How To Lose Weight Without Restrictive Dieting

Losing weight has often been associated with excessive dieting and calorie counting. At Levity, we take a different approach, combining sustainable lifestyle changes with cutting-edge GLP-1 treatments prescribed by clinicians. This way, you can lose weight without the stress of a restrictive diet, instead taking a balanced approach that’s easy to maintain long term and comfortably suits your lifestyle. Our experts explain more.

How does your body lose weight?

Fat cells are just stores of unused energy within your body. We use energy in a number of ways — you might immediately think of physical activity, but we also use a considerable amount of our energy at rest, doing activities like breathing, digesting food, maintaining our body temperature and thinking. Weight gain happens when you consume more energy, in the form of calories, than you're using. 

So, to lose excess weight, we just need to eat fewer calories than we're using. This is called a calorie deficit, and it causes your body to use up stored fat for energy, making you lose weight. [1]

The problem with restrictive dieting 

Approaching your weight loss with a restrictive diet could make it harder for you to reach your goals. As important as it is to maintain a calorie deficit while losing weight, excessive calorie counting can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health. It can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety around meals, as well as causing low self-esteem. [2] 

Some people take extreme measures to stay in a calorie deficit — eating far fewer calories than their body needs for basic functions, overexercising and sometimes fasting entirely — which can be dangerous. A 40% calorie reduction is considered a severe calorie deficit, and could have serious long-term implications for your health. [3] We recommend a deficit of 600 calories for healthy, sustainable weight loss. 

The good news is, you can safely achieve significant weight loss without these risks, with the help of GLP-1s.

What are GLP-1s? 

GLP-1s, or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, are a type of drug that was originally developed to treat adults with type-2 diabetes. Clinical studies found that, alongside their ability to stabilise your blood sugar, GLP-1s also helped decrease feelings of hunger, reduce food cravings and increase feelings of fullness, encouraging weight loss. [4] 

How do GLP-1s work? 

GLP-1s mimic the action of glucagon-like peptide-1, a naturally occurring hormone in your gut. They help you lose weight by:

• Targeting the appetite regulation centre in your brain, reducing feelings of hunger and food cravings. [5]
• Slowing gastric emptying, or the rate your stomach empties after eating. This helps you feel full for longer. [4]
• Regulating blood sugar levels, increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing the risk of blood sugar spikes after meals. [6] This helps reduce food cravings and overall metabolic health. 

Our GLP-1 lifestyle tips

Instead of combining your GLP-1 treatment with a highly restrictive diet, here's what our experts recommend to help you reach your weight loss goals: 

• Eat a balanced diet of nutrient-dense foods from a variety of food groups, including complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats. This will help you nourish your body while maintaining a healthy relationship with food. We recommend following the NHS Eatwell Guide. You can also find out more information about foods to eat and foods to avoid in this blog post.
• Make sure you're eating enough calories to fuel your body — you can work out your daily energy expenditure using an online calculator. Aim for a 600 calorie deficit to ensure healthy weight loss. 
• GLP-1s make you feel full faster, so try eating smaller portion sizes more frequently to keep your energy up and minimise any gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and heartburn. 
• If you find it hard to commit to a rigorous exercise routine, try low-intensity movement instead. We recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, spread evenly over four to five days. This can include brisk walking, water aerobics, riding a bike or hiking. [6] 
• Drink plenty of water if you're exercising more than usual to replace lost fluids. Staying hydrated can also help ease side effects from the medication, like nausea and constipation. 

Remember, if you form habits that last, you're setting yourself up for long-term weight loss, rather than the rapid weight loss and weight gain cycle associated with restrictive fad diets. 

Weight loss doesn't have to be a struggle

Combining lifestyle changes with a medicated weight loss program could make your goals more achievable. With Levity, you can feel empowered to make gradual, manageable changes that can be maintained over time and bring you long-lasting results.

See if you're eligible for medical weight loss support today.

References: 

1. When you lose weight, where does it go? [Internet]. MIT Technology Review. Available from: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/20/1061254/where-does-weight-loss-go/  

2. Habib A, Ali T, Nazir Z, mahfooz A, Inayat QA, Haque MA. Unintended consequences of dieting: How restrictive eating habits can harm your health. International Journal of Surgery Open [Internet]. 2023 Nov 1;60:100703. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240585722300116X 

3. Doctrow B. Calorie restriction, immune function, and health span [Internet]. National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2022. Available from: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/calorie-restriction-immune-function-health-span 

4. Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine [Internet]. 2021 Feb 10;384(11):989–1002. Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 

5. Blundell J, Finlayson G, Axelsen M, Flint A, Gibbons C, Kvist T, et al. Effects of once‐weekly semaglutide on appetite, energy intake, control of eating, food preference and body weight in subjects with obesity. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism [Internet]. 2017 May 5;19(9):1242–51. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573908/ 

6. Garvey WT, Batterham RL, Bhatta M, Buscemi S, Christensen LN, Frias JP, et al. Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial. Nature Medicine [Internet]. 2022 Oct 1;28(10):2083–91. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02026-4

6. NHS. Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults Aged 19 to 64 [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2024. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/