The advice people get when they start a GLP-1 medication is usually some version of "eat more protein and fiber." True, and almost useless when you're standing in a grocery aisle at six in the evening with no appetite and a fridge full of things you no longer want to eat.
Here's the more practical version: your stomach has become expensive real estate. A half portion is now a meal, so every bite has to carry more nutrition than it used to. That's the whole principle. Everything below follows from it.
Protein you can actually get down on a bad day
Protein is the priority because losing weight fast without enough of it means losing muscle along with fat. The problem isn't knowing that — it's that chicken breast is unappealing when nothing is appealing.
What helps is having protein in forms that don't require an appetite. Unflavored protein powder is the most useful thing in this category because it disappears into whatever you were already going to eat: stirred into soup, oatmeal, yoghurt, or a glass of water. No flavor to be repelled by.
Clear, fruit-flavored protein drinks are the other reliable option. On days when anything creamy feels heavy — and there will be days like that — a clear drink often goes down when a milkshake-style one won't. It's the same reason they're standard after bariatric surgery.
Beyond that: cheese crisps, pork rinds, unsalted nuts, and no-sugar-added peanut butter all deliver protein in small, dense, shelf-stable portions. None of them require cooking, which matters more than it sounds like it should.
Fiber, and the thing nobody warns you about
Constipation is one of the most common side effects of these medications, and it's the one people are least prepared for. Food moves more slowly, you're eating less volume, and you're probably drinking less than you were.
Fiber is the lever you control. The most efficient sources are also the cheapest: ground flaxseed stirred into anything, lentils and beans (which conveniently bring protein along with the fiber), whole grains like buckwheat groats, farro and millet, and prunes — as a snack or as juice, both work.
Crispbread is worth knowing about too. It's high fiber, portion-controlled by its nature, and it gives you something with crunch when soft food starts to feel monotonous.
Water, salt, and why you feel dizzy
Reduced appetite usually means reduced thirst, and a lot of the fatigue and lightheadedness people report is straightforward dehydration rather than the medication itself. Electrolyte mixes help, and so does something most people don't think of: sipping broth. Bouillon and broth concentrate give you fluid, sodium and a bit of savoury flavour in a form that goes down when solid food won't. It's not a meal. It doesn't need to be.
Small snacks that aren't candy
The gap in most pantries is the mid-afternoon thing — small, quick, not sweet. Mini rice cakes, chia squeezes and granola minis all fit the brief: portioned by the packet so you don't have to negotiate with yourself about how much is reasonable.
What to leave on the shelf
Anything where the calories arrive without protein or fiber attached. That's most crisps, most biscuits, most soft drinks. Not because they're forbidden — because with a smaller appetite you genuinely may not have room for them and a proper meal, and the meal is the one doing the work.
Very high calorie nutritional drinks are worth a specific mention, because they look like they belong here and don't. Those are formulated for people who need to gain weight. Read the label rather than the shelf position.
A note on what this is
This is a grocery list, not medical advice. We're a shop; we don't know your situation, and nothing here is a substitute for what your doctor or dietitian tells you — especially on protein targets, which vary a lot by person. If something here contradicts what they've said, listen to them.
Everything mentioned above is in our GLP-1 Friendly and High Protein collections, with nutrition panels on every product page.