5 Things Every Woman Should Be Taking On GLP-1 Therapy
Your medication handles the weight. Here's what your body needs to handle everything else.
Formulated By Clinical Experts · 7 minute read
Here's something your prescribing doctor probably didn't mention.
When you start Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or any GLP-1 medication, your appetite drops significantly. That's the point. You eat less, you lose weight, the medication works.
But when you eat 30-50% less than you used to, your body receives 30-50% fewer vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. The weight comes off. But so does a lot of the nutrition your body depends on to function.
The fatigue that hit you at month two. The hair you started finding in the shower. The cramps at 3am. The brain fog that makes you feel like you're losing your edge. Those aren't side effects of the medication. They're signs that your body isn't getting what it needs anymore.
Protein (and more of it than you think)
Target: 30g per meal, minimum 80-100g per day
This is the most important item on this list. A 2026 study found that up to 39% of the weight lost on GLP-1 medications can be muscle, not fat. Your body is losing weight fast, and without enough protein, it breaks down muscle tissue for energy instead of preserving it.
Muscle loss matters because muscle is what keeps your metabolism running. If you lose too much, your metabolic rate drops, your energy tanks, and the weight becomes harder to keep off if you ever stop the medication. Protein is what tells your body "keep the muscle, burn the fat."
The problem is that when your appetite is suppressed, eating 100g of protein feels impossible. You're full after half a chicken breast. That's why protein needs to become the priority of every meal. Not a side dish. The main event.
What to do: Start every meal with protein before touching anything else on your plate. Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken, fish, cottage cheese. If you can't eat enough whole food protein, add a protein shake (whey or plant-based, 25-30g per serving). Aim for protein at every meal and snack, not just dinner.
Fiber (your gut needs help right now)
Target: 25-30g per day from food and/or supplements
GLP-1 medications slow gastric emptying. That's part of how they work. But it also means food sits in your stomach longer, which can cause constipation, bloating, and general GI discomfort. Most women on these medications report digestive changes within the first few weeks.
Fiber helps move things along. It also feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which play a role in everything from immune function to mood regulation. When you eat less food overall, your fiber intake drops significantly, and your gut microbiome suffers.
What to do: Add a psyllium husk supplement (start with 1 teaspoon in water, work up to 1 tablespoon) or incorporate high-fiber foods like chia seeds, flaxseeds, berries, and vegetables into whatever you can eat. If bloating is severe, start slowly and increase gradually. Your gut needs time to adjust.
Electrolytes (this is probably why you're cramping)
Key ones: sodium, potassium, magnesium
If you've been woken up by leg cramps at 3am since starting your medication, this is almost certainly why. When you eat less food, you take in fewer electrolytes. When you experience nausea or vomiting (common GLP-1 side effects), you lose even more. The result is an electrolyte imbalance that causes muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
Magnesium is the biggest culprit. Most women are already borderline magnesium-deficient before starting GLP-1 therapy. Add reduced food intake on top and the cramps, sleep disruption, and restless legs become almost inevitable.
What to do: Add an electrolyte powder to your water once a day (look for one with minimal sugar, like LMNT or Liquid IV). For magnesium specifically, magnesium glycinate (200-400mg before bed) is the best absorbed form and also helps with sleep. Avoid magnesium oxide, which is cheap but poorly absorbed and can worsen GI issues.
More water than you think you need
Target: minimum 2.5 liters per day
Dehydration is the silent amplifier of every other symptom on this list. It makes fatigue worse. It makes headaches worse. It makes constipation worse. It makes muscle cramps worse. And GLP-1 medications make dehydration more likely because nausea reduces your desire to drink, and the GI side effects can cause fluid loss.
Most women underestimate how much water they need during rapid weight loss. Your body is processing metabolic waste from breaking down fat tissue, which requires extra water to filter through your kidneys. If you're not drinking enough, that waste builds up and contributes to the brain fog and sluggishness that so many women report.
What to do: Keep a water bottle with you at all times. Set a reminder if you have to. If plain water makes you nauseous (common on GLP-1 therapy), add a slice of lemon or cucumber, or sip on herbal tea. Count your electrolyte drinks toward your daily total. The easiest test: if your urine is dark yellow, you're not drinking enough.
The first four items on this list are things you can start today with a trip to the grocery store. They address the immediate, practical gaps that GLP-1 therapy creates in your daily nutrition.
But there's a fifth gap that food and water alone can't fix.
The vitamin and mineral gap.
A multivitamin actually formulated for this moment
Not a generic. Not a greens powder. One built for GLP-1 therapy.
A 2026 peer-reviewed study published in Clinical Obesity analyzed six trials covering 480,825 adults on GLP-1 medications. The findings were clear: users develop measurable deficiencies in B12, vitamin D, iron, zinc, folate, and other essential nutrients. Not "might develop." Do develop. Documented, published, and peer-reviewed.
Here's the problem. A generic multivitamin from the pharmacy was designed for someone eating three normal meals a day with normal absorption. That's not you anymore. The B12 in a standard multivitamin sits at 100% of the daily value. When your absorption is compromised by delayed gastric emptying, 100% isn't enough. You need significantly more going in to get enough staying in.
And a $99/month greens powder? It's formulated for general wellness, not for the specific deficiency profile that GLP-1 therapy creates. No targeted biotin for hair loss. No chromium picolinate for blood sugar stability. No elevated B12 for compromised absorption. It's an expensive solution to the wrong problem.
That's exactly why I built nouri Daily Essentials. One bottle. The 5 nutrients dropping the fastest on GLP-1 therapy, in the doses the research actually supports.
Two capsules. Your biggest meal. That's the entire routine.
I'm not going to tell you this is a miracle pill. It's not. It takes 2-3 weeks before most women notice their energy stabilise. Hair shedding typically slows by month two. Month three is when most of our members say everything clicks and they "feel like themselves again."
It builds. The women who stay past week two are the ones who see the results.
What our members report: Energy improvements in weeks 2-3. Hair shedding slowing by month 2. Visible regrowth and overall improvement by month 3. We're honest about the timeline because your body needs time to rebuild what it's been missing.
$34.95/month · Free shipping · Cancel anytime
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Your medication is doing something incredible for your weight. These five things make sure your body keeps up with the change.
Protein to protect your muscle. Fiber to support your gut. Electrolytes to stop the cramps. Water to keep everything moving. And a multivitamin built specifically for the nutritional gap your medication creates.
That's the protocol. It's not complicated. It just needs to be intentional.
Beck, founder of nouri
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen.