High calorie Huel possible? [Weight gain]

Hi,

I have the opposite problem of most, I’m trying to gain weight but literally get to the point where I just can’t stuff myself anymore. I’d like to hit 70kg (65 atm) and would need about 2.7k calories per day, but that’s me stuffed like a goose that day so I can’t really sustain it.
I tried stuffing myself with Huel the other weekend but at 1.5k calories my body literally refuses.

Hence my question and topic title: would it theoretically be possible to make a high calorie version of Huel that could be used to gain weight?

900ml Nutri Ninja bottle
30g almond/peanut butter
500ml whole milk
160g Huel

Three times a day :smiley:

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When you say gain weight, do you mean gain bodyfat? Because unless you’re going to the gym and using your muscles, most of that weight will go on as fat.

Thanks for the reply GTIPuG, but it’s not really answering my question and I’m also not a fan of using milk and peanut butter for various reasons like having to clean the blender and the bottle all the time (currently I only rinse it with water, which is really quick and easy). But I’m also avoiding milk in general because of the negative climate impact and well, it’s also more expensive than water xD.
I also literally cannot fit more than 100g Huel plus 400ml water without getting heart burn.

@ElectroDan A little fat would certainly not hurt, I’m literally skin and muscle currently. And I do go to the gym, that’s the only way I even managed to get from 60 to now 65 kg.

What are you asking then? Sorry if that didn’t answer.

If I’m reading correctly you want an increase in caloric density from Huel?

I’d say this is a personal struggle that needs to be tackled from your side rather than theirs. I’ve worked with hard gainers and it just comes down to the dedication required to expand your stomach and teach your digestive tract to handle the increase in biomass.

If water is all you’re willing to consume and you’re not willing to get your shaker bottle a little messy, I don’t know what to suggest.

It’s a case of “suck it up” and push through the discomfort to make your body accept more food per day.

I’ve always had the opposite problem as I used to be a bit of a fatty - I don’t know when to stop… 9 piece bucket for KFC Chicken Tuesdays? Yup, easy…

Something something oil?

Try using the search function on the forum, somebody said something a while back about adding some kind of oil to the Huel to increase the calorie content

Yeah, this is the best bet I guess.

Few glugs of olive oil would do the trick.

Chucking a bunch of dessicated/shredded coconut in there could probably easily up the calorie count if you aren’t keen on sticky PB!

And aside from Huel creating a new higher calorie formula (which is likely to take at least months), sometimes it’s a case of what tradeoffs you’re willing to make and the sacrifices you’ll take to reach your goals :slight_smile:

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With respect but… Why?

I eat 3600+ cals per/d, yes, its inconvenient, but it’s a whole lot more than you’re complaining about haha!

Honestly I think it’s an adjustment thing, I used to suffer from “eating issues”, and when I first staring eating more (2000 calories) I thought I was going to die, seriously full, all the time. Fast forward to now and I’m eating the mammoth about I do and don’t feel terrible.

I would start to struggle to eat more than I do now though, if I did I’d contemplate the already mentioned suggestions, which are all good by the way, add milk, olive/coconut oil, nut butters, anything dense is the key really.

I doubt Huel could be made higher calories anyway, there is little to be able to make it that way with the ingredients used, if it was higher calories they’d likely have to alter the macros and increase the fat a lot to do so imo.

Have you been tested for coeliac disease? Reason I ask is that my dad had undiagnosed coeliac disease for a good ten years, during which time he was very thin and try as he might just couldn’t put weight on. This is due, as I understand it, to the gluten destroying the villae in the stomach, whose job it is to absorb the various nutrients from the food. If you suffer from any other digestive issue, from heartburn and indigestion, all the way through to gas and diarrhea or constipation, it might be worth getting checked out, or at least research symptoms of coeliac’s disease so you can decide whether you think it’s likely.

Edit - I’ve just gone and Google coeliac symptoms, which are listed as follows

•Diarrhea
•Bloating (makes you feel uncomfortaby full)
•Flatulence
•Acid reflux or hearfburn
•Constipation
•Skin rash (itchy blisters on elbows, knees, or buttocks)
•Weakness and fainting spells
•Peripheral neuropathy (pain, numbness or tingling, often in the feet)
•Tooth decay
•Musculoskeletal problems (joint pain, aching bones)

Hope this helps :slight_smile:

I guess I’ll just have to either force feed myself more or add stuff.

@Wendy_Shepherd I did a blood test once as I suspected I was lactose intolerant and gluten sensitivity was excluded, while they couldn’t tell me anything about lactose. The self-made drink-a-litre-of-milk-and-shit-your-guts-out-test later concluded I am lactose intolerant. Apparently the gluten test requires you to eat gluten beforehand though, as it tests for antibodies, and since I’ve no idea what I ate back then I wouldn’t be able to conclude that 100%, but I generally ate anything, so I’m not too worried about gluten and I’m also able to gain weight when I eat enough and no matter what it is. It’s just really difficult for me to stuff in over 2k calories a day.

I can’t really see it happening at all to be honest - over 85% of the mass in Huel is already some sort of macro (contrast this with say, cucumber, which only about 2% is made up of carbs, fat etc, and is 10 calories per 100g). The only real way to up the calories would be to increase the % of fat in Huel, which might please some people in itself, but not others

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… In which case one could have just added whole milk or oil in the first place.

There needs to be separation between inadequate eating habits and an inadequate product in this thread. Only one of those are valid in my eyes.

Yeah, unless there’s another similar product with more calories that would do the trick, adding more stuff is the way to go. To get a lot of calories fairly easily, you’ll want to consume high-fat stuff. So either add an oil (like light olive) to the Huel, or perhaps consume nuts. Around 100g of macadamia nuts has 700-750 calories in, so you could spread them throughout the day.

If you want to go the oil route, ~6 tablespoons of a light olive oil throughout the day will add around 750 calories. So if you’re struggling to get over 1500 calories with Huel - assuming they’re 500 calorie shakes each - you could try adding ~3 tablespoons of olive oil to each shake. Using this one as an example, that would take each shake from 500 calories to 869, and your daily intake from 1500 to 2607.

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Coconut oil is super healthy, tasty, and calorific. I would suggest pouring your Huel into a glass then add the oil so as not to get your shaker oily.
Also making Huel with coconut milk or cream is tasty and adds calories, as does mixing it with fresh juice (berry or apple Mango works better than acidic orange).

Or simply sup fruit juice throughout the day in addition to your Huel.
Nibble on nuts and seeds. Almonds, and pumpkin seeds are especially tasty toasted and are full of protein and other great nutrients.
Avocados are seriously calorie dense for their size - also work well in a smoothie with Huel.

Experiment and find what works for you and your stomach. There’s plenty calorie dense healthy foods that can be added into your diet - it may take a while for your body to get used to the increased intake but it’ll get there, don’t give up.