My Weight Loss Journey started on 5th Jan 21 (aim 20-25kg weight loss) already lost 5.4kg in 16 days

[Linkers]

Hi everyone. I created this thread so I can share my Huel Weight loss journey with you. I hope it will encourage people who are looking to lose weight in a very healthy way.

Sorry for the long post but thought it’s important to give you the context. I promise, I will keep the future updates very short and with a simple screen short from MyFitnessPal etc.

Gender: Male
Age: 41
Weight When I started Huel on 5th Jan 2021: 95kg
Height: 178cm
Current Weight: 89.6kg (checked on 21st Jan 2021)
Amount of Huel: Breakfast (400 calories), Lunch (400 calories), Dinner (400 calories)
Total Calories: 1500 a day (1200 of which is Huel Black Edition and the rest is a couple of skimmed small Lattes).

As you can see I was 95kg on 5th of Jan 2021. I knew for a long time that there is no rocket science in losing weight other than calorie deficit and I had tried to use MyFitnessPal on and off since 2011 but it never worked for me.

I started tracking my daily calorie intake using MyFitnessPal and always gave up after few days and sometimes uninstalled the app for years as I found it very difficult to survive on 1500 calories a day. The reason is that most foods we eat are unhealthy and don’t provide enough nutrition which makes you start snacking again.

The main problem I always found was that surviving on 1500 calories (in my case) was never easy for me and I easily gave up. I always felt hungry and couldn’t keep a long term and consistent calorie deficit.

I know Huel is not a weight loss product but it’s that Magic piece of puzzle or the ingredient I was missing for a long time. I met my family on Xmas (2020) day and one of my cousins mentioned Huel.

I had never heard of Huel before this and completely forgot about it. But as we entered in 2021, I started doing some research and was surprised to see hundreds of success stories so I placed my first Huel order of Huel Black Edition (I think I ordered all Vanilla flavour and only 1 Banana Flavour which wasn’t bad at all).

I forgot to mention that I was an Eating Machine and was living on junk food and too much snacking. I counted my calories on MyFitnessPal some days and I was shocked to see that I was easily consuming at least 4000 calories a day (way more than my body needed). No wonder I ended up becoming a 95kg person.

I came to a stage when I thought enough is enough and if I don’t do anything about it, I’m only going to get bigger and bigger and there would be no end to it.

I thought I was still relatively young (41 years) so before it’s too late and before I got to a point of no return and have serious Heart and other issues, I should try losing weight with Huel.

So my journey started on 5th of Jan 2021. I know it sounds crazy but I was massively overweight and decided to go Completely on Huel. I have a good digestion (which is the reason I ended up becoming 95kg in the first place), and I absolutely had no issues going on full Huel delight straight away and you can see from the results above that I am 89.5kg today. I know some of it could be water weight but I can clearly see that it’s working for me.

I am not starving myself and I put 1kg a week weight loss in MyFitnessPal and dozens of websites which all gave me 1500 calories a day calculation. Anything over 1kg a week loss would be a bonus for me.

I was lucky and hardly had any farts or toilet issues as some people mentioned

I was very lucky as my wife couldn’t even take 400 calorie Huel meal as she has a very sensitive stomach so she dropped it to 200 calorie Huel to start with (she also posted her experience using my account few days ago). But I am sure most people won’t find any issues going on full Huel or 2 meals a day on Huel.

I am not too active and try to walk/run 2-3 miles once or twice a week. Other than that I haven’t done any other exercise.

One tip I would give is to use a scale. Other people have mentioned and the Huel pack also says it that if you want to be precise, use a scale so you know exactly how many calories you are taking. You will not believe that for the first 10 days, I wasn’t using a scale but when I started using the scale, I was shocked that a scoop can easily be 59grams so it’s never 45 grams. But a £10 scale from Amazon makes it super easy and accurate to have 2 x 45 grams of Huel for 1 meal which will give you 400 calories

I will also post some screen shots from MyFitnessPal App and from my weighing scale App shortly. I’ll also be posting updates here mostly to keep myself accountable. Thanks for reading!

[Linkers]

I forgot to mention that I have never felt more energetic and I have no issues (like cravings or hunger pains) staying on 1500 calories a day (out of which 1200 are from Huel). I could hardly run before when I was consuming nearly 4000 unhealthy calories, but since I switched to Huel on 5th Jan, I have felt more energetic and I can now run for a longer distances than ever.

People have been telling me the key to weight loss is calorie deficit for decades but I could never do it because it’s half truth. What I mean by this that there is no way (at least for an eating machine like me) to consistently stay on 1500 calories (which mostly consists of unhealthy foods we have these days) a day for a long period of time. I have tried it so many times in the past and failed. But Huel keeps me full and I no longer feel the cravings for unhealthy foods and snacking.

[Talort]

So happy you’re finding it works for you.

Funny thing is that Huel isn’t really a weight loss product. Loads of us use it in that way (me included - will explain shortly) but actually whilst being incredibly helpful in terms of counting calories in etc. It’s actually just a lifestyle food.

But we come to it in different ways. Like you, I wanted to lose weight and be generally healthier. I lost about 3 (and a bit) stone overall. I stopped measuring after 2 and a half stone because I was just comfortable, but I ate at the level of the weight I wanted to be rather than obsess over TDEE and all that which is incredibly useful at the start but not so much towards the “end”.

Anyway, for me now Huel is just food. I mean it’s bot even something i think of as a “lifestyle choice”. It’s just there as an option, like, I dunno pizza or a steak or whatever.

Even my mum says to me that she’ll have huel for dinner lol and it’s just a “thing”.

Hope it all continues in the direction you desire, the community here is fab so any hints or ideas that you may want, or may have to contribute, will totally be welcomed.

[Linkers]

Thanks for your message Talort. You are absolutely right that Huel is not really a weight loss product. It’s actually easier to gain weight (if you are not careful with calorie count) with Huel compared to other foods as Huel is very nutritious.

As you said, Huel makes it super easy to count calories. Especially if you use a scale, you can be absolutely sure that you are taking the correct amount of calories. I agree with you that you don’t always have to stay 100% on Huel. I will also switch to 1 or 2 Huel meals a day once I have reached my desired weight.

I forgot to mention in my first post that I try to follow the zig zag approach so my body doesn’t stop losing weight. I am currently on 1,500 calories a day Mon - Fri. I still take Huel for Breakfast and Dinner on Sat & Sun, but I treat myself with a Pizza or KFC on weekend lunches. This way I stay away from all the shit during the week and I actually look forward to the weekend so I can reward myself with 1 junk food meal on each day (Sat & Sun). I think my weekend calorie intake is like 1,800 + 1,800 (Sat & Sun) compared to the 1,500 I take during the week days.

Yeah community here is very helpful and reading so many success stories made me consider Huel.

You are right. I also know some people who take Huel not for losing or gaining weight, but purely to replace one or 2 meals a day as it’s very healthy and nutritious.

Yeah fingers crossed, hopefully I will achieve my desired current goal of 75kg (or probably 70kg to stay well within the healthy BMI for me).

[Tim_Huel]

Welcome to the team @Linkers, great to have you hear and I can tell you’ve had a good read around the forum and other resources - that will really set you up for success here.

My initial thoughts were that the weight loss rate was a lot, but if it’s comfortable and working then great! It’s still early days, so if you can always adjust. You might see fluctuations up and down day-to-day, but so long as the general trend is down you’re golden!

Keep us up to date!

[Linkers]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your message. Yeah you are right I did spend a lot of time reading hundreds of success stories and people’s feedbacks on Huel.

Yeah even my initial thoughts were that the weight loss sounded a little bit more than I was expecting. I put 1kg a week weight loss in both the calculator you have on your site and also in MyFitnessPal. According to both, I needed to take 1500 calories a day to lose this much weight.

But as you said, it seems to be working for the moment. I am currently taking 3 x 400 calorie Huel Meals + Couple of Lattes + Plenty of Water and I don’t feel any cravings for food or snacks.

I am working from home and don’t get much time to exercise but on average I try to walk/run 3 miles twice a week (which is not a lot) so I guess the calorie deficit is the key to my current weight loss?

Also, I guess the initial weight loss is mostly water weight and it might start to slowdown or stall after a while?

I am also trying to follow the zigzag approach so my lunches on Sat & Sun are normal food like KFC or Dominos. My calorie intake on the weekends is at least 1800 + 1800 (Sat & Sun).

[rae]

Awesome work!! I’m in a slightly similar position (170cm, was 92kg at the start of lockdown, now 102kg) but having huel for my lunches and then regular food for my dinner and loving it so far. I wish you continued success!!

[Linkers]

@Talort

So happy you’re finding it works for you.

Hi rae. Thanks for your message. I am so glad that it’s working for you too. I wish you continued success and good health

[Linkers]

Hi everyone. Please see my latest results below:

Original Weight on 5th Jan 2021: 95kg
Height: 178cm
Current Weight: 88.6kg (checked on 26 Jan 21)
Total Weight Lost So far: 6.4kg
Daily Calorie Intake: 1,500
Amount of Huel: Breakfast (400 calories), Lunch (400 calories), Dinner (400 calories), Coffee & any Snacks (300 calories).

.

[miccah1996]

Thanks for sharing your story so far, very inspiring for me as i am on day 1 with 4 stone / 25 kg to lose too. I shall follow your progress.

[Linkers]

Hi miccah1996. I am really glad to hear you have also started your journey on Huel. My goal is also to lose between 20-25kg. I was surprised at the results and was not expecting to see my weight coming down in such a short period of time.

As you might have noticed, I went full on Huel on 5th Jan which is working for me. I didn’t get any issues and I’m really enjoying the taste of it and always look forward to my next Huel meal.

I hope we both achieve our goal weights and stay in a healthy BMI in future

[nodefortytwo]

Thanks for sharing your story, I am on a similar journey:
183cm,
125kg aiming for 100kg.
2k cals
2 Huel meals a day.

Started 01.01.21
Down 7.6kg as of the 23.01.21

[Linkers]

Hi nodefortytwo. I am really glad to see your progress

My journey is very similar to you

95kg aiming for 70kg.
1,500k cals
3 Huel meals a day.

Started 05.01.21
Down 7kg as of the 28.01.21

[Linkers]

A quick update on my progress

Start Weight: 95kg
Goal Weight: 70kg
Daily Intake: 1,500k cals (1,200 of which is 3 x 400 cals Huel Black Edition)

Started 05 Jan 21
Down 7.8kg as of 02 Feb 21
Current Weight: 87.2kg

[Linkers]

I have increased my calorie intake from today so it’s more healthy and sustainable in the long term:

I am now taking:

3 x 400 Cal Huel Black Edition = 1,200 Calories
1 x 200 Cal Huel Bar = 200 Calories
Latte: 150 Calories
Flavoured Water: 50 Calories
New Goal: Lose 0.75 kg per week

======================
Total Daily Intake: 1,600 Calories

[Linkers]

Hi All,

A quick update from me:

I was 95kg and had a BMI of 30 on 5th of Jan 21 when I started Huel and changed my diet/lifestyle.

I weighed myself this morning and I’m happy to inform you that I’m now 86.1kg and have lost 9kg since 5th Jan. My BMI has dropped from 30 (Obese) to 27.2 (Overweight). My goal weight is 70-75kg with a BMI of 23-24.

Calorie deficit does work if you are consistent and stick to it for long term.

I’m currently on 1,500 calories a day (1,200 of which is Huel Black Edition). I was less active when I started Huel but I am now exercising 4-5 day a week to speed up my weight loss.

[rparobinson]

good effort, keep going.

[Linkers]

Thanks rparobinson

[Tim_Huel]

Enjoying reading your progress. You’ve definitely got the right mindset, adapting your plan to how you’re feeling and increasing calories if you think you need it! Keep it going.

What’s good to see is you’re not worrying about moments like this spike. Some people might take this as a really bad sign and get demoralised, but it’s just the natural path your body takes when losing weight and when you look at the overall trend that’s when you see the results. Great work, keep it going!

[Linkers]

Hi Tim. Thanks for your reply and for taking the time to look at my progress. I’m really loving the Black Edition Huel (Vanilla Flavour) and always look forward to my next meal which is very positive/encouraging and probably the reason I have been able to consistently stay on 1,500 calories a day since 05 Jan 21.

I don’t think I would have been able to keep it going for this long if the Black Edition (Vanilla in my case) wasn’t this delicious and healthy. This makes Huel a superior product to any other products in the market.

You are absolutely right about the spikes I often see but as you said, I very much expecting them and just ignore them as they are very normal as part of weight lost . Also as you rightly said, the overall trend is showing a weight loss which keeps me motivated.

One question I wanted to ask you is do you have a plan to introduce the Black Edition of Ready-to-drink Huel ? (as sometimes I have to spend a night in a hotel for work these days and I have to take the current Ready-to-drink with me for its convenience but I have noticed the current Ready-to-drink you offer is the Liquid form of your original Huel Power not the Black Edition which has less carbs and more protein).

Are there any plans to launch the Black Edition Ready-to-drink which has the same ingredients (i.e. less carbs and more protein) as the power version of Black Edition?

Thanks.