Saxenda diet: what to eat and avoid, with a sample day

Why nutrition works differently with Saxenda

Saxenda slows gastric emptying and suppresses appetite, so you feel full sooner and have less appetite. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) registered the medication as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, not as a replacement for them. So nutrition plays a part, but in a different way than with an ordinary diet.

Three things change. First, large or fatty meals become a problem: they stay in your stomach for a long time and cause nausea. Second, your total intake drops by itself, so the quality of every bite counts for more; protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals have to come from less food. Third, the hunger signal disappears, so you need fixed eating times to avoid eating too little.

Saxenda diet example: a sample day

A sample day on Saxenda consists of three small main meals, each with 20 to 30 grams of protein, and one or two small snacks. This example is a starting point, not a prescription; amounts depend on your weight, your physical activity and what you tolerate.

Eat slowly, stop as soon as you feel full and save the rest. A plate you used to finish is now usually too much.

Weekly menu outline on Saxenda

A weekly menu on Saxenda does not need to be seven different days; a fixed outline that you vary works better. The basis: every breakfast protein-rich and light, every lunch a small high-fibre meal with protein, every dinner a protein source with plenty of vegetables and a small portion of carbohydrates.

Cook for two days at a time: a small portion from the fridge is easier than cooking again when you have little appetite.

Want an eating pattern that suits your medication, with a doctor keeping an eye on things? In a few minutes you will know whether medical weight loss could be right for you; the doctor then assesses your application. Eligibility check →

How many calories do you eat on Saxenda?

There is no fixed number of calories on Saxenda; it depends on your weight, height, age and physical activity. Common in guidelines is a moderate deficit of about 500 kilocalories a day compared with what you use, which amounts to a responsible pace of about half a kilo a week. You can estimate what you use with our tool to calculate your calorie needs.

More important than the exact number is the lower limit. If your dampened appetite makes you drop far below 1,200 kilocalories a day, you get too little protein and too few nutrients, lose muscle mass and feel tired and dizzy. Signs that you are eating too little: persistent tiredness, hair loss, feeling cold, dizziness when standing up and concentration problems. Discuss these with your doctor.

With us, how you fill in your eating pattern is part of the support in the medical weight loss with injections programme; the doctor looks at what you eat and not just at what you weigh.

Low-carb or not?

Eating low-carb is not necessary on Saxenda; protein and fibre are more important than cutting carbohydrates. The medication suppresses appetite regardless of what you eat, and a strict low-carb diet makes it harder to get enough fibre, which worsens constipation. Read more about stopping Saxenda.

What does work is the choice within the carbohydrates: wholegrain instead of white, pulses instead of pasta, fruit instead of juice. Fast sugars from fizzy drinks, sweets and biscuits provide calories without satiety and cause fluctuations in blood sugar. If you find it pleasant to eat fewer carbohydrates, you can do so, as long as protein and fibre stay at the right level.

Eating per dose step: from 0.6 mg to 3.0 mg

During the build-up weeks of the Saxenda dosing schedule, in which you go up by 0.6 mg every week to 3.0 mg a day, you adjust your eating to the side effects. According to apotheek.nl, the patient information website of the Dutch pharmacists' organisation KNMP, stomach and bowel complaints occur in more than 30 in 100 users, especially at the start and after each increase.

• Weeks 1 and 2 (0.6 and 1.2 mg). Eat as you are used to, but smaller and lower in fat. Notice how your stomach responds.
• Weeks 3 and 4 (1.8 and 2.4 mg). Nausea often peaks here. Choose cold or lukewarm, mild meals (quark, soup, steamed fish), eat slowly and drink between meals rather than with them.
• From week 5 (3.0 mg). Appetite is usually clearly reduced. Now eating enough becomes the point of attention: fixed eating times, protein at every meal, fibre against constipation.

If the nausea stays severe for more than a week after an increase, discuss with the doctor whether you should stay on the previous step for another week. The full overview is in our article on Saxenda side effects.

What are you better off not eating on Saxenda?

There are no forbidden foods on Saxenda, but a number of choices worsen side effects or work against the result.

You can read more about alcohol in our article on Saxenda and alcohol.

Prefer to lose weight with your own doctor who also looks at your eating pattern? The doctor assesses whether medical weight loss is right for you and supports you at every step. Medical weight loss with injections →

Frequently asked questions about Saxenda and diet

What should you eat when using Saxenda?

Three small meals, each with 20 to 30 grams of protein, plenty of vegetables and fibre, little fat and sugar, and at least one and a half litres of water a day. Eat slowly and stop as soon as you feel full. The doctor or dietitian tailors the amounts to you.

How much weight can you lose per week with Saxenda?

That varies from person to person; a responsible pace is about half a kilo to one kilo per week. The Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas (the Dutch national drug reference) uses as a benchmark that treatment stops if you have not lost at least 5 percent of your starting weight after 12 weeks on 3 mg. You can read more about the course of weight loss in how fast Saxenda works.

What is a healthy weekly menu for losing 10 kilos?

The same principle as above, kept up over months: a protein-rich breakfast, a small high-fibre lunch, dinner with a protein source and plenty of vegetables, water instead of drinking your calories. You can read what else is involved in losing 10 kilos in our article on how to lose 10 kg.

What is the dosing schedule for Saxenda?

You start with 0.6 mg a day and increase by 0.6 mg every week: 1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg and from week 5 the maintenance dose of 3.0 mg a day. If you have side effects, the doctor can keep you on a step for an extra week.

What do you eat when you feel nauseous?

Small, cold or lukewarm, mild meals: quark, yoghurt, soup, steamed fish or chicken, banana, rusks. Avoid fatty, fried and very sweet food, eat slowly and drink between meals rather than with them. If the nausea stays severe, consult your doctor.

Does the same eating pattern apply with Ozempic and Mounjaro?

Largely, yes: protein, fibre, small portions and little fat apply to every GLP-1 medication. The build-up and the pattern of side effects differ per medication; for that, read about the Ozempic diet and the Mounjaro diet.

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