100lb loss target

Hello all

I’ve been faffing about with Huel for a while now with a view to it’s potential for weight loss, and decided yesterday now’s the time to make a proper commitment!

I lost 5st once upon a time with slimming world, 7 years later here I am with just over 2st of it gone back on again and I don’t want it to get any worse!! Slimming world just doesn’t seem to be clicking for me this time so it was time to find something new.

A colleague at work was extolling the virtues of Huel, and although sceptical (having been scarred from a foray into Slimfast a few years back (yuk)), seeing her weight go down I decided it was worth a try, ordered my first batch a couple of months back, and loved it. I’ve been using it as an easy lunch replacement in a hectic lifestyle since then, but now want to see if it can help me with weight loss.

So here I am, working to 1200 calories a day and replacing breakfast and lunch, using MFP to help me track. I drink between 2-3 ltrs of water a day.

I get bored easily and if I’m too restrictive it inevitably leads to a binge, and I also like to ‘save up’ for special occasions, weekends etc, so occasionally I’ll mix it up with a 5:2 week (which I’ve also done with some success) and fast for 2 days, using Huel for 4 small 150cal meals, and if I know I’ve got an event that means I’m going to struggle with calorie counting I’ll follow my (ingrained) slimming world principles for my non huel meals.

So a bit of a mish mash but fingers crossed! one thing I do know is that using Huel as a stable in this organised chaos is making the whole thing aLOT easier.

happy slimming…

Clair

Start weight 01.04.19: 16st 11lbs BMI 42.1

8 Likes

well 3 days in and a 5am start for a London meeting this morning, and while I’m tired at the same time I feel so much more awake and alert. 1200 cals a day with 2 Huel meals, I have felt hungry at times but not ridiculously so and I have to say that I’ve been less hungry than when I was doing 1200 cals without Huel. Looking forward to seeing what my weight loss might be on Monday :slight_smile:

4 Likes

It sounds like you’re off to a great start! I find Huel pretty filling too; if I want a snack, I’ve now become that person who actually enjoys celery (yikes). Definitely ditto about generally having more energy, which is like a revelation! You could try splitting one of them into two smaller portions if that helps with the hunger pangs?

2 Likes

I don’t think celery is ever going to make it onto my go to snack list :joy:

Thanks for the splitting tip, I will definitely try that :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Sounds like you’re doing really well! I’m very similar, currently 55lbs down through 5:2 and intermittent fasting and trying for another 51!

I started using Huel about a week ago, are you having any solid meals or just Huel?

2 Likes

Wow well done on your weight loss!

On a normal 1200 cal day I’m replacing breakfast and lunch with Huel and having a solid meal in the evening.

On a fast day though I stick to 600 cals with 4x150cal Huel meals only.

I’m not planning on doing 5:2 fast days every week, only when I know I have a big weekend ahead I want to mitigate!

1 Like

Just back from a bridesmaids weekend, for which I had prepared with 2 fasting (600cal) days in the week.

Proud of myself for being super good at lunch yesterday and doing half an hour of swimming in the afternoon, to give me some calorie wriggle room for what promised to be a calorific evening.

I was good for my starter but it all went downhill from there! There was a lot of prosecco. And white wine. And a cocktail. And a big roast dinner with cauli cheese. And there was… dessert :blush:

My body however clearly thought this was thoroughly overindulgent, because when it came to the huge amazing buffet breakfast this morning, which I thought was going to be a challenge and I’d end up writing off Sunday as well, it was as easy as pie to stick to plan because I just didn’t want anything. I wasn’t hungry at all, still full I guess from dinner. I ended up eating a pear and half an orange! To the disgust of the rest of the girls! I truly just didn’t want anything, and that surprised me.

Now home for my usual 2 scoop Huel lunch. Fingers crossed for the scales tomorrow morning x

2 Likes

sooo…what did the scales say this morning?

8lbs off!!! I’ve been here enough times before to know some of that is water weight but still… :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

onwards and downwards!

1st April: Start weight 16st 11lbs BMI 42.1
8th April: 16st 3lbs BMI 39.0
Total loss: 8lbs

6 Likes

Feeling pretty tired today. I had a good nights sleep of 7.5 hours the last 2 nights but still feel utterly shattered. Alert and less sluggish definitely, but tired. I don’t think I’m coming down with anything, and I’m sure I read something somewhere about possibly feeling tired to start with on Huel, has anyone else found this? In a high pressure job and single Mum lifestyle it’s not ideal to feel like I want to sleep all the time :smile:

1200 sounds really low. How didbyou come to that number?

1 Like

As @Huel says, sounds like calorie intake a little too low for your body’s needs.

1 Like

1200 kcal seems really low, wondering how’d you decide on that as well.
Do you have a way of figuring out how much calories you need everyday ?
I found out I need a lot more than expected, hence it was difficult for me to maintain weight. :rofl:

Hi, thanks for your replies :slight_smile:
it was the calorie target MFP gave me to lose 2lb a week

It might be an idea to compare to another site, maybe https://tdeecalculator.net/ or something similar (I’ve used another TDEE calculator linked to elsewhere here but can’t remember which).

Did you check your TDEE ?
Might give off a more accurate picture of your needs.

1 Like

I was on 1,200 cal for a weight loss of 1lb per week.

1 Like

Thank you for the TDEE link! :smiley:

It says to maintain I need 2016 calories per day, and the guidance seems to be for a 1lb a week weight loss I should be working to a calorie deficit of 500 per day and for 2lbs a week loss a deficit of 1000 a day. so that would seem to fit with the MFP given target of 1200 per day? I get little exercise at the moment and have a sedentary office job

That sounds about right @clairabelle_xox
The recommended weight loss target is usually 1lb a week which for most people is a 500 calorie deficit. This is do-able long term and doesn’t impact upon your daily energy levels too significantly (altho personally I struggle to maintain a 500 cal deficit because I like to have energy to be physically active).
1000 calorie deficit is possible and some people do achieve a faster weight loss, but it’s much more stressful on the body and does impact on your energy a lot, especially after the first couple of weeks.
For your busy stressful life I would suggest you halve your calorie deficit to 500. I know it is tempting to try to lose all the weight quickly but if it impacts on your ability to concentrate and perform at work, and impacts on your energy at home, it will be a pretty miserable and stressful experience and you might end up giving up.
Any calorie deficit that is achievable and maintainable will get you to your goal, even if it’s only 200 at a time.
You’ve got to find what works for you personally and it sounds like 1000 is too much for you to be able to function in your life. So try 500 and see how you feel maybe?

thanks so much for your replies @ChristinaT @surrealsai @ChrisH0402 @Bee @Huel

Currently I’m on an 800 calorie per day deficit if I’m working to 1200 calories. I’m definitely in this for the long term (although I did want to start off with a boost!) so I think I’ll finish this week at 1200 cals and if I’m still tired on Monday up it to 1500 cals per day. The last thing I want is to give up

While my job is high pressure I’m a desk-jockey and not that physically active, I struggle to find exercise time between work and mum duties, something else I need to look at really but it feels like just another thing to squeeze into the day (even while I know I will benefit)

I will get there!

5 Likes

What is your BMR?

https://tdeecalculator.net/