I’ve been on a pretty strict diet of Huel since April 2016. I’ve lost about 20 kilos over that time on an all Huel diet of 1500 Calories 5 days a week and then one or two Huel each day of the weekend and a normal meal (whatever is on offer). Weight loss was pretty rapid to start but now I’ve reached a stall hovering at around 99 Kilos (for over a month now - my target is 95).
Almost everything about the Huel experience has been great (ignoring addition of Gum to the unflavoured version rendering it tasteless) however there have been a couple of issues which may or may not be diet related. One was that as I am only consuming <1500 calories I was informed by my Doctor I was a little low in Iron back in August and she recommended a vitamin pill a day with Iron which seemed to put that right. A larger issue came in the form of my pulling various ligaments and connective tissue throughout my body with no real exertion. This includes a shoulder, neck, inner thigh and most recently the connection just above the front of the knee which happened just jogging up some stairs. The injuries all happened around the same time as the Iron problem but lingered for weeks longer than they would normally.
Upshot is I went to a sports Osteopath type I’ve known for years and he did an inspection, looked at what I was eating and reckons I’ve lost some muscle mass by effectively being on a very low cal (for my size) diet and also my connective tissue seems to have weakened. He recommended I take a collagen supplement (which has other minerals and vitamins in it) and, though skeptical at first, it does seem to have made a huge difference. All the injuries except the shoulder have cleared up in a matter of a week (having been around for over a month) and I feel stronger with more spring in my step - even considering jogging again
Obviously this is all pretty unscientific (apart from the Iron shortage) and overall the effect of Huel has been very good on my levels, skin, energy etc
I don’t really understand the rational for people wanting to lose weight going on a long term caloric deficit. Huel provides a positive nitrogen balance if combined with low stress and plenty of sleep meaning a minor caloric deficit and a good healthy exercise regime is going to strengthen lean muscle and connective tissue, increase your basal metabolic rate (every pound of lean muscle is 50 calories more a day, put on 7 pounds of muscle a considerable feat admittedly is a pound of fat every ten days without lifting a finger)
Personally because I do an active job I consume no less than 2400 calories a day and that for me is my caloric deficit but it is also high in protein, positive nitrogen balance and solid exercise regime.
That’s a lot of weight lost in a short amount of time.
I hope you’re happy with the progress.
When I did a kcal deficit diet for a few months it was tough to keep the discipline and will power, especially as I felt my strength going away (I do weightlifting) and my concentration was not that great at work either. That was settling at 1800kcals per day for a 0.5kgs loss per week. Can’t imagine the pains for keeping to 1500kcals for several months.
For me it’s about speed. Needed to get the weight off as fast as possible. Firstly easier to motivate yourself and I’d reached a weight which was very uncomfortable. Each to his own
Thanks - problem is the old bod is so used to it now that I’m static for weight, so need to get the exercise going again. Young family, commute and Yoga all mean I can’t fit the gym in. Perhaps I should go to a more extreme Yoga - I’m a @yogawithadriene nut so it varies from a good relax to heavy core and leg workouts but doesn’t really get the cardio up there. Being going to gym on and off since I was 13 so bored to death with it and running, well let’s just say if I’m going to miss a bus I’d rather miss it
Being going to gym on and off since I was 13 so bored to death with it
Have you ever followed a basic strength training program? (Starting strength, SL5x5 and such)
Best thing I’ve ever done. No more “what should I do today” / “what’s the point of this” at the gym.
Yoga can be really impressive and enjoyable, but as a “main course” for someone trying to improve their health and fitness?.. Not sure about that.
Do whatever you can commit to for the long term, clearly you have a good thing going on. If you can add strength training, it’s a great investment for long term health.
In defence of Yoga, done well and for long enough it’s as good as any gym workout for the heart and lungs. Having said that I’ve started doing some extra cardio to try and get those last stubborn pounds off.
You may want to do more researches as cardio isn’t really the healthiest (nor the most efficient) way to loose weight, especially if you’re on a caloric deficit.
Resistance training is the way to go, but make your searches by yourself.
