Myself and my partner decided to start on Huel together, as we both struggle with meal planning that fits with our work lives. I’m posting here almost like a log for my own piece of mind, and if it’s of interest to anyone else then great!
I’m extremely active, I play sport at international level but food (specifically junk food) is my biggest vice, so I’m always fighting to manage my weight and body fat. My partner is hardly active at all, although she’s starting to get into going to the gym. We both agree that we have plenty of weight to lose, plus we’re excited about the time and money that we should save.
We’re going to replace 2 meals a day, replacing breakfast and lunch.
We started this morning, we’re just replacing breakfast for the first few days. We’ve got one bag of Original and one of New Vanilla, plus the flavour boost pack. This morning my partner had 2 scoops of original with the salted caramel boost and I just had 3 scoops of original. Both mixed the night before and refrigerated.
Day One
My thoughts: the taste is OK, not great. The texture though - horrible. Swallowing it was difficult without a little bit of a wretch. Hoping that this is something that passes. A bit of hunger kicked in about an hour before lunch.
My partner’s thoughts: she agrees with me about the taste and the texture. She said that the salted caramel helped a bit, but she likes the idea of using instant coffee and oat milk. No word yet on how she’s feeling.
We’re both really hoping that if we push each other to power through that this will be beneficial for us both, but I’m nervous given how hard it was to stomach my first shake.
I can’t really put my finger on it exactly. It wasn’t lumpy, but it also wasn’t smooth. I guess the issue is that I haven’t ever had anything similar to it in my mouth before, so it was a bit unnerving.
I know what you mean. I have been drinking Huel through all its various revisions but I have never had the feeling you did (retching gag reflex etc.) but I have had that with many of the protein powders I have drunk previously. I am not sure why that is. I have tried other meal replacements as well and they have been OK. I think in my case the protein powders were more “sandy” in texture, and some tasted really horrible, and they didn’t mix well. But early Huel didn’t mix well either, so not sure what thing or things caused me to feel that way. It was the main reason I held off trying Huel initially if I am honest.
Maybe the new version will be better for you, but I guess you may be reluctant to invest in that if you can’t adjust to the current one.
Well we have subscribed and we’re fully planning on powering through the initial phase. There’s a lot of people on here who seem to have not enjoyed it at the start, but now look forward to it.
Only day one, so I’m sure I’ll find what works for me!
You may prefer it with a little more liquid - I use 650-750ml of water per 75g of Huel so it’s a lot less viscous than the recommended method. I also prefer my Huel room temp but I think that’s a bit more controversial…
Have a play around and best of luck - I hope it works out for both of you!
Yes that is true, it does take some people a while. One main recommendation by many is refrigerating, but you already do that. There are lots of different ways to try it.
I used to always blend it as I believed that to be the case, but I actually prefer it shaken. Another thing you can do is add milk (like oat, almond, hemp) as it can appear creamier. Again I used to do that 50/50 with water, but don’t any more. It does add calories of course.
Same here @hunzas I used to add almond or oat milk but don’t any more. Adds calories and can get expensive. I find that if left to stand after mixing (in fridge or at room temp) it thickens up nicely without the addition of milk.
I’m finding it easier to drink, but I still struggle with the texture. I just have to down it in 3 or 4 goes.
Currently we’re still just using it for breakfast while we’re getting used to it. I’m still finding that I’m getting hungry again about 10:30am. I don’t really feel different at all currently, but I assume that once I switch onto lunches, the effects are more pronounced.
My partner is struggling to drink it still. She only got half way through hers yesterday. She finds that it’s just too much liquid to get through so she feels a bit bloated.
Maybe you can try putting in some ice cubes or berries or something more chewable in your shake.
My recommendation to your partner that she drinks half and brings the other half with her to sip or chug maybe an hour later. It will stay fresh for a while even if not in a refrigerator, but if she has a fridge at work she can put it there. I just keep mine in my bag and sip it whenever I feel like it over 1-2 hours. Chugging it will definitely lead to bloating and even some stomach pains - especially if I don’t drink enough water beside the Huel (I carry a water bottle as well as the Huel shaker).
Blend it with ice and milk (any kind) and drink it through a thick straw (silicone of course - don’t add to plastic waste). It’s then much more ‘normal’ / familiar - like an ice cream thick shake!