📓 Daily Journal: Intermittent Fasting (16:8), ED Recovery and Weight Loss

[jeffy89]

Hello! LONG POST ALERT

Like most of you, I was and am incredibly excited now that my first Huel package has arrived. I finally caved after seeing its advertisement every time I opened Facebook (sneaky, Huel, sneaky)

So, now it’s time to see whether the hype could actually prove true, and to document my experiences with it to share with all of you

Background: I’ve been trying to lose weight for nearly half my life, since I was 13. I’ve gone through somewhat anorexic periods (have never been underweight, but my period stopped and my hair was falling out etc), which became binge-eating and bulimia. I’ve been in recovery for the last 2.5 years…but my weight never naturally decreased, leaving me overweight. With the support and authorisation of my psychologist who’s monitoring my mental health, I am now trying to lose weight healthily and sustainably.

Having an ED for 6 years has left me very fed up with food and having to face it 3 times a day at least. The first time I read about the concept of “Soylent”, I couldn’t believe that such a miracle substance could possibly exist. Time to see how this fares and if it’s everything I’ve dreamt of. (Totally not getting my hopes up hahah)

Why I’m Doing This:

• Lose Weight

• Get nutritionally balanced meals

• To start to see food more as fuel, instead of for my emotions

• Because if I’m getting all my nutrients from Huel…any binge cravings I’m likely to have are thus undeniably mental

• My exams are coming up, and I’m unlikely to have much time to do groceries and cook in my shitty college dorm

Statistics:
Age: 19-20
Height: 5’ 0"
Weight: 60.5kg
Goal Weight: 52kg (by mid-July)
Activity level: Quite sedentary

Plan:

• From now until this Sunday, I’ll eat Huel for either lunch or dinner, to get my bowels used to Huel or whatever, and to get accustomed to the whole routine of making Huel.

• I’m currently doing 16:8 Intermittent Fasting, so I’ll be eating from 12-8pm. I’m currently hugely addicted to sweets but am not planning on cutting them out (I cut out carbs for a year and…that’s another story altogether) since I love them too globdamn much.

• I’m drinking water before meals and with my meals, and more water in general.

• I’ll eat whatever else I feel like during my eating window, making sure not to go to bed starving or too full (aka listen to whether my body feels like shit).

• In the Future: I’m planning on doing a 100% Huel experiment from say 7-13/5 if it’s convenient to (I don’t want to miss out on too many social events because I’ve already missed too many in my more disordered days)

Daily Documentation: Aside from trying to post on this forum (I may get lazy though, since there’s so much tracking everywhere), I will definitely be posting pictures of my meals daily on my instagram @loseweightdammit (https://www.instagram.com/loseweightdammit/?hl=en) as well as my weight updates.

• Weight:

• Huel review:

• Food intake:

• Exercise:

• Other observations:

If you’ve read til the end, you’re a champ, go treat yo’self with some Huel I’m excited to join the Huel (weight loss) community, so hit me up with a reply if you’re interested to see how this goes Stay tuned!

(P.S. If you’re new to Huel and wanna get £10 off your first order, use my link! https://huel.mention-me.com/m/ol/hl3bf-06305e8bea :D)

[jeffy89]

Day 1

I could barely sleep being so excited to try Huel out for the first time. It smelt so great, too. I’m currently typing this while eating Huel…and I can’t say it’s the easiest to choke down. There’s something about the texture that makes me want to retch a little, so I’m pretty glad I didn’t dive head first into doing 100% Huel bc I’d probably have CRIED. I like it, taste-wise (I generally like oats and gloopy stuff haha so I’m kind of surprised this isn’t as easy as I thought it would be)

I’ll update this post throughout the day!

Weight: 60.2-4kg

Huel review: Taste is great, texture…we’ll see if I get used to it. I added more water and it’s more palatable. Note to self–the thinner the better.

Food intake:

• Huel 112g + 10g muesli
• 5 mini butter-fingers (126kcal)
• 2 M&S brioche
• 4 hard boiled egg whites + 1.5 egg yolks
• Pulled pork + Mixed Veggies + 1T rice & 2T tikka masala chicken

Exercise: Just cycling like 1km haha I am very sedentary ^^"

Side Effects:

• Fullness
• Burping more than usual
• Bowels feel slightly odd, but not in a bad way

Other observations:

• This shake is taking me forever to eat/drink hahha, which I suppose isn’t a bad thing. It’s keeping me very full-bloated (although my period’s supposed to come soon so that’s probably the reason; don’t want to conflate the two). It’s definitely decreasing my craving for eating a shit ton of other things.
• End of first shake: Whoa ok I know why it’s a little uncomfortable for me… TW The feeling I get in my gullet and from the sheer volume of Huel is very reminiscent of what it feels like for me when I get physiologically triggered to purge… I’m just going to assure myself it was nutritious even though it feels like having overeaten.
• 4.18pm: I’m definitely not hungry. I’m less bloated. But I kind of feel an urge to eat hard boiled eggs and salmon and veggies and other savoury food…which is odd since I usually binge on cakes and cookies and sweets in the afternoon.
• 11.30pm: It’s the end of the day, and I’m sufficiently satiated. I don’t feel too full or too hungry. I feel more empowered to resist temptations (like I didn’t even flinch at biscuits being served or feel the need to eat it), and it’s nice knowing that I’ve had balanced macros. In an odd psychological sense, it feels like I’ve started the day right with Huel – a perfect 40:30:30 split and not too many or too little calories – so I’d like the rest of the day to continue like that.
• I’ve drunk SO MUCH WATER TODAY! I’m usually quite a huge water-guzzler anyway, but Huel made me so thirsty. It also seemed to make me more attuned to my thirst (that it’s actual thirst and not hunger), which could only be satisfied with water.

[Archer]

A tip that may or may not help - I find blending a LOT nicer than shaking. It gets rid of any gloopiness

[jeffy89]

Ah I’ve heard that, but I unfortunately don’t own a blender as a poor college kid haha. I’ll make sure to give that a go if I get my hands on a blender though, thanks!

[daznoonan]

Good luck on your journey, I hope it’s a successful one for you. I’ve hit you up on Instagram to follow the progress.

[GTIPuG]

Careful on the calories - Not only can you go too high (and gain weight), but you can go too slow and experience hormonal issues, mood issues, lethargy and atrophy.

Have you calculated your TDEE? If you’re serious about losing weight I’d find your TDEE and simply eat 500 cals under it. Track in something like Myfitnesspal and weigh frequently at the same time (after waking up and popping to the loo, before any food or drink).

Gotta remember weight management is energy in vs energy out. Too many calories and you’ll gain weight, less calories than maintenance and you’ll lose weight.

Also: Sweets are quite literally bad in every way, ever. High calories, high sugar, high insulin spikes, teeth damage.

[Madeleine]

Try whisking your huel into the water with a fork before you shake it. I find it makes a better texture very similar to blending it but easier, and less washing up. Also let it stand for a couple of hours (preferably in the fridge) before you shake it again then drink it. It massively improves both texture and flavour. I make my next portion immediately when I finish one, then it’s waiting until I’m ready for it. Good luck with your progress xx

[jeffy89]

@GTIPuG Thanks for your concern and input

Yup I’m quite aware about TDEE and use MFP to track (loosely, because I’ve become overly obsessed with it before). My plan is to not do everything at once, but to incorporate various habits slowly into my lifestyle to make it sustainable. I’m treating it all as an experiment, to see what works for me personally.

Of course, ultimately I’d like to reach a nice equilibrium eating just enough calories to still lose weight gradually, and reduce the amount of sugar in my diet, but one thing at a time

@Madeleine Ahh that’s a good tip, thank you! I’ll try it out and see how it goes I’ll keep you posted on how I find it in the next few posts hehe! Thanks for the encouragement!

[jeffy89]

Day 2

Hey guys! So it’s Day 2 and I am LOVING Huel! Haha I’m actually so surprised, but after adding enough water (making sure the entire shaker is full) and adding coffee powder, I actually think I could drink this everyday, AND potentially do the 100% Huel Challenge. I’m eating Huel with a spoon rn haha because I generally don’t drink flavoured liquids…I also eat my Frappuccinos with a spoon heheh.

Weight: 60.2kg (but period came, so I’m unlikely to drop much this week)

Huel review: Yum! Really enjoying this. Fridge-cold + Coffee powder = Winner.

Food intake:

• Huel 112g (37 minutes)
• Broccoli + 130g salmon + 1/2 chicken breast w butternut squash soup
• 500ml white wine
• A little square of 100% cocoa chocolate
• Water: 5 cups + 3 750ml bottle

Exercise: Just a bit of walking to the pub later for a date LOL.

Other observations:

• Burping
• 4.42pm, End of shake: I still kind of feel it in my oesophagus and the volume is crazy, but purging urges are manageable especially since I know for certain this was not overeating. Gotta love the ease of calorie and macro calculation using Huel :’) Definitely feeling very satiated, and have no want for sweets or eating anything else really. This is great for me, because I’ve gotten into the habit of eating a normal meal for ‘nutrients’, then proceeding onto eat a bunch of junk.
• 6.45pm: Still full from Huel, but figure I should get some food in before I go out for drinks.

[Christne]

Charity shops or Gumtree or even Facebook might have people giving away hand blenders.
Otherwise, if you have access to ice & a fridge, that might help. I make my Huel breakfast and lunch the day before and put in fridge. If I have to make it on the day, ice and lots of water (more than 700Ml) make the texture more agreeable.

You’re doing great, BTW!!

[jeffy89]

Day 3

Weight: 59.5-60kg (~59.8kg) – didn’t gain from drinking alcohol last night! Yay!

Huel review: With coffee again, steeped in the fridge overnight with enough water. LOVE IT. Tbh I realised I really like the lumps that don’t completely dissolve haha I like fishing for them and chewing on it Less boring than just a uniform liquid.

Food intake:

• Huel 112g (35min)
• 2.5 M&S chocolate brioche because I love squishy bread heheh (311kcal)
• Dinner: Pulled pork + rice + broccoli w some cheese
• ~100g Skyr w some cookie crumbles
• 2 mini Kinder Bueno (62kcal)

Exercise: I didn’t step out of my room today…

Other observations:

• (TMI) My bowel movements have been very regular.
• (TMI) I’ve been burping more, and sometimes a little Huel comes up and I just get a bit scared that I’ll accidentally puke. There’s something about that Huel volume and texture that feels odd for my oesophagus, but I suppose I’ll get used to it.
• 1.55pm, end of shake: Once again, still as filling as always. Very satiating, don’t have any urges to eat anything else.
• Quite productive and dedicated to doing my daily pushups and dumbbell swings and pullups, so feeling pretty strong! I’m not sure if it’s increasing my energy though, because my sleep has been of quite crappy quality lately
• (VERY TMI but I’m gonna be dastardly honest) 8.40pm: I just had an unfortunate shart…is this what people talk about when they say your bowels take time to get used to Huel?

[Alisonl41]

I’m really interested in your experiences, especially with the intermittent fasting. It’s what I want to do as soon as I get nutrition go-ahead. I’ve sent you a follow request.

Alison

[jeffy89]

@Christne Ooh thanks for the suggestion! Thankfully I’ve figured out my preference for the thickness of Huel (I agree with you, thinner is so much better ) so I don’t need to resort to the hand blender yet. Ah unforunately I don’t have access to ice, but when I do I’ll give that a go. Are you doing 100% Huel? And do you know how long it can keep for (say 2 days or?)

@Alisonl41 Accepted, I’d love to follow you too! What are your hopes/goals with IF? I’m loving IF so far: it’s helped me to regulate my hunger signals and stop my mindless binging on junk, while not cutting out any food I love! Huel, when IF-ing so far, has helped me to further reduce any cravings DURING the feeding window itself. Feel free to ask me anything

[Alisonl41]

Thanks!
My problem is that I don’t eat - I very rarely feel hungry as a result of some nerve damage. It has been suggested that a formal eating schedule would help with the aim of switching my whole appetite process back on gradually. The IF is the one my consultant has recommended but the nutritionist isn’t totally convinced. The Huel helps me because I can always just drink it slowly without making it a meal as such. I’m still only on one shake a day though and failing to increase from that.

[jeffy89]

Day 4
Aaaand it’s Day 4! Honestly posting here, and interacting with you guys has made me so much more accountable and motivated, so thanks (Hope you guys aren’t bored to death with my lengthy rambles though!)

Weight: 59.5-59.8kg (~59.7kg)

Huel review: Am still lovin’ it (take that McDonalds)! I think the trick is to figure out exactly which flavour and texture/thickness is ideal for you: that sweet spot makes the world of a difference. I also really look forward to drinking my Huel hehe. Although, I must say my brain’s a little confused because I’m eating Huel for lunch, but it’s sweet (and I’m used to eating protein oatmeal for breakfast)…so what is this meal even

Food intake:

• Huel 112g (39min)
• 100g turkey breast
• Dinner – 1/2 packet ribs + broccoli w oyster sauce
• ~50g banana cake & cs 160g
• ~2 Sainsbury’s chocolate cookies

Exercise: …I walked to Sainsbury’s lmao

Other observations:

• No.2s seem to require more effort for some reason.
• 1.11pm: I always have to fight the physiological urge to purge after finishing a Huel shake ITS NUTRITIOUS ITS NUTRITIOUS IT’S NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE
• Psychologically, I’m starting to be a taaaaad scared of eating normal non-Huel meals. I mean, I know it’s ridiculous because what I’ve been doing (IF-ing alone even) has been working so it’s nothing to worry about. But it kind of feels like everything else’s macros is estimated and can’t be as precise as Huel, so I get a little guilty eating other things. I guess I’m writing this out to help myself realise how ridiculous it sounds…anyone else start to have thoughts like this regarding non-Huel meals?
• I really like how Huel has freed up my brain to stop thinking about consuming food. Simplicity at its finest: Drink an adequate portion of Huel --> Physiological & psychologically sated --> Don’t really need to eat for a few hours --> Be able to do so many other tasks instead
• While shopping at Sainsbury’s, I didn’t feel the need to BUY ALL THE BINGE FOOD (which is what usually happens), so I was in more control and it felt great.
• 5pm: started getting hungry, so much so that I had to eat turkey breast while preparing dinner

[Val]

I’m so pleased you are enjoying it. I’m trying to send a message as I need help but can’t see how I send it. I’m having a bad time with mine. I’m on day ten. Love your posts.

[jeffy89]

@Val Awh that’s so sweet of you, I’m glad you enjoy my posts! Sorry to hear you’re struggling with yours. I’ve sent you a message (I think). Alternatively, you can send me a DM on Instagram @loseweightdammit

@Alisonl41 Oh I see! Hmm I may not be able to give the best advice in that case (I’m not too familiar with nerve damage and lack of wanting to eat–I have the opposite problem) as I’m using IF to control my intake and lose weight. I’m wondering why your consultant would recommend IF though? From what you’ve said, you’re not eating enough, and IF further reduces the hours in a day that you’re ‘allowed’ to eat… What difficulties do you have consuming more than one shake?

[jeffy89]

Day 5

Weight Loss
I’m loving Huel because it’s just so effortless. It’s now part of my morning routine, like getting work done while I sip my Huel. I don’t have to worry about its nutrients, how it’s going to make me feel, about guilt, about under or overeating…what a miracle. AND it tastes great.

So I realised that yes, I could probably do more to speed up weight loss, but I don’t want to for the following reasons (and priorities):

• Lose weight sustainably – not too fast and not too slow (~0.5kg/week I’m aiming for)
• Don’t binge (get adequate nutrition)
• CS
• Socialise
• Include sweets aka food I enjoy and don’t want to cut out
• Build up habits I can see myself doing for life

So yeah basically I want to lose weight without feeling like it’s taking so much effort, yet enough effort that I’m instilling discipline in myself. A happy medium yknow?

Stats Record
Weight: 59.5kg – I’d like to be glad that I seem to be losing some weight, but I don’t want to jinx it just yet.

Huel review: Still yummy, I could probably do 100% Huel tbh.

Food intake:

• Huel 112g
• Friend’s birthday celebration: cookie pie + crumble + ice cream
• Dinner—Broccoli + 200g chicken + 5 cherry tomatoes + 1.5 breaded ham

Exercise: Probably 2h dance & ~5-6km cycling

Other observations:

• Whoa, is this what people feel like to not have an ED and not have to worry about eating in a disordered fashion??? I didn’t NOT eat Huel just because I knew I was going to have cookies and cake and ice cream with my friends, but it helped me so much with portion sizes! I was actually able to not eat so much sweets AND feel 100% satisfied :’)))
• Irrelevant to Huel, but I just danced for 2h and I honestly love it. Being active and learning a new skill feels amazing. So activities I do enjoy: pushups, frisbee, dancing, MMA, cycling, walking.
• My life is being ruled less and less by food. I ate til I was satisfied at around 2.30, and the next time I ate was 7.30 because I needed sustenance for dance. I hope it lasts.
• I think one thing that has really helped me is also IF, not restricting the quality of food, nor the specific quantity, but kind of naturally quantity as a whole since you have an 8h window. And if you’ve settled into the stage of IF without feeling like you have to gorge yourself during the feeding window and realise you’re not going to starve. I could do Huel+IF indefinitely :’)
• I think another thing that’s works is giving myself options: options of what to do if I get bored of Huel (coffee, cinnamon, granola), options of what to eat as snacks if I get hungry (nectarines, plums, eggs, ham, yogurt); options of sweets if I feel like it (bread, PB cups, cake), options of what to do if I get a bit hungry during the fasting window (drink water, drink coffee, drink tea, chew gum). It satisfies my mind, and IF/Huel has been a piece of cake
• Got p hungry around 2am

[jeffy89]

Day 6

I wonder if anyone is still reading this If you are, hello! If not, hello wall!

Weight: 59.5kg – ugh I was fretting about not losing weight/gaining weight when I was trying to sleep I KNOW the scale isn’t everything, but one of my greatest fears is reaching a plateau and having to keep dropping calories. I like what I’m doing now because it’s physically and psychologically calming. It also allows room for social situations. I don’t want to have to go back to restriction…But I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it, and meanwhile trust the process.

Huel review: Still lovin’ it! I shook it a little too well, and there are no lumps for me to chew on :’( (such an opposite problem isn’t it xD)

Food intake:

• Huel 112g (24min)
• 2 Sainsbury’s white chocolate raspberry cookie
• 1 packet ham
• 1 mini coconut butterfinger
• Dinner—broccoli + a little mozzarella + 170g cooked sainsburys roasted chicken w some skin + 3 cherry tomatoes

Exercise: Does to the fridge and back count? Or…does to the market square (to buy cake) count? LOL.

Other observations:

• I woke up sore today from dancing and cycling yesterday haha.
• I wanted to eat cookies to break my fast, but decided to stick with having Huel as my first meal of the day…and now I don’t want to eat cookies anytime soon HAHAH what is this sorcery.
• An hour after Huel I DID eat some of the cookie only because it was lingering on my mind…but know it’s definitely not a physical hunger but psychological. I also have this tradition of buying cakes from the cake stall auntie (we have become friends and I really like her haha so I kind of feel like I have to see her every Sunday), but I didn’t today bc tbh I don’t feel the craving for it. Not because I’m forbidding myself, but genuinely because I don’t see the need for it. Whee!
• Afternoon: I’ve gotten so used to not snacking after eating Huel bc I’m just so satiated…but (probably because of lack of sleep) I craved cookies & had 1. I actually feel slightly sick and definitely over-stuffed. I’m going to remember this feeling and realise what my body actually wants: it’s really not worth it feeling sick after a cookie haha.
• Today wasn’t the best. I’m feeling overfull, I think I’ve over eaten, and I’m quite sure I’m gonna gain weight tomorrow. But I HAVE done what I set out to do: IF, water, Huel for 1 meal. Weight loss just needs consistency

So I’ve had Huel for lunch for the last 6 days…and tomorrow I’m going out for lunch with friends. If you know me, you’d know I hate inconsistency and I frankly am not quick to adapt to change. It throws me off kilter a little. So I’ll have Huel for dinner instead. I’ll also be trying and reviewing the “New&Improved Vanilla” flavour tomorrow! ‍♀️

To those who still read this: What are your experiences eating Huel at different times in the day? Which do you like best—morning, afternoon or evening?

[GTIPuG]

@jeffy89

I don’t want to have to go back to restriction

This stands out for me as a point of interest. In my experience, weight loss has been 100% about restriction. Coke Zero instead of beer, lean cuts instead of burgers/sausages, poached egg instead of fried, almonds instead of sweets.

From reading these posts every day I’m conflicted as to where you’re at, you seem to be between three mindsets:

• Desire for weight loss
• Desire for treats
• Keeping the process relaxed
• Being strict on getting correct nutrition

Now forgive me if this sounds patronising, but I’m not sure how you can have all 4!

Will keep reading with ongoing curiosity.