Disabled Newbie looking for guidance

Weight loss
1

Hi Everyone,

My partner and I have decided to take the plunge and start Huel. Due to mixing both of ours up at the same time I’m currently drinking the standard 3 scoops + water.

I am disabled and so can’t move around as much as I’d like to. I live a sedentary lifestyle, a part time office job and then not a lot when I get home as I am so exhausted (Fibromyalgia ftw!)

My question is, how many servings of Huel should I drink to try to get my weight down? (weight down = being able to move more = a more healthy me!) I am severely overweight due to one of my medications having the delightful side effect of weight gain. Really, I’d like to loose about 30kg… it’s a lot but I’m hoping that with Huel and time, it will be doable.

At the moment, we’re just having one a day to ease our bodies into it.

Thanks :slight_smile:

2

Without knowing more about you it is impossible to say.

Try this and work it out from there. It isn’t 100% accurate but a good guide.

http://tdeecalculator.net

You will need to work out your total calorie intake currently, and then reduce it by a few hundreds. Maybe use something like myfitnesspal to track your calories.

After a week adjust your calories accordingly: if not losing or gaining reduce them, if losing too fast add more food. Don’t feel hungry all the time, drink plenty of water if you feel hungry, rather than jumping for a snack. 30kg is a big goal, but diet is more important than physical activity.

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3

One Huel a day is a good way to start. Many people including myself experienced gas or heartburn to begin with but this subsides as your body adjusts to Huel. If you’re not experiencing anything after a week you should be good to move up to 2 per day.

It’s worth mentioning that it is not uncommon to lose quite a bit in the first 2-3 weeks, as much as 2-3kg a week. As long as your calorie deficit is sensible (ie, around 500-700kcal) this will level out to a more sensible 1-2kg a week. Although I have no experience of weight loss on your scale (no offence) so the increased weight loss may last longer at the start.

I don’t know what exercises you are physically able to do, but if you can, swimming would be a great place to start. It takes the weight off your body and allows you to train as gentle or as hard as you want. I used to be 2.5 stone overweight and very unfit a few years ago, so unfit I would get out of breath just walking around at work. Swimming got me back into some kind of shape, even though I could only manage a few lengths at a time at the beginning!

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4

From a previous post:
How to lose weight:

  • Calories IN/OUT. Yes. You need a caloric deficit
  • However, losing weight is not just about eating less or changing your diet. It is about changing your lifestyle and habits. If you just “diet” you will end up gaining back all the weight you lose eventually. Or giving up on your diet. Here is a very good video that will help you understanding this and making a mind shift to get ready to lose weight.
    https://youtu.be/1SSKjQoutT4
    I strongly recommend it.

Now how to do it short version:
1- calculate amount of calories you need (MFP).
2- Reduce calories by 100kcal ( you can put lose 0.5kg or 1lb in MFP). This is important since you might need to gradually increase.
3- Weight yourself (take picture, trust it helps).
4- Weight yourself next week. See how you progress. You didn’t lose any weight? If it is week one be honest with yourself and think about what you did wrong. Keep going.
5- Increase deficit by another 100kcal whenever you hit a plateau)
6- Achieve your Goal.

Important remarks.
a) This is a Marathon, not a sprint. You had a bad day? You cheated? This week it wasn’t so good? IT DOES NOT MATTER, KEEP GOING. Think what a day means in one year. Don’t throw away you efforts and keep going.
b) Sports ALWAYS help. Cardio, weights, walking, cycling. Is there anything you like then do it. (I don’t know to what extent this will be applicable to you)
c) Being active overall helps.(I don’t know to what extent this will be applicable to you)
d) Be honest to yourself

I think both @Coup and @hunzas give you great tips. Do whatever you can regarding to excercise and look out to your weight. I also believe one Huel is the way to go at the start. You can always increase it later. You do not want to get mentally tired.

I go over the whole process of losing weight with Huel (meal replacements) in this article:
https://latestfuels.com/how-to/lose-weight-with-meal-replacement-shakes/

Other tips that I do not mention there on how to avoid eating more than you should include:
1- Sip your Huel slowly instead of drinking it asap. Make it last.

2- Make sure you drink water all throughout the day.

3- Try not to snack in unhealthy calorie heavy options (flapjack, muffin, cookie). Set them as “bad” in your mind.

4- Brush your teeth after finishing Huel.

5- Keep your mind busy. (I know in theory you should already been doing this).

6- Split into two 250/300kcal Huel meals.

7- Try really hard one day not to eat more. Will make the next day easier. Do not set a bad precedent again.

I belief you can do it. Huel is just a tool. Use it wisely and change your life

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5

I agree with most of your post and think it has some really good tips, except this point.

I don’t believe classifying food into good or bad is sustainable or healthy. Very often, it’s because people see cookies or pizza as “bad”, that once they eat one, they feel guilty and think “well I’ve screwed up. Might as well binge on all the bad food I’ve disallowed myself from having and start again tomorrow or Monday.” It’s a lot more sustainable to think of foods as “more nutritious” and “less nutritious”, or “treat foods” that you don’t have all the time. Less nutritious foods aren’t bad, they can still be good for other things like having fun with friends, or even bringing you pleasure from its taste; you can still definitely lose weight eating it so long as it’s on occasion.

I’m a big proponent of the 80/20 rule: 80% of your food from more nutritious sources like Huel, fruits, veggies, protein, and 20% from treat foods you enjoy to prevent you from going insane or ditching your diet!

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6

i definitely agree that in the long term is not good. I have certain bad habits, from where I used to do this, like not liking sausage or cheese. I learnt to dislike them.

But at the time it helped me. I think you are probably right though and that is not a great tip

7

Thank you everyone for your advice. I shall take it all on board and hopefully I shall soon be able to move around a bit more and get my body stronger!

:slight_smile:

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