Hi, just figured I’d add to the list of experiences, here goes:
stats: 5"1 23 y/o caucasian lightly active female (on my feet all day at work, do about 12k steps a day according to fit bit charge HR, but don’t go to the gym or anything). Over the 6 weeks went from 66kg with about 27% fat to 62kg, 34.8% muscle mass, 24% fat according to my digital scales at home. PCOS, hypothyroidism. Healthy level of cholesterol.
Looking to lose a bit more weight but not a massive priority for me right now as its exam period. Will focus more on this from July onwards and keep you updated.
Started off huel as suggested, taking it regularly twice a day by week 2. Went from consuming about 6 scoops a day on average to 7-8. I alternate on how thick/thin it is depending on what I’m feeling, no real preference here. Always find it best with refrigerated water and if I have time one or two ice cubes. I prep a jug the night before work then have one huel for breakfast and one for lunch.
Appetite: When I look on here I feel a bit greedy for having 3-4 scoops per serving but it fills me up and im still losing weight and gaining muscle, albeit slowly, so just gonna keep going like that for now and as I said, focus on making bigger changes later when it becomes more of a priority. Had a bit of flatulence and not nice bowel movements at first but this settled.
Finding that I have no real desire to snack anymore. Occasionally I do miss just getting my teeth into something chewy though. I am finding that I appreciate tea when I get home. In hindsight its kinda embarassing how much rubbish I used to snack on - I think with the PCOS and hypothyroidism my insulin resistance was a bit higher than average (but tested negative for diabetes). Before, my pattern of eating would be to not really be hungry all day and then within the space of about 10 minutes be really starving and craving sweet stuff. Now if I miss my morning huel or any main meal really I get grumpy but my appetite is generally regular and less intense. Another thing I’ve noticed is that before when I was hungry, it sometimes felt like mild dizziness/loss of concentration in my head rather than anything from my belly that would be cured once I ate - I don’t seem to get this kind of hunger anymore, if thats what it is. My energy levels are also more constant and slightly higher.
Flavour: Always tastes better when cold. Vanilla was mild and pleasant. Consistency was creamier than I expected, which is nice. 5 weeks in I bought the chocolate and banana flavour packs. I use 1.5x the amount of chocolate recommended but find the banana works well at the recommended amount for my taste. The chocolate kinda tastes like the chocolate you’d get in protein shakes/slimfast I suppose. The banana powder smelt like nesquick but when actually blended tasted surprisingly very natural. The banana is extra nice when you leave it in the fridge over night and it thickens like a proper banana milkshake. I found it doesn’t taste that much different to actually just blending bananas with it, but its more convenient sometimes and doesn’t go off if you leave it for a while.
Other: I did find that the original shaker bottle leaked all over my bag, so have replaced this with a different brand. I have had a couple of comments from friends at work saying it looks gross but then saying it smelt nice. I offered to let them try it but they said no. My meat intake is probably about a quarter of what it used to be, if that, and it does feel good to know I’m doing my bit for the planet. I do find I have more time too.
Made my bf try it and he’s gone and bought 8 bags and another 3 flavour systems and got two of his workmates hooked. He’s doing some insanity workout and drinking 2 Huels a day and is deffo starting to get trim quite quickly. He mentioned it to his doctor who recommended he get a review of it all in about a month so that might be interesting.
All in all, a really good product. Makes my life a lot simpler not having to worry too much about balancing my meals ect, takes away some anxiety. Don’t really get the negative reviews its had from the guardian - not sure what they were expecting when they tried it. Don’t think I’d enjoy going full huel for long but haven’t struggled at all really with 2 meals a day and I have had a few comments about me looking a bit trimmer and my skin looking good.
