Bloating after 6 months on huel

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately I could only find topics about bloating when starting with huel but I have been 95% hueligan for six months now, and still… bloated!

Before I started huel I ate vegan, sugar free, soy free and wheat free. I had a lot of problems with certain products, so I deleted them from my diet. Problems like stomach aches, constipation and sudden diarrhea.

Extensive allergy tests in the hospital unfortunately did not produce any useful outcome either, they just say it’s probably IBS.

Huel seemed the ideal solution. And after the first bloating and gas phase it went fine for a little while I think. I started with one shake a day and slowly build up. However, I now have huge problems with bloating. In the afternoon I seem to be 7 months pregnant, not something you want if you go out after work!

I feel like I have already tried everything. Intermittent fasting, probiotics, drinking hot water on an empty stomach, I exercise at least three times a week, stomach/belly massage, meditation, coffee, you name it.

When cutting I use 120 gram + 500 ml water 3 times a day, when bulking 120 gram + 500 ml water 4 times a day with a scoop of creatine. And some herbal tea during the day.

I really want to keep using huel but how can I get rid of the bloating? It really keeps me from a relaxing social life.

Hi,
Is the bloating painful, gassy, full body or just in the belly?

Some bloating is normal for all individuals - If you are ingesting food you will have a different body shape come the afternoon then after a night spent sleeping+fasting. If your bloating is abnormal maybe 100% Huel just isn’t for you. Try switching one of the meals to any other type of food (preferrably some that are kind to your intestines) and see if it lessens the afternoon bloating.

And just to make sure: avoid fizzy drinks and chewing gum, and take some time to sit down and take your time (and chew thoroughly when eating solids) during meal times to avoid swallowing extra air.

Have you tried cutting out the creatine and seeing if that makes a difference? I have a vague memory of someone on the forum figuring out that creatine was causing them similar issues.

I may well be misremembering though…

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Oh creatine can be terrible for IBS and bloating. @Liath ‘s suggestion is well worth looking into.

The other thing to consider is that generally, a high fibre diet is contraindicated for IBS.
Huel is very high in fibre.
Lots of us successfully manage their IBS symptoms by using Huel, but personally I think you may simply be having too much of it.
First try getting rid of the creatine to see if this makes any difference (might as well check if this is the cause before making any other changes).
Then if you’re still having problems, try having Huel for just 50% of your calories - this may be a more manageable amount of fibre for your digestive system.

Do you drink plenty water? With that amount of fibre / Huel, you will want to be drinking plenty extra water. Just herbal tea won’t be enough.

My mum suffers with severe IBS, one of the things she said really helped her was by drinking 700ml to 1 litre of water in the morning an hour before eating.
For her that reduced bloating and she has much less pain with the IBS.

@Tottiroo
Most of the time it’s painful, gassy and just in the belly. If I massage my stomach, it produces more sounds haha, but it doesn’t help much. It just starts in the afternoon.
I try to fast 16 hours a day in hope it helps, so I only eat in a window of 8 hours.
I replaced gum with smints and only drink a coke once in the weekend. During the week only water, herbal tea, one or two espresso and since recently I’m trying coconut water.
I really hope I can find a solution without eating more normally to be honest. I’m so happy that I don’t have to think and worry about food any more. If I’ll get a reaction to some food or food combination and no thinking about what to eat and all that time cooking… It makes up more space in my mind to focus on other things.

@Liath
I only use creatine in my bulking fase, I don’t recall any changes since I started bulking. But maybe I didn’t pay attention to it. I’ll try it definitely!

@ChristinaT
I drink 500 ml of water per shake, so about 1.5 - 2 L a day. Plus like 500 ml of tea and coffee. And on training days another 500 ml of water.
Is it healthy to drink more than this?
I really hope that I can fix the problem with just the huel. Eating has come with so many issues that I’m happy I don’t have to deal with that any more most of the time.

@Error
I’ll give it a try!

Maybe I could try creatine HCL? (I don’t know if I may post a link…) In a later stadium ofcourse after my next cutting phase. First I have to test if my bloating reduces after cutting out the creatine. Does anyone have experience with this?

I’d say that’s definitely not enough. You can’t really count the water in food as part of your water intake.

Try drinking a little bit more water and see if that helps.

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I hope it helps, she got the idea from a Japanese medical documentary she watches on the NHK channel.

Eugh yeah, best thing I’ve ever done giving up creatine. Haven’t noticed any performance difference in the gym either. Only difference is I don’t get agonising stomach cramps and bloats anymore.

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It wouldn’t surprise me if the problem is that you’re getting way too much food/fiber during a too short time… It sounds like your digestion is working hard. More water in addition to the Huel, take a longer time drinking it, and hopefully it feels better (give it a few days). Otherwise you might need to reduce the amount of Huel per day and add some other foods, but you can still eat without thinking, just pcik one meal and do the same everyday like you are now - will only add a bit of prep-time, but no need to think about variation. Maybe some type of porridge and fruits would be kind of like Huel but less protein and probably fiber as well, so might feel better for one of the daily meals. Hope you feel better soon!