Nutrition Counseling Can Help – Even if You Take Weight Loss Medications
Are cravings knocking you off course on your journey to lose weight? Nutrition counseling can play a crucial role in helping you crush those cravings and achieve successful weight loss. Especially with the emergence of new GLP-1 weight loss injections that suppress overall appetite, nutrition counseling ensures that your weight loss efforts are safe and compatible with your personal nutrition needs. By promoting gradual, sustainable changes to your eating habits, nutritional coaching ensures that you’re losing weight in a healthy and sustainable manner, minimizing the risk of nutritional deficiencies that could negatively impact your overall health and eating habits. When your body has all the nutrition it needs, cravings generally just disappear! Furthermore, by establishing healthy behaviors and attitudes towards food, you’re more likely to maintain your weight loss for the long-term and share those new habits with those around you.
Regular sessions with a nutrition counselor also provide accountability and support throughout your weight loss journey. Having someone to monitor your progress, provide encouragement, and offer solutions to setbacks can increase your adherence to your weight loss plan and get you to your desired goal weight.
Medication & Education Work Best Together
There are several studies that have looked at the impact of health coaching or nutrition counseling on weight loss outcomes, as well as studies examining the effectiveness of weight loss medications on their own. They conclude that combining these two interventions may logically lead to improved outcomes. Several of the studies published emphasized the importance of nutrition counseling along with weight loss for the best outcomes:
A review published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics analyzed various studies on the effectiveness of nutrition counseling for weight management. The review found that nutrition counseling led to improvements in weight loss, dietary intake, and other health outcomes (1).
A study published in the Journal of Obesity examined the effectiveness of combining weight loss medication with lifestyle intervention, including dietary counseling and physical activity guidance, compared to medication alone. This study found that participants who received the combined intervention lost more weight than those who received medication alone. The study concluded that combining medication with lifestyle interventions can be more effective than medication alone. (2)
Another study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine evaluated the impact of telephone-based health coaching on weight loss and metabolic outcomes in overweight and obese adults. The study found that participants who received health coaching experienced greater weight loss compared to those who did not receive coaching, even if that coaching was done remotely by phone. (3)
Crush Those Cravings With Your Personal Food Plan
Nutrition counseling isn’t the only important factor to consider in weight loss. Having a professional food plan that is customized to your needs is also critical. A food plan based on your metabolic rate and BMI provides nutritional balance as it is designed to ensure that you receive all the necessary nutrients your body needs to function optimally. It can help in maintaining a balanced diet that includes the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Fad diets suggest that everyone can eat the same thing and achieve fast, effective weight loss… which is simply not true.
Achieving Health Goals:
Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle gain, improved athletic performance, or managing a health condition, a tailored food plan can provide the guidance and structure needed to reach those goals effectively.
Personalization:
A professional food plan considers your individual metabolism, food preferences, and possible dietary restrictions. It can be customized to suit your lifestyle, taste preferences, and any specific dietary requirements you may have, such as allergies or intolerances. A personalized approach to when you should eat during the day can also help to improve weight loss outcomes.
Portion Control:
Many people struggle with portion control, leading to overeating or undereating. A food plan can provide clear guidelines on portion sizes, helping you to manage your calorie intake more effectively.
Education:
Working with a professional to create a food plan can be an educational experience. It can help you understand the nutritional value of different foods (especially packaged foods that you might pick up from the supermarket), learn how to make healthier choices, and develop better eating habits that can be sustained in the long term. Many people who educate themselves during weight loss end up learning to love cooking again, and have fun creating a whole new group of recipes that help keep away those extra pounds.
Conclusion
Even if you are using advanced weight loss medications like Semaglutide (brand name “Ozempic”) or Tirzepatide (brand name “Mounjaro”), nutritional counseling can provide a personalized, evidence-based approach to achieving sustainable weight loss and overall wellness. By providing individualized guidance, evidence-based strategies, behavioral modification techniques, long-term support, and a supportive environment, this kind of professional support empowers you to make lasting lifestyle changes that promote your future health, happiness, and vitality. A medical weight loss clinic that specializes in this kind of professional counseling service is one that cares about your long-term success and wellbeing.
Sources
1) Driscoll, S and Meyerowitz-Katz, G. and Ahlenstiel, G. Reynolds and Reid. K. and Bishay, R. (2021) Efficacy of Telephone Health Coaching Integration with Standard Multidisciplinary Care for Adults with Obesity Attending a Weight Management Service: A Pilot Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2021 Nov 15.
2) Kalarchian, MA and Marcus, MD. and Courcoulas, AP. And Cheng, Y. and Levine M.D. (2013) Preoperative Lifestyle Intervention in Bariatric Surgery: Initial Results from a Randomized, Controlled Trial. Journal of Obesity, 2013 Feb; 21(2) 254-260.
3) Dansigner, ML and Tatsioni, A. and Wong, JB and Chung, M. and Balk, EM (2007) Meta-analysis: the effect of dietary counseling for weight loss. American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Annals of Internal Medicine), 2007 147(1).
By Lynn Chaar, Nutritionist MS at LivLight Weight Loss