7-week Huel-focused diet for fat loss

Weight loss
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Starting: Wednesday 10th July 2019

Starting weight: 12st 6.8 // 174.8 lb // 79.3 kg
BMI: 24.5
Body fat: 21.2%

Target: Benidorm 2nd September 2019 (54 days)

Goal weight: Under 12 stone // 168 lb // 76.2kg
BMI: 24.1
Body fat target: 18%

Background

I’ve been using Huel for nearly two years now, and I love it – it’s a great product, I enjoy the taste, and it’s saved me from so many disappointing meal deals at work.

My job is quite sedentary, but I go to the gym three times a week (following Greyskull LP Phraks edition) and run to work on the other days (5 miles) – so I move a bit. I’ve been very consistent with the gym over the last year, and I have been seeing a good change in my body, but I feel like all my results are hidden under a layer of fat.

My typical week involves Huel for breakfast and lunch, and then a decent dinner and sometimes a glass or two of wine. The weekends are where I really slip up – I’m in a long-distance relationship and I visit my partner at the weekend.

The weekend typically involves eating much more and drinking much more than I do in the week. I’ve struggled to lose weight for the last year or so, always fluctuating around 12 st 7 lb, and it’s these weekends which clearly are undoing my good work in the week. I also find myself eating when I’m not hungry – but I know if I had Huel available I’d happily choose that instead.

I’m off to Benidorm with my partner in seven weeks and I’d like to look a bit better than I do now – we’ve just got back from Mallorca and although I felt comfortable around the pool topless for the first time in a long time I’d still like to shed a few more pounds. My partner is also hoping to lose a bit of weight, so naturally it’s turned into a (friendly) competition.

I know seven weeks isn’t too long, but it’s a very busy seven weeks for me - I have a show in the Edinburgh Fringe (The Convoluted Adventures of Batman and Robin – An Adult Panto!), my birthday (tomorrow…), another play in September, and lots of summer BBQs etc. I want to use Huel to discipline myself somewhat.

Plan

I’m going to do two things:

  • make the move to 100% Huel in the week (and no alcohol) – which I think would be quite easy and a natural development of what I do now
  • Use Huel at the weekend (although not 100% - probably 75%).

I’ve worked out my TDEE to be about 2200/2300 per day, so my calorie target is 1700 (although I won’t count my post-gym protein shake in this). I’m using MyFitnessPal to track my calories.

I’m also going to continue with my current routine:

Monday: Gym
Tuesday: Run commute
Wednesday: Gym
Thursday: Run commute
Friday: Gym
Saturday/Sunday: Gym on one day, chill the other

Hopefully this thread will serve as some sort of accountability buddy and hopefully let me become more aware of where I slip up!

Before picture (on the left):

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First day went well - under my calories by 283 (a bit of wiggle room for my birthday tomorrow), avoided alcohol when we had a committee meeting in the pub, and I had a decent workout at the gym. Only downside was I failed for reps on my deadlifts, but at least I get to deload now and work my way back up!

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Having Huel during the week allows less guilt at the weekends for me, I would try maybe a fat burn on the bike in the gym which is quite easy, around 130bpm for me and also try the RTD Huel to mix things up a bit and it’s a nice drink (Berry) and could always have some fruit with it. Definitely no drink during the week and maybe Huel for breakfast/unch at the weekends.
Love the fringe and used to go most years before kids came along. Good luck with the weight loss and the show.

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Thank you! All very good points. I went through a period of blending frozen fruit and adding it to Huel, until my blender broke. Must get a new one, sometimes I fancy a bit of variety.

With the Fringe, I think Huel would help me with energy and stamina to see the week or so through - last year I war broken for a week or so after it, after a week of booze and takeouts.

Today was my birthday - I was 600 or so calories over (170 of that my protein shake) but still went to the gym, and didn’t have any alcohol. Probably the first time I’ve gone to bed sober on my birthday for maybe 15 years!!!

It’s a new me :wink:

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Happy birthday :partying_face: @David_J !

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Happy birthday :birthday::tada:

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Bon anniversary :birthday:

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Thank you @ChristinaT, @Bee and @DunsfordMage! It was a lovely day.

I arrived in Birmingham to meet my partner and got spoiled with presents and a big meal. Well worth being over by about 1000. Got on the scales and I’m 12st 7.5 lb. Hopefully that’s because the food is still in me :joy:

Still, birthdays are about damage limitation! I’m not going to get down about this.

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It’s been a bit of a heavy weekend, but my weight has stayed constant. I’ve stayed under my calories today but I did have two small glasses of wine after rehearsal - maybe that’s why I can never remember my lines?

Anyway, birthday’s over and I have no more excuses! My parter is also much more serious now, and after letting myself be spoilt I’m not going to lost our competition now!

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Sounds like sabotage to me :smiley:

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Ha agreed - but a group of people with a cake singing ‘Happy sabotage to you, happy sabotage to you, happy sabotage to David, happy sabotage to you’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!

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I’ve had a good week - kept calories under control, and done gym/run/gym/run/gym. I did have a takeaway last night, but I was like 1500 calories under my TDEE once I’d factored in my run so, as the kids say, YOLO. It was lovely, but I didn’t eat much of my rice - I just wasn’t hungry.

Scales yesterday were 12 stone 2, today they’re 12 stone 3 - either way, the number is going down!

God bless Huel <3

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Update: Saturday I was 12 st 4, after a bit of a heavy night with my drama group. BF% 20.5% though, which is a drop I’m happy with!

I’m aiming to be a little bit more disciplined this week with Huel and no booze. But the key for me is morning exercise - it makes me more careful the evening before and sets my day up right.

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Weighed in this morning, and I’m down to 12 stone. Very happy with this, considering the ‘discipline’ goal has gone out the window in terms of alcohol. I’m still managing to undo most of the damage with my two runs a week.

My goal was under 12 stone, so I’m very close to hitting it! God bless Huel.

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Looks like your doing well, Huel allows you to get away with the odd bad day. I’ve just been away for 3 weeks and drinking beer every day in France but managed to keep the weight down by using Huel and cycling, alought my fat percentage went up by 1% but that’s expected on holiday.
You might have to set a new target :slightly_smiling_face:

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So, it’s near the end of my holiday in Bendiorm and I realised I’d forgot to wrap up my experiences.

Goal weight: Under 12 stone // 168 lb // 76.2kg

Smashed it! Before I went to the Edinburgh Fringe I was consistently under 12 stone (lowest was 165 lb, or 11 st 11). After Edinburgh, my weight fluctuated around 168 - my target.

Body fat target: 18%

Sadly I didn’t get a chance to measure this but I can see a difference.

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Now, after over a week of eating and drinking I can tell my progress has slipped. Which is fine! But I’ve booked a family holiday to Cape Verde in January so I have another goal - I think it’ll be down to 11 stone and aiming to make good progress on the body fat. Something to think about.

But Huel was certainly a good tool to achieve this - I very rarely felt hungry and after a day or two of 100% Huel it felt normal, and made traditional food more of a ‘treat’. I’m actually looking forward to re-starting my challenge.

God bless Huel!

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Woke up after the holiday and I weighed 12 stone/168.4 lb/ 76.4kg - so essentially I maintained my weight. I did this primarily by going for a 4 - 6 mile run every day, which wasn’t always easy in the Spanish heat!

Starting weight: 12st // 168.4 lb // 76.4 kg
BMI: 23.9
Body fat: 20%

My holiday to Cape Verde is 116 days away. My goals for this holiday are:

Goal weight: Under 11 stone // 154 lb // 69.9kg
BMI: 22.1
Body fat target: 12-15%

Once again my basic approach is to try to avoid alcohol in the week, hit the gym 3 times a week and run 2-3 times a week, whilst keeping my protein high and calories around 1700-2000 (activity levels dependent - and quite easy with Huel, it’s the evening temptations I need to worry about).

If anyone has any tips for shedding fat, please do let me know!

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Amazing job! I’ve also used Huel to lose fat during my weight loss journey and improve my nutrition & you’re right, Huel is such a godsend :’) Am looking into having it fuel my workouts more optimally too.
All the best, will be following your journey :slight_smile:

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I got weighed yesterday, having been pretty good with sticking with Huel and exercise (although I wasn’t too good avoiding alcohol, so I need to get on track with that).

Weight: 11 st 10.7 lb, body fat 19.1% So, downwards progress!

I felt pretty good about this, but then the rest of the day I GORGED (I ate two days worth of calories in one day), and the next day went up to 12 stone 2. I know it’s a blip and will probably settle back down but I felt really disappointed - so it’s spurred me on!

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Say no more! You’re doing great :sunglasses: :+1: