying only on cardio can lead to muscle loss, and skipping strength training can make long-term weight loss maintenance harder once you’re off the medicine.

Any approach to weight loss is more than just changing what you eat and how much you exercise. It requires an understanding of the factors that influence how you eat and your relationship with food.

It may involve working with your healthcare provider to understand your behaviours related to food and cravings. It may also involve understanding your triggers for emotional, mindless or late-night eating.

Your weight loss journey may also bring emotional highs and lows. You may feel happy and proud when you see progress, but other times you might feel frustrated, or upset if things don’t go as planned. Having the right people in your corner can make a big difference. It's important to reach out to family and friends who understand your goals and challenges, support groups (online or in-person) to share experiences, or mental health professionals who can help you with anxiety, depression, or body image concerns.

• The weight loss journey is different for everyone. It can be slow or uneven, and having someone to encourage you helps keep your spirits up and motivated.
• It's not unusual to have feelings of stress, anxiety, or frustration which can lead to mood swings, emotional eating or giving up. Support helps you handle these feelings in healthier ways.
• Some people find sharing their goals and progress with someone else helps keep them motivated to reach their goals.
• Support from friends, family and your healthcare provider can help you to build lifestyle habits that will last after the medicine has stopped.

Stopping weight loss medicines can be a challenging time. Many people regain some or all the weight they've lost which can lead to feelings of disappointment. You can feel like you’ve failed, even though some weight regain is expected. 

A personalised plan is a guide made just for you, to help you improve your health and lose weight in a sustainable way. It usually includes steps tailored to your needs about what and when to eat, how to move your body to help you build long-lasting habits. It’s your own roadmap for weight loss and wellbeing, created with your healthcare team, that fits your body, health, and lifestyle.

Why a personalised plan is important

Having a plan when taking weight loss medicines is important because it helps you to stay healthy over time.

Having a plan can help you:

• set clear, realistic goals for how much weight you want to lose and by when
• monitor your progress and see what’s working and make changes if needed
• stay on track and manage challenges, especially when things get tough.
  
  

Review your plan

Sometimes life changes such as starting a new job, moving house, stressful periods or other life events may impact your lifestyle and routine.

It's important to review your plan with your healthcare team on a regular basis. With time, you may find that your approach to eating and exercise needs adjusting. Once you reach your goal weight or improved health, your focus will naturally move from losing weight to maintaining your weight loss. You might want to change your focus to building muscle, improving energy levels, or increasing your fitness instead.

Long-term plan

Since weight loss medicine is not a permanent solution, it's important to have a long-term plan, for when you stop the medicine. A long-term plan will include guidance on a maintenance strategy for eating and exercise and a plan if weight starts creeping back. It helps you get a clear understanding of how to maintain your health goals without only relying on medicine.