Bodybuilding and Huel

Hi there,

I am seriously considering buying Huel to replace 3 of my 4 daily meals for me and for my sister.
I am writing here because I have a question regarding high level athletes’ nutrition.

I lift weights every day and my sister is a canoeing international competitor.
I weight 86kg and I try through usual nutrition to get my 1.5-2g/kg of proteins per day and all the other macronutrients but with work taking a lot of time, it’s very hard to cook enough and take the time to eat well so I often simply use whey shakes to cover my needs between meals.

I discovered your product this morning but I am a little bit worried as it is intended for people with a “normal” level of activity.

I was wondering if the calories were enough and if I could actually benefit from this nutrition if I replace my meals with it…
Is there anyone using Huel while doing sport everyday for at least 2 hours ? I am afraid I will loose energy / muscle mass / etc.

Thank you for your advice !

Oh I just saw James Collier was on this forum !

And I found out this : http://www.gym-talk.com/huel-powdered-food-review/

I will go on with my monologue a bit :wink:
I am taking part to this discussion : http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=168907303&p=1401058283&posted=1#post1401058283
to try to get some advice on this :blush:

As long as you take enough fuel to get the calories you need, I don’t see how it would be a problem. If that doesn’t add up to enough protein, mix a protein powder in with the Huel sometimes. Added bonus : different taste.

I’m personally doing stronglifts 5x5 at the moment and I don’t see Huel getting in the way of me getting stronger - if anything the opossite!

@JamesCollier is the co-founder of Huel.

Huel is just powder, so if you need more calories you just use more powder per meal, or consume more meals, it’s totally flexible.

Hi Joachim

Although Huel has been designed for ‘normal’ people, a number of bodybuilders are already reporting benefits from its use. It’s ideal to replace 2-3 meals per day as it’s high protein, moderate carb and contains all essential fats, vits and mins.

All ingredients are from high quality sources.

We’ve even got one guy using Huel to prep for a BBing show: http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/Prepping-for-a-show-using-only-Huel-and-water-here-we-go-m5354584.aspx

This is also a long but really worthwhile read:
https://www.tmuscle.co.uk/threads/huel-or-make-your-own.26800/

Although Huel wasn’t designed for BBers, obviously as I designed the formula, BBers heard of it through my involvement in the industry and it’s getting v popular.

For other sports too, it defintely has a role as it’s based on low GI carbs. So you sister should find it useful.

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You convinced me !
Co-founder ! I must have sounded a bit ingenuous when I was surprised you were on the forum James ^^"

I will replace my breakfast, my meal before training and most of my dinners with this, I will take a double dose for dinner because it’s less than an hour after training … let’s see how it goes. I think I will create a post to write my experience.

I just ordered two weeks and will be doing another order for my sister !
I can only do the second order once I get approval from her trainer to make changes to her nutrition … :neutral_face:

i will take the time to read the long thread later today :slight_smile:

Great - let us know how it goes on here. Some guys are running journals on MuscleTalk including Huel, solid food and their training progress - this is good for motivation.

Hi @JamesCollier,

do you have a view on the recommended intake of Huel for Recreational Bodybuilders/CrossFitters? Would you say it was as simple as upping the calorie intake to around 3k per day?

Thanks

Rich

I am still trying to put my hands on my parcel that was delivered to a random neighbour last week but my plan was to add calories with one real meal per day. Going to 3k calories per day on Huel would be too expensive for me…

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I’m planning to have my evening meal at home as a non Huel meal but then the rest (likely 3 additional meals) being Huel. I guess on the cost front it’s a difficult one to call, for it to save you money, your meal would have to cost less than your Huel serving!

@RichSanzeri there’s no flat recommended figure. However, I would calculate your maintenance requirments and add 500kcal (based on an average male) if you’re looking to grow lean muscle.

If you’re not gaining, then up a little more; if you feel you’re getting fat, then cut it a little.

Thanks so much @JamesCollier, loving the product. Keep up the good work.

I train 6 days per week and I am now using Huel like this, trying to make it stick to my schedule :

Breakfast Huel : 8:00 (might be skipped during week-end)
Snack Huel : 10:30
Lunch Real food : 12:30
Snack Huel : 16:30
Dinner after training Huel : 21:00

I guess I won’t always have Huel dinner but at the moment, and as lazy as I am after training, huel is welcome.

Each time I take Huel I take three scoops with 500 mL of water and drink it all at once. Always mixed with a blender (impossible with just a shaker). It’s perfect, I just prepare my two snack bottles for the day, easiest, fastest and cleanest snacks I ever had.
I start feeling hungry three hours after (which is similar to when I get real food).

I like the fact that I don’t have to calculate my macro intakes, I know I have at least 160-170g of proteins per day. I have already a pretty satisfying bodyfat so I don’t check the calories.

In a nutshell, I am really satisfied !

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Great to hear @joachimB - keep us posted on your progress :slight_smile:

Hey @JamesCollier
So I heard you’re the resident fitness guru so I wanted to ask you a question (if you don’t mind of course).

I’ll be placing an order this upcoming week for a month’s supply of Huel. I don’t want to quit eating though as I actually want to build some muscle. So I am planning on taking 3 huel shakes mixed with some chocolate whey protein for taste and protein value. I’m also going to have 2 meals a day (typically chicken and white rice). Finally, I usually have an Isolate protein shake post workout and a casein shake before I head to sleep.

Judging from that, do you think Huel would help me pack on some muscle (and not fat)?
PS: I am 6’3, 90kg, been working out for the past 5 years but I struggle to add muscle mass to my body (especially my shoulders, they refuse to grow), and lately I’ve been working out 6 days a week.

I am sorry for the long message, but I just need an opinion from someone who’s been in the bodybuilding business for quite some time and knows the product inside out. If anyone else wants to chime in on this, please be my guest :smiley:

Thank you in advance.

Hi Ray

No problem.

If you have about 10-12 scoops pf Huel per day, plus all that you should have more than enough intake to gain muscle. Make sure you’re training properly hard and incorporating cardio (just to keep the fat in check).

Anything else, let me know

@JamesCollier
Thank you so much for the quick reply.
How many scoops of Huel (or Huel meals) do you have on the daily?
Am I wrong to assume your diet consists of more than just Huel?

Anyways, looking forward to trying this stuff.

I have 1-2 Huels per day; but don’t judge your intake on my own - I’m different and I’m currently not training as hard as I should

Not judging at all @JamesCollier
I was just interested in knowing that’s all :smile:

I’m also Interested in knowing what kind of gains some of the people weightlifting and supplementing with Huel have experienced. Hopefully some people could talk about their experience so far.