HI FRIENDS! So for those of you who have never read my looooooongass post documenting when I first started Huel (9th April 2018, it’s been a month!!), here it is Intermittent Fasting (16:8), ED Recovery and Weight Loss My background is on there so I’m not gonna repeat it and bore y’all to death LONG POST ALERT HAHA I’m always a bit of a ranter
Meal timings: Either 12.30, 3.30, 6.30; or sipping throughout the day
Coffee, tea, chewing gum allowed
Challenges: (that I foresee)
Socialising through lunches after lectures…
My friend’s coming over from Germany to visit us, and I already have to skip out on a Formal dinner on 13/5 which I am QUITE BUMMED ABOUT :<
Drinking/eating Huel in public and not looking like a complete idiot (I’m thinking of getting a stylish looking, not-clear flask to drink it from so I don’t look like a wannabe gym-nut since I obviously don’t look like one…y’all feel?)
*Any suggestions for a cheap, insulated, stylish, 750ml flask?
Wanting to chew something, and eat something savoury
Binge urges(?)
Explaining Huel:
Smoothie challenge: Seeing if you can live of Huel + My sleep hasn’t been good so trying to see if it’s diet.
Convenient and cheap: lel broke student + it’s exam term ain’t nobody gon do groceries
It makes me feel good and satiated LOL (+ I really like the taste)
Goals:
Lose 0.5kg
To break my habit of sugary snacks
Mental challenge: Not being tempted by social events (it’s only 1 week!) and dealing with hunger.
Daily Documentation:
Weight
Huel Intake
Exercise
Challenges
Other observations/comments
Why:
So yeah. When I’d first started ED Recovery, I used to wish I didn’t have to deal with food 3x a day at least. Worrying about the portion sizes, whether it’s disordered, whether my binge urges were purely mental or physical, whether I was feeling too full = gain fat, whether weighing myself and counting calories would trigger me into extreme restriction/full-blown binges.
I used to wish I could just be hooked up to an IV-drip that would give me everything I needed AND be able to lose weight because I could calibrate it to the exact expenditure math I needed.
Lose weight without the fuss of worrying: are the macros accurate? am I getting all my vitamins?
Convenience! Especially in exam term, ain’t nobody got time to prepare meals & worry about produce spoiling.
Have Huel take up the bulk of my meals, and whatever meals outside of that are for special occasions/because I want to enjoy the food itself (not just for convenient and necessary nutrition).
Separate mental-urges from physical-urges
Feel free to join me, I’d love to have accountability friends to do this with
P.S. (@juyaib and @xenonp , here’s the promised tag! LET’S DO THIS!!!)
112g Huel, ChocFS this is the best thing ever!!! loooove the chocolate flavour system
1/4 CoffeeNewHuel, cocoa + coffee kinda bitter, lowkey want to get rid of the CoffeeHuel
112g CoffeeHuel, ChocFS this actually tastes bearable! I now know how to get rid of this awful bitter bag of CoffeeHuel whee! Also I didn’t refrigerate this one overnight, but it still tasted good!
112g NewHuel
Exercise: 1h Beginner Hip Hop
Challenges:
I was so hungryyyy. Tbvh it’s kind of mentally unsettling to think Huel & liquid is all I’m going to have for the next 7 days. I even dreamt I was presented with a buffet platter and caved and had smoked salmon.
I’m a little mentally tired and stressed about work, so it’s hard to be very determined or thoroughly strengthen my resolve.
I’m feeling quite bloated and fat, could be because my period should come in around 2 days…
5.20pm: I’m not hungry. I’m quite satiated, honestly. But my as a creature of habit, I’m hankering for that afternoon snack of bread or fruit or anything I desire really. But I suppose I just gotta tough it out and get used to this new routine!
Confession: (maybe kinda gross) I ate my Huel in the washroom because I honestly couldn’t be arsed to explain it at orchestra and defend my choices lel
12am: Getting q hungry
Other observations/comments:
I just need to remember what I’m doing this for: I want to challenge myself. I want to experience what it feels like to have all my nutrition in just the perfect proportions.
3pm: It’s been 2h since I’ve eaten my first Huel and I’m still p damn full… I wish my Camelbak Chute flask would come quickly so I can have no worries about bringing it out and about to sip as and when I feel like!
It’s difficult to gauge my energy levels because I feel like I’m permanently exhausted haha /cries
I’m so mentally exhausted I’m having a brain fog… it hit me in the middle of rehearsal at 9+pm and I feel as though I can’t do work now Perhaps my body’s too used to having sugar highs??? I hope it settles down because I actually need to work lol.
Beware of the potential crash on day three which may come as a result of cutting out the sugar. It’s a bit of a slog to get through but when you come out the other side totally worth it!
And I notice you asked for cheap bottle recommendations but now have a Camelbak on the way - great choice, just wondering if / where you found one for a good price?
@nimmish Heyy! Thanks for the encouragement and heads up—what was the Day 3 slump like for you? I feel like I’m having a slump on Day 1 already!!
Re: the bottle, I checked out quite a few of the options recommended, but after seeing someone on the Huel forum post about her Camelbak Chute she got at TKMaxx for £15, I fell in love with the design! I went to TKMaxx to try to get one too but mine didn’t have stock, so I caved and got it off Amazon for £20 anyway. Apparently many Huelers think its durability and style is worth the money! (I hope so…)
Do you use other bottles or the Huel shakers?
@jeffy89 Ah yes the ‘drinking Huel in public and not being subject to many questions’.
There’s definitely a male/female divide in which women understand ‘oh it’s like slim fast, only it’s not for diets, it’s just a nutritionally complete meal replacement’ and men who understand ‘it’s like a protein shake, only it’s nutritionally balanced to be a meal replacement’. (Has to be said that that’s not always the case, just has been the majority so far. I work in IT (though not for much longer) so could be the subset of people I’ve come across.)
It takes 700ml. It’s not a thermos, although it does help insulate but isn’t quite as bulky. It’s silver so not obvious what’s in it. It’s really easy to clean with no fiddly bits which is a big plus in my book. You’ll have to let us know what you make of the Camelbak, I may upgrade!
Good luck with Day 2 - hope you have more energy soon.
Day 1 started, I’m halfway through my usual 2 scoop breakfast Huel, started it a half hour later than I would normally have it in the hope I’m not starving by the end of the day. 3 scoop with berried for lunch, I’ll aim to have it at 3:30 after a meeting since I have nursery run after work which takes an hour. Belly dancing class tonight, maybe I’ll take a Huel with me so I don’t have to sip it whilst the family eat . How’s the energy slump now @jeffy89?
8g instant coffee w Toffee Flavdrops i actually quite like drinking warm coffee and the process of making it! It’s sucks when it gets cold though, and note to self: don’t put too much Flavdrops!
112g Huel, ChocFS
112g NewHuel, cinnamon wasn’t exactly hungry, but it went down pretty fast
3 mint chewing gum (6kcal)
112g Huel, baobab+maca+hemp powder
Exercise: None, just cycling as transport
Challenges:
Hunger upon waking up, and hunger around 9+am. I’m not used to being hungry in the morning (because I wake up at noon…). It’s easier for me to be hungry at night because I enjoy that sensation and don’t like to go to bed full. Also feels psychologically easier to be able to wake up and weigh myself not chock full of food. I suppose I gotta get used to morning hunger!
Saying no to my friends when they went out to lunch at the Indian restaurant
5.13pm: I’m not hungry. In fact, I’m pretty satiated. But I can’t help but feel a little peckish…like I just want to eat something. Oh well I’ll just push through this and wait til my next Huel.
I’m also having somewhat of a brain fog…don’t know if it’s 100% Huel or?? Q: Any of you experienced/experiencing this?
Fear of exceptionality
6.20pm: Lowkey really want savoury roasted vegetables I just saw a picture on IG and it looked like the most gorgeous bowl ever.
8.17pm: I’m full. BUT I JUST WANT TO ~EAT SOMETHING~ Roasted veggies please???
Today has been a hard day. 5 more days to go…
Other observations/comments:
Sleep: Whoa, this is huge for me. I don’t know if it’s the 100% Huel, but for the first time EVER this year, I slept at 12.30am and got up naturally at 7.30am. This is unheard of for me. I’ve consistently slept at 4am and woken up at noon. I also had a very restful sleep.
I wish I had my flask… I want to go to a cafe to do some work after lecture, but have to come back to eat lunch since I like my Huel cold.
My stomach felt weird when I was eating my first Huel of the day.
Variety: I never knew how important variety was to me until realising I’m gonna be eating nothing but Huel. The same motions, the same texture, not having the thinking process beforehand… I suppose this is both a pro and a con, but yeah it’s odd never realising that even the act of opening a packet of something/searching for snack food had some sort of psychological value. I guess I only feel this way because I came from the starting point of an insane selection of choice, but I’ll get used to Huel and the lack of thought will be godsent.
Tired —> Hunger?: I also never realised how I’d reach for sugary treats/food to try to combat tiredness. The whole “ask yourself if you want an to determine if you’re truly hungry”… so I’m kinda brain fogging and want to reach for food, but I don’t want to reach for Huel because I’m not actually hungry. This experiments great in drawing a clear distinction between physical and psychological hunger! I will now take a nap because that’s what my body needs, not sugar LOL.
I’m so tired I missed tap dancing and church…
I tried doing some dancing and honestly I’m just half as sing it because I’m so physically tired…I hope it passes.
@Kay HAHAH I see you’ve had a lot of experience with that I don’t mind explaining it but sometimes it’s just a chore LOL like omg no I’m not trying to be a gym-junkie (“it’s like a protein shake”) and no I’m not trying to crash diet (“it’s like SlimFast”). Sighhh why is Huel still such a foreign concept :’( Although I must say I’ve been surprised to have met around 4 people who know of it or have already tried it!
Ah that’s cool! I wish I had one of those rn My Camelbak is coming on Friday though, and I’ll keep you posted on it!
Thankssssss~
@annacountrybell great to have you on board! hmm I woke up a lot earlier than usual today and have been pretty productive, but have not been the most focused/concentrated. Hoping I won’t have an energy crash later again >< keep me updated on your journey! Are you planning to do this for a week too?
@alinthea thank you! haha don’t worry, do what you have to and next week is never too late! let me know how it goes for you!
I’ve started 100% Huel today too, mainly for losing weight and also my stomach isn’t good with solid food at the moment! I will be doing this until the the weekend as it’s my birthday/2 year anniversary for me and my fiance, then will be straight back to it next Monday
Today so far ive had
x1 50g original gf vanilla huel mixed with unsweetened almond milk
x1 50g new gf vanilla huel mixed with unsweetened almond milk
will be having more later tonight ^^ Keeping my cals under 1200
@DaisyFlowers23 Hihi! Welcome on board! How’s it been going for you? Also, is there a reason why you’re keeping your calories under 1200kcal? The 100g of Huel only gives you 400kcal haha. That seems awfully low and it usually isn’t recommended to go below 1200kcal as you mightn’t get sufficient nutrients
Don’t mean to sound condescending, just a tad concerned!
So, end of day 1, just having a 2 scoop original with decaffeinated coffee after an hour of belly dancing, I felt hungry when I got home but not hangry which is my usual default mood in the evening before dinner
So total consumption today, Huel is generally a blend of original vanilla and UU
-2 scoops Huel with 2 small bananas (needed eating, normally just have 1) with a tsp of cocoa powder
-3 scoops Huel with mixed frozen berries. I kept topping the liquid up in this one to eek it out over the whole afternoon
-2 scoops with decaf coffee
+3 americano coffees with milk during the day.
Had a day of figures and spreadsheets and had no concentration problems. Roll on day 2!
@jeffy89 I’m just sticking to it until Friday as I can’t stomach any more, I have a problem with my stomach at the moment D: Im due a colonscopy to find out what’s wrong, huel is the only thing I can have at the moment that isn’t making me overly sick or extremely painful bad stomach. But it does hurt still and I’m quite nauseas I have tried drinking more but my stomach isnt having it at the moment! D:
I will be going up once im sorted though and don’t worry you dont! x
@DaisyFlowers23 ahh I see, it’s not intentional xD oh no that sounds so uncomfortable!! Hope everything goes well with the check, and yeah it’s great that you’re trying to get as much nutrition as you can from Huel despite the discomfort! Kudos
1200kcal MAY not be too low: But should be the absolute minimum you consume because below that, it’s almost impossible to get the necessary nutrients (that’s the general consensus if I’m not wrong).
Some people eat below 1200: Only very obese people put on Very Low Calorie Diets, supervised by Doctors.
1200kcal COULD be too low: Can you give me more information like your height, weight, age and activity level?
Alternatively, you could use this quite detailed calorie calculator here (recommended by a PT): ExRx.net/Calculators/CalRequire — it breaks down the exact kind of activity, so you’re not guessing it. Hopefully this helps!
Hi, I stated on 100% Huel yesterday. I had 5 servings yesterday and 4 so far today. I’m doing 2500 calories/day. Just Huel and water. Hoping to gain a little or at least stay where I’m at weight wise. I was at 165 lbs yesterday. I’m 6’1” so wouldn’t mind weighing closer to 180 lbs.
I’m also hoping that my skin improves. I have sensitivities to lots of foods causing rashes and Rosacia on my face.
So far it’s been easy. No stomach issues. I like the taste, both the vanilla and the unflavored. I even prefer it to be a little bit lumpy.
Daily Update
Weight: 58.6kg I want to say yay but I also don’t want to jinx it. I’m glad I stuck to plan and didn’t binge despite my weight jumping to 59.8kg just last week tho
Huel Intake: (1383kcal)
112g Huel, 5g coffee
56g Huel, 5g PB2
60g Huel berry granola so this happened…yes I topped my Huel with Huel granola hehehehe does it count as cheating or is it still 100% Huel? + 60ml almond milk !
112g CoffeeHuel, 3g ChocFS
Huel Granola Review:
I really like it! I think people who don’t mostly don’t because their conception of granola is “sugary oaty crunchy clusters” which I LOVE and can’t stop eating when I start.
And so I’m glad that this gives me crunch + picking and grazing BUT it’s so easy to stop since it isn’t addictive like sugary granola.
My mouth got SO DRY when eating this which would make sense, since it doesn’t have water like Huel Powder.
I downed it awfully quickly haha half the Huel and 30g powder in 10min; was so good and amazing to have some crunch! Will definitely buy again!
Taste: Not very sweet, a tinge of salty.
Texture: Little crunchy balls, a bit like the Layenberger protein cereal (so I’m already very familiar with it) !
Exercise: 1h Ultimate Frisbee (but it doesn’t really count because I strained my hamstring 2min in )
Challenges:
Was not looking forward to Huel, not because I don’t enjoy it, but because it doesn’t give me the same excitement I’m used to food giving me. The variation, the process of making, opening packets, the barrage of choices… I guess Huel really is Human Fuel.
Mentally, having the option to eat both granola and Huel is amazing!
Other observations:
Sleep: It was so restful! Whoa.
Feeling really bloated…not sure if PMS or Huel
It’s quite effortless to not really crave food after my Huel haha it’s been more than an hour and I haven’t noticed it. I mean, mindlessly snacking on sweets isn’t an option anyways so.
Weight Loss: For the first time, I actually believe I have a shot at doing this right. Am I scared? Hell yes. I’m scared that I’m an exception, that my body does actually break physics, that I simply can’t lose weight. But I won’t know til I try. And for the first time, I feel pretty emotion-neutral towards the number on the scale. I’m seeing it as data. I try to see the trend. I don’t place as much emphasis on daily fluctuations to determine my self worth or intake for that day. I understand that consistency is key.
Learning how to eat healthily and to suit your needs is something no one can EVER take from you.
Huel 100% is the most unscientific experiment ever Not in a bad way, but so many variables are unconsciously changed (which is actually really great because then it doesn’t sound like so many daunting “rules”. Imagine if we were to try to stuck to the list below with regular food prep!)
Vegan
Gluten-free
High fibre
40-30-30 macro split
Controlled calories and portions + IF for me
Eating every 3 hours
Liquid diet
No sugar, but sweetener
Counting macros
Having 1 snack
I haven’t had issues with hunger at all nor cravings for other food, but I must say I haven’t been very energetic.
1.30am: Started getting hungry, found myself scrolling through food on IG
@Tzinsli HELLO!! Glad you’re doing well and great to have you on board with us! I really like the lumps too HAHA sometimes I get sad when I shake it too well xD Keep us posted!
Day 2
Woke up with so much energy, it was like I was on a massive sugar high! Weighed myself this morning, 6lbs down since last Monday! And that is with a weekend of drinking and BBQ, although lots of hiking so it obviously balanced out!
Had a meeting with a cake company this morning, they gave me a whole box of cakes , yesterday’s meeting I was given a box of doughnuts and sweet pastries, I couldn’t even bring myself to smell them
Huel so far today:
2 scoops with a banana and cocoa
Just started my lunchtime 3 scoop with berries.
Confession: I may have eaten 4 blueberries this morning that my daughter didn’t want… Does that count as cheating? I’d blend them into my Huel on other occasions… It did feel really good to chew!
How is everyone finding having every meal sweet? I find myself craving just like plain bread, or some miso soup…
@Tzinsli my skin has really improved since increasing my Huel intake 3 weeks ago, so soft! I guess it’s like having a multivitamin at every meal.
My background is on there so I’m not gonna repeat it and bore y’all to death 
LONG POST ALERT HAHA I’m always a bit of a ranter 
Perhaps my body’s too used to having sugar highs??? I hope it settles down because I actually need to work lol.
. How’s the energy slump now 
I just saw a picture on IG and it looked like the most gorgeous bowl ever.
to determine if you’re truly hungry”… so I’m kinda brain fogging and want to reach for food, but I don’t want to reach for Huel because I’m not actually hungry. This experiments great in drawing a clear distinction between physical and psychological hunger! I will now take a nap because that’s what my body needs, not sugar LOL.
+ 60ml almond milk
!
!
I really like the lumps too HAHA sometimes I get sad when I shake it too well xD Keep us posted!
, yesterday’s meeting I was given a box of doughnuts and sweet pastries, I couldn’t even bring myself to smell them 
