Life on a GLP-1: eating, exercise and injections

What should I eat on a GLP-1?

Smaller meals with protein first. You will eat less, so each bite needs to count for protein, fibre and fluids.

A 2025 advisory from four US nutrition and obesity groups proposes 1.2–1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day during weight loss.¹ The everyday minimum for adults is 0.8 g per kg.¹

For a 90 kg person, that works out to 108–144 g a day.¹ But using your full body weight can overestimate what you need.¹ So the same advisory offers a simpler goal: 80–120 g a day.¹ It also warns against staying at 2 g per kg or more for long.¹

Eating the protein part of your plate first helps you finish it before you feel full.¹ The advisory favours dals and beans, dairy, fish, eggs and chicken. It suggests keeping red and processed meat low.¹

Protein in everyday foods

Weights are raw (uncooked). We worked out each serving from published food composition tables.^8,9

Source: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN), which cover these common foods;⁸ yoghurt from US data for plain whole-milk yogurt.⁹ Rounded to whole grams.

A worked example: 100 g chicken breast, 200 g plain yoghurt and 60 g red lentils add up to about 43 g of protein.^8,9 That is about half of the 80 g goal.

Smaller meals, fibre and fluids

• Small, frequent meals. Vomiting is more likely after a large meal.¹ Go easy on very oily and very rich dishes, especially after a dose step.
• If you feel sick: try a small breakfast, then small meals every 3–4 hours.¹
• Fibre, slowly. Go easy on high-fibre food in the first few days. After that, add fibre gradually to prevent constipation.¹
• Fluids. Losing fluids through vomiting or diarrhoea can harm your kidneys.^1,4 The US advisory says to drink enough fluids,¹ and in UAE heat you lose more through sweat. For alcohol, see Questions people ask.

How do I keep my muscle?

Do strength exercise at least 3 times a week, and eat enough protein. Walking alone protects less muscle than walking plus strength training.¹

Not all the weight you lose is fat. In one semaglutide trial, of every 10 kg lost, about 4 kg was "lean mass": muscle and other non-fat tissue. About 2 kg of that was muscle.¹

The 2025 advisory suggests strength training at least 3 times a week, plus at least 150 minutes of moderate activity, like brisk walking.¹ The plan should match your fitness level.¹

What about Ramadan, Eid and weddings?

Many people keep taking a GLP-1 through Ramadan, but plan it with your doctor before it starts, not halfway through.¹⁰ Fasting needs extra care if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea (a type of diabetes tablet, such as glimepiride or gliclazide).⁵

Ramadan

UAE doctors interviewed in February 2026 gave this advice:¹⁰

• Decide with your doctor before Ramadan begins, not midway through.
• Pause dose increases during Ramadan. If you're stable on your dose, you can usually carry on without changes.
• Drink 2–3 litres of water between Iftar and Suhoor.
• Get checked if you have vomiting that won't stop, severe stomach pain or signs of dehydration, such as dizziness or very little, dark urine.

The international Ramadan guidelines from the International Diabetes Federation and the Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance (IDF-DAR, 2021) agree:^11,12

• GLP‑1 medicines can be used while fasting, if taken on schedule with a doctor's oversight.^11,12 Don't stop without medical advice.¹¹
• Finish dose increases before Ramadan. The guidelines say no further changes are needed if the dose went up step by step at least 2–4 weeks before. A 2023 review says at least 4 weeks.^12,11
• The evidence is from older GLP‑1 medicines (liraglutide, lixisenatide and exenatide). The guidelines don't name semaglutide or tirzepatide, and say more research is needed on newer ones.¹²

Injection or tablet? A weekly injection can be taken at any time of day, so it can go after Iftar if your doctor agrees.⁴ Daily tablets are harder: Rybelsus needs an empty stomach and a wait of at least 30 minutes before eating or drinking, so ask your doctor how to fit it around Suhoor.¹³ Foundayo has no food or water rules.¹⁴

Does an injection break the fast? We found no ruling on this from a UAE religious authority. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta has ruled that the fast of someone injected under the skin is valid; that ruling was about insulin.¹⁵ If it matters to you, ask a scholar you trust.

Iftar, Eid and weddings

Big meals make vomiting more likely, so take small plates and stop early.¹ At Iftar gatherings, Eid lunches and weddings, the same rules apply: break the fast gently, protein first, small portions, fewer fried and sweet dishes. You don't have to finish what you're served.

How do I inject, and what if I miss a dose?

Inject once a week, on the same day, into your belly, thigh or upper arm. Use a new needle and a new spot each time.

• Where: just under the skin of the belly, thigh or upper arm.^4,5 For Mounjaro, the upper arm is for someone else to inject.⁶
• When: any time of day, with or without food.⁴
• Rotate: use a different spot each week.^5,6
• Needles: a new needle every time. Don't store the pen with a needle on.⁵
• Never share a pen, even with a new needle. It can spread serious infection.⁵
• Disposal: put used needles in a hard plastic container with a tight, puncture-proof lid, and label it.⁵ Don't put medicines in household waste or down the drain.¹⁶ We found no official UAE scheme for needles used at home, so ask your pharmacy or clinic where to take a full container. In Dubai, the DHA has run a take-back for old medicines at its primary health care centres and hospitals.¹⁷

Missed a dose?

Never take two doses to catch up. The labels say to skip the missed dose and carry on as normal on your usual day.^2,3 If you've missed 2 or more weeks, ask your doctor before restarting. They may restart you on a lower dose.^4,16

On Rybelsus tablets?

Take it first thing, on an empty stomach, with up to 120 ml of plain water. Swallow it whole.¹³ Then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other tablets.¹³ If you miss a day, skip it and take the next one as normal.¹³ The Wegovy pill and Foundayo have their own leaflets: follow the one in your pack.

How do I store it in the heat, and travel with it?

Keep unopened pens in the fridge. Once in use, most can sit outside the fridge for a few weeks, but only below 30 °C.

Store new pens at 2–8 °C, away from the cooling element. Never freeze them, and never use one that has frozen.^4,5,6 Protect pens from heat and sunlight.^5,6

US and EU labels give different limits.^4,5,16,2 Always follow the leaflet in your own pack.

Travelling. Diabetes UK's advice for insulin, which also needs fridge storage, fits here. Carry it in hand luggage, because the hold gets very cold and bags get lost.¹⁹ A cool bag helps, but don't let the pen touch frozen ice packs.¹⁹ Some airlines ask for a doctor's letter, so carry your prescription.¹⁹ Coming into the UAE, controlled medicines need approval in advance; GLP-1 medicines are not controlled medicines, but bring the prescription and only what you need.^20,21

How do I know if it's working?

Expect regular check-ins, and a bigger review at about 6 months. A common yardstick is losing at least 5% of your starting weight.

1. Week 0Start on a low dose. Write down your weight and waist.
2. Every 4 weeksThe dose usually steps up, if side effects allow.^4,6
3. Month 4In Abu Dhabi's Thiqa obesity programme: a check for more than 5% loss and the activity target, before cover continues.²²
4. Month 6Abu Dhabi's standard: continue beyond 6 months only if you've lost at least 5% of your starting weight.⁷
5. After thatRegular reviews, for as long as you take it.

For a 90 kg person, 5% is 4.5 kg. Falling short doesn't mean you failed. Your doctor weighs up the benefits and risks of carrying on. Guide 3 covers the other options.

Weight isn't the only measure. For diabetes, Daman reviews cover at 12 months and continues it with at least a 1-point fall in HbA1c (average blood sugar) or an improvement in related conditions.²³ And the medicine doesn't replace diet and exercise.²¹

What should I keep track of?

Your weight, waist and side effects, and your sugar if you have diabetes. Bring the notes to each review.

• Weight and waist: write them down, so you can compare at each review. Guide 1 shows how to measure your waist.
• Blood sugar, if you have diabetes: check before you start and while you take it.⁴ Low sugar can show as dizziness, sweating, shaking, blurred vision, confusion or a fast heartbeat.⁴
• Doctor checks: your heart rate, because your resting pulse can rise on these medicines. Tell your doctor if your heart races while you are resting.⁴ Kidney tests if you've had bad vomiting or diarrhoea.⁴ If you have diabetes, report any change in your eyesight: a fast improvement in blood sugar can briefly worsen diabetic eye disease (retinopathy).⁴
• Side effects and meals: note what you ate before nausea. Patterns help.

What about food noise and family meals?

Many people find the constant thoughts about food go quiet. Some also lose the pleasure of eating, and that can feel strange at family meals.

Studies show less "food noise", less emotional eating and fewer binges on these medicines.¹ But some people miss the joy of food, or of cooking for others.¹ If food has always meant love in your family, that change can be hard. Talking it through, or seeing a counsellor, can help.¹

Don't skip meals for hours because you aren't hungry. Getting very hungry can bring back cravings for sweets and refined carbs.¹

At home, it helps if the family knows why your plate is smaller, especially at Iftar and Eid meals. A simple line works: "I'm on a medicine that fills me up fast. I'll have a little of everything."

Questions people ask