---

The first supermarket trip after starting Wegovy is genuinely strange. You walk in with your usual habits and walk out realising that half of what’s in the trolley no longer suits the way you eat. Things you loved last month smell wrong. The big-batch cooking you used to do produces four portions you can’t face. And the one thing nobody warns you about: when you’re only managing small amounts of food, what you buy starts to matter far more than it used to.

I write this as a GP who spends a lot of time with patients on GLP-1 medication, and the shopping list is where most of the practical wins are. Get the trolley right and the side effects soften, the energy holds up, and the weight you lose is far more likely to be fat rather than muscle. Below is the list I actually give people, organised the way a UK supermarket is laid out.

Why your shopping list has to change on Wegovy

Semaglutide slows the rate at which your stomach empties and dampens the appetite signalling in your brain. Two consequences follow, and both are shopping problems rather than willpower problems.

First, your food volume drops — often dramatically. If you’re eating half of what you used to, every mouthful has to carry twice the nutrition. Protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals all have to fit into a much smaller container.

Second, rich, greasy and very sweet food sits heavily and is a common trigger for nausea. Fried takeaways, creamy sauces and pastry tend to be the first casualties. Buying them “just in case” usually means throwing them away.

So the list below is built around three quiet rules: protein first, fibre gently, fluids and salt properly.

Protein: the non-negotiable part of the trolley

Losing weight quickly without enough protein means losing muscle alongside fat, which is the outcome nobody wants. Most adults on a GLP-1 do well aiming for somewhere between 1.0 and 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, though your own clinician or dietitian can set a target that fits your health history.

The trick is buying protein in forms you can face on a bad day.

Chilled and fresh

• Chicken breast, thighs and turkey mince
• Salmon fillets, cod, and cooked prawns
• Eggs (a large box — they’ll do more work than anything else in the fridge)
• Greek yoghurt and skyr, ideally 0% or 2% — Aldi, Lidl and the supermarket own-brands are all excellent value
• Cottage cheese, which has quietly become the most useful thing in the chiller
• Halloumi, feta and mature cheddar for flavour in small amounts

Tinned and jarred

• Tuna, mackerel, sardines and salmon
• Chickpeas, butter beans, lentils and kidney beans
• Ready-to-eat pouches of lentils or quinoa for days when cooking isn’t happening

Freezer

• Frozen chicken pieces, white fish and prawns
• Frozen edamame beans
• Quorn mince, pieces and fillets if you’re reducing meat

Easy-win protein for low-appetite days

• Ready-to-drink protein shakes (look for around 20–30g protein and low sugar)
• Whey or plant protein powder to stir into yoghurt, porridge or coffee
• High-protein yoghurt pots and pouches
• Boiled eggs, pre-cooked chicken slices, cheese portions

That last group matters more than people expect. There will be days on Wegovy when nothing appeals and you simply forget to eat. Having something you can drink or open in ten seconds is what keeps you out of trouble.

Fruit and vegetables: gentle wins

Fibre helps with the constipation that’s very common on semaglutide, but going from zero to enormous amounts of raw veg overnight will bloat you. Build up gradually.

• Berries, especially frozen — they last, they’re cheap, and they go straight into yoghurt
• Bananas, apples, pears, kiwi (kiwi is genuinely useful if you’re constipated)
• Bagged spinach, rocket, cucumber, tomatoes
• Courgettes, peppers, broccoli, green beans, carrots
• Frozen mixed veg and frozen spinach
• Avocados
• Ready-prepared veg if chopping feels like too much — this is not cheating, it’s the difference between eating veg and not

Carbohydrates and store cupboard

You still need carbohydrates; you just need better ones in smaller amounts.

• Wholemeal or seeded bread, wraps, pitta
• Porridge oats
• Wholewheat pasta, brown rice, couscous
• Sweet and white potatoes
• Oatcakes and wholegrain crackers
• Nuts and seeds — almonds, walnuts, chia, flaxseed
• Nut butters with no added sugar

Because taste and smell often shift on Wegovy, the flavour section of your shop becomes surprisingly important. Bland food is much harder to eat when your appetite has gone.

• Lemons and limes
• Fresh ginger, garlic, chilli
• Herbs and spices, stock cubes or pots
• Soy sauce, mustard, hot sauce, vinegar
• Tinned chopped tomatoes and passata
• Mints and sugar-free gum (helpful for the metallic taste some people get)

Drinks and hydration

Dehydration on a GLP-1 is common and underestimated. Less food means less fluid from food, and if you’re getting any diarrhoea or vomiting the losses add up quickly. Headaches, fatigue and constipation are often thirst wearing a disguise.

• A large refillable water bottle — genuinely the highest-value purchase on this list
• Squash or sugar-free cordial if plain water feels like a chore
• Herbal and peppermint tea (peppermint helps some people with nausea)
• Low-sugar electrolyte sachets or tablets, particularly during dose increases or in hot weather

I’d skip fizzy drinks for the first few weeks. Carbonation on a slowly emptying stomach is uncomfortable for most people.

What I’d leave in the shop

Not as a rule, just as practical advice for the early weeks: deep-fried food, heavy cream-based sauces, large pastries, big portions of very rich food, and anything you’re buying out of habit rather than appetite. Most people find these are the exact foods that trigger nausea, reflux or that unpleasant over-full feeling. You can revisit them later once you know your own tolerance.

Also worth resisting: bulk-buying anything perishable. Your appetite for a given food can change week to week on this medication, and a fridge full of food you can’t face is demoralising as well as wasteful.

The pharmacy and kit section

A short non-food list that makes the whole thing run more smoothly.

• A sharps bin for pen disposal. In the UK these usually come from your prescriber or pharmacy, and disposal arrangements vary by local council — check yours rather than assuming, and never put pens in household waste.
• Alcohol wipes for the injection site.
• A fridge thermometer. Unopened Wegovy pens are stored in the fridge at 2–8°C, and a surprising number of home fridges don’t run where the dial says. Check your patient information leaflet for the rules once a pen is in use.
• Smaller plates, bowls and food containers. Portions shrink, and leftovers need to be stored in amounts you’ll realistically eat.
• A simple food or protein tracking app for the first month, just to see whether you’re actually hitting your protein.
• Paracetamol, and a sensible constipation remedy discussed with your pharmacist. Don’t start laxatives blindly — a pharmacist can steer you to the right type.

A realistic day, using this list

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with frozen berries and a spoon of nut butter. Lunch: a wholemeal wrap with tinned tuna, spinach and lemon. Afternoon: a boiled egg or a protein shake if lunch didn’t happen. Dinner: salmon with a small portion of rice and green beans. It looks modest, and it is — but it’s well over 80g of protein and enough fibre to keep things moving.

Frequently asked questions

What should I eat first on Wegovy? Protein, every time. If your appetite disappears halfway through a meal, you want the protein already eaten rather than sitting on the plate.

Do I need protein shakes on Wegovy? Not necessarily, but they’re a useful safety net. If you’re consistently hitting your protein from food, you don’t need them.

Why am I constipated on Wegovy? Slower gut transit, less food volume and lower fluid intake all combine. More fibre, more water and regular movement usually help; speak to your pharmacist or GP if it persists.

Can I still eat carbs and takeaways? Yes. Nothing is banned. Most people simply find rich, fried food less comfortable, and portion sizes naturally fall away.

Is this list different from a Mounjaro shopping list? Barely. Semaglutide and tirzepatide work through overlapping mechanisms, and the food priorities — protein, fibre, fluids — are effectively the same.

---

This article is general information, not personal medical advice. Wegovy is a prescription-only medicine and should be used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, under the supervision of a qualified prescriber. If you’re struggling with side effects, or with your relationship with food, speak to your GP, pharmacist or prescribing clinician.

---