Hi everyone, using a throwaway for this.
I’m 21 years old , 6’'2 and 112 kg.
I’ve got some huel now but I know its not some miracle food.
Anyone have any ideas what would be a good schedule for it and also any other food/things that are good to try for weight loss too?
I know in the end exercise etc would work, just not mentally been in a good spot in the past and ended up being a lazy shit to be honest. Any response is much appreciated.
No big mystery to it I’m afraid – you have to put the work in – or at least some work. A few years back I was in very bad shape due to years of neglect – raging blood pressure (doctor said it was a miracle I hadn’t had a stroke already), diabetes, appalling diet and almost zero regular exercise.
But I had a big medical scare and it needed surgery – big surgery – like 10-12 hours - I was told that I couldn’t put off the surgery more than 10-12 weeks so I had to shed at least 15kg and get the blood pressure and diabetes under control in that time or there was a significant chance I would survive and even if I did the risk of post surgery complications was very high. So that was a wake up call.
Where I am now - 36kg loss later – all I can say to you is having learned the hard way, there are so many little things you can do to help and accelerate the process without diving straight in to a fundamental change that might in the end set you back.
One of the first things I did was at work – I normally worked on the ground floor so I moved my desk two floors up. That meant every day at work I had to take the stairs at least a dozen times in the day. Sounds stupid but it adds up.
Everyday at home I walked for at least 2-3km around the neighbourhood – takes 30-40 minutes of your time.
I cut refined sugars and alcohol out of my diet almost entirely.
After I started seeing really positive results from these 3 things then I stepped things up to include swimming and cycling – again – nothing major, just light cardio.
When my surgery and recovery period was over that’s when I started introducing Huel and incorporating other plant based elements into my diet as a gradual progression to the point where that’s about 90% in total.
Basically – don’t beat yourself up over it – take it at your own pace but make a plan and stick to the schedule best you can. As soon as you see good things happening to yourself – like having to buy smaller clothes – the mental boost is beyond comprehension. Silly little things that many take for granted but not to be underestimated.
You have to have clear that to lose weight you need to consume less calorie than needed to maintain your current weight + daily activities. That is the main goal.
Try to focus in achieving a diet not too much lower of what you need, because it will create deficiencies. Aim at 200-400kcal less per day of what you need. And dont worry if one day you miss the goal, what matters is that week after week you loose weight. Per week the recommended amount of weight loss is 0,3 - 0,5kg. More than 0,6kg sustained over time could create problems
yup - I had to really hit it hard at first to get to my target but these days its all about maintenance and gradual progress.
I’ve said it loads on Facebook, but don’t just rely on Huel for weight loss. I realise it’s nutritious, and makes it easy to count calories, but weightloss is all about lifestyle change and educating yourself, because once the weight comes off you need to be armed with the knowledge to keep it off if you stop relying on Huel. Going back to doing what you were doing before will just put the weight back on.
For weight loss you need a calorie deficit, and you need to not be too restrictive with your foods for it to be sustainable life long. Calculate your calories online, download MyFitnessPal (free version is fine) and put your calorie deficit in there. The one MyFitnessPal generates by default can be far too low for some people to find sustainable. Put EVERYTHING you eat and drink in there. Weigh food, measure cooking oil, milk in coffee… EVERYTHING. It all adds up. You’ll start to see just how easy you can go over your calories and how easy it is to overeat without realising.
Don’t pay too much attention to macros right now. Calorie deficit is the most important thing. Protein will keep you fuller for longer, so try to get a lot of protein in each day. Carbs and fat aren’t the devil, you need them. Anyone that suggests cutting carbs etc… is just making things too restrictive for you. Protein will also help retain muscle while in a deficit.
There are no BAD foods as such, and seeing foods as bad isn’t healthy. You can technically eat anything and as long as you’re in a deficit you’ll lose weight. You can put weight on by over eating ‘healthy’ foods… something that people are quick to forget. Obviously whole foods are better than processed foods, but a balance makes it sustainable.
I lost over 4 stone last year without Huel, and I honestly can’t recommend cluing yourself up on this stuff enough. You don’t have to eat just Huel and lettuce, you don’t have to be restrictive, you can still eat the stuff you enjoy and lose weight.
Oh, and don’t rely too heavily on the scales for progress. Weight fluctuates, fat loss shouldn’t. Weight will change from day to day, week to week, depending on what you’ve eaten, water retention, whether you’ve been to the toilet, and for women where you are in your menstrual cycle. Taking measurements, progress photos, feeling how your clothes fit etc… will give a bigger picture. Weight will go up and down on the scales, it doesn’t mean fat isn’t being lost.
Also… drink plenty water!! And don’t beat yourself if you have a bad day or week. Just keep getting back on it and being consistent and the results will come. Small changes form habits, consistent good habits make huge changes.
Exercise is also important, Find something that you enjoy, otherwise you won’t stick to it.
Your food “schedule” also depends on you current habits. Do you have three meals daily? If yes you could gradually replace one meal after another with a Huel shake. If you had many small meals prepare smaller shake sizes to have more of them. Changing too much at a time increases the risk of failure. Start where you are now and make gradual changes.
If you want to determine the amount of calories you should have there are a lot of calculators on the internet. As soon as you know the amount you need to keep your current weight just subtract something from it (how much depends on how fast you want to lose weight).
Also try to not get too hungry. If you’re slightly hungry you should have something, because if you wait to long you risk overeating.
With Huel you have many options, as they have a lot of diverse products, so almost every need can be met. What works for one person might not work for someone else. You have to find out for yourself what suits you best.
Welcome to the team @Anon2021 and thanks everyone else for sharing some awesome advice. @Phil_C thank you for sharing your story, I’m not sure I had heard much of this before, huge respect to you.
I won’t try and add anymore advice as there’s plenty to be getting on with here. However do check out this article about fat loss on our site which may provide some more help.