Idk i can call the titel that and I’m sorry if it’s not okay I do so! Just didn’t know what else to call it… Sorry.
I’m from Danmark, only been on huel for almost a month now and as the title says I have a eating disorder that has affected my relationship with food for my whole life. It’s not a eating disorder my country have much knowledge about or at least my doctor and other professionals aren’t sure what’s going on with me exactly but basically my body rejects food… Almost any food which means I mostly go around with heavy nausea or forced to throw up against my will. Because of this I rarely ate or only ate the few things my body would accept which wasn’t the most healthy of food or must enjoyable to eat or make. Ofc this has lead to me not getting the protein and vitamins I needed for so so many years! It also made my obese (who know not eating could do that to you? Not me!)
My best friend has seen my suffering from this for a long time so he suggested me to try out huel. He himself have used it for years with success for his own goals, so we went through the known ingredients to see if any of them was anything my body had problems with and everything seemed fine. So I went ahead and ordered 2 bags of normal huel, vanilla and chocolate and a salted caramel booster.
I have now been using it for almost a month as mentioned before and other then the chocolate (which was a risk to begin with since I’m kinda allergic to chocolate but hey… I love chocolate, can’t blame me for that xD) and some lite dizziness in the beginning, it has actually worked for me! I only drink 2 shakes a day and I only managed to drink a half shake at the time since I’m actually not use to eat that much a day but it stays down and I have no nausea at all with it! I am trying slowly to increase my intake so I getting exactly what I need but one step at the time! I actually feel better and have more energy which helps me on a daily basis where I’m fighting with ptsd, mixed personality disorder and anxiety which really can take your energy away and mess with your mood. It also taste pretty good according to me.
I don’t say huel is the way for others with eating disorders since everyone is different and you should find out what works best for you! Preferably with professional help to guide you. But for me who has tried everything to befriend food for my whole life, it has open up a way for me to actually be healthy with food and get the vitamins and protein I need without causing me pain or discomfort and for that I’m deeply thankful for.
I have already ordered my second batch of huel. This time I’m having Vanille, salted caramel and berry flavor. Can’t wait for it to get here!
thank you for listening to my story and I hope it’s okay I share it <3
Hey Nanna, thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience with us, we really appreciate you opening up.
I’m so surprised that your doctors don’t know when is going on with your body rejecting food, but it sounds really tough and I can’t imagine how difficult it has been for you.
What do you mean by this? Were there some foods that you were able to have?
This is such great news, 2 Huels a day is brilliant progress, there will be so much nutrition there compared to what you were likely eating before. Have you managed to eat anything else during the day?
This is so true. It is interesting to see though that many people without EDs have said that Huel would perpetuate people’s disordered eating, and be a negative thing. But there are so many that have found the opposite, that actually Huel was a stepping stone to building back up a better relationship with food. It’s great to see and I hope you can work your way towards helping yourself more.
The doctors guess that its mostly mental because of traumatizing experience with food as a child (I was neglected as a child). they do wanna get my body check out completely but since I can’t work, the system has to pay and approve it which isn’t a easy or fast process. Also covid aren’t making it easier.
Yeah there are some food I can eat like mostly veggies, bread, fish and some fruit. It might sound like a lot but for the most part I have to cook to keep it interesting and I sadly rarely have energy for that and fish are really expensive here. I’m definitely not getting the vitamins or protein I need through any of my meals. Also there are a different between my body rejection it and me not liking the taste. There are a lot of things I love the taste of but my body aren’t agree with and the other way around. so it’s really a battle between tasty and what my body can deal with.
Yes I do still eat some bread or other things I feel the desire to eat since my goal is to get a healthy relationship with food but huel is rn my main food source and it working great for me
Idk how to do the fancy reply as you did so I hope this is good enough xD
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After I had my fourth child, I suffered from a difficulty in losing weight and had been told to eat less by my doctor. I tried eating less; I also was very busy with three children under five years old at home, and suffered from kidney stones. Anyway, I ate less and less and finally I stopped losing weight and started gaining weight. This was quite scary, and my GP finally referred me to a dietician at the hospital.
The dietician asked me what I was eating, and when I told her, she asked what else I was eating? I said, ‘well, sometimes when I meet my daughter from school she hasn’t finished her apple, and I eat the core, but surely THAT doesn’t give me any calories?’
Her response made me cry. She said that I wasn’t having enough calories so of course I would gain weight, as my body had gone into ‘starvation’ mode and was trying to conserve energy.
I was given strict instructions to ‘jump-start’ my metabolism every morning by having something like a pear first thing to remind it that there was food coming!
WeightWatchers(c) have a similar principle whereby you need a certain base level of ‘points’ depending on your starting weight (a heavier person needs more) in order to lose weight.
I don’t count calories at all, now, just try to eat healthily, with a good ratio of nutrients and elements. I had a colostomy in January 2018, and now liquidise many foods, so I use Huel to add some things I lack in my diet. I prefer the UU Black as it is more versatile to add to other foods. My subscription is actually for nutrition bars!
Yes not eating will make you gain weight. Losing weight isn’t as simple as calories in calories out and exercise.
As the post above explains not eating or eating too little makes your body hang onto everything it gets as your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows to a crawl. Then there is set point theory which is the weight your body wants to be and feels comfortable with. I won’t go into details on this post it will be on google. But ever wondered why you seem to eat hardly anything and either don’t lose weight ( set point theory) or worse, put it on? (Starvation mode)!
I was diagnosed with an eating disorder two years ago. It’s not your regular one, it’s one that is only for us type one diabetics. I started Huel three weeks ago and I cannot believe the difference it’s made already. I have so much energy, I am sleeping better and I’m hungry. Beofre I got on huel I would go days without eating and I was in serious trouble health wise. Hoping this isn’t just a placebo effect and I am genuinely getting healthier. Just thought I’d add this into the eating disorder bit in case folks have concerns.
I checked with my therapist whose only concern is that you can get dependant on this style of eating however so far this isn’t the case.
Thanks huel you might just have saved my (vegan) bacon! X
Sorry, this simply isn’t true. If you want an extreme example then prisoners of war in WWII would have put on weight rather than becoming emaciated.
I’m so happy to hear this! Type one diabetes can be really tricky and make everything else regarding eating trickier too.
I can understand where they’re coming from but if it’s helping you eat then that’s great. You could always chat to a dietitian who can personalise their expertise in nutrition to you.
Dan I’ll let you argue it out with the nhs then. Or you can look it up. Like I say it’s more complex than that. If you google the set point theory prison experiments too.
Genetics also plays a part but I do get what you’re saying and it confused me too at first. I need to trust what the doctors are telling me at the moment.
Also it’s a dietician with a speciality in eating disorders who has advised me on this. I think it’s really helping but of course it doesn’t mean it would work for everyone. I just think getting some nutrition however it’s delivered rather than nine at all must be a plus.
In the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, during the starvation period, participants lost 25% of their body weight so I’m not really sure where you’re coming from here sorry. I’m well aware it’s complex and I’m happy to help you understand further.
Where there may be some misunderstanding is around what the NHS suggests. The NHS advise against crash/starvation diets because they often result in people gaining back the weight, if not more, once they stop such a diet. Which I agree with.
Totally agree and it’s great that you’ve got the proper support too!
Ah it seems bonkers to me too. Before the huel I was going sometimes three or four days at a time without eating and I definitely understand what I was and , to some extend, am being told ie this won’t help me lose weight. They want me to eat four meals and two snacks a day…? Yea confusing but that is the nature of the beast.
Makes no sense either when you think of anorexia either does it being frank? Although I’m told that those suffering from anorexia long term do eventually put weight on as their metabolism is so damaged. I’m not anorexic but maybe they are trying to scare me into eating. Who knows but I can confirm it’s not working
As for the t1 diabetes thing I’m quite lucky with that. Because I compete at my sport internationally I’m kind of seen as someone who they watch to see what happens haha. Because of this I get some really good support from sport diabetologists who simple didn’t exist when I was diagnosed. Huel again is great because the carb count is so low which is vital for the condition.
This is why I added this to this post because there may be someone in a similar situation who may just benefit from this as a solution. I’m so amazed by how I feel I want to shout about it ( where appropriate!)
That’s crazy! Your team will know what they’re talking about, so stick to them and I’m sure you’ll do okay.
Yeah you got it. After being such a low weight, rapid intended weight gain can occur. As you mentioned above it’s complex but the set point theory and “starvation mode” can explain a bit of this.
That is lucky! Thank you for sharing your situation, I’m sure it will help others and I know there are several people with T1D that use Huel.
Huel has to make t1d easier all round cause it’s a guaranteed intake of carbs.
Even for those who are not yet switched to carb counting which I accept not everyone is. Was a life changer for me tho, worth pursuing thru your gp etc
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