I bought Huel initially in response to my doctor’s concerns that my increasing volume of Gastroparesis flares were causing undesirable weight loss, as somewhat of a last ditch barrier against tube feeding. I add 3 scoops of it to a blender with a cup of almond milk and a cup of frozen fruits three times a day, and supplement calorically with fruit juices, sodas, and various types of gummy candy/jello/etc to get up to the full 2000+ calories a day. (I’m female, down to 105 pounds, and completely inactive, so this should be a huge surplus.)
Fast forward three months and my cholesterol is back in the extreme high zone, and I’m continuing to lose weight. My gut feels great, byproducts are normal (for me), and my energy levels are the highest they’ve been in almost a decade. But, the doctor/nutritionist are basically saying there’s no way that I could be losing weight/having high cholesterol if my diet is what I say it is.
Any ideas? I’m loving the ease of ensuring maximum calories with minimum gut pain with Huel, but numbers don’t indicate that it’s working.
IANAD! but the combination of taking in excess calories, losing weight, and high cholesterol sounds like something seriously wrong with your metabolism. In your place I would see a real GP for an exam and blood labs. BTW, do your “byproducts” (nice euphemism!) float or sink? Because floating stool can indicate failure to metabolize fats (the excreted fats make it bouyant).
fernly–My bloodwork came back perfect other than the cholesterol (for the first time in years actually, which is part of why I’m super stoked about the Huel–finally no vitamin/mineral deficiencies). But, yes, always floaties. I was hoping that the Huel would be close enough to liquid I could digest it, but I suppose it’s possible that the fat components are still being trapped in the stomach acid for too long.
Africorn–complete agreement! Unfortunately, one of the consequences of the gastroparesis is that the only thing I’m “good” at digesting is very simple carbs (I can have white rice, but brown rice sends me to the hospital, etc.) So, I can have either pure liquids or very simple food (previously, my GI had me literally eating sugar cubes dissolved in hot water with vitamin supplements on the side); Huel seemed to be working as a compromise (food was going down not up, and no blood involved, I was incredibly happy, but…cholesterol. And still not “thriving”).
How you feel is a far better guide than what your blood tests show. If the huel feels good then carry on. Doesn’t sound like the doctor is being overly helpful to me.
I too have had gastroparesis for a few months, though I think it was creeping up on me long before that. Learning to live with it. Switching to Huel Black Edition made a big difference. It is low in insoluble fibre and fat. I take one 90g meal in two divided doses and tolerate it well. This makes a big contribution to my daily nutritional needs. I still love the taste of the dark chocolate flavour after taking it twice a day for several months, but would love the option of coffee flavour too so that I can alternate. Am about to try ginger supplements and would be interested in others’ experiences of this.
I was hoping that the Huel would be close enough to liquid I could digest it, but I suppose it’s possible that the fat components are still being trapped in the stomach acid for too long. 