1. Put Protein First to Hold On to Muscle

On a GLP-1 medication, the bigger risk usually isn't fat loss. It's losing muscle along with the fat. When you eat far less than you used to, your body has to decide what to keep, and without enough protein it will break down muscle for what it needs.

That's why we aim for about 90 g of protein a day, whatever your total calories look like. It can sound like a lot when your appetite is small, which is exactly why it takes a plan.

The kind of protein matters too. Look for options that:

  • Are complete proteins, with all nine of the amino acids your body can't make
  • Fit easily into smaller meals
  • Sit well on a sensitive stomach
  • Keep you full without a big portion

Good examples: Greek yogurt, salmon, beef, chicken, eggs, and plant options like hemp seeds or legumes. Many protein bars and shakes on the market are heavy on sugar, which some people on GLP-1 medications find hard to tolerate. Our GLP-1 Vanilla Protein Shake has 17 g of protein and under 20 g of carbs per serving, and our GLP-1 Blueberry Muffin has 18 g of protein.

A quick place to start: look at what you ate yesterday and add up the protein. If you're well short of 90 g, move every meal toward protein. Breakfast is the easiest fix. Swap a carb-heavy breakfast for eggs with vegetables, or a protein-forward option you can eat on the go.

2. Make Every Meal Count for Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin and mineral shortfalls are easy to miss. You may not notice anything for weeks or months, until your energy drops or you feel foggy during the day.

When you eat much less, you also take in fewer vitamins and minerals unless you choose foods that are rich in them. Most of us fill a smaller plate with whatever we're used to, and on a GLP-1 medication that habit can leave gaps.

Nutrient density means getting as many vitamins, minerals and other plant nutrients as you can per calorie. Nutrients worth paying attention to when intake drops include:

  • Iron, especially for women who menstruate
  • Zinc, for immune function and wound healing
  • Selenium, for thyroid function
  • Calcium, particularly if you're eating less dairy
  • Folate, for cell growth
  • Potassium, for heart and muscle function

Try to include at least one vegetable or fruit at every meal. Leafy greens like spinach and kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and berries pack a lot into a small portion.

Here's a simple swap. Instead of a bowl of pasta with chicken, try 4 ounces of salmon, 2 cups of steamed broccoli with olive oil, and a small sweet potato. It's a similar amount of food with far more vitamins and minerals in it.

Pick one meal today and ask what it's giving you beyond calories. If you can't answer, add a vegetable or fruit to it.

3. Keep an Eye on B12 and Vitamin D

Two nutrients deserve extra attention when you're eating less: vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Both affect energy, mood, bones and immune function.

B12 comes mainly from animal foods: meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Eat less of them and you get less B12. That's a bigger concern if you eat a vegetarian or plant-based diet, since plant foods carry little B12 unless they're fortified.

Early signs of low B12 can include fatigue, brain fog, tingling in your hands or feet, and mood changes. It's easy to blame those on "the diet," so if you notice them, mention them to your doctor.

Vitamin D comes mostly from sunlight on your skin, plus foods like fatty fish and fortified dairy. If you're spending more time indoors and eating less of those foods, your intake can slide.

What we suggest:

  • Ask your doctor about baseline blood work for B12, folate, vitamin D and iron if you haven't had it recently.
  • For B12, keep animal proteins like beef, salmon and eggs in your week, or talk with your doctor about a supplement if your levels are low.
  • For vitamin D, get some regular time outdoors, and ask your doctor whether a supplement makes sense for you.
  • Recheck your levels on whatever schedule your doctor recommends.

Food first is a good rule, but when portions are small, a supplement your doctor recommends can close a gap faster than food alone. You can rebuild food sources as your eating settles in.

If you've been on semaglutide for a while and haven't had blood work, it's worth scheduling. It replaces guessing with real numbers.

4. Watch Your Electrolytes, Especially Sodium and Magnesium

Electrolyte problems are easy to miss when you're eating and drinking less. Muscle cramps, headaches, weakness and nausea can come from low electrolytes, and people often assume they're just side effects of the medication.

Sodium is a balancing act. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, your doctor may want you on a low-sodium diet, and you should follow that. If you don't have a restriction, eating mostly unprocessed food can push your sodium lower than you'd expect, because most sodium in the average diet comes from processed food. Ask your doctor what range is right for you. For many people without restrictions, that means salting food normally and including broths.

Magnesium supports muscle function, sleep, stress response and regular digestion. Smaller portions mean less of it. Good food sources include pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, black beans and dark chocolate. If you think you're falling short, ask your doctor whether a supplement makes sense; the glycinate form is often easier on the stomach.

An easy first step: add one magnesium-rich food tomorrow. A handful of almonds as a snack or spinach at dinner both count.

5. Get Enough Fiber, Every Day

Plenty of diets skip over fiber. On a GLP-1 medication, it matters more, not less.

Your appetite is lower, but your digestive system still needs fiber to work well. Without enough, constipation is common, and you lose some of the fullness between meals that fiber provides.

Fermentable fiber also feeds the bacteria in your gut. They turn it into short-chain fatty acids, which help prompt the gut cells that release GLP-1, your body's own fullness hormone.

Our daily target is about 30 g of fermentable fiber. That's very doable on a smaller appetite if you lean on fiber-dense foods:

  • Vegetables: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, bell peppers
  • Berries: raspberries and blackberries
  • Seeds: flax, chia, pumpkin
  • Legumes: lentils and chickpeas, even in small portions
  • Whole grains: oats and quinoa, when your appetite allows

Spread fiber across your meals and snacks, and introduce it gradually over the first week. Mild gas or bloating early on is normal and fades as your system adjusts.

Drink plenty of water with it. We aim for 80 or more ounces a day. Fiber with water keeps things moving; fiber without enough water can do the opposite.

Our Weekly GLP-1 Protocol bundle supplies about 30 g of fiber a day on its own, through breakfast, a snack and lunch.

Today, track what you eat for one day and add up the fiber. If you're well under 30 g, add one high-fiber food at each meal and build up slowly.

6. Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods Over Empty Calories

When you're eating much less, every bite matters more.

Empty calories are foods that bring calories with little protein, fiber or nutrition: sugary snacks, white bread, many processed "diet" products. On a full appetite, there's room for them. On a GLP-1 medication, they take up space you need for something else.

Compare two lunches of about the same size. One is white bread, low-fat deli meat and a diet soda: little fiber, few vitamins, and you're hungry again soon. The other is salmon, broccoli and olive oil: complete protein, real fiber, plenty of vitamins and minerals, and it keeps you full far longer.

The usual "diet food" mindset says to pick the lowest-calorie option. On a GLP-1 medication, a better rule is less volume, more nutrition per bite. Before you eat something, ask what it's giving you. If the answer is mostly filler, have less of it.

Foods to lean on:

  • Lean meats, poultry and eggs
  • Fatty fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel
  • Vegetables in a range of colors
  • Berries and citrus
  • Nuts, seeds and olive oil
  • Bone broth
  • Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and miso

Foods to cut back on:

  • Refined carbohydrates and added sugar
  • Ultra-processed "diet" products
  • Sugary drinks

We built The GLP-1 Protocol around the same idea. Our daily targets are about 90 g of protein, about 30 g of fiber and 1,300 to 1,500 calories, so there isn't room for filler.

This week, pull three foods you eat often and read the labels. Check the protein and fiber per serving. If they're low, swap one for something that does more for you.

7. Track Body Composition, Not Just Weight

This may be the most useful shift you can make.

A regular scale can't tell fat loss from muscle loss or water. If you lose weight quickly but a good share of it is muscle because protein was too low, the number looks great while your strength and metabolism pay for it.

What you want is to lose fat while keeping muscle. Ways to track that:

  • Progress photos (front, side, back) every 2 weeks
  • Measurements of your waist, hips, arms and thighs
  • A body-composition scale or a DEXA scan, which estimate fat and lean mass
  • How your clothes fit
  • Your energy and strength

This is why our One Month Health Reset includes a Hume Body Pod, a body-composition scale, along with weekly body-composition check-ins. When you're eating enough protein and fiber, the scale can move more slowly than you'd like while fat comes off and muscle stays. Seeing composition makes that easier to trust.

It also helps you avoid cutting protein or food to chase a faster number on the scale, which usually costs muscle.

To get started:

  • Pick one tracking method and stick with it for 4 weeks
  • Take baseline measurements and photos today
  • Check again every 2 to 4 weeks
  • If muscle is dropping, look at protein first; if fat loss has stalled, look at fiber and food quality

Store your baseline photos and numbers somewhere safe, and compare them in four weeks along with how your clothes fit.

For more on this, read our nutrition strategies for Ozempic users.