Can I Lose Weight Before Christmas?

Christmas is around the corner, and with the arrival of the festive season often come a variety of social events. Whether it’s a work Xmas party, a night out with friends or low-key celebrations with family, you’ll want to look your best. Losing weight before Christmas might seem like a pipe dream, but with the right changes to your lifestyle, and with the support of weight loss medications like Mounjaro, it’s possible to shed a few extra pounds and boost your body confidence before Christmas.

Diet and exercise for last-minute weight loss

Feeling your best requires mental as well as physical commitment, and once of the best ways to start is by focusing on your lifestyle choices. While medications can definitely boost your weight loss, you won’t be able to maintain your weight loss long-term without the right foundations in place. This means looking at eating a nutritious and balanced diet and getting regular exercise.

When it comes to food, aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, choose whole foods over convenience varieties and monitor your calorie intake so you don’t eat more than you need. Check out the NHS Livewell Guide for advice on how to follow a healthy, balanced diet.

Exercise isn’t only important for weight management. It can also help prevent and manage many health conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as lowering stress, boosting your metabolism, mood and sleep quality. It can also help you to maintain strength, balance and coordination as you get older. It’s recommended that adults between the ages of 19 and 64 do some form of physical activity every day. This can take many forms, from walking or cycling, to things like yoga, swimming or playing team sports.

By prioritising diet and exercise before starting any additional weight loss treatments, you’ll be helping to set yourself up for long term success.

Weight loss pills for xmas weight loss

Weight loss pills have proven to be very effective for many people – especially when taken in addition to making some positive lifestyle changes.

How do weight loss pills work?

Most weight loss pills work by decreasing the amount of fat from your food that is absorbed by your body. It does this by blocking the enzyme responsible for breaking down the fat in your diet, and instead, it is processed out through your bowel movements as faeces. Around 30% of the fat you eat passes through your stomach undigested. However, this doesn’t decrease your total calorie intake, so you still need to be mindful of this when taking weight loss pills.

Some of the weight loss pills that work in this way include Alli, Orlistat, Orlos and Xenical.

These weight loss pills start to work immediately, meaning that you may notice some weight loss very quickly. However, as with any medicine, they also come with some side effects. One thing to expect with this type of weight loss pill is that the fat that isn’t absorbed will come out in your faeces, which can make them seem fatty or oily. Changes in your bowel function can also occur, such as bloating, oily spotting or gas.

Weight loss pills aren’t always a good combination with a Christmas diet, as the foods you eat over the festive season are likely to be higher in fat than those you usually have. This could mean more fat coming out through your bowel movements and a higher risk of side effects.

Weight loss injections for rapid weight loss

Weight loss injections are one of the hottest topics in the healthcare world right now, and choosing to take them can seem like a fast and simple way to help you lose weight before Christmas.

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How do weight loss injections work?

Weight loss injections work by making you feel full so that you eat less. They do this by mimicking a certain hormone in your body. Reducing the amount that you eat should reduce your overall calorie intake, resulting in your body burning more calories than you are eating. This calorie deficit may help you to lose weight.

WeGovy is the brand name of the medicine called semaglutide, and it is approved for use in the NHS as a treatment for excess weight/obesity, along with diet and exercise.

Mounjaro is the brand name of the medicine called tirzepatide. Currently it is only available on the NHS as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. However, there is a planned rollout for Mounjaro as a treatment for weight loss in the coming years.

Both WeGovy and Mounjaro are available privately and should only be bought from licensed and regulated online pharmacies.

Finally, weight loss injections can cause side effects too. The most common include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain. Starting on a low dose can help to reduce the risk of side effects. See also our 'What to expect in your first month on Mounjaro' guide. 

Mounjaro for Christmas weight loss

Mounjaro is one of the newest and most popular weight loss injections. It starts to work within hours of your first dose, with it reaching peak levels in your body usually around 72 hours after starting. This means that you’ll start eating less within a few days, and you may start to see weight loss results soon after. For this reason, it may be an ideal choice for you if you’re hoping to lose weight in time for Christmas.

Taking Mounjaro over Christmas

There’s no reason why you can’t take Mounjaro or any other weight loss injection over the Christmas period. In fact, it’s generally recommended that you don’t take an extended break from your medication. Not only will this cause your appetite to return and you may consume more calories than usual and gain weight, but when you restart Mounjaro after an extended break, you’re recommended to start back on the lowest dose.

Travelling with Mounjaro

Mounjaro should be kept refrigerated, so if you’re going away over the Christmas break, you’ll need to think about how you travel and store your medication.

Mounjaro can either be stored:

• in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C)
• unrefrigerated (so long as it is not above 30°C) for up to 30 days.

If it has been longer than 30 days since it reached more than 8°C, or it has reached over 30°C, you must throw it away. You must also make sure that Mounjaro does not become frozen.

If you’re travelling by plane, you should pack your Mounjaro in your hand luggae and declare it at security. Make sure you travel with it in its original packaging with the prescription label attached, and with your patient information leaflet in case you need to refer to it while you are away.

Read more about travelling with Mounjaro.

Always remember...

It is essential that you speak to a licensed medical professional before starting any weight loss medication. They can provide personalised, expert guidance, assess potential risks and ensure that your chosen treatment is safe and suitable for your health needs.

So to answer your question!

There’s still time to lose weight for Christmas, but you need to start as you mean to go on, and that means getting the foundations for a healthier lifestyle in place. Make healthy choices about what you eat, add in some regular physical activity and you’ll be off to a great start. Weight loss injections like Mounjaro could then further boost your efforts to lose weight and rediscover your confidence for the festive season.