Just thought I’d share my findings after ten days of Huel for breakfast and lunch (bar the weekends).
I’ll admit to ordering Huel looking for a quick weight loss fix and whilst I can feel no discernible change in my clothing, other changes are afoot.
I’m 42 and have been on a diet/hating my body/putting my life on hold/gaining and losing the same 10-20lbs sine I was 13. I cannot bring myself to think of the amount of money I’ve spent on diets, diet magazines, diet food etc. over the years and quite honestly, I’m exhausted by it all. Of late I have been experiencing information paralysis, whereby I know about all of the various theories and plans to lose weight, but I can’t stick with any of them (favourite pastime - googling diets and their before/after images whilst eating a packet of biscuits). You get the idea.
I use a Nutribullet to blend my shakes and stick them in the fridge overnight. I really enjoy the taste and have no desire to add anything to it as yet. I have experienced some hunger, but this was when I was having a two scoop shake as a meal, instead of three. I’m really bloated with the shakes so I think I’ll switch to gluten free at my next order. As a previous poster mentioned, I find my evening meals make my stomach distended, so maybe I need to eat less or more slowly (definitely more slowly).
Despite it being Easter and being off work for eleven days, I had very little chocolate or cakes. This is unheard of for me. I start a ‘diet day’, slip up and think ‘sod it, wholesale binge today and stat again tomorrow’ and so it goes on. All I’ve craved on Huel are crisps (days 1-4) and crudité and dips for a bit of crunch. I had a bit of a meltdown today when I couldn’t fit into any of my summer clothes and considered trying a new diet, but I didn’t want to stop my shakes as they’re so convenient - I cannot face going back to thinking about food at every meal.
So to sum up my massive, laborious post, thus far (and I appreciate it’s only been a few days), I’m not experiencing the rapid weight loss I was hoping for, but my attitude and thoughts towards food seem to be changing, which could be the thing I need the most.
Anyone’s thoughts and experiences re. the above and in particular with bloating, slow weight loss etc. would be gratefully received. Thank you.
Diets and fads are all nonsense. The only things you need are willpower and a calorie deficit. Consume less energy than you expire and you will lose weight, fact.
Don’t be sucked in by any nonsense. Take care with that evening meal, don’t let it be the weak link in your plan.
You’ll smash it, stick with it.
EDIT: Regular Huel is already extremely low in Gluten compared to most foods. It’s unlikely to be the gluten, don’t be sucked in by the media constantly telling us we should all be gluten free if you’ve never had issues previously. It’ll take you a fair while to adapt to Huel if it’s unlike anything you’ve used before. It’s a whole bunch of liquid with scoops of dense nutrients in it, your body will take a small while to get used to it.
blockquote, div.yahoo_quoted { margin-left: 0 !important; border-left:1px #715FFA solid !important; padding-left:1ex !important; background-color:white !important; } Thank you @GTIPuG. Your reply is so helpful and has got my head in the game. Slow and sensible steps forward. It’s interesting to hear that my bloating is likely to be down to my body getting used to Huel. I’ll stick with the standard Huel for the next month and see how I go. Thanks again - greatly appreciated.
It’s definitely not the thing if you’re looking for quick weight loss. I lost a stone over about three months (which is about what I needed to lose). What I found was that huel made it easier to control a decent calorie level without feeling horribly deprived. I’ve stayed on it for 1-2 meals a day and find it is relatively easy to regulate my eating and not put the weight back on.
I find the only way I can lose more than 1or 2lbs a week is to up my exercise considerably, but usually can’t sustain that.
Thanks @Tara1608. Congratulations on losing a stone in 3 months - that’s great going and will no doubt stay off. I’m definitely finding it easier to control my cravings and the act of not having to think about what I’m having for breakfast or lunch is making life easier - a lot less diet mind chatter.
Thank you for your response - greatly appreciated.
Some see weight loss quickly and some won’t see it for a few weeks, stick with it and slow and steady is the key. 1lb per week is recommended although with exercise 2lb’s is not too hard. I like cycling to keep fit, it’s hard a first but great for weight loss and fitness.
I’m 42 also but never had that much of an issue with weight but Huel helps keep it off and allows me to get away with unhealthy foods when I want, week ends etc.
As @Tara1608 and @Mally have said; do not expect rapid weight loss.
Fad diets are rarely effective long-term solutions, whereas Huel has (anecdotally, through this forum) helped a lot of people lose weight and keep it off. This is mostly because we are suddenly actually eating healthily! The biggest change for me has been the reduction in cheating on my diet and a reduction in cravings.
I dropped about 3kg pretty sharply when I first started my huel/exercise combo; since then weight has been fairly steady, but waistband definitely going down.