Imagine an adult who recently started prescribed weight management treatment. Their appetite is lower, and they are unsure what to eat or how to begin exercising.
They ask: “If I am less hungry, should I just skip meals?” The next step is to review their intake, symptoms, usual activity, other medicines, and health conditions together.
Write down a typical day: meals, drinks, movement, sleep, and symptoms. Include what is affordable and realistic for your household.
Share changes in appetite, energy, or eating patterns with your care team. A smaller appetite can make it harder to meet nutritional needs; support should fit the person, not just the number on the scale. [1]
The 2025 joint nutrition advisory emphasizes individualized nutrition, attention to reduced intake, and preserving muscle through appropriate food and resistance exercise during GLP-1 therapy.
Ask whether a registered dietitian could help you develop a practical plan. [1]
Fluids and activity also need to fit your health. If you have a fluid restriction, follow your clinician’s instructions rather than a general water target.
Discuss alcohol with your care team rather than assuming a fixed number of drinks is suitable for everyone.
Week 1 — Start small
Choose one manageable habit: prepare a simple meal, keep a drink nearby if permitted, or take a brief walk if safe for you.
Note symptoms and questions for follow-up. Do not change your prescribed dose based on this guide.
Week 2 — Make meals practical
Plan easy meals around a protein food such as eggs, beans, fish, tofu, or yogurt, along with produce and other foods you enjoy.
Examples include lentil soup with whole-grain toast or yogurt with fruit. Portions and protein targets should reflect your appetite and medical needs, including kidney disease.
Avoid letting very low intake become your routine; ask for help if eating is difficult. [1]
Week 3 — Add movement and strength
Start at your current ability. For adults who can do so, the general goal is at least 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly plus muscle-strengthening activity on two days. Short sessions count.
Build gradually, and ask about adaptations for pain, disability, balance problems, or heart disease. Strength work could include appropriately supervised resistance bands or chair exercises. [2]
Week 4 — Review and adapt
Look at what you can sustain. Review energy, strength, symptoms, meals, and movement with your care team. Choose one next step instead of adding many changes at once.
Weight can be one measure when appropriate, but it is not the only useful way to track progress.
Persistent vomiting or diarrhea, difficulty drinking, or dehydration symptoms need prompt clinical advice.
Stop Zepbound and seek urgent care for severe abdominal pain that does not go away, with or without vomiting.
Call emergency services for breathing difficulty or severe allergic symptoms. [3]
Review other medicines: insulin and sulfonylureas can increase low blood sugar risk. Do not combine Zepbound with another tirzepatide product or GLP-1 medicine.
If pregnancy occurs, discontinue it and contact your prescriber. Oral contraceptive users need a nonoral method or added barrier protection for four weeks after starting and after each dose increase.
Tell procedural teams before anesthesia or deep sedation. [3]
Zepbound is contraindicated with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, MEN2, or serious hypersensitivity to the product.
Read the full Medication Guide with your prescriber; this habit guide is not a complete medication safety review. [3]
Choose one habit to practice this week and one question to bring to your care team. General education supports your care; your clinician individualizes the plan.
RECOGNIZE • REASON • RESPOND
Learn the WHY, not just the answer.
— Dr. Miry Fear, DNP, FNP
Blueprint Clinical Education
[1] American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American Society for Nutrition, Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity. Joint advisory, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40445127/
[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Activity: An Overview. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html
[3] Eli Lilly and Company. Zepbound prescribing information and Medication Guide. DailyMed label updated August 28, 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b
Evidence reviewed September 30, 2026. The nutrition source is a joint advisory; the medication source is prescribing information, not a specialty guideline.
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