Hi guys,
I’ve been doing a lot of reading about Huel and it seems like a great product that would suit my lifestyle. I’m generally up and out early, spend a lot of time on the road with work (driving), we have a 2yr old son so the first couple of hours after work are with him, which leaves me an hour or 2 in the evening to do everything else before bed and doing it all again.
I also try and get 3 decent runs in a week, generally 2 x 6 mile runs, before work in the week and the a much longer one at the weekend, i’m up to 18 miles now and have a 20 mile race in 4 weeks.
The running has become a big part of my life now after only starting back in August, so although I’m never going to be Mo Farah, I enjoy it and apparently it’s good for me 
I’ve also dropped from 12st 6lb down to 11st 9lb since I started. My weight loss has plateau’d, and I think partly it’s down to losing fat but building muscle, but partly down to diet. I’m definitely needing to eat more!! For reference I’m 5ft 8".
My diet isn’t great. I’m not in McDonald’s every day, don’t get me wrong, but it is generally convenience food or something out of the freezer.
I can’t let lack of energy or hunger hinder my running, so how would you see my “scoop intake” working out over a week? for reference last week, I did 2 x 1hr runs, burning 1000 calories at a time, and a 3hr run burning close to 3000 calories. I want to make sure I use enough and buy enough!
thanks
Paul
Couldn’t you boost your calorie intake around the times when you’re running with sugary drinks like lucozade? Normally they’re bad for you because most people don’t burn them off, but in your case you wouldn’t really have to worry about that?
Hi Dave, thanks for the reply.
I forget to mention that I do use energy gels whilst I run (at least on the longer weekend run) just to boost my carb stores. maybe I can do it on the shorter runs as well, and then stick to the advised amounts of huel
Hi Paul
I’ve been using Huel for everything except an evening meal for a few months now and I starting running at the start of the year. I’m also dieting so deliberately low on calories. For me I see Huel as a great, easy way to get my daily intake but I don’t intend to increase the intake inline with calorie output from exercise. There are a few reasons for this - firstly I like food and there is only so much Huel I can take - If I take it too much I think I’ll start to dread it so by having a normal (healthyish) evening meal I break it up and I think this is best for me long term. I also eat my evening meal with my Wife so there’s less advantage in time saving etc.
I’ve also done some reading and found that exercise has different dietary needs than just day to day existence. I’m no expert so I’m not about to share what little I think I know but I’d suggest you read up a bit if you can find time and work out what your body needs.
I looked at gels but since I’m running under an hour (40-50mins / 5-8km) the ones i looked were not relevant as they suggested they were for hour-plus events.
I ended up trying Tribe. There is a referal link below if you want to try them and you can get the first pack for £1.
I’ve not been using them long and I’d be interested in any other opinions on them but for me I liked the simplicity of them and the information tailored to sport. There is also some useful nutrition for runners information they provide here - https://wearetribe.co/nutrition
Generally I wouldn’t worry about lack of energy with Huel. I feel better overall after adding Huel to my diet than before. As long as you calculate your intake right you’ll be fine.
I’d start off slow with Huel and build up. Experiment with different flavors and find what you like. Making one with instant coffee at night ready for breakfast the next day is a popular option and one I like. I also add the Huel chocolate flavor to my lunch one (although cocoa would be very similar). I use vanilla huel for both of those and wasn’t keen on the mix of the unsweetened one but order the trial packs of each and see what you like.
Good luck experimenting
Chris