Hi all, thought I’d quickly share my experiences after 2 weeks on this stuff.
First of all, the reason I’m on Huel is because I was spending a fortune on breakfast and lunch in the work canteen, and am too lazy to properly plan 21 meals per week. I wanted to get a bit healthier for the new year so I thought I’d give this a try. Being able to take 5 minutes every night and have 2 out of my 3 meals planned there and then seemed a great concept. Now if I want to eat healthy, all I have to plan are my evening meals, as I did not and do not intend to go 100% Huel for a variety of reasons which I won’t bore you with!
Really I’ve just been trying to stick to 1.5k calories per day, which I’ve been able to achieve with ease, most days I’m down at 1.3k with plenty of energy and feeling far healthier than I was before. My evening meal isn’t even ‘healthy’ all the time either, taking away that ‘diet’ feeling.
On my first day I found 3 scoops to be a bit much for me, especially in the morning. One scoop with some added extras to help the flavour was easily enough to get me through to lunch without desperately wanting a snack by 11am. Yes, I get hungry, but at the right times. The flavour of the vanilla is something that I don’t find too appetising to be honest so I found adding certain things like fruit or syrups made it bearable! I also ordered the Banana Flavour System that I’ll get on to later.
The hardest bit is trying to explain it to everyone at work… Most who think it’s a hipster version of SlimFast or something! But I think everyone’s used to me being on it now!
I didn’t ease myself in at all, I went straight for breakfast and lunch and have had no problems internally as some have reported! So I guess everyone’s different. I’ve lost about 10lbs in the first 2 weeks, which I was amazed at as I really haven’t felt like I’m in a ‘diet’. Body Fat is also down a couple of % which is great.
I no longer need to worry about making the right choices at work now, and I like the feeling of being prepared and saving money too! The only thing that I was not keen on was the taste. It’s not horrendous by any means, but it is just not quite there for me, especially when you’re only having one scoop per meal. Doing it like this though has kept me full enough, kept the calories down and brings down the cost per meal so that a £45 order is going to last me well over a month which is unbelievable value for the nutrition this product offers. One thing I would like is a reduced carb version, as I won’t be getting the full amount of vitamins and minerals on only a couple of scoops, despite feeling full and energetic.
So all in all, a huge success for me personally, and something I’m going to find very easy to stick to. It’s actually easier than deciding what to have from the canteen so it can’t be bad…
Now on to the flavour sachets. As I mentioned above, I went for the banana. It’s always my choice milkshake flavour and I’d read it’s the best flavour system Huel offer so no brainer! And it is absolutely fantastic. I’ve gone from almost forcing my Huel down like medicine, to savouring every drop. I only need half a teaspoon for it to taste like a proper banana milkshake which is ideal. Yes, I could go and buy bananas to flavour it but: 1) I like the fact it’s all there ready, and doesn’t go off in a hurry 2) a banana actually has far more calories in it than half a teaspoon of this stuff! To me it tastes very similar to the McDonald’s Banana milkshake, which is top knotch.
I will most likely test a few more flavours over the next few weeks too. I must say, if I lived alone and without my other half, I’d probably be 100% Huel most nights with this taste. Far easier and less washing up!
To round it off, I’d say it’s fantastic value for money, tastes fantastic with the flavour system, is helping me lose weight, is ultra convenient, there’s no waste, I love the packaging and being someone who works in Marketing, the whole branding is just spot on. I’d be proud to work for this brand! I really buy into everything it stands for, and think it’s a superb idea.
Not really a bad word to say about this product, and I can’t wait to see how this takes off, and how versatile it can become in terms of its uses in food. The potential benefits to malnourished children is huge too, and can really make a difference to the world. I saw someone mention an option to pay an extra fiver to send some to impoverished countries. Fantastic idea, I’d certainly buy into that.
Apologies if this has been a bit long-winded, but see you around! Looking forward to getting more involved in the forums to see how you’re all getting on with it.
