Considering I just completed a 30 day stint doing all Huel last week (and this was the motivation to join this forum), I will give my impression on the subject. What I liked the most about this was the simplicity. Tracking calories on an app like MFP is a snap when Huel is your only source. I livened things up a bit by adding things to my Huel occasionally, but even then keeping up to speed on calorie consumption could not be more straightforward. As opposed to various other “diets” out there that want you to track carbs, track macros, avoid dairy, weigh food, organic this, GMO that, etc. etc. etc. to infinity, using the Huel only method is fairly idiot proof.
However, there are several drawbacks which make this type of plan perilous to put it mildly. The first one to materialize is the digestive issues which are certain to befall you when making this switch. It might not hit you as badly if you ate relatively healthy beforehand, but if you are like me and switched from total crap to all Huel you are going to be letting out farts that could send an echo through a stadium. In my case I work outside and am by myself most of the time. I am not going to offend the cornfield or livestock, but if I was in the close confines of an office it would be a tad embarrassing. Nothing like some putrid, rotten egg smelling farts emanating from your butt on a regular basis to make your coworkers and family head for the hills. You will be in the bathroom so much at first you might consider pitching a tent and just staying awhile.
The other main drawback is the lack of socialization from food. Here in the US, food is a deep cultural phenomenon We plan our lives around it. From business dealings to sitting down at night with your family, food is the focal point. Removing this made me feel like I was going rogue, and also made me feel almost selfish. My family would sit down to dinner at the table at night, and I was upstairs playing Call of Duty and texting. I guess I could of sat at the table with everyone with my shaker cup in my hand, but I really did not want to deal with the temptation. This made me feel somewhat isolated. I wish I would have discovered this forum back when I started as it got pretty lonely and could of used a sympathetic ear.
Then there is the inevitable boredom which comes from eating the same thing, over, and over, and over, and over again. We humans like variety, and its exceedingly difficult to endure all Huel, all the time. I am no psychologist, but it definitely wore on me mentally. I had a quick temper and things annoyed me way more than is typical. This was actually much worse during the initial 2 weeks than it was the last 2. I think after the second week I sort of mentally had accepted my fate and was no longer fighting it, and at that point there started to be some light at the end of the tunnel, so I had something to look forward to.
I should also mention the cravings I was having at that time. These were not at all what I would consider normal. They were pretty intense. I would have dreams at night of eating solid food that felt incredibly vivid. So much so that I thought that I really had raided the fridge in the middle of the night and cheated. I was looking in the kitchen and trash cans the next morning for evidence if these dreams really happened or not. There is a Kentucky Fried Chicken contained within a gas station not too far from here, and I was convinced I had polished off an entire bucket of the colonel’s extra crispy in the middle of the night. I told my fiance laying in bed next to me this story and she looked at me like I was insane.
What made the experience all worth it is the fact that it accomplished what I had intended. I lost 22 pounds in 33 days. All of my Covid weight gone and then some. I could sort of tell that I was losing weight during the month by the way my clothing was fitting, but I was shocked beyond belief when I hopped on the scale after I called it quits. I mean seriously, 22 pounds? Guy I buy seed from suspected that I had went on a month long cocaine binge when he saw me at the gas station the other day.
So what am I doing now that it is over? I still do Huel for breakfast and lunch and have dinner at night like normal. I just recently got some Huel hot and savory and plan to interject those into some dinners also. While I feel like a million bucks, I am still technically just a tad overweight by BMI standards, so I will keep doing what I am doing on a more manageable (but sane) pace.
For the record, I would not suggest anyone do an only Huel diet. I think for most people it will just lead to them cracking and going on some food related bender. I certainly never plan to do it ever again. Huel is a great product with numerous benefits, but I just do not think we humans are programmed for such a restrictive regimen.