My weight loss & wellbeing diary

Weight loss
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hello.
I am creating this post as I believe that keeping track of my Huel journey may be a good way to hold myself accountable, and I would love the opportunity to share my journey with such a welcoming community.
I am a 19-year-old girl, with a sedentary lifestyle in the south of France. I am English, but in January I moved to France with my family for a gap year before I start university. I currently just spend time with my family but am moving to attend university in January.
After researching Huel for a week, I just ordered the starter pack.

wellbeing:
I struggle a lot with emotional eating, I fluctuate between eating a diet with lots of vegetables and fruit, and a diet bingeing on chocolate, cookies and white bread. Moreover, I find that I am always, always tired. Working out brings me to the point of fainting and I cannot keep going. I have had numerous blood tests and my iron levels are sufficient enough to not need medication. I have come to the conclusion I am not eating the correct food in order to have energy. An unhealthy relationship with food often leads with me feeling depressed, eating unhealthy food as a coping mechanism, and then feeling even worse afterward. I want to break this cycle, and while I know my well-being cannot be solved solely on my diet, I want to do all I can.

weight:
I do not necessarily want to lose a lot of weight because I am not categorically overweight, however, I am not happy with my body at all.
I have struggled for years about my nutrition and exercise. If I am upset or stressed, I turn to junk food. There will often be times where the only highlight of my day will be going out and buying junk food, eating it, and feeling terrible about it afterward. I have skipped meals and tried many fad diets, that never gave me any long-term, sustainable results. As a result of this, I find myself with a low muscle mass and slowly gaining a lot of fat around my stomach, hips, and thighs.
I currently weigh 55.7kg, and I am 163cm tall.

goals:
I am hoping that Huel will give me the nutrition and energy I require to increase my quality of life, increase my energy levels and be able to start working out without feeling defeated and worn down. ( I currently cannot complete one round of BBG without fainting, so I generally walk for exercise.) I do not have access to a gym where I live, unfortunately. I also hope that consuming Huel will help change my attitude towards food, and can help me stop my bingeing cycles. I also want to lose some of my body fat and slim, or tone, down in general. My goal is to reach 52kg by 31st December. This goal weight is appropriate for my height and I checked with my doctor before deciding on it.

methods:
I donā€™t believe that I can jump straight into a 100% Huel diet. I want to initially start with replacing breakfast and lunch with Huel, and have a meal at dinner-time, which is usually healthy.
I have just ordered 1 Vanilla Huel, 1 Coffee Huel (I have heard mixed reviews about this flavor, but I am excited to try) and the flavor sample pack. From my research, It looks like the best thing to do is blend the Huel with cold water (maybe a few ice cubes?).

If anyone has any tips, experiences or advice on Huel, wellbeing and food / relationships with food please let me know, it would be appreciated. i am excited to start my Huel journey :slight_smile:

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Youā€™re right about this being a welcoming community. Iā€™ve only been on here for a little under 2 weeks and itā€™s a great forum to seek advice and lurk in conversations of interest. Everyone I have ā€œspokenā€ with has been very helpful. Iā€™m sure youā€™ll find the same.

Good luck on your journey. Itā€™s sounds like youā€™re doing it for all the right reasons and starting out with realistic targets.

I am yet to start my Huel journey, but will be launching head first into a 100% Huel diet in the not to distant future. Like you, I have an unhealthy relationship with food and Huel strikes me as just the mechanism to kick start my way of thinking.

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Keep us posted, its interesting.

Huel is a great help, I wouldnt go 100% that is too radical, I use it for breakfast, some meals and in some cases (working out, at the office, tripsā€¦). Enjoy food and enjoy how convenient Huel is

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I started Huel at the end of July replacing lunch with a single scoop blended with fresh fruit ( usually a banana or nectarine) and semi skimmed milk. In doing so I have cut out bread entirely. In the evening I have been eating a regular meal with my husband. I lost 14 lbs in a month initially but I wasnā€™t calorie counting or exercising regularly, just an occasional swim, so 3 lbs crept back on.
I enjoy the Huel and really look forward to it, but I am getting disheartened with the plateau I have hit with the weight loss.
I started Huel with the intention of losing weight but also to see if it would help my digestive problems. I have never been diagnosed with a specific problem but I do suffer from a ā€œlazyā€ bowel, bloating, discomfort and have to take Fybogel just to clear my bowel and relieve the discomfort.
Since starting on Huel and giving up bread I feel sooo much better, so regardless of whether the weight shifts I will continue with Huel.
Over the last month I have increased my swimming to an hour daily and am trying Yoga to strengthen my core. Toning up quite well now but still no further weight loss since the initial lossā€¦so I decided to switch up the Huel yesterday and replaced lunch and dinner (I donā€™t do breakfastā€¦just a nice frothy latte). I have also dropped fruit out of the Huel for now and reduced the milk content and increased the water content.
I got to 9 pm last night then caved to a boiled egg, but still not too worried as I felt quite good having swum.
Up early this morning so the latte has gone alreadyā€¦I shall be out till lunchtime so should manage to avoid temptation before Huel at Lunch, tho I now add 1.5 scoops each time.
I will try and give it a week like this if I can and see how it goes.

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I honestly feel that community might make all the difference - it is so much harder when you feel like you are alone in the journey!

Ooh wow - good luck for 100% Huel! As I still live with my family, I usually cook dinner for them and I feel like that will be a nice break from the Huel - as well as enjoying the social aspects that accompany a family dinner. But please let me know how the 100% Huel goes, Iā€™m sure that will be amazing for you.

If you havenā€™t already ordered, you can always find a discount online - I found a 10 Euro discount from a review I read on a website. It means I got the starter pack + the samples for 52.75!

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Thank you, I am excited for my order to come, and I for sure will be documenting my experience. I have about 2 months until I move countries and Huel will not be available to me easily anymore (i will have to pay a lot more money in shipping) , so I am hoping that it will be enough time to find out whether Huel is for me.

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Wow, no bread? As I am living in France right now, that seems near impossible! :smile:
14lbs in a month is amazing, that is so encouraging to hear! As I am not able to access a gym, and I suffer from shin splints, my main form of exercise is an hour walk every day, sometimes some light weight work at home as well.

I am so glad to hear that Huel has helped your bowel problems, especially as I have heard that it can cause some wind/bowel issues, especially at the start. My main priority with Huel is to investigate how it makes me feel, with weight loss being secondary, so if Huel gives me more energy and helps me feel better I definitely will continue with it regardless of weight loss, like you.

My breakfast currently is toast with spreads, greek yogurt and fruit. I definitely want to replace all of this with Huel, I love the smell of coffee but I find the taste too bitter (usually I love a supermarket Starbucks vanilla latte), so I am potentially thinking of buying a flavored syrup to put in my morning Huel?

I have to ask- how did you manage food cravings at the start? I eat quite often and I donā€™t want to cave because I am not eating every 2 hours (even though I know I snack out of boredom, not real hunger)

Thanks so much for sharing your story :slight_smile:

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To begin with I was cramming my Huel with fruit and using milk, so it was a really filling meal. But like you, if I am not very busy then I can pick at things from the fridge, so I keep 3 or 4 boiled eggs in the fridge now and nibble one if I canā€™t stop myself from eating something.
I find the Huel with less milk and no fruit is less filling, but I started off with just one scoop and increased to 1.5 and that helped.
But the key for me is to keep busy.
Sometimes I wake feeling ravenous so I will have an Oatso porridge sachet rather than bread.
I also find if I think Iā€™m hungry sometimes I am just thirsty, so a pint of squash helps.
I try not to take my first Huel till 12.30pm or 1pm if I can manage. Then after I swim I allow myself a large latte which keeps me going till the evening.
Evening can be tricky so I am knitting or crocheting to keep my hands busy and mind off food.
My brother got me started on Huel. He has lost weight and it has helped his gastric problems too.
My nephew has no weight or digestive issues, but takes Huel when he is too busy with his new job, etc knowing he is getting all he needs from it.
My goal is weight loss as I have quite a lot to lose, but the improvement in my health has been a bonus, and I canā€™t foresee life without Huel now!
If you are having cravings, donā€™t be too hard on yourself. You have taken the first step to a new way of feeding yourself, and I am sure you will feel better if you give it a bit of time.

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If you wake feeling ravenous, why not just have Huel? I found that drinking Huel stopped all my cravings for sugar and other carbs.

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Good luck!

Advice

  1. Think of this as lifestyle change rather than a diet. Try to create a food pattern that you think you can keep it for long. If you think you could live of 100% Huel all you life (except some social events) go for it, if not you might be better of by just substituting few meals and then cooking healthily for the othes.

  2. I freaking love bread. It is the one thing I cannot stop eating. I would advise against buying it if possible (which probably isnā€™t). Just try to put a set number (like one piece of bread a day) and try to stick to it.

  3. Walking is great but if you want to tone up you will have to do other exercise: Try air squats, burpees, some kind of ab workout (with planks and so on) and glute exercises (there is plenty you can do without a gym). If you feel fatigues add it up slowly. Do 15 min the first day (or 10) and build up. Put milestones and you will get there.

  1. Huel will help you, but I think you will have to do some mental changes for that. Coming out from those cycles is harder than just saying. Ok today I will stop. Have your goal clear and try to visualize what you want. You can do it.

We belief in you. Donā€™t worry if you have one bad day. There are plenty of days left until december and that it is only a date. at the end of the day, today might be the day you change our life for the better

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I might do that. Usually I am happy with my latte but now and again I need something more. :blush:

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Iā€™m wondering if you might have some food in tolerances that are causing the low energy problems.

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Huel day one:

Yesterday my Huel arrived in the mail. I must say - super impressed with the shipping. I live in France and I ordered on Thursday, the package shipped on Monday and arrived 24 hours later!

I prepared my first ever coffee Huel, with no additions as I want to try the taste flavour.
I do NOT have a blender, and I was worried about using my food processor as it is very old and does not work sometimes.

But then - I realised that I have a STICK BLENDER! This worked amazingly, water + powder in the shaker, then put the stick blender in , blend, add water and blend again! Perfect consistency, no lumps and barely any clean up.

The smell of the prepared Huel was very nice, and the taste definitely was not as bad as I was bracing myself for (I have never tried protein shakes or anything like that previously). Vanilla, Coffee and an oaty, powdery aftertaste.

Over the period of lunchtime I will be consuming my Huel. I will be having a regular dinner with my family!

My weight today: 55.9kg

Tomorrow I will begin counting my calories in and out!

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Thank you so much for your reply.
I personally do not want to live 100% off Huel, just because I really enjoy cooking and eating with my family.

How good is bread right? Oh my gosh! Living in France, the baguettesā€¦ unfortunately I will consistently have them in the house because of my family, however I will probably cut it down to once a day like you said, to really enjoy it, and not overdo it.

I went out and purchased a set of dumbells, a kettlebell and resistance band. I plan to do 3 weighted workouts at home. I am not sure, realistically, how much progress/tone I will be able to see without the available facilities of a gym, what do you think?

Thank you so much for your words. I appreciate them alot.

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What I try to do is stick to one piece per meal. If not I end up eating it for sandwiches, after lunchā€¦ The thing about bread is that you always have place for more. So, that is why I chose to put an arbitrary number and stick to it as I can.

For me this is the right way. I have a lot of respect for the guys going 100%, but because I enjoy eating and cooking and socializing, I donā€™t need to do the same and I feel lucky about it.

Great! The main issue with working out at home is sticking to the routine. Write down a plan (do not have it on your mind) set a time and the days you will do them (at least if you are likely to skip them).

With what you have you can do all you need. The only reason why I like going to the gym is because it helps me focus and get out of the house. It is like having an office, but to work out.

If you stick to a good routine (which Iā€™m sure you can find plenty on the internet, Reddit - Dive into anything or similar for instance) you should make progress. I would say it should be steady into noticeable the first three months.

:muscle::muscle::muscle:

Let me know if you need something more specific, and Iā€™m glad I was able to help.

You can do it!

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Huel day two: an unfortunately shaky start.

After yesterdayā€™s delve into Huel, I wanted to be creative and try a combination to see if I would like it a little more. There was nothing wrong with yesterdayā€™s huel, I was just excited to try my flavor packs, and I noticed that after drinking my huel I felt a bit nauseous.

So, in the morning, I made a regular coffee huel shake, and added the ā€˜toffeeā€™ flavor packet (according to the instructions on the packet). I blend this up, and try a sip. instant gag.

The sweetening in the flavoring was unbearable. It almost seemed to trigger my gag reflex. I could not taste any toffee, just the aftertaste of that sweetener. I managed 3 gulps of the huel before I felt like I was going to vomit! I was so disappointed. I will be perusing the forums to find more natural flavor combinations because unfortunately, that was simply dreadful.

After the morning, I decided to give Huel another go tomorrow, as I still felt extremely ill to my stomach. I really, really want this to work for me, so I will not stop trying!

I mean, slowly but steady incorporation? I didnā€™t think I was that fussy of an eater, but that was inedible for me. Obviously, it is not the products fault, but mine! I seem to have a strange reaction. Tomorrow I will just have plain Huel and see how that fares. #help :sweat:

Food intake:

Breakfast:
1/2 cup of Greek Yoghurt
1 cup of Raspberries
( I deleted the Huel entry of this morning)

AM Snack:
1 Pita Bread
1 Tablespoon of Hummus

Lunch:
1 can of Tuna
1 Egg
2 Medium Potatoes
1/2 Onion

PM Snack:
Carrot and cucumber sticks

Dinner:
Greek Salad

Total Calories in: 1274

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This sounds like a good idea. Iā€™ve read lots of posts on mixing with all sorts (from coffee, to fruit, to peanut butter).

PB seems to be a favourite in the forum.

If the flavour boosts from Huel arenā€™t cutting for you, Iā€™ve read good things about FlavDrops from MyProtein. I havenā€™t tried themself, and again sweeteners will be involved, but from memory there are options that contain Stevia, which you might find more agreeable.

Good luck.

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I made a post with some recipes that you might found useful. Which Huel do you have?

Please do not tell me you have given up already:muscle:

Hope the rest of the journey is going ok

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Isabella, sorry for missing this post first time around. Itā€™s so great to have you here and I see you have already got loads of amazing advice from some great Huelers here. How is it all going? Are you finding you have more energy now? Keep at it, because almost everyone has a bit of a rocky start - youā€™ve got this :blush:

Also love bread. Garlic bread is my happy place after mocha Huel ( :wink: )

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Garlic bread flavour boost FTW. You heard it suggested here first.

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